Three Things (or 'The 50 Shades Manifesto For Sensible Planning Reform')

Three Things (or 'The 50 Shades Manifesto For Sensible Planning Reform')

Author: Samuel Stafford May 21, 2022 Duration: 57:19

Regular 50 Shades Listeners will know that Sam Stafford recently had dinner with a DLUHC Minister. The conversation during dessert turned, with a set piece Planning Bill off of the agenda, to the three most impactful things that Michael Gove could do to improve the planning system. Sam subsequently shared his thoughts on Twitter (see link below) and they provoked a bit of a discussion, which he thought worthy of exploring further in a 50 Shades episode.

This then is what prompted Episode 65’s 'Call for Evidence' in which Sam invited 50 Listeners to share their own suggestions for practical, pragmatic changes that, with little fuss and fanfare, could have a positive, meaningful impact on the planning system. Sam discusses the submissions, let's perhaps call them the '50 Shades Manifesto For Sensible Planning Reform', in this episode with Claire Petricca-Riding, Jonathan Easton and Paul Smith.

Claire (@PetriccaRiding) is a Partner and National Head of Planning & Environmental Law at Irwin Mitchell. Jonathan (@jonnye47) is full-time planning barrister at Kings Chambers and a part-time punster on Twitter. Paul (@paul_slg) is Managing Director at the Strategic Land Group.

Some accompanying reading.

Sam’s three areas for impactful planning reform

http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2022/03/three-things.html

Planning for the better future – RTPI Proposals for Planning Reform in England

https://www.rtpi.org.uk/policy/2021/march/planning-for-a-better-future/

Local development planning in Scotland - regulations and guidance consultation: part B - proposals for development planning regulations

https://www.gov.scot/publications/local-development-planning-regulations-guidance-consultation-part-b-proposals-development-planning-regulations/

The Future of Strategic Planning in England by the County Councils Network and Catriona Riddell Associates 

https://www.countycouncilsnetwork.org.uk/report-calls-on-government-to-implement-a-new-planning-model-as-two-thirds-of-councils-say-the-pressure-on-their-infrastructure-is-excessive-due-to-housing

RTPI South West Pilot Mentoring Programme for early career planners

https://www.rtpi.org.uk/swmentoring

'The Queen’s Speech – Levelling Up and Planning Reform, what can be legislated for?'

https://lichfields.uk/blog/2022/may/10/the-queen-s-speech-levelling-up-and-planning-reform-what-can-be-legislated-for/

Government response to the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee report on The Future of the Planning System in England

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-the-planning-system-in-england-government-response-to-the-select-committee-report/government-response-to-the-levelling-up-housing-and-communities-select-committee-report-on-the-future-of-the-planning-system-in-england

The Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill: Highlights, Headlines and Henry the Eighth

https://imbusiness.passle.net/post/102hof6/the-levelling-up-regeneration-bill-highlights-headlines-and-henry-the-eighth

Local Plans Expert Group: report to the Secretary of State

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-plans-expert-group-report-to-the-secretary-of-state

Sir Oliver Letwin’s independent review of build out

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-build-out-final-report

Some accompanying listening.

The Verve – Three Steps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFiM4FORyC8

50 Shades T-Shirts!

If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning Podcast you will have heard Clive Betts say that...

'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.

Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html


Samuel Stafford hosts 50 Shades of Planning, a podcast that digs into the often perplexing world of the English planning system. Rather than offering dry policy lectures, these conversations embrace the sector's inherent complexities and occasional absurdities. The aim is to provide a wide-ranging view, bringing in diverse voices from across the fields of planning, property, design, and development. You'll hear from practitioners, thinkers, and critics, each sharing their unique experiences and perspectives on how places are shaped. A recurring series within the podcast, titled 'Hitting The High Notes', features in-depth discussions with leading figures, examining pivotal career moments and influential projects. These talks are structured around six key planning milestones, offering a concrete framework for understanding professional journeys and systemic challenges. By weaving together themes from government, business, arts, and social sciences, this podcast reveals how planning sits at a crowded intersection of politics, economics, and community life. Tune in for thoughtful, sometimes surprising, explorations of the forces that decide what gets built, where, and why.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

50 Shades of Planning
Podcast Episodes
Neutral Impact II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:18
When Sam Stafford introduced Episode 38 of the 50 Shades of Planning Podcast on nutrient neutrality he described the topic of eutrophication as a bit like the podcast itself. A little niche, but very important. Since the…
An Esoteric Discussion about the Planning System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:38
Sam Stafford revisits the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill with regular 50 Shades contributors Claire Petricca-Riding, Vicky Payne and Paul Smith. Their conversation explores what the Bill is and is not, what it may and…
Housing People [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:00
Housing, 50 Shades listeners, will know, is slap bang in the middle of the intersection between planning and politics and nothing offers both the illustration and impact of this than affordable housing. Research commissi…
A Gentle Conversation about Density [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:16
Where should we build 300,000 new homes every year? We could build tall buildings, which can have transformative effects on city centres and their skylines, but might not necessarily match delivery with need. Or we could…
LURB [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:23
50 Shades listeners are a perceptive bunch and will have a spotted that the Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill (LURB) was introduced to Parliament on 11 May. Whilst the word planning does not appear on the front of the bil…
Hitting the High Notes - Anna Rose [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:32
Hitting The High Notes is town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. In these episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects…
Place, Politics and the Piece Hall [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:41
When Sam Stafford saw that Create Streets and Onward were bringing their 'Restitch' conference to Halifax's Piece Hall, his favourite building, he could not have been more excited. He was though even more excited when th…
Leading From The Front [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:24
‘Is there a local authority staffing crisis', Sam Stafford asked Catriona Riddell, Peter Geraghty and Paul Brocklehurst in Episode 60. That episode, regular listeners might recall, was informed by a 'Call for Evidence' a…
Hitting the High Notes - Pete Swift [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:38
Hitting The High Notes is town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. In these episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects…

«1...678910