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
More Homes. Better Places. So Far As Possible. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:41
It will not have escaped the attention of regular 50 Shades listeners that a consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was launched shortly before Christmas and, knowing that it was coming,…
🏆 The #Planoraks Awards 2022 🏆 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:04
Even by the standards of the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning 2022 has been quite a year. Who better to review it, Sam Stafford thought, than Zack Simons, one of the most erudit…
Call For Evidence - Life on the Front Line II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:44
It was about a year ago that Catriona Riddell first wrote in Planning magazine about low morale in local planning authorities, which Catriona, Peter Geraghty, Paul Brocklehurst and Sam Stafford followed up with the 'Life…
🎄The 50 Shades of Planning Festive Christmas Quiz - London☃️ [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:26
It’s cold, wet and miserable and, alas, there is little in Michael Gove’s recent Written Ministerial Statement to warm the cockles of a planner’s heart. Hopefully then the return of the 50 Shades of Planning Festive Chri…
Catch Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:35
This is an old skool, Adam Buxton-style ramble chat 50 Shades episode in which Sam Stafford fills his lunch hour with what he enjoys most: talking about planning with some of his planning friends. Planning being the fast…
What Town Planners Do [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:42
Planning is rarely out of the news these days, certainly in England. It gets mentioned in speeches by party leaders, it garners headlines in the national and local press and has been the focus of multiple reform initiati…
A Home of One's Own [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:32
This episode is published with thanks to Simon Ricketts and his Planning Law Unplanned Clubhouse forum. Simon recently had a Clubhouse chat with Hashi Mohamed about Hashi’s book ‘A Home of One’s Own’ and they kindly agre…
Hitting the High Notes - Peter Dixon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:34
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…
A Stimulating Growth Conversation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:10
It will not have gone unnoticed that the Government published a 'Growth Plan' on Friday 23 September 2022 with implications for the Development Consent Order regime and the introduction of a new Investment Zone concept.…