The long awaited final version of PPS21 was published on 1st June 2010. This concluded the process to reform rural planning policy in Northern Ireland,which started over four years ago with the publication of draft PPS14 on 4th March 2006. Omagh District....

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) and River Basin District (RBD) Management Plans will have fundamental implications for spatial planning and development decisions.While waste water outfall and water supply has traditionallybeen a secondary issue for most developers....

With the first coalition Government for 70 years there has been considerable discussion on how the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties may resolve differences over electoral reform, nuclear power and taxation reform but less is known on how they may work together in the fields of planning and development. Click on the link below to view our briefing which gives some insight on what we can expect.

PPS5: Planning for the historic environment, was published on 23rd March 2010, replacing PPG15 (Planning and the historic environment), 1994 and PPG16 (Archaeology and planning), 1990. The PPS is accompanied by....

Scale of fees with effect from 1st April 2010: This table represents selected categories from The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications and Deemed Applications) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2010....

The much trailed Conservative Green Paper on planning is with us at last. The new approach is badged as ‘open source’ planning...

A draft new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on planning and the historic environment was published on 24th July with the stated aim of ‘keeping up the momentum’ of heritage protection reform. Unfortunately however, it makes only limited sense in the absence of corresponding legislation as the draft Heritage Protection Bill has not been progressed.

In response to recent political pressure to address so-called ‘garden grabbing’, the Planning Service recently published its second Addendum to PPS 7: Safeguarding the Character of Established Residential Areas in draft. The consultation period ends on 5th March 2010....

PPS4 is finally here. It has been one year and five months in production, went through two separate consultation exercises and has swept up four-and-a-bit other planning policy statements along the way. PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth eventually emerged from the Whitehall bunkers in that limbo period of the year, 29th December, thus (just) fulfilling the Government’s promise to publish by the end of 2009.

The Ancient Monuments and Listed Buildings (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill has been published in draft for consultation. Introducing the Bill and referring to the importance of Scotland's historic environment, Michael Russell, Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution stated that...

A review of Householder Permitted Development (HPD) rights has been undertaken as part of the Government’s aim to deliver an improved, more effective and efficient planning system. This is in line with the Review of Public Administration being taken forward by Environment Minister, Edwin Poots....

The key driver for changes in PD rights is the reform of the NI planning system. The recent consultation paper on permitted development changes proposes: The extension on non domestic permitted development rights; Article 4 directions to be used to extend PD rights as well as restrict them; All service providers to be afforded PD rights to carry out external works to create disability access....

On 1st October 2009 some significant changes to planning legislation will come into force in England. These changes are designed to help kick-start the the more frustrating aspects of the planning system.