If the Government really was hoping the volume house builders would come to their aid, actually build-out the many homes for which they enjoy planning consent and deliver the promised 300,000 new-build homes a year, they are in for a nasty shock. It looks as if the approaching recession has forced builders back into land-banking mode. Much ink has been […]
The end of abundance
French president Emmanuel Macron made a speech on Wednesday that was little reported on this side of the Channel – which is a shame, because it may mark the beginning of a tidal change in western politics. Speaking at the French Cabinet, he warned that the tough economic times to come could mark the world facing a possible “end of […]
A planning puzzle
In a recent blog, I compared some decisions of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) regarding zero-carbon development to an illness – Easter Island Syndrome – which drives a society towards its own degradation, or even destruction. The Planning Inspectorate has an Environmental Policy dated October 2021 which, under the heading “Reducing our emissions”, says: We will work to reduce the carbon […]
Green belt blues
Well, you live and learn. Did you know that, although around 12.4% of England is designated as green belt, it’s mostly poor quality scrubland? Did you know that building on green belt land is only unpopular thanks to a misconception that it involves concreting over the countryside? Did you know the Government has no desire to build more homes? That, […]