26th January 2023
Levelling Up – The “oven ready” cake… One of the central promises of the December 2019 Tory manifesto – yes, the one that delivered Boris Johnson to power! – was to introduce ‘Levelling Up’. Now, Levelling Up was a new name for an old concept, […]
20th January 2023
Slamming on the brakes on the Local Plan… The sound of screeching tyres as brakes are slammed on Local Plans is rising like a cacophonic symphony by a modernist composer throughout England’s ‘green and pleasant land’… There are now over 30 councils that announced delays […]
13th January 2023
To infinity and beyond! (Well…almost!) I found myself completely mesmerised on Monday evening as the Virgin Orbit programme launched. From Cornwall! Here in dear old Blighty! Yes, dear reader, we launched our space programme (ok, only half a century after the Americans and the Russians) […]
6th January 2023
New Year’s resolutions We all make them, don’t we? I’m going to join the gym this year and lose the “Christmas padding” or I’m going to stay on top of my admin… I had a chat with a friend over Christmas and the conversation turned […]
16th December 2022
Let’s all sing a festive song! Come on boys and girls! All together now… Five housing ministers, four Levelling Up Secretaries, three Prime Ministers, two Monarchs and all we want is one planning consent! I think we can all safely say it has been one […]
9th December 2022
Last Call Rwanda – Go To Gate Now When the wise people of Britain made the decision to leave the bureaucratic and meddlesome European Union, they were made a number of promises and I am pleased to say that we are seeing real progress. The […]
2nd December 2022
Wrestling with the Tories Whilst waiting in an airport lounge watching CNN, a large gentleman with a loud shirt and shorts switched to the wrestling channel. After initial annoyance, I was captivated. Not just by the wrestlers themselves, in their garish outfits, but by the […]
25th November 2022
BIDEN to solve all UK planning and housing issues… I can hear what you think… Lamprecht, have you started the boozy Christmas party season early? No dear reader, I’m serious! Govey and DLUCH issued a statement that explains it all for us… Key amendments to […]
18th November 2022
When the greenfield hits the fan When Tony Blair came to power, he promised that Labour would have three priorities: ‘education, education, education’. Twenty-five years later, our new Prime Minister has a new slogan: “brownfield, brownfield, brownfield”. At his very first Prime Minister’s Questions, Wendy Morton MP (Conservative) asked: “We are at […]
11th November 2022
Should councils act like Speculators? I don’t know about you, but when I think of iconic skylines, certain staples come to mind. New York, London, Paris. Well, it’s time to add another location to the list: Woking, Surrey. The town’s new skyscrapers loom over the […]