Network Rail intends to extend the East West Rail Alliance’s existing contract with a £650m direct award for further upgrade works on the Oxford-Cambridge route. The package includes re-signalling, track, electrification, level crossing closures, station improvements and associated enabling works, subject to funding and approvals.
Manchester City Council is due to consider two major purpose-built student accommodation schemes on Charles Street, together delivering around 3,500 beds across seven buildings. Both proposals are recommended for approval and would involve substantial tall-building development adjacent to the Sister innovation district, with objections focused on scale, daylight and impacts on nearby public realm.
MPs are urging the government to let councils use unspent Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts to repair roads and reduce the backlog of carriageway maintenance. The APPG for Better Roads argues that existing and future CIL funds could be directed more transparently and effectively towards highway resurfacing and pothole prevention.
The Prosper UK Housing Commission, chaired by Gavin Barwell, has called for a three-year pause on new regulation affecting developers, alongside a commitment to rule out rent controls. Its report argues that housing delivery is being constrained by both buyer affordability and developer viability, and proposes measures spanning planning, demand support, and build-to-rent investment.
The redevelopment of the former Greater Manchester Police headquarters in Old Trafford has been revised upward to 1,400 homes, with a planning application expected this month and completion now forecast before the end of 2034. The scheme includes a 25% affordable housing commitment, but the report highlights viability pressure and suggests public sector funding support may be needed.
A Cambridge college development has been approved again after the original planning consent was quashed through judicial review. The case arose from concerns about the scheme’s impact on heritage assets.
The Planning Inspectorate has updated the application form and notes for deregistering, or deregistering and exchanging, common land and town or village greens. The changes include revised wording, updated contact details, references to artificial intelligence guidance in casework evidence, and removal of COVID-19-related instructions.
The Planning Inspectorate has updated its application form and guidance for consent to construct works on common land under Section 38 of the Commons Act 2006 and the National Trust Act. The changes include revised postal address details, updated consultation wording, reference to guidance on artificial intelligence in casework evidence, and removal of outdated COVID-19 instructions.
Karrev has lodged revised plans for the long-vacant Martins Bank Building in Liverpool, seeking to restart a paused office conversion scheme. The amendments keep the core office-led use but update layouts, fire safety and sustainability measures to better suit modern occupier requirements.
The Prosper UK Housing Commission has published a blueprint aimed at improving housing supply and affordability by addressing declining demand and the viability of housebuilding. It argues that rising regulatory costs, taxes and planning burdens are undermining development, and calls for reforms including a freeze on regulatory burdens, changes to section 106, and a new national planning service.
The Prosper UK Housing Commission has published a report arguing that England’s housing crisis is being driven by both weak demand and poor scheme viability, and that both issues must be addressed together. It says rising build costs, flat prices and regulatory, policy and tax burdens are constraining delivery, while planning permissions have fallen to their lowest level since 2013 and temporary accommodation remains at record levels.
A report chaired by Gavin Barwell recommends that the government freeze regulatory burdens for three years in order to stimulate the housing market and support new development. The article says the group views current regulations as a significant barrier to delivery.
