Andy Burnham has been asked to form the next government and has set out housing and cost-of-living priorities, including more council homes, ending rough sleeping and a 10-year plan for Britain. Industry responses from RICS, Jackson-Stops and Propertymark focus on housing supply, home buying reform, market confidence and the need for planning, regulatory and delivery capacity.
The Planning Inspectorate has published a short guide explaining how local plan examinations work under the legacy system. It outlines the role of local planning authorities, the independent examination process, and the soundness tests used to assess whether a plan can be adopted.
The Planning Inspectorate has published guidance on handling called-in planning applications, setting out expectations for timetables, correspondence, and the conduct of parties involved. It emphasises that the guidance is non-statutory, but that unreasonable behaviour can lead to costs awards and that material changes in circumstances must be reported promptly.
The article gathers priorities from senior figures in the built environment, local government and housing sectors for the incoming Prime Minister, with recurring calls for greater devolution, longer-term funding certainty and faster housing delivery. Contributors argue that stable, place-based policy and reduced bureaucracy are needed to unlock regeneration, infrastructure and new homes.
The article argues that Manchester’s build-to-rent market has been highly successful in delivering large numbers of city-centre apartments, but that the next phase of rental growth needs to focus more on family housing in suburban locations. It highlights that private landlords are constrained by higher borrowing costs, SDLT on additional properties and future energy-efficiency upgrade costs, creating space for institutional capital to deliver single-family rental homes at scale.
The government has opened a consultation on extending judicial review reforms beyond nationally significant infrastructure projects to major housing, transport and energy schemes. The aim is to reduce delays caused by repeated or weak legal challenges while preserving access to justice and the rule of law.
Ribble Valley Council’s planning committee has been warned that repeated appeal losses could trigger government intervention and potentially remove some local planning autonomy. The warning comes as members prepare to determine two housing applications totalling 165 homes, including one recommended for refusal despite the council’s recent appeal setbacks.
The government has launched a six-week consultation on extending judicial review reforms to housing and transport projects. The aim is to reduce legal challenges, particularly for smaller schemes, and to speed up delivery.
The government has launched a consultation on extending judicial review reforms to major housing and infrastructure projects, with the stated aim of reducing delays to development. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government say the proposals could help unblock projects that are currently slowed by legal challenge processes.
The Mayor of London has proposed reducing the affordable housing threshold for some developments that want to use a faster planning route. The draft plan still retains the broader objective that 50% of new homes in London should be affordable, but individual schemes may be able to secure fast-track approval under a lower requirement.
This article is a satirical roundup of several North West property and local government stories, including a rejected housing scheme in Sandbach, a commercial launch at a Manchester resi scheme, and ongoing political deadlock at Oldham Council. It also briefly notes a new wellbeing-focused gym opening at Manchester’s Treehouse hotel.
The Planning Inspectorate has published a procedural guide for planning appeals relating to applications submitted on or after 1 April 2026. The guidance explains the updated written representations process, the relationship to the Town and Country Planning (Appeals) (Written Representations Procedure) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, and key expectations for appellants and local planning authorities.
