Manchester City Council has issued a formal decision notice for Oval Real Estate’s Albert Bridge House redevelopment, following completion of a Section 106 agreement. The scheme will replace the existing office block with two residential towers and a smaller office building, although start on site still depends on Building Safety Regulator Gateway 2 approval.
The Home Builders Federation says English local councils received an average of almost £600,000 each over the past three years from Planning Performance Agreement fees, based on Freedom of Information responses. The report argues that growing use of PPAs and Extensions of Time can obscure true planning delays and reflects wider capacity shortages in local planning authorities.
Falconer Chester Hall has promoted three staff members as the practice expands its focus on high-risk and tall-building work under the Building Safety Act regime. The firm says it has secured multiple Gateway approvals and consents and is positioning itself to provide both architectural and principal designer services for compliant delivery of tall buildings.
The Environment Agency has updated its guidance on how it responds to planning consultations where proposed development also requires environmental permitting or other consenting regimes. The update clarifies the Agency’s approach, including the positions it may take in response, pre-application services, and how it considers Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Stretford Grammar School is consulting on plans for a new campus on its Green Belt site in Stretford, with a planning application expected later this autumn. The scheme, backed by the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme, would replace the existing estate with a new 84,500 sq ft teaching block and associated sports and outdoor facilities, targeting completion in summer 2029.
The Planning Inspectorate explains the role of National Policy Statements (NPSs) in setting the framework for decisions on nationally significant infrastructure projects. The page has been updated to reflect the revised Ports NPS and the designation of the Water Resources Infrastructure NPS, alongside references to the current energy, transport and waste-related statements.
Manchester City Council has identified seven locations for potential new conservation areas as part of its local plan review, which would be the first additions since the 1990s. If approved, the city would increase its conservation areas from 35 to 42, with developers in the affected areas needing to demonstrate how proposals protect local character.
Gwelyfenai has proposed a 3.6m sq ft data centre campus on the former Ferodo site near Caernarfon, but the scheme may be called in by the Welsh Government for its own determination. The project includes demolition, regrading and a range of ecological mitigation measures, while attracting criticism over potential landscape and wildlife impacts.
The article discusses the Highways (Financing) Bill, which would allow private finance to support major strategic road schemes in England through a regulated asset base model overseen by the Office of Rail and Road. It argues that the approach could reduce funding constraints and improve delivery certainty, but only if risk is allocated fairly and regulation is robust.
Nicholson Group has submitted plans to convert the vacant Grade II-listed former Pilkington canteen in St Helens into 45 flats. The adaptive reuse proposal follows an earlier, unimplemented 2008 approval for a smaller residential scheme and aims to balance heritage preservation with new housing use.
The RSPCA has submitted plans to Wigan Council for a 55,199 sq ft animal care facility at Mossley Hall Farm in Lowton to help address a regional capacity shortage. The proposal follows consultation and includes a low-rise, landscape-led design with biodiversity net gain, revised access and parking arrangements, and specialist veterinary, rehabilitation and rehoming spaces.
The Environment Agency has updated guidance on pet cemeteries, setting out where they can be built, how they must be constructed, and the registration process with APHA. The guidance also clarifies planning permission requirements, burial depth and site conditions, and the rules for burying or spreading ash under a regulatory position statement in England and Wales.
