Death by planning portal
Talking about local planning issues usually is a deflating experience for many involved. Often no one wins and the…
Get zoned to get homed
Like the UK, New Zealand has an affordability challenge. What’s happening there is worth paying attention to. In 2016,…
Why brown is not the new green
After the reception of last week’s post on the greenbelt, I thought it only right to do a…
Green and pleasant land
After many years on the touchline, it seems as if housing will finally be taken seriously at the next…
Where have all the children gone
In the last six weeks, I have had three meetings with different London Boroughs where discussions on public land…
Solving for Beauty
Can the planning system solve for “beautiful buildings” whilst also applying increasingly complex viability tests? I remain unconvinced and…
The politics of affordability
‘Perfect should not be the enemy of the good’ goes the old adage. It’s not often Voltaire gets a…
Banks, real estate and clueless policy makers
J P Morgan’s announcement it had acquired First Republic Bank on Monday this week didn’t make much in the…
Onward SME House Builders
I learned the other day that 38% of the existing housing stock in the UK was built before…
An Easter axe to Help to Buy doesn’t have to mean the end to new homes
Another day, another housing initiative down the drain. In an Easter treat for first time buyers, the curtain finally…
