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50 Shades of Planning

By: Samuel Stafford
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  • Summary

  • Sam Stafford started posting on the 50 Shades of Planning blog in 2012 and in 2019 turned it into a podcast. 50 Shades of Planning is about the foibles of the English planning system and it's aim is to cover the breadth of the sector both in terms of topics of conversation and in terms of guests with different experiences and perspectives.

    50 Shades episodes include 'Hitting The High Notes', which is a series of conversations with leading planning and property figures. The conversations take in the six milestone planning permissions or projects within a contributor’s career and for every project guests are invited to choose a piece of music that they were listening to at that time. Think Desert Island Discs, but for planners. If you would like to feature on 'Hitting The High Notes', or know somebody that would make a great guest, please email samstafford@hotmail.com.

    If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning Podcast you will have heard Clive Betts say that...

    'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.

    Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html

    Sam is on Bluesky (@samuelstafford.bsky.social) and Instagram (@samuel__stafford), and his blogs can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com.

    As with the 50 Shades Blog, the 50 Shades Podcast is a platform for Sam's personal opinions, which may or may not represent the opinions of his past, present or future employers.

    50 Shades of Planning is produced in partnership with Cratus Group.

    Why Fifty Shades? Well, planning is not a black and white endeavour. There are at least fifty shades in between...
    2019 The 50 Shades of Planning Podcast
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Episodes
  • Neutral Impact III (and a bit of Green Belt)

    Neutral Impact III (and a bit of Green Belt)
    Jun 1 2024
    When Sam Stafford first covered nutrient neutrality, in February 2021, he described the process of eutrophication as a bit like the podcast itself: a little niche, but very important. When Sam published a second episode in September 2022 it had grown in importance to the extent that Prime Minister Liz Truss had pledged to "scrap nutrient neutrality rules". A Government press release issued in August 2023 stated that “through an amendment to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill (LURB), the Government will do away with this red tape and allow for the delivery of more than 100,000 new homes desperately needed by local communities."” The LURB amendments in question were subsequently defeated, nutrient neutrality rules have not been scrapped, and 2 June 2024 marks the fifth anniversary of Natural England’s first advice note for LPAs in the Solent Region. The question that Sam posed in that second Shades episode remains just as pertinent: how far away is a satisfactory resolution in those parts of the country that have been affected? In order to provide an updated answer to that question Sam invited old friend of the podcast Rachel Jones and new friends of the podcast Andrew Smith and Gemma Nelmes to share their experiences. Rachel is Ecology Manager at Wiltshire Council; Andrew is Head of Development Management at the Lake District National Park Authority; and Gemma is an Associate at Stantec. Eagle-eyed Listeners may have spotted that the title of this episode is Neutral Impact III (and a bit of Green Belt). Sam has very kindly been invited by Richard Kimblin at No. 5 Chambers and Sarah Young at LUC to contribute to a Green Belt Summit that they are holding on Wednesday 3 July. It is in London, but will be available to view online as well. The three of them had a brief preparatory chat last recently about the spur for the summit and the hopes for it. That chat features in the final section of the episode. Some accompanying reading. 100,000 more homes to be built via reform of defective EU laws https://www.gov.uk/government/news/100000-more-homes-to-be-built-via-reform-of-defective-eu-laws?pk_campaign=newsletter_6337 Natural England and Dorset Wildlife Trust buy Lyscombe farm https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/24310589.natural-england-dorset-wildlife-trust-buy-lyscombe-farm/ Claims that developers are responsible for water pollution are a load of poo https://capx.co/claims-that-developers-are-responsible-for-water-pollution-are-a-load-of-poo/ Is the Government backtracking on environmental protection? https://capx.co/is-the-government-backtracking-on-environmental-protection/ PAS Nutrient Neutrality Programme https://www.local.gov.uk/pas/topics/environment/nutrient-neutrality-and-planning-system Natural England Framework for Wetland Mitigation Proposals https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/6543a2f8de0348f683187ff268a79687?item=4 Information on Nature Based Solutions as Nutrient Mitigation https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6680815300509696 Natural England’s nutrient mitigation scheme for developers https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-englands-nutrient-mitigation-scheme-for-developers CIRIA publishes new guidance on SuDS construction https://www.ciria.org/CIRIA/News/CIRIA_news2/CIRIA_publishes_new_guidance_on_SuDS_construction.aspx Green Belt Summit Details https://www.no5.com/2024/05/greenbelt-summit/ Fields in Trust https://fieldsintrust.org/ England’s nature chief calls for building on green belt to solve housing crisis https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/nov/18/england-nature-chief-tony-juniper-thinks-green-belt-land-solve-housing-crisis The Green Belt. What it is and why; what it isn't; and what it should be http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-green-belt-what-it-is-why-it-is.html
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    58 mins
  • Love Thy Neighbourhood Plan

    Love Thy Neighbourhood Plan
    May 18 2024
    What are we to make of neighbourhood planning? Friend of the podcast Ben Castell considers it a “grassroots planning revolution”. Perhaps less favourably it conjures for others images of corduroy and tweed-clad councillors convening a parish council working group to thwart plans for an incinerator or, worse still, new housing. With neighbourhood planning now part of the furniture, but with the current opposition and possible next Government talking about ‘taking planning up a level’, Sam Stafford thought it time for the podcast to evaluate the story of neighbouring planning so far, which is lead in this episode by the afore-mentioned Ben Castell. Ben is Planning Director at AECOM, where he has worked with a number of neighbourhood planning groups, and has also had two stints as Chair of his local Neighbourhood Forum. Ben convened a group of planners with nuts-and-bolts experience in this field for a conversation recorded online in April 2024. Samantha Banks is the Neighbourhood Planning Programme Manager at Locality, which has provided the government’s Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme since 2013. Samantha previously worked as the Neighbourhood Planning Manager at Herefordshire Council, leading a team that supported over 100 town and parish councils produce neighbourhood plans. Graeme Markland has been the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer at Thame Town Council since 2016 and before that was a technical and planning officer at Luton Borough Council and the Luton and South Bedfordshire Joint Technical Unit. Leani Haim is a Planning Director at ONH, which provides planning and development services to town and parish councils, neighbourhood forums, landowners and developers. ONH has supported over 200 neighbourhood plan projects. Now it is fair to say that Ben, Samantha, Graeme and Leani are all neighbourhood planning enthusiasts and for balance, in addressing the question as to how successful the enterprise has been, a more sceptical voice was required. About two thirds of the way through then Listeners will hear from another friend of the podcast, Simon Ricketts, who fits that bill and who kindly recorded his thoughts in advance so that Ben, Samantha, Graeme and Leani could mull them over in the final section of the episode. Some accompanying reading. Independent research on the impacts of neighbourhood planning https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-research-on-the-impacts-of-neighbourhood-planning Neighbourhood planning in England: A decade of institutional learning https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305900623000107#bib169 Locality’s Key Neighbourhood Planning Data https://neighbourhoodplanning.org/toolkits-and-guidance/key-neighbourhood-planning-data/ Locality’s Toolkits and Guidance https://neighbourhoodplanning.org/toolkits-and-guidance/ Neighbourhood planning areas https://communities.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=d195c3134caa46b5a638ad0c4f0cce77 Planning Practice Guidance https://www.gov.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-planning--2 Some accompanying listening You Woke Up My Neighbourhood – Billy Bragg (Ben’s choice) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnHxAxaara0 Who’s In Control? – Sea Power (Sam's choice) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5Lf0IiEZt8 50 Shades T-Shirts! If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that... 'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'. Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html
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    1 hr
  • Grey Belt

    Grey Belt
    May 4 2024

    Sam Stafford was in London recently and took the opportunity to catch up with friends of the podcast Catriona Riddell, Shelly Rouse and Nicola Gooch at Soho Radio Studios. One topic, the hot topic of the past few weeks, dominated the conversation.

    “Labour pledges housebuilding drive on Grey Belt with ‘golden rules’ to boost public services, affordable homes and improve green spaces”, so announced a press release dated 19 April.

    Keir Starmer has today set out five ‘golden rules’ for Grey Belt housebuilding, pledging to deliver affordable homes, boost infrastructure and public services like schools and GPs, and improve genuine green spaces.

    While reiterating that Labour will always take a 'brownfield first' approach to housing development, Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner are also pledging to release some land currently classed as Green Belt to build the homes Britain needs.”

    On a visit to a housing development today, the pair will outline Labour’s plans to create a new class of 'Grey Belt' land to ensure grey and poor-quality parts of the Green Belt are prioritised, and that any development benefits local communities.

    Plenty in there then for the gang to get their teeth in to. They discussed the practical issues associated with creating a new class of designation and how that might rub up against, for example, mandatory BNG. They also talked about how Grey Belt might interact with a mechanism for cross- boundary strategic planning, which Matthew Pennycook has said that Labour will introduce to overcome housing delivery challenges around towns and cities with tightly drawn administrative boundaries. All of that, as you will hear, led them on to local plan reform and what the next version of the NPPF looks like, as well as a remarkable statistic from Shelly on how much a local plan costs to prepare.

    Some accompanying reading.

    Labour’s planning proposals

    http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2024/04/labours-planning-proposals.html

    The 80-year planning war over a Surrey airfield (£)

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-80-year-planning-war-over-a-surrey-airfield-lvjb3svr7

    Some accompanying viewing.

    What is Grey Belt land and why does Keir Starmer want to build on it?

    https://youtu.be/4OvsXqdpy4s?si=S6mfS_uL-R15v-3b

    Some accompanying listening.

    Darkness on the edge of town – Bruce Springsteen

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8HXvt-v5v0

    50 Shades T-Shirts!

    If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that...

    'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.

    Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html
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    47 mins
Art Economics Political Science Social Sciences Science
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