Insights & Reports

Hot on his heels of last week’s Queen’s Speech, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill was unveiled promising to deliver radical reform. Truth be told, the status quo is likely to continue for some time to come, says Planning Partner, Jonathan Bainbridge and his Bidwells colleagues, as they reveal the potential impacts of the Bill.

With yesterday’s State Opening of Parliament presenting 38 separate bills, it is possible to overlook key issues arising for planning. Jack Gandy has reviewed the latest announcements to help understand the Government’s intentions for the planning system, and found much reduced ambitions for reform.

Head of Milton Keynes, Holly Dawson, provides the insight behind the numbers following the release of Bidwells’ latest MK databook.

Across the Oxford-Cambridge Arc, East and South-Eastern region, Bidwells continues to see strong demand and increased competition for residential development sites. The unceasing demand for development land has driven strong growth in land values and high activity levels, with annual growth in greenfield land values at 8.8% for 2021.

Landowners may live with the consequences of their development decisions for years to come.

Welcome to Bidwells' spring 2022 Scotland Newsletter.

On 16 March 2022, Natural England increased the list of habitat sites that are considered to be in an unfavourable condition due to excessive nutrient levels. The extended list includes both the River Wensum and large parts of the Broads, and the ‘National Map of Catchments’, provided by Natural England, suggests that a significant area of Norfolk will be affected by the change.

If 2021 was a crucial year for our global response to climate breakdown, then maybe 2022 can be the biodiversity equivalent?

I recently purchased my son a play mat for his newly acquired toy cars. As a planner, it immediately struck me that the mat showed a car-dominated environment with little room for pedestrians, cyclists and other non-motorised users. It was perfect for his fleet of cars, but it got me thinking…

In 2019, the UK and Scottish Governments made their commitments to net zero, with target dates of 2050 and 2045 respectively. Relatively, both countries are progressing well, with emissions falling faster than in other major developed economies. However, with 326m tonnes of ‘carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e)’ emitted in 2020, there is still a long road ahead.

Three of our current apprentices answer some of the most commonly asked questions about their roles.

The political football that is the Green Belt is letting emotion rule logic when it comes to future growth in Hertfordshire.