50 Shades of Planning

The previous Government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 introduced the legislative framework for a new system of local plan-making and in March 2026 the current Government introduced the regulations concerning this new regime.

The headline changes are that local authorities will be required to complete plans within a condensed 30-month period; conduct three public consultations rather than the two currently required; and pass through three mandatory gateway checks on the way.

39 authorities, those that had submitted, but not adopted, a plan for examination on or before 12 March 2025 that proposed meeting less than 80% of local housing need, had to publish a notice of intention to commence plan-making by 30 June 2026 and will have to publish a gateway 1 self-assessment by 31 October 2026. 

For those authorities not intending to submit a plan for examination under the existing system by 31 December 2026, they must give notice of an intention to commence plan-making by 31 December 2026 or by the time an adopted plan is 4 years and 8 months old, whichever is the latest, and then publish a Gateway 1 self-assessment by 30 April 2027 or by the time a plan is 5 years old, whichever is the latest.

It seemed to Sam Stafford then high time that the podcast takes a look at the new local plan-making system, which it does in this episode by way of a conversation between old friend of the podcast Nicola Gooch and new friends of the podcast Mary Cook and Sarah Matile.

Nicola is a partner at Birketts, Mary is a consultant at Town Legal and Sarah is Planning Policy Manager at Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council.

In a conversation recorded online in July 2026 they dwell largely on the difference between the legacy and new regimes, but also talk about the looming deadline for the submission of legacy plans and the influence of Mr Pennycook’s pragmatism letter, as well as NDMPS, LGR, EORs and Grey Belt.

Some accompanying reading.

The New Plan-Making System: Zen and the Art of Timetable Maintenance

New local plan-making system roadmap

Local plans: the examination process legacy and new system

Planning Alliance

Some accompanying viewing.

Plan, Prepare, Progress - A practical guide to the new local plans system

Some accompanying listening.

Old Stuff, New Glass – The Orielles

Any other business.

If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why via samstafford@hotmail.com or the 50 Shades WhatsApp Community. Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome.

If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug.

50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam.

Whilst in London recently Sam Stafford took the opportunity to catch up with old friends of the podcast Simon Ricketts, Andrew Taylor and Mike Kiely.

Simon is a Partner at Town Legal, Andrew is Group Planning and Sustainability Director at Vistry and Mike is a former Chief Planner, now independent planning consultant working mainly in the public sector as well as chairing the board of the Planning Officer's Society.

In a conversation recorded at Brazen Studios in Southwark they kicked around a few of the issues exercising the planning profession at the minute. Their ramblechat took in evidenced unmet need; the pause to local government reorganisation; housing targets; Reform’s planning teal paper; the importance of next month’s Budget; and reports from the RTPI of an increasing use of its professional conduct complaints process as a way of people seeking to challenge LPA decisions.

Some accompanying reading.

50 Shades of Planning T-Shirts!

England's Greatest Place

Evidenced Unmet Need

A Problem With The Draft London Plan?

Stacey Robbins’ LinkedIn post about settlement boundaries

What does the 2026 NPPF say about construction traffic?

Podcast episode 182: Meet a MP and an AM - Reform UK

Evaluation of the Help to Buy scheme

Land Matters: Removing Barriers to Housebuilding

Professional standards and accuracy

Some accompanying viewing.

Nature Restoration Fund – Business Readiness Forum, September 2026

Some accompanying listening.

The Summer Has Flown – Katherine Priddy

Any other business.

If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why via samstafford@hotmail.com or the 50 Shades WhatsApp Community. Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome.

If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug.

50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam.

As regular listeners know there is often talk on the 50 Shades of Planning podcast about the role of local councillors in the planning system, in the context of, for example, overturning officer recommendations or a decision to withdraw a local plan.

There is talk less often about the role of MPs, which is something that friend of the podcast Andrew Taylor wanted to remedy and this is the third of what he and Sam Stafford hope will be five episodes exploring what it is to be a member of a parliament by way of conversations that Andrew records with representatives from the now five major parties.

Andrew, again regular listeners will know, is the Group Planning & Sustainability Director at Vistry.

This time he speaks to representatives of Reform UK.

The title of this episode is not 'Meet the MPs', as with the previous episodes in the series with representatives of Labour and the Liberal Democrats. In this episode listeners will meet a MP and a London Assembly Member (AM).

The AM in question is Alex Wilson. In a conversation recorded online in August 2026 Alex tells Andrew about his time, before switching allegiances, as a Conservative councillor in Redbridge that included a spell as the Cabinet member for planning. They then touch on the London Plan and the package of emergency measures proposed by the government and the Mayor of London to support housebuilding in the capital.

Having heard from Alex listeners will then hear from the MP for Boston & Skegness, and the Deputy Leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice.

In a conversation recorded online in September 2026 Richard tells Andrew about his background in property and the live property-related issues in his constituency, which also include viability. This led them to the planning teal paper, which was published during the recent Reform Party Conference and upon which Sam offers some reflections at the end of this episode.

Some accompanying reading.

Affordable Social Housing for Working Britain

Planning Teal Paper

Buckaroo!

Buckaroo! The burdens that have become a big problem for house building

Some accompanying viewing.

Local Government Reorganisation Paused: What happens next?

Some accompanying listening.

Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin

Any other business.

If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why via samstafford@hotmail.com or the 50 Shades WhatsApp Community. Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome.

If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug.

50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam.

Sam Stafford was in Manchester recently and took the opportunity to catch up with old friends of the podcast Lisa Tye, Shaun Knights and Jaimie Ferguson.

Lisa is a Partner at Town Legal, Shaun is a Senior Planning Officer at Preston City Council and Jaimie is a Company Director at Lucid

In a conversation recorded at Reform Radio they discussed, principally, the new NPPF, but also touched upon the current live consultations on standard planning agreements for medium-sized sites and planning powers for mayors in England.

Some accompanying reading.

Planning Teal Paper

Another NPPF Mega-Blog

Standard planning agreements for medium-sized sites

Planning powers for mayors in England

When Should Strategic Authority Mayors Be Able To Reverse Local Authority Planning Decisions?

Wigan Council voices its opposition to five green belt sites being included in the borough's development plan

Some accompanying listening.

Relentless – Stereo MCs

Any other business.

If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why. Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome.

If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug.

50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam via samstafford@hotmail.com or the 50 Shades WhatsApp Community.

The basis of this episode was a series of posts Sam Stafford spotted that Nick Cuff at Urban Sketch had shared on his Prop Views blog about the Parkhurst Road judgement and the implications thereof.

Sam asked Nick if he would like to explore the themes that he writes about with another new friend of the podcast Jamie Ratcliff, and old friends of the podcast Gilian Macinnes and Anthony Lee.

Jamie co-founded PlaceBase and is chair of the Housing Forum; Gilian advises LPAs on improving planning and place-making services and is presently Interim Assistant Director of Planning and Building Control at the Royal Borough of Greenwich; and Anthony is the Managing Partner at Quintic Advisory.

In a conversation recorded online in July 2026 they talked, philosophically, about how to test viability through the planning process and the conflict inherent between a desire on the part of most landowners to maximise land value and a desire on the part of most policy makers to maximise planning gain. They talked more practically about how Parkhurst begat the London Affordable Housing and Viability Supplementary Planning Guidance, which led onto to talk of fast tracks, thresholds and emergency measures. Then towards the end they discuss what approach might work better than which we have now.

Some accompanying reading.

Parkhurst: The judgement nobody read but shut down the London land market for a generation

Parkhurst Part 2: Before and After, Land Strikes and Practical vs Theory

Parkhurst Part 3: The Age of Enforcement

Viability – Elephant in the NPPF room?

Small sites: Unlocking housing delivery

Planning Anew

The Cost of Building a House

Building new homes not financially viable across half of England

Some accompanying viewing.

NPPF 2026: An Initial Look at the New National Planning Policy Framework

Some accompanying listening.

You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36) – The Beatles

 Any other business.

If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why. Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome.

If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug.

50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam via samstafford@hotmail.com or the 50 Shades WhatsApp Community.