On The Abundance Agenda this week:* Martin digs into the NIMBY assault on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is back in Parliament this week.* We get mad at the Guardian and Natural England (again).* We explore the big Abundance question at the heart of the Spending Review.* And in a surprisingly candid interview, former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke makes the case for why his party needs to embrace building – or face irrelevance.You can find the slightly spartan Conservative YIMBY website here, and Sir Simon’s think-tank Onward here.The Centre for British Progress’s new paper, “The Case for Abundance: Why Demand Suppression Won’t Fix the Cost of Living” is here.You can find James’s piece slagging off Matt Goodwin here.And Martin’s controversial piece on crime is here.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:34 NIMBYism and Environmental Concerns04:48 Natural England's Role and Challenges10:33 Planning Reforms and Housing Crisis14:02 Spending Review and Political Trade-offs20:32 Balancing Short-term and Long-term Investments24:14 Housekeeping and Substack Newsletters24:51 Discussing Crime and Controversies25:43 Introducing the Guest: Sir Simon Clark26:40 The YIMBY Campaign and Housing Crisis27:54 Planning Infrastructure Bill: Eight Quick Fixes28:41 Political Challenges and Housing Policies41:30 Devolution and Local Government43:50 Treasury Brain and Economic Growth48:16 Concluding Thoughts and Personal Projects This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
--------
49:51
Five small signs of progress... and what Skegness can teach us about infrastructure
On a packed episode of The Abundance Agenda this week:* James and Martin run through five reasons to be optimistic, including the exciting news that the government has taken control of the planning powers for two major new reservoirs.* James heads to Old Oak Common, the massive new HS2 station in West London, and speaks to HS2 Station Delivery Director Huw Edwards about progress inside the 1.8km “station box”.* Then Martin explores the story of Skegness – and talks about how its 19th century success started with its infrastructure, and how its modern lack of infrastructure is helping Reform win votes.* And finally, we speak to Labour MP Antonia Bance about how to build good quality housing, the opportunities of industrial policy – and whether an ‘Abundance’ mindset can ever be politically popular.You can find James’s piece “Why I still believe in HS2” here.You can find Martin’s piece… whatever it is going to be this week… here.The report we talk about by Michael Dnes on missing roads is here.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:00 Introduction to the Abundance Agenda Podcast00:38 Top Signs of Progress: New Reservoirs03:09 Water Leaks and Infrastructure Challenges07:45 Planning Reforms: Heat Pumps and EV Chargers11:14 Railway Developments: HS2 and Great British Rail18:19 A Visit to Skegness: Seaside Towns and Infrastructure32:21 Government Failures and Local Issues33:09 Staycations vs. Holidays33:46 Podcast Housekeeping34:24 Crowdfunders and Substack Topics35:32 Listener Feedback on Local Plans38:34 Interview with Antonia Bance: Housing and Public Services47:59 Building More Homes: Affordable vs. Private52:45 Skills Crisis and Industrial Strategy01:01:42 Trade Unions and Technological Change01:06:10 The Abundance Agenda: Political Popularity01:10:14 Closing Remarks and Future Episodes This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
--------
1:11:32
Britain is secretly pro-building stuff
On The Abundance Agenda this week, Martin explores new research which reveals that the planning system is – amazingly – even more dysfunctional than we thought. Then James digs into some new polling from Ipsos, which reveals that a plurality of people are actually supportive of building new homes.Then we have an update on the National Parking Platform, which we swear is more interesting than it sounds. And finally, we speak to Ben Johnson from the Centre for British Progress about his new paper, Security and Prosperity: Building UK Defence Innovation.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.James’s piece explaining why the National Parking Platform is cool is here.Martin’s latest on bins is here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
--------
47:27
Britain's weird hate for air conditioning
On The Abundance Agenda this week, James explains why buses are cool – and shares depressing news about what appears to be another delay to HS2.Then Martin digs deep into a new report packed with ideas for increasing Britain’s housing supply. The secret? More air conditioning and smaller homes!And finally, we speak to writer, comedian and prolific podcaster Andrew Hunter Murray about the phenomenon of empty houses… and why they are actually good.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.You can find Andrew Hunter Murray’s novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Breaking and Entering here. He’s also on the Private Eye Podcast, No Such Thing As A Fish, and The Naked Week.The report Breaking the Bottlenecks by Centre for Cities can be found here.James’s unwise wading in on Blue Labour and the politics of immigration is here.Martin’s latest post about the nature of diagnosis is here.Liz’s post on why we need seven bins is here.00:00 Introduction to the Abundance Agenda Podcast00:35 The Struggles of Non-London Bus Services01:31 Exciting News: West Yorkshire's Weaver Network03:02 The Future of Bus Franchising in the UK06:40 HS2: Costs and Delays12:34 Challenges in Building More Housing15:56 The Debate on Air Conditioning and Flat Sizes28:45 Substack News and Housekeeping30:38 Introducing Our Guest: Andrew Hunter Murray31:34 Andrew's Obsession with Second Homes32:46 The Second Home Situation in the UK35:12 Potential Solutions to the Housing Crisis37:33 The Impact of Second Home Ownership Policies39:36 Incremental Changes and Taxation46:01 Gentle Density and Housing Solutions52:19 Political Viability of Abundance Ideas55:38 Conclusion and Podcast Promotion This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
--------
57:13
Sadiq Khan smashes the green belt
On this week’s Abundance Agenda, we discuss Sadiq Khan’s dramatic YIMBY U-turn, announcing this week that London needs to build on its green belt – and why the real villains are London’s golf courses.Then we dig into the failure to build a massive new North Sea wind farm – and wonder what the changing economics of wind mean for the government’s 2030 Net Zero grid pledge.And finally, we speak to Sam Richards, CEO of Britain Remade, about his new report making the case for several new ideas to improve the planning system – and how these ideas could benefit not just the pointy-headed wonks, but British workers too.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.You can find James’s piece on why Tony Blair is right about climate here.And Martin’s piece on the nature of diagnosis here.00:00 Introduction to the Abundance Agenda00:26 London's Housing Crisis and the Green Belt03:55 The Reality of London's Green Belt05:25 Golf Courses and Urban Development10:28 Political Will and Transit-Based Development12:21 Opposition to the Green Belt Push17:36 Challenges in Wind Farm Development23:48 Future of Nuclear Energy Projects24:23 Challenges in Achieving Net Zero25:20 Government's Role in Nuclear Commitment26:08 Wind Farms and Inflation26:46 Housekeeping and Substack Updates28:25 Interview with Sam Richards29:01 Planning Reforms for Net Zero32:53 Estate Renewal Passports36:30 New Towns and Housing Expansion38:49 Nuclear Power Plant Regulations46:12 Environmental Rules and Clean Energy49:07 Local Support for Infrastructure Projects52:21 Conclusion and Final Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com
UK