Insights & Reports

The process of completing heritage assessments is not what it once was. Certain things used to be OK to say, or sufficient for the job. Not now. The margin for error is now so slim, and the structure for justifying your conclusions so well established , that there is little wriggle room. Therefore, the buzz word is 'thoroughness'.

The long-anticipated Draft NPF4 was published for consultation by The Scottish Government yesterday evening (10 November). Given that climate change and the climate emergency are key themes and referenced over 100 times throughout the document, it’s no coincidence that the publication has coincided with the timing of COP26.

The Environment Act 2021 has received Royal Assent at a pivotal time while COP26 is coming to its conclusion. The huge public and parliamentary demand to improve our state of nature has resulted in the UK becoming the first country to set a legal target to halt species decline by 2030.

Both Boris Johnson and Michael Gove made Tory conference speeches pushing housebuilding on brownfield sites up this Government’s agenda. With funding for regenerating brownfield land announced in last week’s Budget. Alison Wright looks at whether these measures go far enough.

Everyone has such high hopes for COP26. For many, it is a hope born of desperation; an awareness that these negotiations really do represent our last best chance to course correct with regards to our impact on the planet.

A year after the publication of the Planning the Future White Paper (August 2020), it seems the right time to re-evaluate where we are with the professional tools that are associated with the delivery of the planning reform. This is particularly key now that the Environment Bill was updated in September and the Brexit withdrawal process is in full swing.

The Office for National Statistics expects 1.5 million jobs in England to be automated in the future and women, young people, and those who work part-time are most likely to work in roles that are at high risk of automation. (ONS, 2019).

The pandemic brought the crisis in our social care system into sharp focus, and while much of the Government’s recent attention has been on reform of funding mechanisms, we ask what role the planning system can play in helping to fix social care, and particularly older people’s housing.

We talked to Ollie about joining the Bidwells' residential sales team and discussed his career journey to date, and what his expectations are for the future.

With biodiversity net gain soon to be become a legal requirement for developments in England, we have proactively established a service line that facilitates the delivery of biodiversity net gain schemes. One such scheme is being delivered at Lower Valley Farm, South Cambridgeshire, where we have partnered with Cambridgeshire County Council to oversee the phased habitat creation across the farm.

The UK was in lockdown three times from March 2020 to March 2021 (retail and restaurants & leisure for approximately 7.2 months and 8.9 months respectively). Footfall, as reported by the Cambridge BID, is still 36% down on the average footfall recorded between 2015 and 2019. The consequential loss of business to retailers and leisure operators due to the loss of custom from city centre office users, tourists, students has been devastating.

After the success of getting 1,000s of rough sleepers off the streets at the start of the pandemic, Next Steps funding is aimed at developing affordable housing to accommodate rough sleepers longer term. Jake Lambert looks at whether its working.