"Between July to September 2025, district level planning authorities in England received 78,800 applications for planning permission, down 3% from the same quarter a year earlier" Perhaps other factors than the planning system itself might be behind the level of house building? Just a thought.

Good work from Climate Emergency - hopefully Government will recognise the need to ensure climate change is a priority for councils through local government reorganisation process and is put at the heart of the work of the new strategic authorities.

Great piece in @labourlist.bsky.social by @perranmoonmp.bsky.social on why it's critical that the UK doesn't repeat the EU's mistake of watering down EV targets & doubles down on leading the transition. labourlist.org/2025/12/brit...

New from @newautomotive.org: Europe is on track to become the world’s second-largest battery producer by 2030 but the EU's move away from a firm endpoint for new petrol & diesel cars introduces more uncertainty and risks slowing investment storage.googleapis.com/public_downl...

Planning and Infrastructure B̶i̶l̶l̶ Act latest

"The defendant regarded himself as the most important person on Dale Street, and considered that everyone else needed to get out of his way so that he could get to where he wanted to get to." An extreme event in his actions but this view in itself isn't unheard of. metro.co.uk/2025/12/15/l...

The "next phase of planning reform" has been announced today. The record of the Government so far has meant pretty low expectations on anything that comes out but this seems more like reactions will be along the lines of seeing it as a mixed picture. Some responses from orgs follows...

Response from LGA on planning reform. In a nutshell, private sector alone isn't solving this problem

"A [planning] system saying ‘no’ more often than it says ‘yes’", says Steve Reed. Nine out of ten planning applications are approved. It doesn't help anyone to say things that are demonstrably not true. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Our friends at CoMoUK want to hear from YOU if you're going to be affected by the closure of car sharing club @Zipcar. Why are car clubs important to you? What will you do when Zipcar closes? What will be your transport options? Share your story: www.como.org.uk/zipcar

Good to see recruitment of Civil Society Council going ahead: apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/roles/9069 I'm a bit sceptical of whether Number 10 are massively investment in a partnership with civil society but this is positive.

Investment like this needs policy certainty on the transition to EVs. Conservative antipathy to policies to cut emissions, including the petrol and diesel new car phase out, threatens investment like this.

On today's order paper, written ministerial statement on "Planning Reform: Next Phase". See thread below for what might be in it.

🚨 Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has proposed to abolish the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (ZEV). @shaunspiers1.bsky.social, executive director, responds to the proposal ⬇️

In the last few days before Christmas, MHCLG should be publishing the consultation on a revised National Planning Policy Framework and new NDMPs (more on those in a bit). So what might be in the consultation this week? Briefing here: betterplanningcoalition.com/wp-content/u... Thread follows...

16 new inquiries from the Commons' Public Accounts Committee. Including environmental regulation, regulating for growth and unlocking land for housing. Should be a busy new year for consultation response writing with new NPPF as well... committees.parliament.uk/committee/12...

New planning rules out this week. I think this is the only pre-briefing on them, which focuses on having a go at action on climate change & allows the Telegraph to attack Sadiq Khan. Brilliant. www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...

Ticked off the southern side of the Thames Path and the London Loop. Now to make a start on the North Downs Way on a very grey December day.

London has gone to the pub

London's 5.8% fare rise now confirmed. London TravelWatch statement here: www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/news/london-...

The RTPI and @thetcpa.bsky.social have published a new guide to help local authorities consider climate impacts in all planning decisions. The guide is considered the ‘gold standard’ for planning guidance at local level. Read the guide now: www.tcpa.org.uk/resources/pl...

This is a good article from Lord Krebs and Baroness Willis about their approach to winning concessions on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Main concessions below. greenallianceblog.org.uk/2025/12/10/t...

I was talking to a Conservative friend at their conference last Oct about how conference was going. Despite all the negative vibes, I was struck by the basic level of competence within the party. This is a party that wins 2 out of every 3 elections. So perhaps not a total surprise to see a recovery.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has just now finished its passage through Parliament, with the House of Lords accepting the very final change made by the Commons to the Bill. Legislation fans can watch the eight mins here: parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

93% of children and young people agree say that ‘being in nature makes me very happy’ (from Natural England's Children’s People and Nature Survey for England, out today) www.gov.uk/government/s...

BREAKING NEWS: Sheringham Town Council have just voted 6-5 to withdraw support for the planned demolition of their now nationally famous Bus Shelter! A crucial victory for the local protesters who’ve staged a remarkable 8 day occupation of the shelter. People power for modern heritage ✊🏻

No expense spared launch of Great British Railways visual identity at London Bridge this evening. Am liking the understated nature of a bored bloke standing next to Hornby layout represent the new era for the railways.

£11bn Covid fraud. Quite a lot out of £470bn of Covid spending (including loans). And easier to focus on the fraud rather than on whether the overall spending was right or effective? UK spend considerably more than some comparable countries like France or Spain. www.gov.uk/government/n...

And here's the new guidance from the Charity Commission on "how charities can respond to the current hostile environment": www.gov.uk/guidance/how...

Good write up of new research on "grey belt" in @thetimes.com environment newsletter this morning. Starmer talked about it as being about "ugly, disused grey belt land". Yet 9 out of 10 homes that developers successfully appeal to build are on greenfield sites. link.thetimes.co.uk/view/67346c6...

I’m very proud to have been part of this report with @pactsuk.bsky.social and @sarahcoombesmp.bsky.social on the serious and growing problem of Ghost Plates. The past couple of months have been incredibly eye-opening, to say the least: transportsafetyappg.org.uk/inquiries/ve...

“There’s something insidious about this normalisation – the analogy of the eroding shoreline comes to mind. Waves of violence crashing against land, day by day, wearing down, inch by inch, the values and norms we once took for granted": Charity Commission chair. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Great British Railways is unveiled with new branding, a ticketing app, and frozen fares. The Railways Bill aims to unify 17 organisations under public ownership, creating a simpler, more reliable, and passenger-focused railway across Britain. www.gov.uk/government/n...

TfL fares to rise by 5.8% - unlike the freeze on national rail fares. TfL expected things would get easier with the Mayor & national government being of the same party. But it hasn't (though TfL are getting longer-term funding settlement). www.standard.co.uk/news/transpo...

End of political consensus on climate action in practice - both Conservative & Reform oppose the Local Govt Association taking a position in favour of greater action by local govt on climate change in terms of duties & powers. (from LGA briefing on English Devo Bill) www.local.gov.uk/parliament/b...

Sounds like Defra ruling out scrapping National Park/National Landscape duty ("the Government does not intend to repeal the duty") but maybe more to come on guidance on what it means: questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-ques...

The English Devolution Bill has its second reading in the Lords today. Aims to create an England-wide layer of "strategic authorities" with powers like the Greater London Authority (though created through linking to a hodge podge of existing local govt legislation rather than a stand-alone Act).

Land for one million homes to be released through the new policy for a default yes to planning permission for development near railways stations, suggests Steve Reed. Policy includes releasing land in Green Belt. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

RIP Martin Parr. A few accidental Parrisms from the family album to mark his passing.

Keir Starmer: “Going for a walk on your own and clearing your head, being out there with nature, is something I really enjoy. The peace, quiet, taking in a wider world – I've always loved it”. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Kids are decorating the tree and Spotify has served up first hearing of Fairytale of New York this year. (as usual, I am outvoted about Christmas Eve being the correct date for decorating the tree)

Battery electric vehicle sales this year up by 24%. Tesla sales down by 5% so far this year. Tesla still the biggest EV brand but they're not benefitting from the overall growth in EVs as much as they should be. (data from @newautomotive.org out today)

Government's Pride in Place local programme seems really good but I'm not sure why MPs are seen as so key to it. MPs will get to be on the Pride in Place board, have a say in its financial controls, have a veto on who chairs it (& can stop the chair resigning), recruit board members and...

"our clean energy mission will only succeed if we take people with us" - @katiewhitemp.bsky.social, Minister for Climate in the foreword of the Government's new plan for raising awareness of the benefits of climate and nature action, which launches today. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Does widening out action on the Fingleton report recommendations to all sectors in the industrial strategy (as in PM speech below), and putting DBT in charge of that (with DESNZ leading on nuclear specific recommendations) make it more or less likely that there will be rapid action? Discuss...

Good news. This was one of the priority junctions that we identified needed improving for pedestrians back when I worked at @livingstreets.bsky.social in 2008!

AI data centre beats blue hydrogen scheme for Teesside site. AI has the money and the short-term demand, winning out over longer-term hydrogen economy. Development is not just a simple case of "blockers and builders" but competing uses of limited land. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article....

"Language matters. You cannot drive national renewal while speaking as if nature is the problem" - @paulmcnamee.bsky.social from @lcefuk.bsky.social on the tension between Government rhetoric and what they're trying to do through the Environmental Improvement Plan. labourlist.org/2025/12/envi...