Union4 Planning

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Union4 Planning! Thank you to all of our clients, consultants and colleagues for a wonderful year, we hope you all enjoy the festive period. We look forward to what 2025 brings! A few snaps from our Christmas party at Thai Terrace! (Some) of the team threw on their best Christmas jumper...

One of the key themes to emerge since the General Election is the willingness of the Labour Government to intervene in the planning process. In the latest development of this narrative, the Deputy PM Angela Rayner has called-in a garden village scheme comprising 8,400 units on unallocated land near Sittingbourne in Kent. The call-in occurred on 7 November 2024, approximately three hours before the scheme was set to be rejected at Planning Committee in Swale Borough Council. In what could be described as a remarkable turn of events, the call-in is the first intervention seen in the housing sector from the Labour Government. Click here to read our thoughts: https://lnkd.in/e9qjbDuF

Another great team effort and a huge boost for Portsmouth City Centre. As always, brilliant working with Ben Copithorne and Jemima Pring, Edward Flach, colin mcqueston, Barry Goode and the extremely talented team at Child Graddon Lewis

We have recently attended several events hosted by the Surrey Development Forum (SDF), a collaborative membership body comprising of developers, consultants, lead planning officers and councillors for each of the Surrey Local Planning Authorities and Surrey County Council. Their events have been well attended and hugely informative, addressing the key issues facing Surrey and how we can achieve sustainable development, foster economic recovery and tackle climate change. Being a member of the SDF means we are able to actively participate in this forum, engaging and furthering the working relationship with senior officers and leaders of Local Planning Authorities and SCC. It is refreshing to discuss key issues and be a part of such a wide-ranging body with mutual interests in progressing Surrey to be a better place to live and work in the future through collaboration and joint working. 

We hosted our September Social event last week at 100 Wardour Street! The evening was a great success, thank you to all the clients, colleagues and consultants who were able to attend, we hope you all enjoyed the evening.

As many of our readers will be aware, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements came into force this year which has resulted in an extra element to consider with planning applications. We thought we would share some of our experience so far, which may provide some insights for your next project. Click on the link to read our article: https://lnkd.in/exAD9iib

Union4 are delighted to have played a part in the success of this scheme, working alongside a great team on such a worthwhile project which helps contribute to a greener future!

We are delighted to announce the addition of two new members to the Union4 Planning team! Please join us in welcoming Lois Partridge and Luke Farmer. Lois joins us as an Associate Director, with a wealth of professional experience in planning consultancy for both public and private sector practices. Lois has a passion for project managing complex developments and engaging with a wide range of stakeholders in order to achieve successful outcomes. She is a huge asset to our team and already making a big impact. Luke joins us as an Assistant Planning Consultant. Having graduated with a First-Class degree from Royal Holloway, University of London, he went on to attain a MSc in Spatial Planning and Development from Henley Business School, University of Reading. Luke brings with him previous planning experience having worked for a regional housebuilder and has already added a huge amount of value to the team, we are delighted to have him. https://lnkd.in/e48gHni8

The new Government committed to publishing a revised NPPF by the end of July and here it is on the penultimate day of the month. Read our initial thoughts here: https://lnkd.in/ehnKdKvi

Since the General Election on 4 July, we’ve seen the new Labour Government put forward an ambitious vision to deliver a series of planning reforms which are intended to provide a focus for economic growth. This vision is underpinned by a strong focus on the energy sector, with an emphasis on facilitating the development of renewable energy projects and investment in upgrading the National Grid and transmission network. Union4 have closely followed the recent decisions of the new Energy Secretary to issue Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for three large-scale solar farms in the East of England. We also await with interest the forthcoming consultation on the new NPPF and the strategic policy guidance which will aim to accelerate the delivery of renewable energy projects. Click below to read more on our website https://lnkd.in/e_KQ_T23