The worlds of planning and psychology rarely intersect much. But a recent appeal hearing in which the threat of psychological harm was a key issue and psychologists were called as key witnesses saw both professions collide in an unlikely way.
Work has been completed on the controversial ArcelorMittal tower in the London 2012 Olympic park and, unsurprisingly, the strange structure is still dividing opinion…
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Communities secretary Eric Pickles has presented a Radio 4 documentary celebrating the work of legendary American director John Ford. Ford, who’s films include western classics such as The Searchers, Fort Apache and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, is described in the programme description as having “a blunt way of approaching the business that made him enemies as well as friends”. Pickles, presumably, senses a kindred spirit. You can listen here.
This Thursday, voters in ten of England’s biggest cities outside London will vote on whether to join the capital in having a directly-elected mayor. Meanwhile, those in Salford and Liverpool will be voting for the first time in mayoral elections. Under the government’s city deal proposals, cities with “strong and accountable” leadership will be granted devolved powers over regeneration, economic growth and possibly planning. It could mark the start of the biggest decentralisation project since devolution was granted to Wales, Scotland and London by the Labour government in the late 1990s. But according to a recent poll, 61 per cent of people oppose the switch to elected mayors. After more than a decade of having a high-profile mayor in London, why aren’t cities more enthusiastic about the prospect? Read More
So it seems pretty clear that the government doesn’t want to answer any questions about how to interpret its National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Ever since the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published the final document at the end of March it’s been a hands-off approach. Read More
The Audley Square carpark, pic courtesy caudwellphilanthropy
Could planners help unlock a new wave of charitable giving? A billionaire philanthropist thinks they can. John Caudwell, who made his fortune by building and selling his mobile phone business for £1.5 billion, is proposing to turn the air above a central-London car park into up to £100 million – and then give the money to charity.
Since the formation of the coalition government nearly two years ago, Department for Communities and Local Government ministers have been showing off their localist credentials at every opportunity. Communities secretary Eric Pickles gleefully set about abolishing “failed Soviet tractor style top-down planning targets” in 2010, while housing minister Grant Shapps earlier this year rejected MPs’ call for a “top-down national strategy for regeneration”. There’s even a “minister for decentralisation” – Greg Clark – who last month described the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as putting “unprecedented power in the hands of communities to shape the places in which they live”. Read More
CIL Watch returns with a bumper round-up of intelligence on the Community Infrastructure Levy, including news from London, Huntingdonshire, Colchester, Exeter, Bath and East Cambridgeshire. Read More
pic courtesy MarkHillary on Flickr
So there we have it. The government is not going to perform a U-turn on a third runway at Heathrow Airport. At least not any time soon.
The government’s claims that Britain is reducing its CO2 emissions have been seriously undermined by a report from the Energy and Climate Change Committee.
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