The Government has been forced to delay plans to extend the scheme which makes it easier to convert offices to residential use, amid fears that the permitted development rights legislation is depleting office stock and driving up rents, says commercial... Read More
According to research by Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH), more than 11m sq ft of office space has been earmarked for alternative use since the relaxation of planning rules nearly two years ago. LSH’s Office Market Report for 2015 reveals that an area... Read More
Retailers will no longer need to apply for planning permission if they want to offer a click-and-collect service. The regulation change — which comes into effect from 15 April — is designed to help businesses cash in on the “seismic shift” in shopping... Read More
Following his recent pledge to oppose a further extension of permitted development rights, London Mayor Boris Johnson has joined property groups and planners in calling for continued protection for key business districts. Under the government’s... Read More
London Mayor Boris Johnson has vowed to fight proposals to extend the scheme which makes it easier for commercial landlords to convert office space to residential accommodation. The planning reform was introduced last year to tackle the housing crisis,... Read More
Since the community right to neighbourhood planning was introduced, as part the government’s Localism Act, over 500 locations in England have produced neighbourhood plans. The majority of these are residential, but a number of plans focus on commercial... Read More
The government has revealed plans to introduce a specialist planning court to prevent development schemes getting bogged down in unnecessary legal wranglings. The ‘planning chamber’ would ensure that judicial reviews are conducted by expert judges, able... Read More
CBRE has called on the government to ‘clarify the ambiguities’ in the recently introduced change of use legislation to prevent expensive delays. Meanwhile it is reported that Islington council has launched a landmark legal challenge in an attempt to... Read More
With the mass exodus of retailers from the nation’s high streets remaining steady despite a slight stabilisation of the economy, businesses such as pawn shops, bookmakers and pay day loan companies have become the new staples of many town centres across... Read More
A new Labour Party policy review proposes adding a new commercial property use class and handing councils the power to locally determine permitted development rights. The first proposal is designed to halt the proliferation of certain types of premises... Read More