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Planning & Infrastructure Authorisation – Looking Forward: Policy Highlights

It’s been (another) year in which the Government has tried to carry out the tricky balancing act between getting more houses built and living up to its green credentials.

Last year, we reported on the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill, which was finally enacted on 26 October 2023. In 2023 we helped clients draft amendments to the Bill on nutrient

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BNG Begins: Considerations at the Application Stage

On the 12 February 2024, mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (“BNG”) officially arrived! As we outlined in our last article, “Biodiversity Net Gain is a Reality: The Basics”, every grant of planning permission for a major development (unless exempt) will now be subject to a deemed condition to secure at least a 10% increase in the biodiversity value of the

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Biodiversity Net Gain is a reality: The Basics

This is the first in what we expect will be a series of posts on Mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). BNG is one of the most significant recent developments in planning law, and the government have announced that it will go live on Monday 12 February 2024. A set of regulations has been made and local planning authorities and

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Key Takeaways from the Government’s Long-Term Plan for Housing

In this article, Senior Associate Emily Knowles and Trainee Elizabeth Withers dig deeper into the government’s ‘transformational plans’ for regeneration and housing delivery and consider some of the key themes and takeaways.

One Million Homes: When, Where, and How?

The government has confirmed its commitment to delivering one million more homes of all types by the end of the next

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Solar Success Strikes Again: Ledwyche Solar Limited v Shropshire Council

On 7 July 2023, Ledwyche Solar Limited secured planning permission on appeal for the construction of a solar farm (and associated development) on land east of Squirrel Lane. The proposal, initially rejected by Shropshire Council, faced concerns regarding the loss of prime agricultural land and potential impacts on the nearby Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). However, Inspector

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Article 4 Directions – a helpful reminder

A recent decision by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (SofS) has reaffirmed the government’s policy that Article 4 Directions should be used to remove permitted development rights only where they meet the criteria set out in paragraph 53 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (NPPF), and should not be drawn more widely than necessary.

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