Everyone thinks planning is out of date and needs root and branch reform. Ask people to give examples of what’s wrong and what specifically needs to change, and many revert to rather vague recollections but little by way of detail. With government now looking to streamline the planning system and the much-publicised rejection of an application by Kell Properties on the old Newson’s site Perspective talks to architectural historian Peter Kelly, Planning Chair David Ashford MHK and Kell Properties representative Michael Josem. Is there a happy medium between pickling everything in aspic and a profit first developers charter?