Hopefully everybody involved in the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country has had a restful Christmas and have managed to combine at least a little rest with digesting the cavalcade of announcements on Planning Reform Day.

This episode is the third of the festive 50 Shades triumvirate looking back at 2023. The first two did so by way of the 50 Shades Festive Christmas Quizzes. This third episode sees the return of Zack Simons’ Planaraks Awards, which Zack has again kindly agreed to reveal exclusively on the 50 Shades of Planning podcast.

In a conversation that Sam Stafford and Zack recorded at Soho Radio Studios on Planning Reform Day itself, just as the Secretary of State had given a speech entitled ‘Falling back in love with the future’ and just before the NPPF emerged, they canter through some of the high points and low points of the year just gone (mostly low points) and Zack confers awards for, amongst other things, the Most Futile Reform of the Year, the Most Hopeless Reform of the Year and the Worst Policy of the Year. Positivity does not abound, but Sam and Zack do try to generate some.

Along the way they touch on many of the things that regular readers of Zack’s #Planaraks Blog would expect them to, from amending consents, nutrient neutrality, application fees, the LURA, Green Belt and strategic planning.

Some accompanying reading.

Oscar Easton is fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support

https://www.justgiving.com/page/oscar-easton-1702480570488

🏆 The #Planoraks 2023 - worst planning reform of the year 🏆

https://www.planoraks.com/posts-1/-the-planoraks-2023-worst-planning-reform-of-the-year-

Thank You Mikael Armstrong: New Case On Scope Of Section 73

https://simonicity.com/2023/01/28/thank-you-mikael-armstrong-new-case-on-scope-of-section-73/

New Draft London Guidance On Affordable Housing/Viability

https://simonicity.com/2023/05/06/new-draft-london-guidance-on-affordable-housing-viability/

Making a bad situation worse? The impact of the proposed NPPF changes on housing supply

https://lichfields.uk/blog/2023/february/27/making-a-bad-situation-worse-the-impact-of-the-proposed-nppf-changes-on-housing-supply

Making a bad situation worse? How a fall in housing supply due to NPPF changes will cause social harm and undermine levelling up

https://lichfields.uk/blog/2023/february/27/making-a-bad-situation-worse-how-a-fall-in-housing-supply-due-to-nppf-changes-will-cause-social-harm-and-undermine-levelling-up/

Some accompanying listening.

Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs56ygZplQA

50 Shades T-Shirts!

If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning you will have heard Clive Betts say that...

'In the Netherlands planning is seen as part of the solution. In the UK, too often, planning is seen as part of the problem'.

Sam said in reply that that would look good on a t-shirt and it does. Further details can be found here: http://samuelstafford.blogspot.com/2021/07/50-shades-of-planning-t-shirts.html