Even by the standards of the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning 2022 has been quite a year. Who better to review it, Sam Stafford thought, than Zack Simons, one of the most erudite, informed and entertaining thought leaders in the planning profession. Sam and Zack consider some of the year's important planning stories and, excitingly, Zack hands out his 2022 #Planarak Awards.

A point of clarification. In discussing the controversial foreword to the Pre-Submission Spelthorne Local Plan, Sam suggested that it had not been removed from the Submission version. It actually has been.

Some accompanying reading.

The Levelling Up White Paper

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/levelling-up-the-united-kingdom

Michael Gove scraps radical planning law following fierce Tory backlash

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2022/02/25/michael-gove-scraps-radical-planning-law-following-fierce-tory/#:~:text=Mr%20Gove%20disclosed%20his%20decision,is%20no%20standalone%20Planning%20Bill.%E2%80%9D

New minister suggests tweaks to local housing need and five-year land supply requirements

https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1748434/new-minister-suggests-tweaks-local-housing-need-five-year-land-supply-requirements#:~:text=The%20new%20housing%20minister%20Stuart,the%20levelling%2Dup%20agenda%E2%80%9D

Turley’s neutrality update

https://www.turley.co.uk/comment/nutrient-neutrality-march-2022-update-it-just-got-whole-lot-bigger

Counting the cost of delay: The economic impact of Local Plan delay to housing delivery

https://lichfields.uk/blog/2022/april/26/counting-the-cost-of-delay-the-economic-impact-of-local-plan-delay-to-housing-delivery/

The LURB

https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3155

Michael Gove: Britain needs beautiful homes and communities. That’s why I’ll clamp down on developers of soulless dormitories

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-10816969/MICHAEL-GOVE-Britain-needs-beautiful-homes-communities.html

‘New NPPF to come out next month, says Gove

https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1789261/new-nppf-next-month-says-gove

Council rips up local plan following Truss’s pledge to cut ‘Stalinist’ housing targets

https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/council-rips-up-local-plan-following-trusss-pledge-to-cut-stalinist-housing-targets/5119693.article

The Growth Plan

https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/the-growth-plan

Michael Gove’s Written Ministerial Statement

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-12-06/hcws415

The #Planoraks 2022 🏆 - worst planning reform of the year

https://www.planoraks.com/posts-1/-the-planoraks-2022-worst-planning-reform-of-the-year

Council says its draft local plan will make area a ‘less attractive place to live’ due to brutal housing targets

https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1792929/council-says-its-draft-plan-will-area-less-attractive-place-live-due-brutal-housing-targets

Sunak’s vow to stop housebuilding on green belt labelled as ‘desperate’

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jul/28/rishi-sunak-warned-pledge-to-stop-green-belt-development-will-worsen-uk-housing-crisis

Boris Johnson pledges no homes will be built on green fields

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/10/06/boris-johnson-pledges-no-homes-green-fields/

Some accompanying listening

Round and Round by New Order

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1tjQqWqqAA

50 Shades T-Shirts!

If you have listened to Episode 45 of the 50 Shades of Planning Podcast 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