We❤️Planning

Sam Stafford was in Birmingham recently and took the opportunity to record the first ‘catch up’-style episode with some of his friends working in the West Midlands. In a conversation recorded at PodHaus studios, Kathryn Ventham, Myles Wild-Smith, Michelle Simpson-Gallego and Sam enjoyed a rambling conversation that takes in, amongst other things, the extent to which Grey Belt is driving the increase in planning applications for new homes; the ‘grit in the system’, particularly stat cons, specifically water companies, and the RP / S106 stock issue; plan-making in the West Midlands, the case for a national spatial plan; and why it is that most young people have never heard of the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning. Some accompanying reading. Policy statement: a roadmap for Section 106 delivery in England Making sense of the roadmap: will MHCLG’s latest attempts to kickstart Section 106 affordable housing deliver? Greater Affordable Housing Flex Announced For Some Stalled Schemes; Other Announcements On Affordable Housing & On S106 A new vision for water: white paper RTPI West Midlands Young Planners Public Practice is recruiting multiple new roles for its Board, including a new Chair and two Non-Executive Directors 2026 Housing Design Awards Entries Now Open Awards for Planning Excellence 2026