Room 106

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211

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Key recent planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for nearly 50 years. <a href="https://www.planningresource.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">planningresource.co.uk</a> @planningMag <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

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60 recent

June 15, 202615 min

Lord Heseltine: "You’re just playing in toy town”

Lord Heseltine tells the story of the birth of the European Space Agency. Why post-Apollo, when the US was spending £1.2 billion a year on space, the whole of Europe was spending just £200 million. Why the birth of ESA was driven by the self-interest of three major countries. Why the US general with a $29 billion budget for the Star Wars project wanted to invest in Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Why, the idea that Britain could compete alone with the technologies that were accumulated and available to the American capitalist system was “simply laughable”. Why “being European is not selling out British interests”. And why Margaret Thatcher told him: “If you want to get on and put your budget into this, you can, but you're not getting any of mine."  Join Alice and Lord Heseltine as they pick apart the negotiating contrivances and the wheeling and dealing to circumnavigate “turkeys not voting for Christmas” that ultimately put European space on the map. Contributors:Alice Bunn, President of UKspace <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-alice-bunn-obe-fimeche-fraes-ceng-3b5141/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn</a><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/ukspace/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UKspace: Overview | LinkedIn</a> Lord Heseltine, Member of the House of Lords Key topics covered: <ul><li>Creation of the European Space Agency (ESA)</li><li>US "Star Wars" program and brain drain</li><li>Geopolitical case for European R&D collaboration</li><li>Impact of Brexit on science and technology</li></ul> <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 10, 202622 min

Ep207: Why a council wants to withdraw from the new towns programme and how the PM has pushed back against it

In this episode, we’ll be discussing:  <ul><li>A council shortlisted in the government’s new towns programme announcing that it has withdrawn from the process, following a change in political control at the local elections – prompting a response from the Prime Minister;</li><li>A High Court judge blocking a council from submitting its local plan for examination pending the outcome of a legal challenge;</li><li>An employment tribunal awarding a planning officer £37k for being paid less than her male predecessor; </li><li>And the latest on the government’s proposed changes to planning committee decision-making.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @PlanningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 5, 202625 min

Ep206: Casebook Extra – the month’s key ministerial, inspectors’ and court decisions summarised

The latest edition of our monthly series examining the key recent appeal and court decisions, in which we speak to technical editor David Dewar, who compiles Planning’s long-running Casebook section.  This month, we’ll be discussing: <ul><li>A minister refusing a 750-home scheme despite the site being found to be grey belt, as its location would lead to high car-dependency and would therefore be "inappropriate" green belt development; </li><li>The energy secretary's approval of a development consent order for what would be one of the UK's largest solar farms, prompting legal action from a Reform-run local authority;</li><li>The High Court quashing a housing approval due to the “apparent bias” of a planning committee member who was “friendly” with one of the applicants;</li><li>The challenges facing older people's housing schemes that go to appeal; </li><li>And why an inspector decided not to grant a lawful development certificate for a shipping container in a garden in Surrey, having considered whether or not it should be considered a building.</li></ul> More information on all these cases can be found in the <a href="https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1956383/read-may-edition-planning-appeals-legal-casebook-online" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">May edition</a> of Casebook on <a href="https://www.planningresource.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Planning Resource</a>.  Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years.  Find the latest planning news at <a href="http://planningresource.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">planningresource.co.uk</a> and @planningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

June 3, 202617 min

Ep205: How Andy Burnham becoming Prime Minister would impact planning

In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing: <ul><li>Amid fevered speculation about a possible Labour Party leadership contest, what an Andy Burnham premiership would mean for planning and development;</li><li>And how a Court of Appeal ruling reminds planners to think carefully before taking enforcement action.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @PlanningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 28, 202625 min

Ep204: The planning highlights from the UKREiiF property conference

In this episode, we’ll be discussing: <ul><li>The planning news that emerged from the UK’s biggest property conference, including important legislation and policy updates from the planning minister and the housing secretary; </li><li>A volume housebuilder reacting with anger to an appeal decision and threatening legal action after its 867-home redevelopment plan was refused by an inspector;</li><li>And a council blaming the government’s “muddy-thinking meddling” and “contradictory commands” for its decision to scrap its emerging local plan.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @PlanningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 21, 202627 min

Ep203: How far the government has got in recruiting its 1,400 promised new planners

In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing Planning’s investigation into the Labour government’s much-trumpeted promise to recruit 1,400 extra planning officers for councils before the end of the current parliament. We’ll be examining:  <ul><li>What was promised; </li><li>Progress to date and how likely the pledge is to be delivered;</li><li>And the impact it could have on under-resourced council planning teams.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @PlanningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 13, 202620 min

Ep202: What the local election results mean for planning and development

In this episode, we’ll be discussing: <ul><li>The local elections – the areas where the Reform UK and Green advance, and changes in council control, will have the greatest impact on planning and development.</li><li>The High Court sentencing a homeowner to six months in prison for ignoring a planning injunction prohibiting an unauthorised house extension.</li><li>The Court of Appeal finding apparent bias by a council planning director in revoking a lawful development certificate, in a case described by the judge as “most unusual”.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @PlanningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

May 7, 202618 min

Ep201: The profits, turnover and margins of the UK's biggest planning consultancies

In this Deep Dive edition, we’ll be discussing Planning’s exclusive and first-ever examination of the profits, turnover and margins of the UK’s biggest planning consultancies, based on their financial accounts filed with Companies House. We talk about: <ul><li>The highest-earning firms;  </li><li>The most profitable consultancies and those with the biggest losses; </li><li>Those with the highest and lowest operating profit margins;</li><li>And we’ll be getting thoughts from consultants who feature in the survey on all of these matters.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at planningresource.co.uk and @PlanningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

April 30, 202622 min

Ep200: The types of development that will and won't be exempt from biodiversity net gain requirements

In this episode, we’ll be discussing: <ul><li>The government confirming the kinds of development that will and won’t be exempt from the biodiversity net gain requirement – and announcing a further proposed opt-out.</li><li>Fresh guidance for councils on how they should consult on and publicise their draft strategies under the impending new system for producing local plans.</li><li>A Court of Appeal ruling that clarifies the scope of local authorities’ powers to refuse to determine planning applications for a site if an enforcement notice is already in force for the land.</li></ul> Key planning news, and why it is important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for 50 years. Find the latest planning news at <a href="http://planningresource.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">planningresource.co.uk</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/PlanningMag" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@PlanningMag</a>  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

April 28, 202620 min

Ep199: Casebook Extra – the month’s key ministerial, inspectors’ and court decisions summarised

This is the ninth edition of our monthly series examining the key recent appeal and court decisions in which we speak to technical editor David Dewar who compiles Planning's long-running Casebook section.  This month, we will be discussing:<ul><li>A secretary of state decision that involved the use of a very rare direction allowing ministers to block the publication of specific evidence in a planning inquiry; </li><li>How a housing scheme achieved consent in the setting of a World Heritage Site; </li><li>A High Court ruling on the use of section 73 applications to modify affordable housing contributions;</li><li>The difficulties facing local planning authorities defending new home appeals when they lack a five year housing land supply;</li><li>And a planning inspector blocking a council's bid to take enforcement action against an unlawful mural of Mary Poppins.</li></ul> More information on all these cases can be found in the <a href="https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1953016/read-april-edition-planning-appeals-legal-casebook-online" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">April edition</a> of Casebook on <a href="https://www.planningresource.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Planning Resource</a>.  Key planning news, and why it’s important, brought to you by the team behind Planning magazine, the leading source of independent intelligence for planning professionals for more than 50 years.  Find the latest planning news at <a href="http://planningresource.co.uk/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">planningresource.co.uk</a> and @planningMag  Room 106 was the Professional Publishers Association’s Podcast of the Year 2023/24. It was also highly commended in the Best Use of Audio category in the Association of Online Publishers’ Digital Publishing Awards 2024. <hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.