The Hobbs Parker Blogs

Cornered shops by the Assembly’s Planning and Housing Committee examines the steady decline of local shops in London.  It concludes that changes to local, regional and national planning policies  could offer more protection. Also of equal interest are proposed amendments to the Use Classes Order.

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Posted by David Jarman

The Hobbs Parker Group wishes to congratulate Eoin O’Connor on his recent election to chartered membership of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

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Posted by David Jarman

The housing minister Grant Shapps has announced plans to allow rural communities to build developments of up to 20 houses in villages (including in the green belt), without seeking planning permission from local councils.

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Posted by David Jarman

In the latest of the Coalition Government’s reforms to the planning system Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has announced today that Regional Planning Strategies are to be revoked with immediate effect.

The Regional Planning Strategies (of which ‘The South East Plan’ was the adopted Regional Plan for the South East of England) were brought in by the previous Government and set regional targets to build 3 million homes nationally by 2020, however the new Government claims that these centrally imposed building targets have failed to increase house building and that much of the country is facing the lowest peacetime house building rates since 1924.

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Posted by David Jarman

The Hobbs Parker Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Jon Rimmer as the company’s new Chairman.  Jon will take over from Richard Wood who, after 30 years with the company, is due to retire later this year.  Although Richard will be spending more time away from the offices, he will be undertaking some consultancy work and so will remain a familiar face at livestock auctions through 2011.

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Posted by Sally Randall