Today’s Telegraph reports that Conservative MPs are to fight against moves to relax planning rules to allow homeowners to extend their homes as much as 20ft without planning permission. It says that a growing group of Conservatives in the Commons led by Zac Goldsmith will next week vote against the policy, part of the Coalition’s […]

People often blame Brussels and the Common Fisheries Policy for doing-down small fishermen. But NW Liberal Democrat MEP, Chris Davies, reports that it is national governments that decide what share of each country’s fishing opportunities will go to the small scale boats and what to the big boys. This week Chris organised a seminar in […]

Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) research, published today in partnership with the National Trust, reveals that the government is sleepwalking towards the centralisation of the planning system. The LGiU surveyed senior local government politicians and officials in 94 Local Planning Authorities.  60% of respondents disagree or strongly disagree that the introduction of the National Planning […]

Figures obtained by the Telegraph 25/03/13) show that since the National Planning Policy Framework paper was published last March, the number of new homes winning planning permission has risen by a quarter in England and fallen in Scotland and Wales, where the changes do not apply. The Planning Inspectorate is warning privately of a “shock” to […]

The boss of the energy firm SSE has warned that “there is a very real risk of the lights going out” in Britain. Ian Marchant said the government was significantly underestimating the scale of the capacity crunch facing the country. He was commenting on the company’s decision to cut back on power generation at five […]

“The Double yellow lines have been installed near Ingol Social Club and the police have followed up on several drivers who have ignored them – all from outside Ingol! There are now notices inside the club drawing attention to the no parking area with the result that the number of offenders has rapidly decreased. If you see someone parked on the […]

The Ingol Village Golf Club, which closed in 2010, is to reopen as an eighteen hole course, and the new operators have promised to carry out drainage works and other course improvements. “The Ingol Councillors campaigned very hard alongside the Ingol Golf Village Residents’ Association to keep it as a golf course, and see off the threat from Northern Trust to build […]

You may have noticed work taking place all round the Brickworks site, with tree clearing work being carried out ahead of the start of the nesting season. Also, the work involved in moving the Great Crested Newts to their new home is well underway. Both these phases should be completed by May and then, subject to all the necessary details being […]

Today’s Financial Times  carries a letter from a coalition of councils, developers, housing associations, professional bodies and academics, headed by Sir Steve Bullock, executive member for housing at London Councils; Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation and Grainia Long, chief executive of the Chartered Institute for Housing. The letter urges the Government […]