50 Shades of Planning

Sam Stafford was in London recently and took the opportunity to catch up with old friends of the podcast Mike Kiely, Annie Gingell, Andrew Taylor and Iain Thomson, and new friend of the podcast Claire Tester. In a conversation recorded at Soho Radio they chatted about a few of the hot topics in the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning right now. They talked about the recent NPPF consultation; taking some of the 'grit' out of the system; they talked about planning committees in relation to the impact of local elections, new notification processes, a national scheme of delegation and strategic committees; and towards the end there is a bit of local plan and neighbourhood plan chat. Some accompanying reading. Book review for, “In Search of Excellence”, written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. Fees for planning applications Planning committee reform: statutory consultation on draft Regulations and guidance What the CIA can teach us about the need to reform planning committees What the 'pre-election period' means in practice New local plan-making system roadmap More Radical Change: the Basic Conditions for Neighbourhood Plans Simonicity - "Ten Years Time" Public Sector RTPI Survey Private Sector RTPI Survey Some accompanying listening. Colorama - Some Things Just Take Time Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why (via samstafford@hotmail.com). Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; and to Stanley Bain and Adrian Meehan for recording and editing this episode.

Hannah Loftus, placemaking director focused on vision-led delivery and early community activation. Lucy Bush, researcher on civic identity and community engagement. Jonathan Schifferes, local-government lead on housing and infrastructure-first delivery. Fionnuala Lennon, strategist for new communities and affordable housing. They discuss practical delivery, infrastructure sequencing, stewardship, vision-led governance, early community activation, and placemaking methods.

This is the third of a series of episodes being led by the oldest friend of the podcast, Paul Smith. Paul put it to Sam Stafford that debates about the planning system in England tend, for the most part, to focus solely on the planning system in England. We very seldom look to other countries for inspiration and ideas. Paul wanted to remedy that and so in this series he is chatting with planning professionals and academics from a number of countries to find out what works well there, what works less well, and what can we learn. In this episode Paul chats to Jannes Willems and Lilian van Karnenbeek about planning in the Netherlands. In a conversation recorded online in October 2025 they talked about a new Dutch Environment & Planning Act; subsidiarity between the three levels of Dutch planning; active and passive land use policy; public engagement in the Dutch system; cycling obviously; and the role of land reclamation in making planning so central to Dutch culture. Some accompanying reading. Insights on the Dutch Environment & Planning Act Icons of Dutch Spatial Planning Brilliant Orange 50 Shades T-Shirts Save The Date: Live Event 1 June 2026 Public Sector RTPI Survey Private Sector RTPI Survey Identifying the delays and barriers experienced in the planning applications process Planning in the Pub Some accompanying listening The Fall – Kurious Oranj Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why (via samstafford@hotmail.com). Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; and to Rachael Cooper and Adrian Meehan for recording and editing this episode. Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.

Sam Stafford was in Manchester last week and took the opportunity to catch up with friends of the podcast Lisa Tye, Andrew Johnston and Louise Fountain to discuss some of the issues of the day.  In a conversation recorded at Reform Radio they talked about the imminent changes to appeal guidance; they talked about the design and placemaking PPG consultation; they talked about affordable housing delivery and the misalignment between Home England’s grant funding and Section 106 requirements; they went back to design and placemaking to talk about Design Review; and towards the end they talked about LPAs charging for invalid applications. The general theme of the discussion though, and hence the title of this episode, was set by a phrase that Lisa used at the start of the discussion and which seems to capture the mood of the moment, certainly as far as the development industry is concerned. Some accompanying reading. All Change: Strategic Plans and Planning Appeals Revamped Don’t Be An April Fool: Written Reps Planning Appeals Are About To Get Faster But Also Riskier Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance Design, delivery and the space in between: early reflections on the new Design & Placemaking PPG It’s great that London has new design advocates. But what about elsewhere? How long is a piece of string? Council planning appeal budget spent in four months Council can now charge for invalid planning applications Some accompanying listening. Mass Appeal – Gangstarr Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why (via samstafford@hotmail.com). Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are also very welcome to get in touch with Sam. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; and to Mike Dunbar and Adrian Meehan for recording and editing this episode. Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.

Strategic planning, as Sam Stafford said in the introduction to episode number 157, is back. That episode looked at what shape it is in right now. What have authorities been able to do whilst awaiting the consolidation of the Planning & Infrastructure Act, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill? What the sector did not know just a few weeks ago, but do now, are the new strategic geographies outside of areas governed by a mayor and where some work on Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) is already underway. Just last week though, at the time Sam prepared to publish this episode, a consultation was launched on all of the areas to be tasked with producing SDSs. So the podcast has looked at where things are now, but what do those tasked with consolidating the Planning & Infrastructure Act, the NPPF and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, and those producing SDSs, need to know about the last time planning was being undertaken strategically given that some time has now passed since the revocation of the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs). Now then seemed like a good time for Sam to publish the latest episode in the Hitting the High Notes series, which he recorded with strategic planning doyenne and old friend of the podcast Catriona Riddell at Soho Radio Studios in London back in September 2025 (just after the reshuffle that saw Steve Reed become Secretary of State, which there is mention of). Hitting The High Notes is town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. In these episodes Sam chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals. And, so that listeners can get to know people a little better personally, for every project or stage of their career Sam asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period. Unlike Desert Island Discs listeners will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land Sam in hot water so there accompanying YouTube videos and a Spotify playlist below. Catriona tells Sam about making the switch from architecture student in Glasgow to strategic planner in Surrey; how she became the ‘most hated woman in Guildford’; and how she shed a little tear upon reading the Devolution White Paper. They talk about old wine, including SERPLAN, RPG and RSSs (and the real reason RSSs were scrapped), and whether the Duty to Cooperate was bound to fail, and they talk about new bottles, including what, based upon Catriona’s not inconsiderable experience, will be the keys to SDS success. Some accompanying listening. Catriona’s Spotify Playlist Waterfront – Simple Minds We’ve Only Just Begun – Carpenters Respect – Aretha Franklin Starting Over – Chris Stapleton What Difference Does It Make? – The Smiths Landslide – The Chicks The Return of Strategic Planning Some accompanying reading.  Sub-Regional Strategic Planning Areas for producing spatial development strategies Spatial development strategies and devolution: letter to council leaders Housing Quick Wins: Call for Evidence Identifying the delays and barriers experienced in the planning applications process Planning in the Pub Some accompanying viewing. When Podcasts Collide: Sam Stafford, Managing Director at the LPDF (S18, E1) Any other business. Please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug.

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 Housing Quick Wins: Call for Evidence Removing grit from the planning system and speeding up the process Some accompanying viewing. Brookbanks Podcast Episode #9: 2025 reflections, a year of change for the planning industry? Some accompanying listening. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Teach Your Children Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review, but do please feel free to let Sam know why (via samstafford@hotmail.com). Feedback on 50 Shades episodes is always welcome. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are very welcome to get in touch with. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; and to Carl Thomas-Edwards and Rachael Cooper for recording and editing this episode. Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.

Steve Quartermain, former Chief Planner, brings frontline planning practice. Rachel Maclean, former Minister of State for Housing & Planning, gives the ministerial political view. Simon Gallagher, ex-Director of Planning in DCLG, shares civil service policy process. Jack Airey, policy adviser with Number 10 experience, explains how ideas travel in Westminster. They discuss how policies form, manifesto pressures, implementation hurdles and why reforms often stall.

Strategic planning is back. What do we know? We know that Policy PM1 of the revised draft NPPF anticipates the move towards national coverage of Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs), as promised by the end of the parliamentary term, and clarifies their role, content, and relationship to other tiers of the development plan. SDSs are intended to be high-level documents focused on genuinely strategic, cross-boundary issues, leaving detailed policy to other plans. We know that the Planning & Infrastructure Act, the second SDS building block, gained Royal Assent in December 2025 and sets out the process by which authorities, be they mayoral authorities, combined authorities or combined county authorities, should prepare SDSs. We know that the third SDS building block, the English Devolution & Community Empowerment Bill (which has reached the committee stage in the House of Lords), will confirm the structures and mechanisms of governance. For much of the country, SDS geography is already settled. More than half of the population is led by mayors, and across at least seven of the major cities, the preparation of SDSs is already underway. For much of the rest of the country though, including areas simultaneously undergoing local government re-organisation, the new strategic geographies are still to be resolved. We also do not know, beyond a commitment for it be standardised, what evidence bases SDSs will be examined against and how, for example, they will be expected to align with Local Growth Plans. With all of that going on and given what we know and what we do not know, what have authorities been able to do whilst awaiting the consolidation of all three building blocks? Strategic planning is back, but what shape is it in right now? These are the themes of this conversation between old friends of the podcast Catriona Riddell and Mike Best, and new friends of the podcast Shaun Andrews, Graham Thomas and Louise Sloan. Recorded online back in October 2024, their conversation takes in SDS preparatory work, what the first SDSs might look like and their interface with local plans; infrastructure planning; capacity and skills within the planning profession; and and how SDS identify strategic site priorities. Some accompanying reading. Planning Positively for the Future – the report of the Strategic Planning Group Top Tips for SDS Readiness Some accompanying viewing. Exploring the new NPPF draft Curb Your Enthusiasm - Canvassing Some accompanying listening. The Wheel – Bill Callahan Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are very welcome to get in touch with Sam via samstafford@hotmail.com. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; and to Rachael Cooper at ViralTribe for recording and editing this episode. Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.

This is the second of Sam Stafford's seasonal offerings which serve as a review of another exciting year in the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning. Once again Zack Simons kindly bestowed upon Sam the honour of announcing Zack's 2025 #Planoraks Awards on the podcast. Sam met Zack at Soho Radio Studios where and he handed him six golden envelopes, which you will hear opened during their conversation. They contain the winners of the following awards: Policy of the Year;Missed opportunity of the year;Catastrophe of the Year;Delay of the Year;Stat of the Year; andConsent of the Year. Some accompanying reading. The #Planoraks 2025 - the new NPPF The Proposed London Housing Emergency Measures Package Is Underwhelming Grey Belt – A Game Changer for Planning and Housing Some accompanying viewing. Exploring the new NPPF draft Some accompanying listening. The Black Keys – Year in Review Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are very welcome to get in touch with Sam via samstafford@hotmail.com. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; to Adrian Meehan and Soho Radio Studies for recording this episode: and to Rachael Cooper at ViralTribe for editing it. Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.

This episode sees the return of the 50 Shades of Planning Festive Christmas Quiz. Sam Stafford got together with friends of podcast Mike Kiely, Catriona Riddell, Annie Gingell, Andrew Taylor, Nicola Gooch, Shelly Rouse, Ben Castell and Gilian Macinnes to review what has been another exciting year in the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning. Based upon a selection of Planning Magazine’s most-read stories (kindly provided by Richard Garlick), Sam tested their knowledge of some of the themes that have prevailed most strongly in 2025. You will hear Sam asking the gang questions about local authority resources, grey belt, statutory consultees, the local plans that have run aground, planning committees, snails, and many, many other topics in this jam-packed, bumper edition of the quiz, which features two semi-finals and then a final, at the end of which one pair of contestants emerged victorious. Listen out too towards the end for an appearance from a very special guest… Listeners that enjoy this episode are kindly asked to consider making a donation to either St John's Hospice, Lancaster or Bowel Cancer UK in memory of the late, great, friend of the podcast, Jonathan Easton. Some accompanying listening. Sam’s Christmas Crackers – The Ultimate Festive Soundtrack Any other business. If you enjoy the episode do please consider bolstering Sam's fragile self-esteem by leaving the podcast a nice rating and a nice review wherever you listened to it. Obviously though if you have not enjoyed it then please do not leave a review. If you have enjoyed to the extent that you feel compelled to share the podcast on one your social platforms then, if you tag Sam, you will be entitled to an exclusive and much-sought after 50 Shades of Planning mug. If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as the Hitting The High Notes and All Around the World series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them. 50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are very welcome to get in touch with Sam via samstafford@hotmail.com. Sam is grateful to Richborough, Town Legal and Tyler Grange for supporting the podcast; to Vistry for sponsoring the 50 Shades mugs; to Adrian Meehan and Soho Radio Studies for recording this episode: and to Rachael Cooper at ViralTribe for editing it. Sam is on Bluesky and Instagram. His blog contains a link to his newsletter.