PLANNING LAW UPDATES

Major shifts across the real estate market are reshaping decisions and creating new challenges for owners, investors and developers alike. With ever‑changing regulatory and legislative reforms – from the Building Safety Act to the proposed bans on upwards‑only rent reviews – commercial uncertainty is increasing, generating a growing need for specialist legal support to guide you through decisions with confidence.

By Chrisa Tsompani , Partner, Davitt Jones Bould From 1 April 2026, changes introduced under the Town and Country Planning (Appeals) (Written Representations Procedure) (England) (Amendment and Saving Provision) Regulations 2026 and new guidance from the Planning Inspectorate will see around 95% of planning appeals determined under an expanded expedited written representations procedure. The Government says this will create a “faster, more efficient planning appeals process”

Since its introduction in 2012, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been revised no fewer than six times, with each iteration attempting to refine the balance between growth, sustainability, and local autonomy.

While the appellant will feel vindicated that an appropriate assessment was riled not to be required in relation to effects on a Ramsar site, the Court also ruled that, where Habitats Regulations do apply, an appropriate assessment and measures to ensure nutrient neutrality can be required at discharge-of-conditions stage. The latter part of the decision sits at odds with the government’s objective to beat the blockers and deliver 1.5 million new homes.

The accommodation of asylum seekers continues to raise challenges for both those working to fulfil the need for such accommodation and local authorities. In this article, we examine the recent judgment of Mr. Justice Mould in the case of Epping Forest District Council v Somani Hotels Ltd EWHC 2937 (KB), delivered on 13–15 October 2025.

The Supreme Court has handed down its long-awaited decision in the C G Fry case. The decision affirms that an appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations should be carried out, and nutrient neutrality measures required, after the grant of planning permission, at reserved matters or when discharging pre-commencement conditions, where there are effects on a habitats site protected under the Habitats Regulations.

Head of ESG, Chris Kerr features in Local Government lawyer, responding to reports that the Government plans to curtail environmental protections in a bid to speed up infrastructure projects.

The Government has launched the English Devolution and Community Engagement Bill (“the Bill”), which spans 338 pages. The Devolution Bill introduces three tiers of strategic authority, outlines mayoral powers, and restructures local government by eliminating two-tier structures. Additionally, it establishes a new community right to buy and, surprisingly, abolishes upward-only rent reviews. Here, we provide a summary of the key impacts that the Devolution Bill will have on pla

In a recent Local Government Lawyer article planning partner Chrisa Tsompani examines how the Government's planning reforms could reshape every lawyer of the sector.