Information has recently been issued in regard to proposals to significantly alter the ‘permitted development rights’ for agricultural buildings & rural communities. It is proposed that the alterations are to be implemented from April 2014. Jonathan Braddick Chartered Architects practice across Devon and Somerset and as such have been investigating the likely effect that the proposed changes will have on our clients, many of whom are agricultural land owners and or developers of agricultu...

Grant Shapps, housing minister and self-proclaimed self-build enthusiast, hosted a celebrity 'workshop' at 10 Downing Street last week to highlight new support measures for self-builders and to make a pledge to double the size of the bespoke homes sector.

The event saw the launch of a new one-stop Self Build Portal that brings together sources of advice and a progress report from the National Self Build Association (NaSBA), which drew up an action plan last year at the request of the housing...

There is a growing population of architects, builders and planners who are familiar with CSH, and know what needs to be done in order to meet what can be a strict and rigorous planning condition.

One thing is definitely for certain: C4SH (The Code) requirements can be a postcode lottery; you are far more likely to be asked for the Code if you are building in the South East of England or around the Midlands. Although more and more planners are starting to ask for CSH compliance, especially on...

Building Magazine has reported that the number of planning permissions granted in the three months to September 2011 was 10% down on the previous year. This is according to the latest figures from the Home Builders’ Federation.

The HBF is reported to have said its quarterly housing pipeline report showed that just 32,500 homes were given planning permission in the third quarter, down from 38,500 in the same period last year.

The number of units approved in the first nine months of the year is...