Recent Posts
Nicola Gooch
Planning Appeal fails because landowner did not sign s.106 Agreement
A developer in Leicestershire has missed out on planning permission at Appeal for 33 dwellings because he failed to ensure that the s.106...
14/03/16
Irwin Mitchell
Can you be forced to work a Sunday?
The outcome of the vote yesterday on the proposed extension to Sunday trading hours was certainly very interesting. However, it is also a...
10/03/16
Nicola Gooch
Town Planning: The NHS's new weapon in the war on obesity
The NHS has taken its campaign to improve the health of the nation one step further with the announcement of its 'healthy towns'...
04/03/16
Nicola Gooch
High Court quashes £170,000 CIL demand as unlawful
In a judgment handed down on 3 March 2016, Mrs Justice Patterson overturned a CIL demand for £170,000, issued by Swindon Council, in...
04/03/16
Irwin Mitchell
Hope yet for lawyers?
The potential of IT tools to cut lawyers out of the equation (along with all other professionals if you believe some pundits, let alone...
01/03/16
Nicola Gooch
House of Commons publishes road map to future planning reform
Last week, the House of Commons Library published its briefing paper on the Government's proposals for planning reform. The briefing...
01/03/16
Irwin Mitchell
Clicks v Bricks - IT, Big Data and the retail revolution
There was no doubt that some retailers were slow off the mark when it came to online presence and online sales. Recent research by...
12/02/16
Nicola Gooch
Government to review whether there is a 'continuing need' for the HCA
Brandon Lewis has today announced a review of the Homes and Communities Agency, to see whether there is a continuing need for its...
10/02/16
Irwin Mitchell
Estate regeneration panel convenes
Following recent announcements about a push to regenerate council estates using institutional finance, Lord Heseltine has appointed the...
09/02/16
Nicola Gooch
Greg Clark announces consultation on increasing planning application fees
Buried in the text of Greg Clark's statement to parliament on local government finances is a rather interesting paragraph on planning...
09/02/16
Nicola Gooch
Grand Designs: Register of self build and custom house builders goes live on 1st April 2016
From 1 April 2016, it should be easier for those inspired by Kevin McCloud to find the land they need to build the home of their dreams. ...
08/02/16
Irwin Mitchell
US property giant buys UK affordable housing developer
Interesting news in the FT and Inside Housing today that US based "Related Companies" have brought discount market sale specialist...
03/02/16
Irwin Mitchell
Natural Capital - a new tool for evaluating environmental risks and benefits
An interesting development in real estate is how we now value environmental benefits and burdens, and what the true costs might be. With...
03/02/16
Nicola Gooch
Greenwich: Developers must make full viability assessments public
Greenwich Council has just announced plans to require residential developers to go public with their full, un-redacted, viability...
02/02/16
Irwin Mitchell
Don't work in Oil
Fickle commodity prices (and the small matter of a massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) has lead BP to cut thousands of jobs.
02/02/16
Irwin Mitchell
What do you mean, the party's over?
Cassandra had the misfortune as a prophet to be always correct and never believed. Hans Schliemann's digs showed what this meant for real...
02/02/16
Nicola Gooch
Home-Made Nuclear Bunker, built in 1982, becomes Grade II Listed Building
Historic England has awarded listed building status to a homemade nuclear fall-out shelter, erected in the owner's back garden in 1982....
22/01/16
Nicola Gooch
Mayoral election campaigns kick off with pledges to build more homes in London
The race to become Mayor of London has started with a bang - with both the Conservative and Labour candidates promising to dramatically...
20/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Access rights for broadband providers currently buffering
We wouldn't normally expect to monitor consultations from the Department of Culture Media and Sport for our property clients, but they...
19/01/16
Nicola Gooch
Houses to be built on twelve Ministry Of Defence sites
The Ministry of Defence announced yesterday that it will be releasing twelve sites in high value parts of the country for housing, with...
19/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Rigsby in the dock: Private prosecutions against landlords for disrepair and nuisance
A good article on 24dash.com highlights a growing trend for tenants to refer their landlords to the Magistrates Court for breach of...
18/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
£140 million for 100 council estates
The Government has announced a proposal to contribute £140 million of funding to regenerate 100 run-down council estates. The intention...
15/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Skill shortages and house building - bad combination
As ever, gaining a skill will give you a much better chance of getting a job that pays well. If you are not 'academic' train as a...
14/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Is nothing sacred at work?
As an employment lawyer and one that regularly works with technology businesses I am constantly amazed at the things individuals think...
14/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
More commercial investment in PRS
Although the government is still consulting on the SDLT superlevy on second properties for individuals, the market for the commercial...
13/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Unbuckling the green belt
Any decision to build on the green belt is going to be controversial. There is a clear need to increase supply of all types of home...
12/01/16
Nicola Gooch
Is CIL being used to discourage unpopular developments?
Below are some extracts from a Planning Resource article, which suggests that some councils are using CIL as a mechanism for discouraging...
12/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Exclusivity clauses are now (properly!) banned
There were big headlines in May last year when exclusivity clauses in zero hours contracts became unenforceable. These clauses prevent...
11/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
What do you think is vital today?
Surveyors Lambert Smith Hampton have published their "Vitality Index" - not a ranking of the value of smoothies based on kale and...
08/01/16
Irwin Mitchell
Sports Direct: at it again
Sports Direct has announced that they will be paying more than the minimum wage from now on. So that's good. They have also appointed...
06/01/16