Planning Bill may already be discouraging judicial review challenges to projects

The government is set to allocate more than £1 billion of public funding for the £10 billion Lower Thames Crossing in next week’s spending review, according to national newspaper reports. The project is being seen as a test of the government’s ambitions to unblock large infrastructure projects.

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NAO identifies need for developer funding system improvements

Weaknesses in the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s (MHCLG) developer contributions system that funds essential local infrastructure like schools, roads, public transport, and affordable housing are undermining councils’ ability to negotiate with developers, says the National Audit Office.

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No time for complacency in tech adoption

The latest in our alternative dispute resolution series comes from Tracey Summerell of Dentons UK and Middle East LLP, who warns against complacency in face of the increasing use of new technologies like AI. The same standard of professionalism has to be applied to their implementation as in lawyer’s expert fields, she says.

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Legal terms explained: Transferred Loss

“Transferred loss” is a limited exception to the general rule that a claimant can recover only loss which it has itself suffered (Swynson Ltd v Lowick Rose LLP [2017] UKSC 32).

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Councils could get power to seize builders’ land banks

Developers who consistently fail to build out consented sites and those who secure planning permissions to trade land speculatively could face a “delayed homes penalty” of thousands of pounds per unbuilt home under new government measures.

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Consultation opens on new vision for ports

New proposals from the Department for Transport (DfT) designed to better support ports to deliver important national infrastructure more quickly have been announced. Consultation on the draft revised national policy statement for ports proposals is open until 29 July.

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Local authorities report 20% rise in Section 106 negotiation timelines

Housebuilders are waiting an average of 515 days for infrastructure agreements to be finalised, adding significant delays to an already complex and time-consuming planning process, according to new analysis from the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

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Legislation needed for water industry ‘reset’, says report

Interim findings from an Independent Water Commission report set out five areas where wide-ranging and fundamental change is said to be needed to reset the water sector in England & Wales.

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Licensing proposed for builders

The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has launched a model for licensing building companies, after a decade long campaign and cross-industry collaboration to get the issue on the Government’s agenda.

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New model proposed for privately funded infrastructure

Development, building and property services specialist Wates Group has launched a ‘white paper’ calling for the government to rethink its position on private finance to deliver real growth for the UK economy.

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