MHCLG initiative aims to streamline procedure
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced a streamlined process to speed up appeal decisions.
It is expected that by the end of the year, most written representation appeals will only accept the evidence put before the local planning authority during application.
MHCLG said: “This will not only speed up appeals but will also importantly, encourage a full body of evidence to be provided at application stage, giving local planning authorities the information they need to make decisions – aligning with universal planning principles of keeping decisions local.”
Paul Morrison, Planning Inspectorate CEO, explains:
“Every delayed planning decision represents potential delays to development and uncertainty for local communities. This change is a common-sense approach to planning that benefits us all by removing unnecessary administrative burdens and focusing on what matters: well-informed, timely decisions based on high-quality applications from the start.”
The simplified appeals process will deliver:
- A faster, more efficient planning appeals process that benefits everyone
- Keeping planning decisions local and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy
- Submit once, submit right – providing the complete picture at application stage
Construction Skills Mission Board launches
Ministers and construction industry leaders launched the construction sector skills mission this week, as they target the recruitment of an additional 100,000 workers a year by the end of the current parliament.
The board was established by the Construction Leadership Council to support the government’s commitment to invest an additional £625m in construction skills.
The board will focus on five key areas to drive increased recruitment:
- Confidence to employ and invest
- New entrant pathways
- Access to provision and support to train
- Funding that works
- Reliable and rewarding careers
The news comes as latest data from the Insolvency Service shows that there were 324 construction insolvencies in April 2025; a -13.8% decrease from the previous month and a -19.8% decrease from 2024.
Construction firms accounted for 15.7% of all insolvencies in England and Wales in April 2025, and 14% of all registered businesses in the UK in 2024.
In other news…
Barratt Redrow has been named in TIME magazine’s World’s 500 Most Sustainable Companies for 2025.
The housebuilder joins 31 other UK companies, joining a “select group of companies across the globe”, it said. Its inclusion reflects industry-leading commitment to sustainable building “and setting the benchmark on sustainability performance, transparency and innovation”.
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Five years after it was first unveiled in the Czech Republic, the WLTR bricklaying machine, called Walter, has been put to work in the UK, on a development of 27 houses by start-up developer JT Lifestyle Homes.
It is claimed that the robot can lay up to 200 square metres of masonry per day.
Housing View 