Policy
Policy is where a political target becomes a planning decision. These pieces follow the mechanisms that do the work: the formula that sets the number, the rule that strips a council of its veto, the levy meant to make development pay its way, and the word "affordable" doing a great deal of heavy lifting. Each one explained, sourced, and weighed against what it actually delivers.
The neighbourhood plan, and what it can actually do.
The most democratic tool in the planning system, and the one with the least power when the system is under pressure.
Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy.
Two mechanisms for making developers pay for what development needs, and why both are under strain.
What "affordable" actually means, and what it costs.
The gap between what the planning system calls affordable and what a local worker can pay.
The five-year supply, the tilted balance, and why your council can't say no.
The mechanism that hands control to developers when a council falls behind.
What the standard method is, and what it is not.
A formula, a set of inputs, and a missing cap. Three things, in order.
The Housing Algorithm.
How a government formula is overriding local democracy, ignoring physical reality, and reshaping rural England.