David Lock: Town and Country Planning in the time of Covid-19

Support for the principle of major reform of the planning system is widespread, but the Planning White Paper's ideas are impractical and threaten to destroy trust, says David Lock.

DLA has won the award for plan-making at the Planning Awards 2020 for our work on the Strategic Growth Study for Milton Keynes.

DLA has been delighted to work with Sport England on their Making a Planning Application Guide, which has recently been published.

In an article for the TCPA celebrating 'Welwyn Garden City at 100', David Lock outlines the contribution of Frederic and Margaret Osborn to the development and life of Welwyn Garden City.

Driven by and named after Article 25 of the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25 is a humanitarian architectural charity which helps vulnerable communities around the world through design to improve health, livelihoods and resilience to disasters. Over the previous 9 years, their annual flagship fundraising event '10x10 London' has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds to help them carry out their incredible work on over 90 projects in 34 countries.

David Lock Associates (DLA) has obtained outline planning permission on behalf of Mr Peter Dean and Archaylen Property Limited for 18 dwellings and related development at Coldstream Farm, Worminghall on the edge of the former Aylesbury Vale district.

This week we have been representing Hallam Land Management at the virtual South Oxfordshire Local Plan Examination in Public (EiP), the first event of its kind. The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) has already expressed that similar virtual events are here to stay for the foreseeable and has recently announced the virtual resumption of a number of other EiPs as well as launching a new guide on how to participate in virtual events.

Has confidence in planning as a public service ever been so low? Like most, I have been watching with interest as the 'Westferry Farce' unfolds across the tabloids, with seemingly a new turn every week. Whilst details are murky (and I am not going to embark on a sentencing of our Rt Hon Mr Jenrick in this piece), its impacts on our profession on a day to day basis could be catastrophic.

Plans for ‘Phase Two’ of the Hayle Harbour regeneration project have been submitted to Cornwall Council by David Lock Associates, on behalf of Sennybridge (Hayle) Ltd. This represents the final set of reserved matters proposals pursuant to the outline application which was granted in 2010, and will facilitate multi-million pound investment to bring new life to the historic harbour.

This week we're embarking on our biggest technical challenge of lockdown so far. We've had DLA staff meetings with 60+ attendees (and thankfully the ability to mute each other) and regular 'virtual' meetings with our colleagues, clients and co-consultants since March but we are about to go to another level!