BLG Gazetteer
A long journey around the ten Broad Locations of Growth established by the draft London Plan.
Architects’ Salaries in Europe
Examining the relationship between architects' salaries and changes in the number of registered professionals across 13 major European economies.
Cows Coming Home
Exploring the implications of the Broad Locations of Growth (BLGs) on green belt in the draft London Plan.
A Propensity for Density, Part 1
A study of density around London's suburban stations: the first part of my lecture to the 2026 Rail Stations and Property Conference.
Unlocking Development Sites for Affordable Housing – A London Community Land Trust Guide
I'm going to be joining a great panel of speakers for the launch of London CLT's guide to unlocking land for affordable housing at Westminster on the 24 June.
How to use London’s golf courses to build homes
Would London's golfers give up some exclusive courses to provide housing for 140,000 people in the city? And how would our planning system cope with such creative thinking?
Come Back to Croydon
Croydon's bold policy is said to have transformed the borough's suburbs, much to the anger of local residents. But what if the guidance itself was not actually responsible?
London Election Map
A detailed and dynamic online map showing the ward results for each London borough in the 2026 local elections.
Rail Stations + Property 2026
I've been invited back to speak at the Rail Stations + Property Conference 2026 on 23 June in central London.
Future London: Technology & Built Environment
I'll be joining a discussion panel at a Future London event, organised jointly by the London Society and Knowledge Quarter, on May 5.
Planning Officers’ Society Annual Lecture 2026
The plot thickens: small sites and the case for suburban intensification
Fast homes at scale: ‘We’ve all the tools we need to solve homelessness’
The solution to the UK’s homelessness crisis already exists. It just needs political will, planning nous and determination to bring it about.
We must encourage the building of urban one-home wonders
The National Planning Policy Framework includes a specific allowance for single houses in rural areas that are “truly outstanding” where they would otherwise be refused. An equivalent provision is needed in urban areas.
Raising the Barriers
How reducing the up-front planning burden on small developers could help accelerate housing delivery in sustainable locations.
Going Solo
It's too difficult to build one-off homes in urban areas. A new category of planning application is needed to lower the barriers for single family houses.
Growing Pains
Building homes on London's allotments isn't going to solve the housing crisis. The capital's comedic carrots and amusing marrows are safe, for now.
London, Open
How updates to the London Plan might enable new homes to be built on London's golf courses.
Balancing the Books
How the use of quadratic voting could help moderate the public's attitude towards planning applications for new homes.
Getting the UK building will need bold thinking
The Labour government's array of announcements on planning reform has been dizzying, but more ambitious action must follow if we are to see real change during this parliament.
Building Hope: A Crisis Response to Homelessness
How emergency permitted development rights could help address the financial and human cost of homelessness.
Far too many councillors are on the side of the nimbys
Some planning committee members have a mindset of ‘planning by vibes’ rather than being led by policy. No wonder the government is keen to address this.
Housing Delivery Test 2023
A brief analysis of the Housing Delivery Test scores from 2023, which were published in December.
NPPF December 2024 Standard Method Housing Targets
The publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 was accompanied by a new set of Housing Targets for each of England's unitary, district and borough authorities.
Get on board
The potential for 27,000 homes around existing stations between London and Cambridge: Submission to the New Towns Taskforce, November 2024.
Grey belt identification using Bluesky
Using AI and high-resolution aerial photography to categorise types of land cover within the metropolitan green belt.
Grey Belt Geometry
The following describes a potential methodology for establishing the extent of "grey belt" using a geometrical approach to settlements within London's metropolitan green belt.
All AIs on the Grey Belt
The use of AI and spatial mapping to categorise the use of England's green belt and identify opportunities for new development.
Cornering the Market
Some thoughts on a "brownfield passport" and the potential for corner plots to rapidly deliver suburban intensification.
The Grenfell inquiry missed the elephant in the room: design and build
The Grenfell report fails to grasp the wider lessons of this tragedy by ignoring the warped procurement culture that encouraged so many awful decisions.
Right on Target
Why concerns about the effect of the new government's housing targets on the countryside are misplaced
Comment or Object? Bias Against Development in London’s Planning Portals
How planning authorities' online portals demonstrate bias against new development.
How suburban intensification could hold the key to delivering Labour’s 1.5m homes target
Labour’s new towns plan won’t deliver the homes we need anytime soon. To boost sustainable housing sooner, we should look to our suburbs.
Towards a Suburban Renaissance
How lessons from Croydon can be applied to London’s suburbs to deliver thousands of new homes through modest intensification.
Small Sites, Big Ambitions
How suburban intensification can quickly deliver new homes.
Housing development in London has a new weapon: AI
Data from an AI learning model that mapped the London Borough of Lewisham suggests the capital’s targets for ‘small site’ development could be radically increased.
Procurement Using 50% Scoring Ratio
This describes a typical limited tender process using standard methods of price / quality measurement, with a pricing ratio set at 50%. It demonstrates that this scoring ratio will almost certainly result in the cheapest price winning the project, even with a very low quality score. The sample scores used to test this model is […]