Weekly planning news
Planning news - 31 July 2025
Breaking: New development locations unveiled across the country
The government has announced1 that several areas across the country have been unlocked for new housing development. The locations – across Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Cambridge – will see the repurposing of disused railway land to create up to 40,000 new homes.
The initiative, headed by new government-owned development company Platform4, will 'spur thousands of new jobs and local regeneration,' according to a press release published on the government’s website.
The brownfield land opportunity
Four sites already earmarked for development include Newcastle Forth Goods Yard, Manchester Mayfield, Cambridge, and Nottingham. Together, these areas will deliver over 2,700 new homes and transform brownfield land into vibrant neighbourhoods.
The wider scheme will see Platform4 unlock £1 billion worth of developments over the next decade, with more than 15,000 homes expected in the first five years.
A unified approach to rail land development
Platform4 consolidates the functions of London and Continental Railways Ltd and Network Rail’s property team, streamlining efforts to dispose of surplus rail land and accelerate housing delivery.
According to the Department for Transport, the new company will enable the government to meet its Plan for Change target of building 1.5 million homes, while also supporting job creation, infrastructure investment and greener, better-connected communities.
Government agency recommends special planning measures for England’s ‘industrial hubs’
The Environment Agency has published a landmark report outlining new recommendations to support sustainable growth in three of England’s key industrial clusters: the Humber, Teesside, and HyNet (North West).
The report calls for these hubs to be better integrated into future planning reforms, including the expansion of spatial development strategies and local plans.
The aim is to ensure industrial clusters are equipped with the right environmental infrastructure - such as secure water supplies - to support long-term, low-carbon development.
Challenges such as climate-related risks, including flooding and water scarcity, are also addressed in the report. The Environment Agency recommends using strategic planning tools and updating permitting regimes to remove barriers to growth while maintaining strong environmental protections.
The report also identified several challenges facing the long-term growth of industrial clusters, including availability of water resources and climate-related shocks, such as flooding. The Environment Agency has outlined solutions to mitigate these potential challenges, such as introducing strategic growth plans and using existing planning tools at a cluster scale to help reduce any planning hurdles they face.
The report highlights the critical role of industrial clusters in driving the UK’s clean energy transition, advanced manufacturing, and economic resilience. With many located in coastal areas, the EA urges developers and local authorities to factor in future climate impacts when designing new infrastructure.
You can find out more by visiting the government’s website.2
Revealed: The council refusing to allocate green belt for development
Castle Point Borough Council in Essex has published a draft local plan that rules out releasing any green belt land, despite proposing to meet only 53% of the government’s housing target.
The borough, which hasn’t adopted a local plan since 1998, previously withdrew a 2022 plan before it’s introduction, that would have included green belt release.
According to Planning Resource3, the new draft plan takes an ‘urban first’ approach, prioritising higher-density development within existing urban areas and emphasising placemaking, biodiversity, and flood-risk management. It proposes building 6,196 homes from 2026 to 2043, which is significantly below the 11,662 homes required under national policy.
Although some ‘grey belt’ sites were reviewed, none were deemed suitable for development by the council. Councillors said the plan reflects local priorities by protecting green spaces while delivering homes and infrastructure at a sustainable scale.
The plan is now open for an eight-week Regulation 19 consultation.
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/first-time-buyers-to-benefit-from-40000-new-homes-on-brownfield-railway-land
- https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-pathway-for-sustainable-growth-in-englands-industrial-hubs
- https://www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1926889/council-rules-green-belt-release-draft-local-plan-despite-meeting-just-53-local-housing-need
