The government’s Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 has changed the ways in which the planning system looks to provide housing. Its key theme is to promote sustainable development, which includes the reuse of previously developed sites in preference to greenfield sites, and to promoting sustainable locations and high-density living.

Although the changes are bound together in national policy, they are applied very differently across the country. The ‘plan, monitor, manage’ policy of housing provision in the North and Midlands has led to a situation where in many areas, particularly the North West, there is no new housing on greenfield land. Many new housing developments in the towns and cities focus on apartment schemes rather than on traditional housing.

This contrasts with the focus in the South where growth areas such as Milton Keynes are releasing large tracts of greenfield land to meet the growing need for new housing. The situation is very similar in Scotland.

Understanding, interpreting and applying these regional and sub-regional differences is a key feature in the success of our regional operations.