Planning

The Labour Government will deliver its aim of building 1.5 million houses by ‘modernising planning committees.’

New chancellor Rachel Reeves has used her first speech to outline plans to build one and a half million homes over the next five years, supported by reforms to the wider planning system.

Ealing Council said it was ‘extremely disappointed’ after an unexpected appeal by John Lewis over the firm’s plans to build rental homes.

Health minister Maria Caulfield has been told to refer herself to the ministerial ethics adviser after election leaflets accused her local council of restricting the freedom to drive.

Residents in Epsom and Ewell can pay to have planning applications decided faster as part of a new council service.

Residents, councillors and Extinction Rebellion activists were joined by climate campaigner Greta Thunberg to protest the expansion of a private jet facility at the weekend.

Place directors have called for action on planning, infrastructure and the environment, including a financial regime enabling councils to build more affordable and ‘climate-ready’ homes.

A lack of clarity on Government policy is undermining the ability of local planners to mitigate and adapt to the climate emergency, a new report has found.

Local authority leaders, developers, charities and others have written to levelling up secretary Michael Gove criticising the Government’s proposed infrastructure levy.

Active Travel England has officially been made a statutory consultee on all large-scale planning applications.

Leeds Bradford Airport breached planning rules by operating hundreds more night-time flights than it was allowed to last summer, according to the local council.

People in Scotland are being asked for their views on how to improve the planning system.

Plans for a garden town in Kent have been given outline approval, the local district council has confirmed.

Local authorities must do more to prepare for flash flooding as official figures reveal tens of thousands of homes are built in at-risk areas.

Leeds City Council has unveiled a ‘stylish new look’ for one of the most famous landmarks in the centre of the city.

A charity has called for car parking provision at new housing developments to be capped at a maximum of one space per property.

Construction of the UK’s first vertical launch spaceport could begin later this month after it received planning approval from the local authority, its developers have said.

Buckinghamshire Council has issued High Court challenges against six decisions by the Planning Inspectorate in a dispute over lorry routes for HS2 construction.

Michael Gove has replaced Robert Jenrick as secretary of state for housing, communities and local government in the Cabinet reshuffle.

The communities secretary has pledged to reduce the number of funds that councils have to compete for as part of plans to consolidate the sector's funding.

The Planning Inspectorate’s decision to allow an appeal over the expansion of Stansted Airport has been branded an ‘insult to local democracy’ by the leader of Uttlesford District Council.

The Government has pledged to push ahead with reforms to the planning system in order to meet house-building targets.

Transport for London has secured planning permission for a new development that it said will deliver 852 new homes for rent and sale, including 50% affordable housing.

A small number of councils are failing to keep their Local Plans up-to-date, the housing minister has warned.

Councils will face sanctions unless they draw up local plans within 30 months under government proposals to overhaul the planning system.

Transport Network speaks to Professor Jim Hall, director of the Infrastructure Transitions Research Consortium, about the Oxford-Milton Keynes-Cambridge arc and modelling that explores how infrastructure can be provided ‘affordably, securely and sustainably’.

None of the Government’s planned ‘starter homes’ have yet been built as legislation has not been implemented, a report by the National Audit Office has found.

New planning rules will allow residents to see how ‘every pound’ of property developers’ cash is spent.

Former Treasury minister Robert Jenrick has been appointed as the new secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The Government should use its ‘powers to intervene’ to ensure councils without local plans make them an urgent priority, according to an influential committee of MPs.

A campaign group is seeking contributions to a checklist that can assess new housing in terms of how well it avoids car-dependency.

The Street Design Awards, celebrating innovation and best practice in street design schemes across the UK, have been relaunched by Local Government News magazine.

The local planning authority covering Stansted Airport has narrowly backed the airport’s plans to expand capacity to 43 million passengers a year.

The Housing Revenue Account borrowing cap has been officially abolished in the Budget, allowing councils to build up to 10,000 homes a year.

County councils have warned of a need for greater strategic planning after the prime minister scrapped restrictions on authorities borrowing to build housing.

Councils are being urged to apply for a place on the Government's garden communities programme.

Heathrow Airport's chief executive has vowed to ‘crack on with the planning process’, despite threats of a judicial review from local authorities opposed to a planned third runway.

Wales’ first minister has called on the UK Government to work more closely with his administration on plans to build a new nuclear power station in Anglesey after it revealed that ministers were considering funding the project.

Key figures in the planning and delivery of sustainable development, infrastructure and transport services have called for changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to improve the availablity of transport links.

Planners have called on the Government to focus more on transport-oriented housing developments as a study reveals only half of new housing is built within 2km of a train station.

Network Rail has submitted a planning application for a major redevelopment of Gatwick Airport station that it says will transform passengers’ experience.

The development of more than 600 new homes in Leeds is to go ahead after the council secured more than £7m from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF).

Whitehall’s flagship policy of 100% business rates retention will lead to divergences in funding for English councils without necessarily delivering the expected growth, a think tank has said.

Four metro mayors have written directly to prime minister Theresa May to protest about being sidelined in the Government’s latest housing investment round in favour of London and the South East.

A new analysis of brownfield land registers has found that they identify enough land to build at least one million new homes, more than two-thirds which are deliverable within the next five years.

A proposed £180m “Metro Central” transport interchange in Cardiff requires urgent coordination with land-use planning, according to a leading Welsh academic.

Housing secretary Sajid Javid has launched a new national housing agency in a bid to boost housebuilding.

Council directors have called for the idea of infrastructure to be redefined to include ‘the social, economic and environmental frameworks that make places work for people’.

The Government has launched a £25m fund to help local authorities plan for new homes and infrastructure in their areas.

London mayor Sadiq Khan and Westminster City Council have announced plans to create ‘world-class public spaces’ by fully pedestrianising a section of Oxford Street by the end of next year.

Local authorities should ensure they have strong policies in place requiring active travel connectivity in new developments to address a mismatch between their goals and those of developers, a think tank has said.

The Government will help build a ‘new generation of council houses’, Theresa May told the Conservative conference as she announced an extra £2bn for affordable housing.

The Government has told councils the number of homes it thinks they need to deliver every year as part of Whitehall plans to boost housing.

Oxfordshire has been given a £6.2m funding boost from the Government to help unlock 15,000 new homes and improvements to local transport in Didcot Garden Town.

AECOM has been announced as the preferred bidder to create the masterplan for the £26bn development of Old Oak Common, which will link to HS2 and Crossrail.

The Conservatives have pledged to build ‘thousands’ of council houses over the course of the next Parliament if re-elected next month.

Relying on the private sector to provide housing growth is not working and older people may need to be encouraged to move out of family-sized homes, council directors have said.

MPs have criticised the Government’s ‘sub-standard’ approach to sustainable drainage (SuDs) for failing to protect communities from flood risk.

Up to eight lead local flood authorities in England have still not adopted final statutory flood risk management strategies, Transport Network can reveal.

A £16.5m fund to speed up house building on large sites and deliver thousands of new homes has been allocated to local councils.

Transport for London (TfL) enters a new era as it announces a preferred partner in a housing development joint venture - the first step in its ambitious plans to develop hundreds of acres of land.

Four councils in Essex have set up an arms-length company that could see them borrow around £480m to develop new ‘garden communities’.

The Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) is not raising as much money as anticipated and needs significant reform, a Government-commissioned report has found.

Transport for London (TfL) has upgraded its online planning tool with a range of new data for housing and business developments.

Communities secretary Sajid Javid has announced plans to restrict payments of the New Homes Bonus in an effort to release cash to tackle the adult social care crisis.

Speed bumps should be redesigned to prevent sharp braking and cycle routes moved from highly polluted roads to quieter streets, health experts have advised.

The Government has announced it is investing £1.4bn in an effort to deliver tens of thousands of new affordable homes.

Ministers have announced another package of measures to ‘speed up house building’, including support for a new Garden Town and £18m to help councils tackle planning issues.

The County Councils Network (CCN) has said it supports proposals to allow counties to draw up Local Plans on a case-by-case basis, where district councils have not done so, but district councils remain opposed.

Leaders from Greater Manchester’s local authorities have approved a draft spatial framework for the region, which prioritises brownfield land and seeks to link hundreds of thousands of new homes and jobs with transport infrastructure.

A think tank has called for ‘a new devolution deal on housing’, which would give combined authorities powers to respond more flexibly to local circumstances.

Civil engineering contractors have backed the Government’s landmark decision to grant permission for a shale gas extraction site in Lancashire, which overturned the county council’s refusal.

Countryside campaigners have backed Government plans to encourage housing development near transport hubs and reduce pressure on green space.

Damning figures on Britain’s gridlocked planning system have emerged today, with councils failing to process a quarter of a million applications on time since 2010.

Councillors in Calderdale have accepted the recommendations of a commission launched after last winter’s floods, including the need for ‘significant’ additional investment.

The Planning Officers Society has elected Anna Rose, service director for planning and transport at Milton Keynes Council, as its new president.

The much-anticipated Buses Bill will hand franchising powers to areas with directly elected mayors, while others will be able to apply for them. Legislation will also be introduced to facilitate autonomous and electric vehicles.

A judicial review of plans for a riverside development that includes a passenger cruise liner terminal will delay the project and the benefits it offers, Greenwich council has said.

and ease lorry congestion on some of the region’s busiest roads, according to the scheme’s developer.

Ministers must act to stop councils ‘dawdling’ over local plans, MPs have said.

The next London mayor must back airport expansion and explore ‘innovative finance options’ for new roads, such as user charges, business leaders have said.

A campaigning charity has criticised Boris Johnson’s proposals for cross-city road tunnels and challenged his successor to come up with a better way to improve the above-ground environment.

Placemaking has never been more important in creating sustainable communities and can enhance the value of homes, according to new research

Campaigners have sent a final legal warning to the Government, giving environment secretary Liz Truss ‘10 days to act on air pollution’ or face further legal action.

Councils in Scotland need to improve the way they manage major projects including road schemes, schools, housing and flood protection, according to auditors.

Unions have called three days of further strike action on London Underground over the issue of pay and the planned Night Tube services.

Government-backed innovation agency, the Transport Systems Catapult (TSC), and Sheffield University have built a computer model to help London Underground understand how changes to stations will impact passengers' movements and safety.

It is unacceptable for local authorities to not have up to date Local Plans and their arguments against having them should be rejected, a planning expert has told MPs.

Barnet LBC's planning service joint venture, which offers pre-application advice, a premium-rate fast tracking application process and private planning consultancy, has drawn admiration from Lords.

After winning a contract to help create a masterplan framework for the UK’s first 21st century Garden City, an expert at infrastructure giant AECOM takes us through the issues around building a modern city designed to stand the test of time.

Half of all English councils are using out-of-date information to make planning decisions about employment land use, according to new research.

Aggregate producers have reacted angrily to claims that in order to meet government commitments to build a million homes in England by 2020, councils would have to give planning approval for hundreds of new quarries.

The North East Combined Authority has signed a devolution deal with government that will see major transport powers and £900m handed over in return for a directly elected mayor.

Local authorities are struggling with processing the nation's infrastructure needs but there are signs the private sector could be willing to help.

Prime minister David Cameron has given councils a deadline of 2017 for producing local house building plans after which the Government will intervene.

Council leaders from counties and districts are holding talks this morning to thrash out one of the thorniest issues in local government; how will devolution work in two-tier areas?

Chancellor George Osborne plans to establish a National Infrastructure Commission to help advise the government on which projects should be prioritised.

Highways England has invited local partners to submit bids for its £100m growth and housing cash pot, used to match-fund infrastructure to enable new developments.

Having just taken over the presidency of ADEPT, Heather Barnes has a sizeable task ahead. Yet her enthusiasm is undimmed and she brings to the role a wealth of experience. She speaks to Thomas Bridge about community commissioning, devolution and her secret to keeping motivated.

Restrictions on the allocation of Section 106 funding for infrastructure coming into force this month have left local government ‘apprehensive’ about the future of travel planning.

Unions have called off this week’s Tube strikes after progress in talks, however the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) has rescheduled with dates in September.

With government set to make sweeping changes to local planning systems, the District Councils Network gives us the lay of the local land.

Building homes on green belt land would result in a ‘huge’ increase in car journeys on roads already struggling with congestion, analysis suggests.

We speak to Jerry Unsworth, adviser to the District Councils’ Network (DCN), to discuss concerns over recent and proposed changes to local planning.

Increased investment in transport infrastructure is one of the central planks of a devolution bid from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight issued to government on behalf of 15 local authorities.

Automatic planning permission could be granted for many brownfield sites in England under a new zoning system, it has emerged.

A major eight-month investigation has been launched into how good design in public spaces can encourage people to behave better.

New research has highlighted serious concerns over the ability of local authorities to invest in infrastructure and build social housing, as a result of government planning changes.

Paralympic champion and anti-shared space campaigner, Lord Holmes, discusses why he has launched a survey on the controversial public realm design.

Paralympic champion and anti-shared space campaigner, Lord Holmes, has launched a survey to find out more about attitudes to the controversial public realm design.

ADEPT's planning chair Simon Neilson argues Budget 2015 does not go far enough.

Birmingham City Council is set to release a city-wide public realm strategy this June that will outline plans for major pedestrianisation schemes and be backed by tens of millions of investment, Transport Network can reveal.

Cardiff CC has produced a draft public realm manual to assist the creation of sustainable neighbourhoods as the authority aims to become ‘the most liveable capital city in Europe’.

Welsh local government figures have raised concerns that transport decision making is being over-centralised, with one critic even suggesting they would be better off teaming up with English regions and 'getting out of Wales altogether'.

Property owners along the London to Birmingham route of High Speed 2 have been offered a ‘comprehensive’ package of new compensation options.

Cheshire East leader Michael Jones has warned Stoke-on-Trent Council not to ‘embarrass’ itself by pursuing a legal appeal against an HS2 route that bypasses the city.

Croydon LBC has called for new financial powers to help it deliver a £5.25bn regeneration programme by 2031 that would see a major infrastructure boost for the area.

London borough councils should be able to form combined authorities together and broker mini-city deals to support infrastructure strategy and investment in the capital, according to finance chiefs.

Boris Johnson has launched a last minute attempt to boost support for a four-runway airport in the Thames Estuary.

Transport Scotland has announced a £1m investment to carry out major repairs on the A82 at Glen Gloy after a landslip caused severe damage to the riverbank supporting the road.

Bath and North East Somerset Council has accused the Tax Payers’ Alliance (TPA) of ‘factually incorrect and misleading’ reporting over the story of a local businessman who built his own toll road.

A guide to investing in UK infrastructure has today been launched by chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander.

Crossrail has been labelled a ‘textbook’ example of how to deliver infrastructure projects, with MPs calling for the same approaches to be applied in High Speed 2 (HS2).

More than 35 councils from up and down the UK have joined together with local transport bodies to call for significant upgrades to the East Coast Mainline, in a bid to boost the UK economy by up to £9bn a year.

Hertfordshire CC has expressed its 'regret' after communities secretary Eric Pickles granted planning consent for a local strategic rail freight interchange.

Council directors are set to help ‘fill the void’ left by the Department for Transport (DfT) when it ends its management of the national specifications for traffic systems and equipment in 2015, Transport Network can reveal.

Transport minister Robert Goodwill has strongly hinted at what local authorities can expect from planned parking reforms, following a major consultation on the issue and a war of words between ministers and councils.

Planning permission has been granted for a major new £7m transport hub in Portsmouth’s The Hard area, a popular gateway to the city.

The European Commission has told the UK to boost national growth by tackling ‘structural bottlenecks’ in infrastructure delivery.

Camden LBC has outlined a £26m plan to transform the Tottenham Court Road area of the West End ahead of the new Crossrail station in 2018, when Tottenham Court Road station will be busier than Heathrow Airport.

The Church of England is praying the Government amends current plans for HS2, fearing the line will desecrate graves along its route.

Ministers have changed planning rules to allow councils to put up boundary signs marking traditional English counties that date back more than 1000 years, including the likes of Cumberland, Huntingdonshire and Middlesex.

The North is lagging behind the South on local planning according to new research into the take-up of neighbourhood plans.

The Treasury has unveiled plans for major changes to local government borrowing and planning procedures in its Budget document, including boosting prudential borrowing capabilities by £25bn.

Many hundreds of level crossings on railway lines could present an ‘unacceptable level of fatality risk’ an influential group of MPs has warned in a damning report on Network Rail's crossings strategy.

Delivery of Crossrail in 2018 is playing a ‘vital’ role in supporting residential and commercial developments across London, research has suggested.

Leading union Unite has called for a joined-up, five-year reconstruction and development plan to rebuild the transport and economic networks in the flood-hit South West of England.

The UK’s flooding crisis shows no sign of abating as weather forecasts predict more rain throughout the week and ministers and transport bosses warn the devastation could take months to clear up.

The ongoing flooding crisis has sparked a rift between senior Conservatives in the Cabinet, with reports of a war of words between environment secretary Owen Patterson and communities secretary Eric Pickles.

The latest period of severe weather has caused widespread damage across the rail and road network as prime minister David Cameron has pledged a further £100m for flood repair.

Most rural shires with summer tourism hotspots might feel a tinge of sympathy for Cornwall Council this week, after the authority was lambasted for installing 63 no parking signs along a one-mile country lane.

Whitehall has appealed to councils for ideas on how £6bn of local highways maintenance cash should be spent over the next six years.

Stadium developments are a key way for local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to unleash transport cash and economic growth, transport minister Stephen Hammond has claimed.

UK ports are at a ‘competitive disadvantage’ due to differences in UK funding policies compared to the rest of Europe, the transport select committee has warned.

The Government's environmental impact document for the controversial High Speed Rail 2 project (HS2) could be so long it breaks international law, campaigners have claimed.

Shadow transport secretary Mary Creagh has stated cycling safety will be a priority for Labour’s 2015 manifesto plans, vowing to try and bring it into the ‘mainstream of transport planning’.

Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin has called on infrastructure chiefs to work with Whitehall to develop a skills legacy from its planned £73bn capital spend.

The Government has vowed to slash planning red tape, pledging to abolish 38 redundant regulations.

One of the key planks of mayor of London, Boris Johnson’s objections to High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) has been overcome with the transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin deciding to construct a tunnel under the capital.

The Government has launched seven river maintenance pilots in a bid to slash red tape and improve flood management techniques that could protect the UK's road network.

Roadworks information provider ELGIN has called on the new transport minister Baroness Kramer to lift the compulsory requirement for local authorities to publish traffic orders in local newspapers.

Further indications have emerged that HS2’s London hub could be moved from Euston station as originally planned, after scores of Camden residents are told they no longer face moving home.

More than £7m has been set aside by the DCLG to support neighbourhood plans that could determine public realms.

Listed status has been given to Preston bus station in a bid to stop the 'Brutalist' structure being demolished.

Public space campaigners have urged the Government to invest £500m in town centres and provide greater support for pedestrian shoppers.

Business leaders have warned the UK’s dilapidated infrastructure is one of the biggest threats to the country’s fragile recovery as two thirds of bosses suggest the situation could get even worse.

A score of councils opposed to the expansion of Heathrow have called for a new study into attitudes to aircraft noise.

The troubled Edinburgh tram project is pushing forward as works in the town centre are finished four months ahead of the revised programme.

Concern has been raised about a £500m blackhole in the cost of five major transport projects in Scotland.

Camden LBC is using a new scheme involving plant boxes on a busy highway to help cyclist and car segregation, in what is thought to be a UK first.

Councils will be warned against introducing 'new parking taxes' or aggressive ‘anti-car’ measures under new proposals for national planning guidance released today.

Siemens has completed supply and installation of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure across 12 London Underground car parks.

A new organisation called Transport for Edinburgh is being set up to integrate bus and tram services across the city.

Camden LBC is calling for a ‘forensic audit and full parliamentary investigation’ into High Speed 2 (HS2) compensation payments, saying it has ‘no confidence’ in the Government’s figures.

Plans to create more prosperous high streets in London by devolving transport powers have been laid out in a new report.

The Concrete Pipeline Systems Association (CPSA) has a new, independently certified CPD (Continuing Professional Development) presentation on the issue of surface water management.

Councils locked in an anti-HS2 legal battle - due to be taken to the Supreme Court - have suggested the fight could go all the way to Europe.

The Government has confirmed the members of the High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) Growth Taskforce including chair Lord Deighton one of the key architects of the London Olympics, deputy chair Sir Howard Bernstein, CEO of Manchester City Council, and Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council.

Kent CC's director of planning and environment, Paul Crick, outlines why the best solution to the UK’s aviation needs in the longer term is to 'utilise, improve and expand existing airports'.

Gatwick airport has unveiled proposals to expand its capacity with a £9bn second runway to the south of the current site, in its submission to the Airports (Davies) Commission.

Britain’s aging rural population is being ‘stranded at home’ new figures suggest, as 25% of people over 60 state a lack of public transport is the biggest challenge to living in the countryside.

A Government assessment of the Crossrail Act 2008 has revealed concerns from local authorities over the costs of planning procedures and a loss of parking revenue.

The chancellor George Osborne outlined plans to cut the Department for Transport's day-to-day resource spending for 2015-16 by 9% in his Spending Review statement today.

Fast track planning procedures previously retained for nationally significant infrastructure projects are being widened in a bid to boost local investment.

Plans to ensure transport planners are trained to the highest level are being piloted by Hampshire CC.

Teenagers present town planners with a unique set of problems. Transport Network’s reporter Tom Bridge takes a look at the public realm issues surrounding this age group and reports on why new thinking might be needed.

Highways and transportation professionals celebrated the best of this year’s outstanding achievements last night at the annual Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) awards.

Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull councils have signed a new agreement to enable them to share the design work for major transport engineering projects.

Testing is due to begin on the Luton-Dunstable busway next week, following the completion of a guided track.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation Development (OECD) has claimed the UK should invest more in infrastructure for growth.

Leader of Birmingham City Council, Sir Albert Bore, has delivered his plans to ensure the city has 'among the best transport system in Europe'.

Southend-on-Sea BC is to spend £15m on transport projects - double last year's total - it has announced.

UKIP councillors at East Sussex CC have called on officers to use miles not kilometres in documentation and signage in a bid ‘to continue being English’.

Fresh from launching a new data analysis system for the City of Chicago, leading software expert Matt Asay, VP of Corporate Strategy at 10gen, explains the potential of Big Data.

The Government has failed in its legal duty to protect people from the harmful effects of air pollution, the Supreme Court has ruled.

London cycling commissioner Andrew Gilligan has claimed a new roundabout layout currently being tested in laboratory conditions could be applied to the capital’s roads within a year, despite not conforming to government regulations.

A leading group of MPs has called on the Government to appoint a single minister with responsibility for Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

Justice secretary Chris Grayling has announced measures to drive out ‘meritless’ judicial reviews in a move that could prevent major transport infrastructure projects from being delayed.

Sustrans has criticised Caerphilly CBC for relocating scores of housing staff to an office that is difficult to reach by public transport or bicycle.

Lord Heseltine describes a Whitehall turf war over the single local growth pot and talks to Transport Network about transport authorities bidding for the cash.

Local authorities could lose the power to fund highways projects through both the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 278 Highways Act agreements, under proposals unveiled by ministers this week.

County council officers in south Wales have trialled a traffic diversion around a rural town with poor air quality to prove the case for a by-pass.

Parking is intrinsic to a successful town centre and digital technology can revolutionise how it is paid for, according to Guy Douglas of the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM).

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced plans to radically overhaul the central legislation governing traffic sign design and use, with a revised version of the law planned for March 2015.

Additional cash is not required to declutter streets, the former head of design at Transport for London (TfL) has stated.

Using tax increment financing (TIF) to fund a major infrastructure project in the Battersea area has been described as ‘a hell of a risk’ by the Greater London Authority’s (GLA) chief of staff.

The Highways Agency has unveiled 58 schemes it will deliver as part of the third and final stage of its £317m pinch-point programme – 26 of which have been developed with local authorities.

Cities in the developing world need to future-proof infrastructure, including the usage of transport systems, in order to ensure long-term prosperity according to a new report.

An elderly woman has been arrested during two days of protests against the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road outside the Department for Transport (DfT) headquarters in Westminster.

Scores of local authorities have won a share of a £40m cash pot to help improve cycle safety across the country, transport minister Norman Baker has announced.

Leeds City Council will take a lead role in delivering local transport infrastructure to pave the way for major development projects, councillors have revealed.

Wigan BC’s new transport plan – a blueprint for the borough’s strategy over the next 15 years - has been approved by the local authority’s cabinet.

Tesco has made plans with developers for a multi-million pound road scheme in Swansea against local wishes.

The Treasury has unveiled a new concessionary lending rate for up to £2.5bn of local infrastructure projects nominated by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

Local transport minister Norman Baker has approved nearly £15m of government funding for congestion relief work in Loughborough town centre that will move traffic onto a new inner relief road.

Seven Welsh authorities plan a region-wide Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), as criticism mounts of local government’s fragmentation in Wales.

Council chief executives have warned MPs that Local Enterprise Partnerships’ (LEPs) transport strategies should cover ‘whole functional economic areas’ (FEMAs).

Croydon has become the first council to have both its Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Local Plan - Strategic Policies (CLP) approved by the secretary of state.

Over £290m will be invested in 93 newly green-lit flood defence projects this year, potentially protecting an additional 64,000 homes from water damage.

London could become the world’s first ultra-low emission zone by 2020 under air quality improvement proposals from mayor Boris Johnson.