Iceni Projects and Place North West bring you the first debate of its kind between the Labour candidate, Andy Burnham, Conservative Sean Anstee and Liberal Democrat Jane Brophy as they compete to become the first Greater Manchester Mayor.

Iceni Projects has recently opened it’s first regional office - in Glasgow. The office is lead by Gary Mappin and Ian Gallacher - who hope you can join them for a London-based Burns Evening.

Which of our major cities has the greatest projected requirement to accommodate homes and jobs over the next 20 plus years? It will come as no great surprise that the answer is London.

Taking population growth as the principal driver, the Capital is required to accommodate twice as many people as presently reside in Manchester by 2024[1].

Yet, whereas Manchester has recently announced plans to release up to 4,900 hectares of Green Belt land to accommodate sustainable patterns of growth to sit alongside ambitious urban regeneration plans[2], London has resolutely refused to consider incursions into its hinterland. Why is that, and how can it be justified? The answer to the former is a mix of politics and due process. The answer to the latter is that it can – provided one backs the stick, rather than the carrot, approach to spatial planning.

There is presently much focus on the Northern Powerhouse and the ‘Midland Engine Room’, especially with the emergence of combined authorities for both Greater Manchester the West Midlands.

A radical ‘devolution deal’, which grants new powers to regional mayors, could spur housing growth across the UK and stave off a northern housing crisis. This is according to a new report, titled Closer to Home, by IPPR North, a Manchester-based think tank.

Last month, Danish Architect Jan Gehl turned 80 years old. His birthday also marked 50 years since he commenced his seminal investigations into how people use cities, with his work inspiring countless planners, urban designers and architects across the world.

We’ve seen already a very clear departure from the Cameron/Osborne way of government, including on policy and approach.

May has confidently positioned herself as a Prime Minister that advocates ‘substance over style’. She has already broken away from several policy agendas and although the political and economic landscape continues to be dominated by Brexit, there are still some issues that refuse to go away regardless of who is at the top.

Airport expansion

The Prime Minister was accused of dithering over a new runway for London and the south east after it was announced this week that a final decision will not be revealed for a further 18 months. She has shown before (Hinkley Point) she is not afraid to take her time and make the right call.

This move to delay a Heathrow decision is a tad surprising. However, could it be that May is simply trying to minimise the scope for judicial review by allowing for this extended consultation period? If so, delaying the final decision at this stage could actually speed up the overall process, whilst simultaneously reaffirming support for the choice of Heathrow over Gatwick.

Let’s hope a decision is made sooner rather than later. We need to get going on investing in and building new and much-needed infrastructure.

Yesterday the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling confirmed the Government’s decision to back the expansion of Heathrow:

I love brunch. I’ll quite happily spend my Sunday morning standing in a queue for an hour just so I can enjoy an eggs benedict washed down with a couple of flat whites.

The UK’s construction industry faces “inexorable decline” unless radical steps are taken according to an independent review commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The London Borough of Camden has continued the recent crackdown on basement development by Central London Boroughs by confirming a non-immediate Article 4 Direction to remove permitted development rights for basement development throughout the entire borough.