The announcement that Claire’s has gone bankrupt is the latest blow in what has been a tough few weeks for the high-street and wider retail industry. Not only is this devastating for the employees, it adds to the concern about the wider industry following the well-documented troubles of Toys-R-Us and Maplin.

For most students and recent graduates if you are unable to secure a job by the time the tenancy ends on your student accommodation (usually in June), then it’s likely that you will find yourself starting the next chapter of your life back in your childhood bedroom, suffering from what is now described as ‘failure to launch’ syndrome.

Bullish soundbites from the Secretary of State in Sunday’s papers promised ‘an overhaul of planning laws’ forcing ‘nimby councils’ to deliver a ‘housing revolution’. Two speeches and a raft of documents out for consultation hardly represent the hinted at overhaul.

As featured in Planning on 01/03/2018.

As featured in Property Week and Planning on 28/02/2018.

It may be that #Metoo, the Winter Olympics, and Will Grieg being on fire are causing a blockage in the usual news channels, but it took me a while to spot the CPREs latest missive, 'State of Brownfield 2018: An analysis demonstrating the potential of brownfield land for housing' (click here to read). But having read through it, I'm wondering whether its more elementary than that; it doesnt really say anything. The headline: theres capacity for about one million homes across the country from brownfield land.

People are living longer. This isn’t an old platitude - its fact. Millennials are due to be the first generation with a life expectancy of 100. But as the Prime Minister’s decision to create the Minister for loneliness last month highlights, we need to not only celebrate living longer but also grapple with the challenges that it poses – housing being a key concern.

At the beginning of February the Mayor of London and Jeremy Corbyn launched the Mayor’s new guidance on Estate Regenerations. The key announcement was that the Mayor will not fund any project that does not have a ballot with residents.

Since the General Election the issue of housing has made a fast-paced climb to the top of the Government’s domestic agenda. So as we get closer to March 2018 and the expected release of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), we can expect to be subjected to plenty of rumours and pre-publication announcements in order to remind everyone that the Government is taking the current crisis seriously.

Last week ended with the shock announcement that all the councillor’s representing Thurrock UKIP have joined a new political party called the Thurrock Independents.