About this episode
Sam Stafford discusses planning issues with friends in the West Midlands, covering various topics related to housing and planning applications.
Sam Stafford was in Birmingham recently and took the opportunity to record the first ‘catch up’-style episode with some of his friends working in the West Midlands. In a conversation recorded at PodHaus studios, Kathryn Ventham , Myles Wild-Smith , Michelle Simpson-Gallego and Sam enjoyed a rambling conversation that takes in, amongst other things, the extent to which Grey Belt is driving the increase in planning applications for new homes; the ‘grit in the system’, particularly stat cons, specifically water companies, and the RP / S106 stock issue; plan-making in the West Midlands, the case for a national spatial plan; and why it is that most young people have never heard of the fast-paced, ever-changing, rock and roll world of town and country planning. Some accompanying reading. Policy statement: a roadmap for Section 106 delivery in England Making sense of the roadmap: will MHCLG’s latest attempts to kickstart Section 106 affordable housing deliver? Greater Affordable Housing Flex Announced For Some Stalled Schemes; Other Announcements On Affordable Housing & On S106 A new vision for water: white paper RTPI West Midlands Young Planners Public Practice is recruiting…
People in this episode
Host: Sam Stafford
Guests: Kathryn Ventham, Myles Wild-Smith, Michelle Simpson-Gallego
Topics covered
- planning applications
- West Midlands
- national spatial plan
- affordable housing
- town and country planning
Keywords
- planning
- West Midlands
- affordable housing
- S106
- spatial plan
- town planning
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: RTPI, PodHaus, MHCLG, Public Practice, Housing Design Awards
More episodes of 50 Shades of Planning
- The Shard Inquiry · June 13, 2026 · 1h 23m
- The Tip of the AIceberg · June 6, 2026 · 56 min
- Meet the MPs - Labour · May 30, 2026 · 1h 5m
- Reform, reform and more Reform · May 23, 2026 · 57 min
- LGR · May 16, 2026 · 60 min
- The West Midlands Problem (plus Grey Belt and some other stuff) · May 2, 2026 · 57 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the 50 Shades of Planning podcast page.