Ben Flatman
NewsThinktank warns Labour against ditching ‘beauty agenda in dash for units’
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner says word is too ‘subjective’
NewsMasterplan approved for new stadium and 3,500 homes in Kent
The scheme covers a 60 acre site in Northfleet adjacent to the Thames
NewsThinktank says ‘mania’ for high rise development has damaged UK cities
Policy Exchange report says tall buildings do not deliver high densities as claimed, and that boom in high rises has not helped address housing crisis
CommentWas Angela Rayner right to buy?
The shadow levelling-up secretary has taken flak for exercising her right to buy, but Labour too has a long history of dalliance with the concept of selling council homes, writes Ben Flatman
NewsLargest timber development in the UK receives planning approval
Human Nature and Periscope win planning for 685-home Lewes masterplan
In FocusHow Westminster council is rewriting the rules for council housing and urban regeneration
In a London borough once beset by council housing controversy, a quiet revolution is underway, write Ben Flatman
In FocusDesign codes are coming but will they deliver?
Earlier this month Berkeley Homes went to war with Michael Gove over the design quality of a scheme in Kent, but compulsory local design codes are meant to help avoid such conflict. Will they work?
In FocusThe story behind the planned ‘largest timber development in UK’
A new East Sussex-based developer is seeking to disrupt the housebuilding sector and create a template for higher density, walkable neighbourhoods, writes Ben Flatman
CommentTory conference day four: Truss bets the bank on low tax and the magic money tree
Liz Truss is promising that reducing tax will magically reverse Britain’s economic but history suggests there are no easy fixes, writes Ben Flatman
CommentTory conference day three: Rees-Mogg tinkers while housing leaders despair
Day three of the conference in Birmingham saw discussions around housebuilding, net zero, deregulation amid appeals for certainty from housebuilding and construction leaders, writes Ben Flatman
CommentTory conference day two: Calls to boost SMEs and Lord Heseltine makes regen case
While the chancellor’s change of heart grabbed the headlines, the second day in Birmingham also saw calls for more SME housebuilders, concerns about nutrient neutrality, and debates about investment zones and regeneration, writes Ben Flatman
CommentTory conference day one: Industry calls for stability – but U-turns and uncertainty continue
Despite the chancellor’s remarkable announcement this morning, ministers seem confused by the radical shift in direction under Liz Truss. They are not the only ones, Ben Flatman reports from the Conservative Party conference