Time will tell on PM’s home ownership drive

The busy start to the year for the housebuilding industry shows no signs of abating with the past month seeing another raft of government announcements and plans that could significantly impact the sector.

This time it was planning coming to the fore. First of all the High Court ruled that virtual planning meetings must cease from May 6 with a return to in-person meetings. The ruling rested on the fact that existing law “specifies that council meetings must take place in person at a single, specified, geographical location and being ‘present’ at such a meeting involves physical presence at that location”.

Although I understand the need to maintain the democratic process and ensure that people can have their say in planning meetings, this decision feels like a retrograde step. If we have learnt one thing in the past 15 months it is that virtual works and – done well and with proper checks and balances – can actually ensure that more people can get involved in the process. Emerging virus variants mean we are still taking cautious steps forward to open up society – it seems a little early to be encouraging the return of face to face meetings indoors if …