Matthew Spry
@mspry.bsky.social
Senior Director and Head of London Office at Lichfields, planning and development consultancy | Non Executive Director at Repton Property Devts | Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences | Muswell Hill resident | Empty vessel
My rentaquote tendency continues with a small contribution to this The Times piece on the proposed powers for Mayoral Development Orders as featured in the new English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. www.thetimes.com/article/b7ce... (£)
July 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
My rentaquote tendency continues with a small contribution to this The Times piece on the proposed powers for Mayoral Development Orders as featured in the new English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill. www.thetimes.com/article/b7ce... (£)
My ramblings on LinkedIn regarding the slump in permissions featured in Planning Mag this week www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1922...
June 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
My ramblings on LinkedIn regarding the slump in permissions featured in Planning Mag this week www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1922...
Quoted in the @financialtimes.com on the collapse in the number of planning permissions for housing and what it means for the government’s 1.5’ ambition www.ft.com/content/41e2... (£)
June 6, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Quoted in the @financialtimes.com on the collapse in the number of planning permissions for housing and what it means for the government’s 1.5’ ambition www.ft.com/content/41e2... (£)
I don't know why I bother, but this is piss poor from the Grauniad (and IPPR, who should know better). www.theguardian.com/politics/202... The landbanking contention was disproved by CMA and the data used to derive the 1.4m figure is specifically caveated as not being appropriate for that use
June 4, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I don't know why I bother, but this is piss poor from the Grauniad (and IPPR, who should know better). www.theguardian.com/politics/202... The landbanking contention was disproved by CMA and the data used to derive the 1.4m figure is specifically caveated as not being appropriate for that use
Among the large bundle of material (www.midsussex.gov.uk/planning-bui...) on the challenge by Mid Sussex District Council to the Inspector's finding that its Local Plan has failed the duty to cooperate is a chronology of the hearings (www.midsussex.gov.uk/media/5vgbtr...) including this little gem:
June 2, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Among the large bundle of material (www.midsussex.gov.uk/planning-bui...) on the challenge by Mid Sussex District Council to the Inspector's finding that its Local Plan has failed the duty to cooperate is a chronology of the hearings (www.midsussex.gov.uk/media/5vgbtr...) including this little gem:
From the shores of the Aegean I’m quoted in @thetimes.com on the proposals for reforming delegation and planning committees www.thetimes.com/article/bc14... (£)
May 29, 2025 at 4:29 AM
From the shores of the Aegean I’m quoted in @thetimes.com on the proposals for reforming delegation and planning committees www.thetimes.com/article/bc14... (£)
Planning Mag write up of @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social research on application determination times: www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1918... (£). Full report here: www.lpdf.co.uk/wx-uploads/f...
May 20, 2025 at 8:41 AM
Planning Mag write up of @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social research on application determination times: www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1918... (£). Full report here: www.lpdf.co.uk/wx-uploads/f...
New research prepared by Lichfields for LPDF and Richborough reveals a stark deterioration over the past decade in the amount of time it takes to determine outline planning applications for new homes despite a big drop in the number of applications.
More here: lichfields.uk/content/insi...
More here: lichfields.uk/content/insi...
May 19, 2025 at 8:51 AM
New research prepared by Lichfields for LPDF and Richborough reveals a stark deterioration over the past decade in the amount of time it takes to determine outline planning applications for new homes despite a big drop in the number of applications.
More here: lichfields.uk/content/insi...
More here: lichfields.uk/content/insi...
I’m quoted in The Times on the Government’s good start in its planning boost for house building, but also the timescale challenge in doing so from a low base www.thetimes.com/article/b9c8... (£) given how much longer it takes to determine planning applications now, compared to ten years ago.
May 12, 2025 at 5:00 AM
I’m quoted in The Times on the Government’s good start in its planning boost for house building, but also the timescale challenge in doing so from a low base www.thetimes.com/article/b9c8... (£) given how much longer it takes to determine planning applications now, compared to ten years ago.
It will take time for Govt reforms to boost housing supply but today’s OBR outlook gives a downpayment on those benefits in what it says about the impact of NPPF reforms for housebuilding, house prices, economic output and £3.5bn of tax. Credit to @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social and the MHCLG team.
March 26, 2025 at 8:30 PM
It will take time for Govt reforms to boost housing supply but today’s OBR outlook gives a downpayment on those benefits in what it says about the impact of NPPF reforms for housebuilding, house prices, economic output and £3.5bn of tax. Credit to @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social and the MHCLG team.
Planning and the search for the holy grail: I’m quoted in @thetimes.com on forthcoming reforms to determine what applications go before committees; all in the iminent Planning and Infrastructure bill www.thetimes.com/article/712c... (£)
March 7, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Planning and the search for the holy grail: I’m quoted in @thetimes.com on forthcoming reforms to determine what applications go before committees; all in the iminent Planning and Infrastructure bill www.thetimes.com/article/712c... (£)
It’s all egregious salience in this Planning Mag piece on rogue committees. www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1905...
February 15, 2025 at 10:26 AM
It’s all egregious salience in this Planning Mag piece on rogue committees. www.planningresource.co.uk/article/1905...
Delighted to host this morning's @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social seminar on the 'NPPF and all that follows': 200 clients joined us to hear an engaging discussion from a stellar panel of @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social, Jennie Daly, Brett Leahy & Rachel Clements. Thanks to all who made the event a success.
February 4, 2025 at 5:37 PM
Delighted to host this morning's @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social seminar on the 'NPPF and all that follows': 200 clients joined us to hear an engaging discussion from a stellar panel of @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social, Jennie Daly, Brett Leahy & Rachel Clements. Thanks to all who made the event a success.
Quite a range in the Govt’s announcement today, a lot of which relates to taking forward LURA provisions and content of the P&I Bill, but also some small signals on the direction of NDMPs especially regarding development around rail stations. www.gov.uk/government/n...
January 26, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Quite a range in the Govt’s announcement today, a lot of which relates to taking forward LURA provisions and content of the P&I Bill, but also some small signals on the direction of NDMPs especially regarding development around rail stations. www.gov.uk/government/n...
Planners officially smarter than surveyors, barristers and architects 🙂 but not solicitors 😟 www.thetimes.com/article/41c177b6-33b5-413f-b431-14f008bbd9a2?shareToken=80f6002afb28be0f0c2deb5eab92c573 (£)
January 24, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Planners officially smarter than surveyors, barristers and architects 🙂 but not solicitors 😟 www.thetimes.com/article/41c177b6-33b5-413f-b431-14f008bbd9a2?shareToken=80f6002afb28be0f0c2deb5eab92c573 (£)
Interested in 'grey belt'? Like a good flow chart? Enjoy wallowing in how to interpret national planning policy? Yes? Well, your cup runneth over. Here's @jenniebaker.bsky.social of @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social with an explanation of how it all works. lichfields.uk/blog/2025/ja...
January 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Interested in 'grey belt'? Like a good flow chart? Enjoy wallowing in how to interpret national planning policy? Yes? Well, your cup runneth over. Here's @jenniebaker.bsky.social of @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social with an explanation of how it all works. lichfields.uk/blog/2025/ja...
Day one of the first local plan examination of 2025, at Enfield. Among the topics today: Green Belt release and general conformity with London Plan.
January 22, 2025 at 9:16 AM
Day one of the first local plan examination of 2025, at Enfield. Among the topics today: Green Belt release and general conformity with London Plan.
The Govt’s intention to remove ‘hope value’ in CPO (as reported in @thetimes.com raises issues flagged in my 2023 blog: lichfields.uk/blog/2023/ju.... Times article here: www.thetimes.com/article/a81b... (£)
December 19, 2024 at 7:06 PM
The Govt’s intention to remove ‘hope value’ in CPO (as reported in @thetimes.com raises issues flagged in my 2023 blog: lichfields.uk/blog/2023/ju.... Times article here: www.thetimes.com/article/a81b... (£)
Return of the perennial ‘use it or lose it’ debate in today’s @thetimes.com means a dust off for my 2021 blog (pre LURA and CMA report) on the challenging practicalities of the concept: lichfields.uk/blog/2021/ma.... Original Times piece: www.thetimes.com/article/a2dc... (£)
December 14, 2024 at 10:10 AM
Return of the perennial ‘use it or lose it’ debate in today’s @thetimes.com means a dust off for my 2021 blog (pre LURA and CMA report) on the challenging practicalities of the concept: lichfields.uk/blog/2021/ma.... Original Times piece: www.thetimes.com/article/a2dc... (£)
On the final approach towards a new NPPF this week and the press coverage begins. Here’s me talking cobblers about grey belt in @thetimes.com www.thetimes.com/article/ae07... (£)
December 10, 2024 at 11:03 PM
On the final approach towards a new NPPF this week and the press coverage begins. Here’s me talking cobblers about grey belt in @thetimes.com www.thetimes.com/article/ae07... (£)
Thursday evening saw the London Office of @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social transformed into a cocktail bar (temporary, ancillary and thus without requiring planning permission) whereupon a great evening was spent with a selection of lovely clients over early festive drinks. Thanks to those who attended.
November 22, 2024 at 3:40 PM
Thursday evening saw the London Office of @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social transformed into a cocktail bar (temporary, ancillary and thus without requiring planning permission) whereupon a great evening was spent with a selection of lovely clients over early festive drinks. Thanks to those who attended.
Pleased to see the @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social new towns heat map get another outing, this time in The Planner, with this piece cantering through some of the issues involved in location, designing and delivering the next generation of New Towns: www.theplanner.co.uk/2024/11/20/n...
November 20, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Pleased to see the @lichfieldsuk.bsky.social new towns heat map get another outing, this time in The Planner, with this piece cantering through some of the issues involved in location, designing and delivering the next generation of New Towns: www.theplanner.co.uk/2024/11/20/n...
Malaga. A city rooftop bar on a balmy evening is IMHO a high point of civilisation
October 31, 2024 at 6:42 PM
Malaga. A city rooftop bar on a balmy evening is IMHO a high point of civilisation