Northern Powerhouse: integrated transport body?

A £15 billion Northern Transport Plan could be at the vanguard of a coherent economic plan that will fire up the Government's Northern Powerhouse initiative, according to The Insitute for Public Policy Research. 

The leading think tank supports the idea that a new body should take responsibility for all major transport modes; rail, road, sea and air transport, directing priorities for infrastructure investment, franchising and ticketing. 

Read the BBC News article here: http://bit.ly/1EoBj4O

National planning policy: change unlikely

The March 2012 National Planning Policy Framework looks set to remain largely unchanged following a Select Committee Review which proffered a number of modifications. 

The Communities and Local Government Select Committee embarked on an inquiry in April 2014 into the operation of the NPPF, reporting on its findings in December. 

The Government's response, published last week, rejects most of the suggested changes, conceding only that guidance on the need for simplicity in Local Plans and ease of accessibility to that information might benefit from greater clarity. It is likely that will be addressed through a revision of Planning Practice Guidance, rather than amendment of the NPPF itself. 

The Government's full response to the Select Committe's recommendations can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/1Gzdt5L