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The draft NPPF suggests making cash in lieu of on-site affordable housing easier to use for medium developments. While this flexibility can unlock stalled SME schemes struggling with rigid policies and limited registered provider appetite , it also carries major risks. Chris Green explains why commuted sums must be used carefully with strict safeguards to avoid turning cash into a deferral mechanism rather than a real housing solution.

Shared ownership is being sidelined by the government despite being a vital route for "the missing middle"—households who earn too much for social rent but not enough for the open market.

With a pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes, the Labour government is moving to "oil the wheels" of the planning system. But can planning reform alone solve the deep-rooted imbalance between rising build costs and the need for affordable housing?.

Fewer than 40% of local planning authorities have up-to-date plans. As the government pushes for faster plan-making alongside local government reorganisation, Nick Diment examines if these two objectives can be reconciled without compromising quality.