This roundtable marked the launch of Opening Joe Bloggs’ Café, a report focused on the practical and policy barriers facing prospective high street businesses. Drawing on contributions from practitioners, policy specialists and place leaders, the discussion moved beyond headline narratives of decline to examine the lived reality of starting and sustaining a business on the high street.

This roundtable saw the Minister for Local Transport, Simon Lightwood MP, advise the PLG on HM Government’s plans for the future of roads, promoting a broader discussion about Section 38 adoptions, accessibility for ‘first- and last-mile journeys’ and the importance of integrating micromobility.

This roundtable explored the role of Section 106, and whether the process remains a practical method for capturing land value and delivering good quality, mixed-tenure homes.

This roundtable explored how devolved, place-based public–private partnerships can be strengthened through better alignment of powers, funding and risk to unlock investment.

This roundtable discussed how land value capture is already near its viable limit, with increasing centrally mandated costs absorbing much of the uplift and leaving local authorities with less negotiable value.

This roundtable looked at the practical realities of new towns, following the New Towns Task Force’s report to government, focusing on viability, sustainability and SME engagement.

This roundtable looked at the role of the consultation process in development, and what steps will lead to better frameworks and more trusted community engagement.

This roundtable brought together practitioners from across planning, engineering, consultancy and local government to examine how England’s current flood-risk policies interact with the ambition to deliver 1.5 million homes.

This roundtable saw Dr. Peter Prinsley MP & Andrew George MP, discussing Rural Exception Sites as a method to increase housing delivery in rural areas, with Roger Hepher, Prof. Nick Gallent & Martin Collett.

This roundtable saw Florence Eshalomi MP in a Q&A-style discussion with the PLG and its members to discuss the Labour Party’s plan for government, the extent of the housing crisis in Britain, and the role of the HCLG Committee in scrutinising policy.

At this roundtable, we discussed the gap between labour and skills demand, entry routes and public perceptions into the construction industry, and the role of SMEs in the provision of construction skills.

This roundtable saw Lord Gascoigne, Chair of the Built Environment Committee, in conversation with Lord Banner KC, Co-Chair of the Policy Liaison Group, to discuss the state of the current slate of reforms aimed at addressing the housing crisis.

At this roundtable, we took a retrospective look at the New Town regimes of the 20th Century, what worked and what didn’t, and we tried to build these lessons into a modern day context – looking at placemaking, housebuilding and stewardship.

This roundtable brought together industry leaders and policy experts to discuss the long-term future of housing delivery and planning reform with Kevin Hollinrake MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities.

Baroness Taylor of Stevenage OBE, Minister for Housing & Local Government, joined the PLG to discuss how the Government aims to achieve its goal of building 1.5 million homes this parliamentary term.

At this roundtable, we hosted Lord Banner KC, whose independent review into legal challenges against Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects has recently had its recommendations taken up by Government

The PLG held a roundtable meeting discussing the crisis in S106 affordable housing demand, challenges faced by Registered Providers, and the knock-on effects this has for housing delivery across the country.

The PLG held a roundtable meeting convening the representatives of Radix Housing Commission to discuss their October 2024 report, where Government policy has addressed their recommendations, and where Government could continue to learn. The event was chaired by Lord Banner KC, and attended by Gideon Amos MP, the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Housing & Planning.

The government’s recent Devolution White Paper marks a significant shift in how strategic authorities can influence regeneration and development. With greater control over funding and decision-making, local leaders are now in a stronger position to drive place-based growth.

The PLG’s latest roundtable was convened to address the challenges facing Britain’s high streets, and to look at how a wide-angle approach encompassing wider regenerative solutions can mean busier and livelier town centres.

The PLG held a roundtable meeting exploring how the government can meet its target of building 1.5 million homes, and which levers it could pull to significantly increase delivery in the short term. The discussion highlighted key challenges, including under-resourced planning authorities struggling to keep pace and seemingly a move to a “planning-by-appeal” system that hampers efficiency. SMEs, once pivotal to housebuilding, now face mounting bureaucracy and funding obstacles that limit their contributions.

The PLG held a roundtable meeting featuring insights from Rebecca Phillips, theProfessional Lead for Planning Appeals at the Planning Inspectorate. The session, attended by various stakeholders, delved into critical issues such as the impact of recent government changes on the appeals process, challenges faced by local authorities, and strategies for improving planning outcomes.

The PLG’s latest roundtable was convened to address the urgent challenges and opportunities within the engineering and construction sectors, with a particular emphasis on skills training.

The PLG’s recent roundtable discussion focused on the critical challenges and opportunitiessurrounding infrastructure, transport, and economic policy within the current politicallandscape.

The PLG recently held a roundtable meeting on the Impact of HS2 on the West Midlands. Theroundtable focused on the ongoing impact of the HS2 project and the benefits of improvedconnectivity, most notably including economic growth, investment, regeneration and jobcreation.

The PLG held a roundtable meeting featuring insights from Rebecca Phillips, theProfessional Lead for Planning Appeals at the Planning Inspectorate. The session, attended by various stakeholders, delved into critical issues such as the impact of recent government changes on the appeals process, challenges faced by local authorities, and strategies for improving planning outcomes.

The PLG’s recent roundtable meeting with Fiona MacGregor and Jonathan Walters, Chief Executive and Deputy Chief Executive of the Regulator of Social Housing, provided a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and challenges within the social housing sector.

The PLG’s roundtable on Later Living brought together key stakeholders to discuss thepressing issues and potential solutions in older people’s housing. The meeting, chaired bySir Gary Streeter MP, featured insights from experts including Prof. Les Mayhew, JamesLloyd, John Collyns, and others, who explored the challenges of downsizing, the benefits ofretirement villages, planning system reforms, and the necessity for government leadershipin supporting the sector.