Author | Lightnews

Barney Stringer

@barneystringer.bsky.social

2.7K followers 970 following 300 posts

Director at @QuodPlanning.bsky.social Regeneration, housing, development, economics, demographics, cities, schools and community infrastructure London http://barneystringer.wordpress.com

barneystringer.wordpress.com

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Oct 22

Newly updated and much enlarged UK Planning & Housing starter pack

Please share for new joiners in the sector. Starter packs are the easiest way to get going on Bluesky, allowing you to quickly follow a bunch of relevant people

And of course, let me know of any names that should be added

10 30 36

Reposted by Barney Stringer

Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 8d

New appeal stats just dropped and they're 😮

Over the last quarter:
• 76% of public inquiries allowed
• 59% of hearings allowed
• 53% of appeals for more than 10 homes allowed

Those rates are all pretty much as high as they've ever been.

Data here: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68f78d...

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

1 1

Reposted by Barney Stringer

Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 9d

Yes, they are actually saying that a "foreigner" who has worked here for decades, paid National Insurance, & is entitled BECAUSE OF THAT to a state pension, would be deported for the crime of claiming it.

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 9d

Via @sundersays.bsky.social the Conservatives' draft legislation - absolutely clear that it applies to (and is intended to apply to) legal permanent residents claiming state pension (on the basis of their contributions) or child benefit for British kids.

publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbi...

Revocation of Indefinite Leave to Remain in certain circumstances Indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom is revoked with respect to a person (“P”) if any of the following conditions apply. Condition 1 is that P is defined as a “foreign criminal” under section 32 of the UK Borders Act 2007. Condition 2 is that P was granted indefinite leave to remain after the coming into force of this Act, but would not be eligible for indefinite leave under the requirements of section 2. Condition 3 is that P, or any dependents of P, have been in receipt of any form of “social protection” (including housing) from the UK Government or 5 10 15 20 25 30 353 Immigration and Visas Bill Part 3—VISAS a local authority, where “social protection” is defined according to the Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, subject to any further definition by immigration rules. (5) (6) (7) (8) 4 5 (1) (2) (3) (4) (1) Condition 4 is that P’s annual income has fallen below £38,700 for six months or more in aggregate during the relevant qualification period, or subsequent to receiving indefinite leave to remain.

5 77 130

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · 9d

Terrifying that a “mainstream” party in the UK is proposing Idi Amin-style deportation of hundreds of thousands of our friends, neighbours, relatives, colleagues, NHS workers…

And terrifying too that it’s raised no more than a ripple in the media, and only weak criticism from the government

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 9d

Tory policy is to revoke permanent residence (ILR) for everybody who does not earn £38k - deporting most nurses who have ILR

This is put in the video as "who is unlikely to contribute more than they cost"

NB: video does not say EU settled status is exempt

No govt since Idi Amin has done this

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · 12d

Thank you! I’ll look into it. Not sure I’d trust myself to do it so neatly…

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · 13d

Looks the same model as our Vaillant. How did you go about doing the grey wrap? It’s a big improvement

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · 13d

Great news for Lewisham - Landsec’s redevelopment approved this week.

Rebuilt shopping centre, 1,700 new homes, new music venue and open space

Lewisham: More than a place | Landsec

After a four-year process, Lewisham Council has resolved to grant planning permission for the phased redevelopment of the 1970s shopping centre in Lewisham. Building on our 20-year history of investi...

www.linkedin.com

Reposted by Barney Stringer

Ant Breach @antbreach.bsky.social · 15d

The official data on productivity shows Britain's big cities have decoupled from the national economy. But while the big cities outside the capital are roaring ahead, London is stagnating.

But can we trust this data? Are our regional divides closing? Our new paper investigates:

1 7 7

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · 21d

Is there accepted canon on which order to read them?

1 1

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · 21d

Now you don’t have to choose! Both of

@jonnelledge.bsky.social History of the World in 47 Borders, and

@lewisbaston.bsky.social
Borderlines: History of Europe in 29 Borders,

are 99p on Kindle at the moment. (Only 2.6p per border…)

2 6 25

Reposted by Barney Stringer

Simon Ricketts @simonicity.bsky.social · Sep 28

Govt response to New Towns Taskforce recommendations. The Taskforce’s 12 locations still being considered (“Tempsford, Crews Hill and Leeds South Bank looking particularly promising”). More by next Spring so watch this space or rather these various large spaces.

www.gov.uk/government/p...

Initial government response - September 2025

www.gov.uk

2 3

Reposted by Barney Stringer

Matthew Pennycook MP @matthewpennycookmp.bsky.social · Sep 28

I’m immensely grateful to the New Towns Taskforce, under the expert leadership of its Chair, Sir Michael Lyons, and Deputy Chair, Dame Kate Barker, for producing such a considered and comprehensive set of final recommendations 👇🏻

www.gov.uk/government/p...

New Towns Taskforce: Report to government

The government has published the independent New Towns Taskforce report as well as its initial response to that report.

www.gov.uk

3 6 8

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Sep 20

So impressive what Jim has achieved in the first year of London Centric. If you live here, you owe yourself a subscription

Jim Waterson @jim.londoncentric.media · Sep 20

A little bit of navel-gazing on the last twelve months of trying to run a start-up local news organisation with no investment or plan, entirely funded by readers. www.londoncentric.media/p/london-new...

One year of London Centric

A selection of our favourite stories that you might have missed — and a quick note from Jim.

www.londoncentric.media

2 4

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Sep 16

London’s weather has had enough of flags it seems

Tattered flags over London’s Oxford Street, half torn off. (These are actually official flags, rather than racist ones…)

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Sep 16

Tried Amazon’s “Prime Vision” football with live data overlays. Pretty interesting, but you definitely wouldn’t want it on a game you really cared about

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Sep 11

What about the 1552 division of the Debatable Lands? (Yes I got lost in Wikipedia)

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Sep 11

Jonn, who was the first king (or queen) whose realm included every single bit of what is now England?

Given the history of borders I suspect may still be “depends”?

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Sep 10

So annoying, happened to me recently too.

And infuriating that Bosch now have a system that can remotely brick all stolen batteries, but instead they limit it to those paying £40 a year for Flow+ subscription. Making it totally ineffective as a deterrent, *even for those who do pay*

1 3

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Aug 21

Hopefully soon they’ll be drinking this instead:

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Aug 20

So THIS is what central government was using all these years whenever Leeds called asking for a metro system

1 6 15

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Jul 31

Next in this series of economics riders and qualifiers:

Dan Ariely, and the wider replication crisis

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Jul 24

Doing an “economics book club” with son, as Uni prep, which has been fun

But find myself making a surprising number of “you do not gotta hand it to them” updates on people mentioned in older books

Reinhart-Rogoff, Carlos Ghosn, amongst others

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Jul 27

Only just starting on this, but already distracted by the *incomprehensible* decision to build it at US exuburban densities

25,000 people in an area “the size of Toledo”. We’re talking less than 50 dwellings per sq km!

They got their brightest minds to design this. What were they thinking?

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Jul 24

1 1

Reposted by Barney Stringer

Tim Morton @timmorton2.bsky.social · Jul 19

It’s the vinyl countdown

1 3

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Jul 19

Son has no idea how expensive a hobby he’s just acquired…

Picture of a shiny new record player (sorry I mean a “vinyl turntable” or something) on a shelf

3 2 62

Barney Stringer @barneystringer.bsky.social · Jul 18

Here it comes…

www.lightningmaps.org

A map of southern England showing live locations of lightning strikes - a big storm coming into Kent from the Channel