The Government has announced plans to scrap statutory consultation requirements for major infrastructure projects, claiming the move will slash the average two-year statutory pre-consultation period by half.

Rushmoor Borough Council has sought legal advice after a firm operating a snow sports centre abruptly ceased trading.

Law firm Geldards has advised Nottingham City Council on the sale of land and buildings to Homes England ahead of the proposed regeneration of the derelict Broad Marsh shopping centre.

The Government has launched the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) in a bid to accelerate the delivery of major government projects.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has issued a report outlining the lessons to be learned from more than 140 of its publications with relevance to the use of private finance for infrastructure.

The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has issued technical guidance for PFI contract senior responsible owners and contract managers in England to help them identify signs of PFI project distress.

A new report by think-tank Localis has warned that the delivery of a successful Local Power Plan will require “concerted action” across all levels of government, including the production of legislation to “formalise” local area energy planning, and investment in local government skills programmes.

Law firm Sharpe Pritchard has advised Stoke-on-Trent City Council in procuring a contract for an energy from waste facility in Hanford.

Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has advised Birmingham City Council on a regeneration scheme that will deliver around 3,500 new homes to the Druids Heath area.

Law firm Geldards has advised Nottingham City Council on a £12.6m contract with Balfour Beatty for the construction of a new landmark bridge across the River Trent to improve sustainability links and connectively across the city.

A national scheme of delegation setting out which types of applications should be determined by officers and which should go to committee, controls over the size of planning committees that will see “unwieldy” committees banned, and mandatory training for planning committee members are among the reforms set out in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill introduced in Parliament today (11 March).

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has announced plans to establish 75 'neighbourhood boards' with powers to decide on how to spend up to £20m in funding in their areas.

The Government has accepted all 58 recommendations in the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s final report, and will introduce a new single construction regulator “to ensure those responsible for building safety are held to account”.

Law firm Bevan Brittan has advised the East Sussex Joint Waste Partnership – which consists of Hastings Borough, Rother District and Wealden District councils – on a seven-year extension and variation with Biffa related to services including waste collection, street and beach cleansing.

An insulation manufacturer has launched a judicial review challenge against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's decision to exclude the company from council building projects over claims the firm was implicated in the Grenfell Tower fire.

External auditors reporting on Birmingham City Council's implementation of its Oracle system have highlighted a culture where "either bad news was not welcome, or officers felt uncomfortable to communicate bad news".

The Government has published its long-awaited National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) which sets out eight actions contracting authorities should take “to return public procurement back into the service of the country and working people”.

More than 100 sites across England have been put forward for consideration to be part of the next generation of new towns, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has said.

The First-Tier Tribunal has dismissed an appeal by a requester over documents held by an external law firm that advised Sheffield City Council on a CPO inquiry for a proposed redevelopment nearly 20 years ago.

Spelthorne Borough Council has carried out a review after external auditors called on it to "urgently" assess the governance and oversight of a wholly owned subsidiary company, having found conflicts of interest connected to the company's staffing.

Government plans to change the judicial review process for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) could risk "sidelining public accountability, diluting the rule of law and causing practical issues in the courts", a legal reform group has warned.

The Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee has launched an inquiry that will consider potential new mechanisms for land value capture (LVC) in order to help boost house building and fund affordable housing and public infrastructure.

Law firm Trowers & Hamlins has advised Torbay Council on its first ‘Hotels to Homes’ scheme, a project to convert former hotels into high quality affordable housing.

The Government has committed to reducing the number of permission stages against Development Consent Orders (DCOs) issued for large infrastructure projects in an attempt to keep nationally significant schemes from being held up by legal disputes.

Law firm Browne Jacobson has advised Norwich City Council on its acquisition of Anglia Square Shopping Centre, in Norwich, from Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

Arun District Council must pay towards Littlehampton Harbour Board’s bill for capital works to maintain the harbour, having lost a High Court case in which it argued the board’s demand was unlawful.

Bristol City Council has been forced to rethink a plan to buy energy from community groups after advice that this might fall foul of public procurement rules.

Law firm Burges Salmon has advised Birmingham City Council on the sale of 487 homes to Legal & General Affordable Homes.

A public inquiry is set to take place after a local campaign group complained about the impact of a £200m busway connecting Cambourne and Cambridge on the region’s countryside.

The Law Commission has published a consultation paper on compulsory purchase, as part of its review of the current "complex and inaccessible" law on compulsory purchase and compensation.