iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 2h

Could this be the greatest movie of all time?

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Everton legend Duncan Ferguson on his foray into land promotion. It’s not easy!

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

For most of the last 20 years, it has been a given that building new homes is financially viable. For reasons including regulatory burdens and more general inflation, that is no longer the case. I've explained how that impacts planning for Housing Today. www.housingtoday.co.uk/comment/the-...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

This pre-application advice may not reflect the views of the Local Planning Authority.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

What’s the difference between Leeds and the New Brighton Adventure Golf Course? Leeds doesn’t have a tram.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

What a brilliant book this is by James Cheshire. Beautiful photos of some incredible maps and the stories behind them. Cost me a fortune in old maps from eBay though!

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

Is “making a seasonal salad” really “design and technology”?

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Our recent research showed that residential planning applications are taking 3.3 times longer to determine than in 2010. Here, I've explored what's driving that slowdown and why it matters beyond the simply inconvenience of delay - including some brand new data! open.substack.com/pub/longwall...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

If you believe that, I’ve got good news!

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

So you think the *checks notes* socialist bastion of the USA gets better outcomes because the state intervenes more? And here are the margins of our five biggest house builders.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

If housing affordability is a supply problem, we’d expect the places building the most homes to be the most affordable - exactly what the data shows. No major US housing market has both high house prices and high build rates. There’s no reason to think England’s housing market is any different.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

In our new research paper, we've looked at data from 132,000 major housing applications in England spanning the last 15 years to see how long it takes to get a decision for applications of different types and sizes. It's not a pretty picture... 🔗 www.strategiclandgroup.co.uk/insights/the...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

I know Barca have a lot of players, but that’s some squad number.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

When every new home has to have an EV charger.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

I feel like there’s some context missing from that first sentence.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

This leaflet is objecting to a new charity-run sports centre which will also provide education, wellbeing, and community events.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

"The new town designation will make no difference whatsoever to that scheme." Former GMCA Chief Executive, Eamon Boylan, shortly before his recent, and untimely, passing, on the Victoria North New Town. From this excellent piece by @joeygardiner1.bsky.social: www.building.co.uk/focus/greate...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

The ‘burbs. 📍 Larchmont, Westchester County, New York.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

This scoring profile probably says something about me, although I can’t quite work out what.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 29/03/2026

Lots of people getting excited about something that doesn’t even exist.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

A summary of the entire English planning system in a headline.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

England’s average household size is 2.4, according to the 2021 Census, above the EU average.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

You know you’re definitely reading a work of fiction when both buying land for a new development and securing planning permission take just a “year or so”.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Your periodic reminder that a forerunner of the CIA essentially advocated for English planning committees in their Field Sabotage Manual. From this piece: open.substack.com/pub/longwall...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Remember New Coke? A carefully researched, well-intentioned change that backfired badly. The government needs to avoid making the same mistake with the new NPPF. I've explained why - and how - for Housebuilder magazine. Read it here. 👇👇👇 www.house-builder.co.uk/news/what-co...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

England is a significant outlier among developed nations with just 434 homes per 1,000 inhabitants. The OECD average is 487 homes, while in the EU it is 517. That matters because - as the graph shows - the fewer homes there are relative to the population, the more expensive they become.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

I went to Manchester Central Library at lunch today for their exhibition of work by past City Architects. Everything from a glasshouse in Alexandra Park and a wash house in Levenshulme to the Crown Court, Manchester Airport and the iconic Toast Rack. There were even sketches of the Chinatown arch.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

From this, which is brilliant.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

The developer of Covent Garden was apparently subject to enforcement action for starting work without permission.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 18/02/2026

A really good piece on development viability from @pbarnes.bsky.social, entirely unsurprisingly. Two graphs to keep in mind when you read it: developer margins are down; land values have flatlined and dissociated from house prices. philipbarnesblog.wordpress.com/2026/02/17/v...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Our local library has got the *best* new exhibition.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

As if to prove the point, the second map she’s been given to identify the 5 counties she wanted to learn *has different boundaries.*

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

“Why can’t people just enjoy the character and charm of the Cotswolds without trying to turn their gardens into some kind of tacky Benidorm resort?” A wonderful report on David Cameron’s 6-year long attempt to secure permission for a pool in his back garden. www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/2583255...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 06/02/2026

Pretty sure that @jonnelledge.bsky.social has set my daughter’s homework this weekend. Although it doesn’t come with a long explanation about why, actually, some of these aren’t really counties so maybe he hasn’t.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

This is a great read on what it’s actually like to try to secure planning permission. open.substack.com/pub/samdumit...

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Although @samuelstafford.bsky.social doesn’t think planning is black and white, he apparently has different ideas when it comes to mugs.

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Paul Smith @pmsmith.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I remember when Barnsley was going to become a Tuscan hill village.

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