The NIMBYs strike back

On The Abundance Agenda this week:* Martin digs into the NIMBY assault on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is back in Parliament this week.* We get mad at the Guardian and Natural England (again).* We explore the big Abundance question at the heart of the Spending Review.* And in a surprisingly candid interview, former Conservative cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke makes the case for why his party needs to embrace building – or face irrelevance.You can find the slightly spartan Conservative YIMBY website here, and Sir Simon’s think-tank Onward here.The Centre for British Progress’s new paper, “The Case for Abundance: Why Demand Suppression Won’t Fix the Cost of Living” is here.You can find James’s piece slagging off Matt Goodwin here.And Martin’s controversial piece on crime is here.The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here.00:34 NIMBYism and Environmental Concerns04:48 Natural England's Role and Challenges10:33 Planning Reforms and Housing Crisis14:02 Spending Review and Political Trade-offs20:32 Balancing Short-term and Long-term Investments24:14 Housekeeping and Substack Newsletters24:51 Discussing Crime and Controversies25:43 Introducing the Guest: Sir Simon Clark26:40 The YIMBY Campaign and Housing Crisis27:54 Planning Infrastructure Bill: Eight Quick Fixes28:41 Political Challenges and Housing Policies41:30 Devolution and Local Government43:50 Treasury Brain and Economic Growth48:16 Concluding Thoughts and Personal Projects This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.abundancepod.com