Ten of the most important stories from the past week, including that housing secretary Sajid Javid has revealed that three councils will now face further scrutiny to determine if central government intervention in their local plan-making process is required.

Housing secretary Sajid Javid has revealed that three councils will now face further scrutiny to determine if central government intervention in their local plan-making process is required - Castle Point in Essex, Wirral on Merseyside and Thanet in Kent. More

London mayor Sadiq Khan has called in plans for a mixed-use scheme that the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea had resolved to refuse, citing the local planning authority's 'consistent failure' to meet housing targets. More

Housing secretary Sajid Javid has approved plans for 258 homes and a new secondary school in the Surrey green belt, despite acknowledging that the proposal would significantly reduce green belt "openness" and conflicts with a neighbourhood plan. More

The communities secretary has refused plans for a coal mine against a recommendation for approval from a planning inspector, after the minister came to a different conclusion as to the meaning of a key paragraph in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and afforded 'very considerable weight' to the scheme's impact on climate change. More

Councillors in South Oxfordshire have vetoed plans to press on with submission of the district's local plan, over concerns about a major site allocation. More

A High Court judge has overturned a planning inspector's refusal of plans for up to 200 new homes on the edge of a Norfolk village, after concluding that the inspector 'fell into error' in disregarding the community benefits of a proposed new school. More

Basildon Council has approved a final draft version of its local plan, which proposes the release of about six per cent of its green belt for development. More

North East Lincolnshire Council has adopted its local plan setting out the future development and growth of the area up to 2032, including a target for the delivery of up to 13,340 homes. More

Plans for 800 homes on a greenfield site in Kent have been provisionally backed by housing secretary Sajid Javid against an inspector's recommendation, providing the developer addresses concerns over affordable housing and infrastructure provision. More

Pinsent Masons topped the tables in Planning's ranking of the most highly rated planning law firms for the fifth year running. More

Source: Planning Resource