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Thousands of new homes could be built around train, tram and underground stations in England under changes to national planning policy announced by the Government. The revised National Planning Policy Framework introduces a default presumption in favour of housing within reasonable walking distance of well connected stations, alongside minimum expectations for the density of development in those locations.

The changes are intended to make greater use of land around transport hubs and reduce the scope for local planning policies to block development where they conflict with national decision making policies. The revised framework also strengthens support for development in sustainable locations and introduces a national expectation that 40% of homes on major developments should meet accessible housing standards.

The Government is also reducing some statutory consultation requirements in an attempt to speed up planning decisions. Councils will no longer need to seek sign off from public bodies in cases where specialist advice is not considered necessary, although organisations including Sport England, the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust will continue to be involved in relevant applications. The reforms form part of the Government’s wider programme aimed at delivering 1.5 million homes.

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A man has been charged with arson after around ten fires were reported in London Fields in Hackney. Metropolitan Police officers and the London Fire Brigade were called at 5.07am on Saturday 15 August following several reports of a man starting fires near Lansdowne Drive. Firefighters extinguished the fires and no injuries were reported.

Police arrested a man in his 50s on suspicion of arson, setting fires and possession of a Class A drug. Later the same day, Isaac Shozi, 50, of Bodney Road in Hackney, was charged with arson. He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court at 10am on Monday 17 August.

Detective Superintendent Liz Cumber, who leads policing in central east London, said even small fires could spread quickly, particularly following the recent hot weather and heightened wildfire risk. Police said they were working closely with the London Fire Brigade and urged anyone who witnesses a fire or behaviour that could create a fire risk to call 999 immediately.

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The Financial Conduct Authority has fined and banned two former senior executives of Blue Horizon Asset Management after finding that false and misleading information was used during attempted acquisitions. Former chief executive Paul Taylor was fined £489,000 and banned from working in financial services, while former managing director Esmeralda Toni was fined £121,200 and also banned.

The FCA said Taylor falsified, or arranged for the falsification of, documents claiming that he owned a bond portfolio worth about €200 million during an attempt to acquire a UK bank. Toni knowingly assisted by making misleading statements and helping to falsify documents. The regulator said the information was intended to be relied upon by the FCA and the Prudential Regulation Authority when assessing the proposed acquisition.

Taylor later attempted to acquire Reading Football Club and again made misleading statements claiming ownership of the same €200 million bond portfolio. The FCA found that both executives had acted dishonestly and breached the individual conduct rule requiring people working in financial services to act with integrity. Both settled their cases and received a 30% reduction in the financial penalties that would otherwise have been imposed.

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Former University of Cambridge professor Jason Arday has been found dead at an address in Battersea, south London, aged 41. The Metropolitan Police said officers were called by the London Ambulance Service at 3.12pm on Friday 14 August after he was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin have been informed and are being supported by officers.

Police said Arday’s death is being treated as unexpected but is not believed to be suspicious. Officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Central South Command Unit are investigating the circumstances and a file will be prepared for the coroner. No further details about the cause of his death have been announced.

Arday had been Professor of Sociology of Education at Cambridge and became the youngest Black professor in the University’s history when he took up the position in 2023. He resigned from Cambridge and Jesus College earlier this month following intense public scrutiny and allegations concerning plagiarism and aspects of his academic record, which he disputed. In his resignation statement he spoke of the toll that the controversy had taken on him and his family and asked for privacy and compassion.

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The Government has launched a review of the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, asking manufacturers, suppliers, charge point operators, dealers, consumers and communities for views on the annual sales targets that apply to electric vehicles. The consultation opened on 14 August and will run until 23 October 2026, while the Government says its longer term commitment to phase out sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 remains unchanged.

Under the current policy, all new cars and vans must be fully zero emission by 2035. The review will consider whether the existing annual targets for manufacturers remain appropriate in light of market conditions, supply chain pressures, tariffs and wider trade uncertainty. The Government said manufacturers are currently on track to meet their targets and that the mandate already includes flexibilities intended to help companies comply.

More than one in four new cars sold in the UK are now electric, according to figures cited by the Department for Transport, with electric vehicle sales in July up 45% compared with the same month last year. More than two million electric vehicles are registered on UK roads. The Government has also committed £600 million towards additional charge points and says the Electric Car Grant, worth up to £3,750 on qualifying vehicles, has supported more than 160,000 purchases since its launch last year.