Chancellor says 20,000 homes were being held up due to ‘some snails that are a protected species or something’ Rachel Reeves unblocked a development of 20,000 homes that were being held up by a rare snail, after being approached by a developer with whom she said, “we have a good relationship”. The government has been working on planning reforms that nature experts say put wildlife at risk. The reforms could include discarding the EU-derived habitats regulations that protect rare animals, and adding more pro-building amendments to the planning and infrastructure bill, which is going through parliament. Continue reading...

Northern Ireland is enjoying a UK-wide renaissance of independent record shops.