The Abundance Agenda

We make the case for new build houses, explaining why they’re so much better than people think, and why you can save frankly an astonishing amount of money on energy bills. Then, relatedly, we speak to Barratt Redrow CEO David Thomas about how volume house-builders navigate Britain’s notorious planning laws, and his pitch for how building on existing carparks could unlock over 700,000 new homes.You can find James’s newsletter, and piece on digital traffic orders here.Martin’s newsletter is here, and he’ll be posting his piece on boomers this week.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

Martin describes how NIMBY activists in Cambridgeshire have destroyed a popular ‘cow experience’ – and what it says about our relationship with the countryside. James looks at the potential for chaos following the introduction of the European Entry/Exit System, and explains why the way we handle cross-channel freight traffic is broken – and how to fix it. Plus we speak to Tym Syrytczyk from Paradigm Junction about whether Britain is ready for the imminent self-driving car revolutionJames’s piece explaining why a wealth tax isn’t credible is here.James also wrote-up his take on cross-channel freight here (free to read!).Martin’s piece on national service for boomers will be here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

Praful Nargund, Founder and CEO of the Good Growth Foundation, shares insights on planning reforms that could unblock housing in the UK. He discusses four key reforms to streamline decision-making and boost development. Praful also advocates for reopening cross-channel rail services, highlighting potential economic benefits for regions like Ashford, estimating up to £2.7 billion in value. The conversation dives into how proactive growth strategies can gain public support and counter skepticism about development.

We dig into the recommendations of the government’s New Town taskforce – and explore the twelve locations that have been selected for a new generation of New Towns. Martin takes the Guardian’s NIMBY nonsense to task – and wonders if nature activists actually know what nature is. Plus we speak to Kane Emerson about the plan for the new town of Tempsford – and how it could be under construction by the end of this Parliament.The New Town Taskforce’s full report is here.Kane’s paper on the case of Tempsford is here.The maddening Guardian ‘Green to Grey’ piece is here.James’s piece on the ‘NIMBY charter’ is here (and the short piece on HIGNFY is here).Martin’s newsletter is here – he’ll be dropping something later this week.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

We get mad about a new document published by the government that seems like a beginners guide to jamming up the build-out of new energy infrastructure. And we speak to the amazing YouTuber CityEd, all about architecture, urban design, and how to build liveable cities.James has written an accompanying piece about the NIMBY charter here.James’s piece about Liam Byrne – and whether he’s had his Weetabix is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.You can read the CIA field manual here.Our previous episode mentioned by Ed, featuring Sally Gimson talking HS2 is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

James looks at the big US-UK nuclear agreement, and explores some of the exciting nuclear projects that might happen here because of it. Martin explains the 18 year long redevelopment sage playing out in Bristol, where plans have been consistently derailed by a single barge. And then we speak to Michael Jenner, CEO of Last Energy UK, the nuclear firm building a nuclear reactor at the London Gateway port.Our episode with former nuclear minister Lord Hunt can be heard here.James’s piece on racism and the anti-asylum protests is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.Pre-order Hayley Gullen’s book, This Might Surprise You, here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

Martin tells us about his trip to see one of HS2’s ‘green tunnels’ under construction – and why digging a cut-and-cover tunnel is so much more complex than it sounds. James explains why the Sunday trading laws might be about to change – and why he’s going to unjustifiably take credit for it, if it happens.And we speak to Simon Dudley, chair of the Representative Planning Group about how the new group is hoping to bring better data to planning fights. (Plus a little about his former roles, as Chair of Homes England and Ebbsfleet Development Corporation.)James’s piece on the Cambridge sewage works is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.The Grocer’s reporting on Sunday trading is here. (James’s piece on Sunday trading is here.)Note: The interview at the end was recorded before Angela Rayner resigned, so just mentally substitute every mention of “Angela Rayner” with “Steve Reed”, and it still makes total sense.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

How Angela Rayner’s department killed a major new brownfield housing development in Cambridge – and how her replacement Steve Reed might be able to undo this terrible mistake. Plus Martin discovers that Reform in Lincolnshire is building its own bat tunnel.And we speak to Dr Alicia Greated, executive director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering about industrial policy and how even Reform voters might support immigration for R&D jobs.Check out CaSE’s immigration and industrial strategy papers.James’s piece on the Cambridge sewage works and how Steve Reed could reverse Angela Rayner’s worst decision is here.Martin’s piece on the Lincolnshire bat tunnel will be here.James’s piece on why a ‘Fare Free London’ is basically unworkable is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

Martin looks at the BBC’s coverage of the Universal theme park and asks… why is it so weirdly negative? James reminds everyone about Eurostar’s forgotten stations – in Ebbsfleet and and Ashford, which haven’t seen international trains since 2020. And we speak to Sally Gimson about her new book Off The Rails: The Inside Story of HS2 (out now!).The Good Growth Foundation’s report on re-opening Ashford is here.Starmer shouldn't give a conference speech – he should give an Apple-style keynote (by James)Martin’s piece on the BBC’s Universal coverage will be here.Our previous coverage of Old Bridge Way, with lots more context, is here.Martin’s amazing expose of the attempts to delay HS2 in Wendover can be heard here.And previous coverage of the Universal theme park is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!The Abundance Agenda is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and hopefully wherever you get your podcasts!You can find James on Bluesky here, and Martin here. 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

On The Abundance Agenda this week:* James talks about ‘London Unchained’, a new paper by Labour Together and the YIMBY Alliance that figures out how we could actually pay for the much-needed Bakerloo line extension, level-up the north, and protect the credibility of the public finances… all at the same time!* And we speak to Sam Freedman, author of the Comment is Freed newsletter, about what the ‘Abundance’ view is missing, how to shift political incentives towards building – and playing Civilisation with his dad.The Labour Together/YIMBY Alliance paper, ‘London Unchained’, can be found here.James’s write up on the paper, with his own thoughts is here.Martin’s newsletter is here.Sam’s excellent book, Failed State is essential reading and can be found here.The episode about Dobbins Lane we mentioned is here, and the one where we talk about Northern Powerhouse Rail is here.Don’t forget to tell your friends about the pod – and leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts!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. 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