How planning is set to change at national and regional levels was the topic of a Women in Property seminar hosted by Thrings this week.
Organised by Thrings Planning Associate Rebecca Stanton, who sits on the Women in Property South West Committee, the event saw more than 40 planning professionals from across the wider Bristol region in attendance. This included architects, heritage and transport planners and representatives from Homes England – with plenty of debate around the purpose of community engagement.
Beginning the event with a presentation on emerging planning policy from the government, Rebecca covered a range of topics, including the changes being made to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the scope for new planning reform.
This was followed by a more localised discussion from James Ellis, Associate Planner as Carter Jonas, who spoke about WECA’s strategic planning and the influence the new NPPF consultation would have on regional decision making.
The event closed with Robin Shepherd, Director of engineering consultancy Stantec, who discussed the importance of community engagement on getting the support of communities on large planning applications – and how social media and community outreach can have a significant impact in winning over public opinion.
Rebecca Stanton, Associate in the Thrings Planning and Environment team, said: “With a new government now in place, it is important for the sector to be fully up to speed, not just on what is set to come but what has already changed and how it affects them.
“A massive thank you to our speakers for contributing to the discussion as well as to everyone who attended. It was great to see a diverse array of people join us from across the planning world and share their thoughts on how things can and will change, as well as how things might change in the West of England region.”
Thrings’ Planning and Environment lawyers have extensive experience in navigating complex local and national planning policy legislation and has successfully supported commercial and residential applications through the approval and appeal processes. To find out more and for advice on your development proposals, including how to address enforcement notices, please get in touch.
