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Spring has sprung, the sun is out (sometimes) and daffodils are in full bloom. What's not to like?
We have had a busy month as we wind up 2018/19 and move forwards into 2019/20 with new projects and programmes. Of particular note was our Chief Planners event in Birmingham on the 14 and 15 March. We had the pleasure of 50 Chief Planners' company, sharing insights and ideas of how we implement the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). We were treated to sessions led by a variety of speakers on a broad range of topics. The feedback has been great and we are already thinking about our next event. Thank you to those of you who attended and made it so successful.
Whilst most of the team were delivering the Chief Planners event, Martin and Steve were delivering a committee chair session with a group of councillors in Warwick. These Leadership Essentials events are really popular and very hands on. We will be running more sessions this year so look out for dates in future issues of this bulletin.
Finally, I would like to thank all of the councils that have responded to our resource survey. The original deadline for completing the survey has been extended to 8 April to allow as many authorities as possible to take part. More information can be found here or you can contact PAS.survey@local.gov.uk for the template to complete.
I would strongly encourage all authorities to take part as the answers will help the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) to better understand the skills and resources that are required to support council planning services and will be critical for the long-term health of planning departments.
There are a lot of surveys doing the rounds and we do appreciate the efforts made to complete ours.
Kind regards,
Anna Rose
Head of PAS
The first set of Housing Delivery Test results were published in February, and as a consequence 108 planning authorities need to publish an Action Plan. We are holding two events for this cohort on 16 and 18 April.
At these events we will be sharing our ideas on how we might support councils and reduce the time and work involved in preparing an Action Plan. We will take you through how we intend to structure the process and test out some of the materials. We will also ask for your thoughts on how to deliver the support in ways convenient to you. Sign up here:
16 April 2019 Manchester
18 April 2019 London
Come along if you want to ask questions and understand how to prepare and work with us. If you can't make the date ensure you have signed up to our mailing list so we know how to contact you.
As we mentioned in an earlier bulletin the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) places a renewed emphasis on encouraging the use of Local Development Orders (LDOs) to help set the planning framework for an area and bring forward development. To support this ambition we have been busy updating our technical guidance to help authorities who might want to use LDOs. This guidance provides information on how to bring LDOs forward, their development and implementation and on the monitoring and delivery of them. Coupled with the interactive map that we published last year this suite of guidance demonstrates how effective LDOs can be in helping to bring forward a range of development types and scales. Why not have a look through these examples of best practice and have a think about whether an LDO would help your authority to bring forward the right development in the right places.
Planner or non-planner – did it make a difference to the takeaways from the Chief Planners event?
Reflecting on our Chief Planners event held over two days in Birmingham in March our newest Member of the PAS team Principal Consultant Nicola Sworowski and our newlywed Programme Support Officer Annie Jones share their thoughts on the event. Is a planner and non-planners view that different? Find out here.
What did the Chiefs want to talk about?
Our Programme Manager, and self-professed Housing Delivery Test poster boy, put the Chief Planners to the test of setting out what they would want to hear in a speech from Government (on planning not Brexit). Here’s what we heard.
National Planning Policy Guidance update – does the threshold of 10 or less units still apply?
Housing Delivery Test query (Rulebook 2018 technical note)
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