Joe Dunn’s Post

The latest changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) are set to shape the future of development in Bristol and the West of England. From revised housing targets to the growing emphasis on sustainable, place-based design, these reforms highlight both challenges and opportunities for the area. Our regional director Ric Hampton has explored these updates in his latest blog for Insider Media, diving into what they'll mean for development strategies and how they might help unlock vibrant, connected communities. Find out more from Ric on how we can help clients navigate this evolving landscape. To learn more, read the blog here: https://lnkd.in/gYjvRM7c #NPPF #Planning #Sustainability #Bristol #WestofEngland

The Future of Planning: NPPF 2024 The updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets a bold direction for shaping the UK’s development landscape. With a strong focus on sustainability, housing, and infrastructure, this version reflects the pressing challenges of our time. Here are the key takeaways: - Affordable Housing The framework reinforces the need to deliver affordable housing at scale. Policies now emphasize strategies to address housing shortages, including ambitious targets for key regions and incentives for developers to prioritize affordability in their plans. - Urban Regeneration Revitalizing towns and cities takes center stage, with increased support for the reuse of brownfield land. This approach reduces pressure on greenfield sites, helps tackle urban decay, and promotes more vibrant, sustainable communities. - Sustainability & Net Zero The NPPF highlights a commitment to achieving Net Zero through planning: • Encouraging renewable energy projects like solar and wind farms. • Promoting active transport infrastructure, such as cycling and walking routes. • Mandating climate resilience in new developments to address flooding and extreme weather risks. - Streamlined Local Plans A revamped local plan process aims to simplify timelines and boost transparency. Community engagement is a priority, ensuring residents have a stronger voice in shaping their local areas. - Environmental Protections Biodiversity Net Gain is now a must. Developers will need to prove how projects enhance biodiversity, supporting ecosystems and aligning with the UK’s environmental ambitions. - Infrastructure for the Future New guidance ensures infrastructure supports modern needs, from digital connectivity to sustainable transport. It emphasizes long-term planning for health, education, and green spaces, ensuring developments are future-proof. - Driving Innovation & Growth The NPPF supports innovation in construction and design, including modular housing and energy-efficient buildings. The aim is to create homes and spaces that are cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and community-focused. - Why This Matters: This updated framework represents a significant opportunity for developers, planners, and communities to collaborate and shape a future that balances growth with environmental and social responsibility. The focus is clear: build sustainably, inclusively, and boldly. For more details, explore the full framework: https://lnkd.in/ew3mGdCa #Sustainability #UrbanDevelopment #NetZero #PlanningPolicy #CommunityEngagement

Huntingdonshire District Council have launched a 10-week consultation until the 27th November 2024 on the following three documents in respect of their emerging Local Plan:   - Further Issues and Options Paper; - Land Availability Assessments; and - Sustainability Appraisal.   The purpose of the Further Issues and Options Paper is to seek views on a variety of topic areas to help form the proposed policies and guide how the Council will approach issues within the new Local Plan. The Land Availability Assessment presents the assessments of sites submitted through the Call for Sites exercise and a total of 369 sites have been assessed across the District. The Sustainability Appraisal assesses all the options that have been put forward in the Further Issues and Options consultation document and the sites that have progressed to SA stage against the sustainability objectives.   The Council have also extended their Call for Sites until 31st December 2024 and are asking people to submit sites with potential for:   - Residential use (such as housing, specialist homes, moorings, care homes) - Commercial use (such as retail, leisure, industrial and logistics) - Infrastructure (such as health uses, community facilities, renewable energy) - Open space use (such as sports and recreation, allotments, biodiversity net gain, flooding safeguarding).   If you would like any assistance in understanding or providing comments on these consultation documents, please contact us on enquiries@dlpconsultants.co.uk, and our team would be happy to help.   #consultation #planning #localplan

With the government’s push for 1.5 million homes by 2029, brownfield sites are set to play a major role in sustainable urban development. Our latest article by Ben Lawry explains how thorough, pragmatic geo-environmental assessments can help developers transform potential liabilities into profitable opportunities. Learn how Roberts Environmental is supporting clients in navigating the complexities of brownfield redevelopment. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eK8vU5YE #BrownfieldFirst #GeoEnvironmentalAssessment #RobertsEnvironmental #SustainableDevelopment

This is interesting. Potentially a fresh way at looking at the relationship between development and environmental improvements. It feels particularly relevant when read in conjunction with the grey belt policy in the NPPF - potentially aiming to link a nature recovery delivery fund for large areas of the green belt to development on local grey belt. Pooling funding and using a public delivery agency to bring about biodiversity and environmental benifits. This brings to mind the LB Enfield Green belt situation - their local plan enquiry starts in January and the plan includes significant amounts of building on green belt land. But ahead of this the council, in partnership with the GLA and others, delivered a large area of new public green space along two local streams with vast amounts of tree and other planting and new suds systems to reduce flooding down stream in built up areas. I was wondering how the nature recovery strategy idea for improving green belts was going to be linked to the planning permission side of the grey belt policy - now I guess we are start to see how this could work. https://lnkd.in/eHXMTfD7

Really delighted that London Borough of Hounslow Borough Council approved the Reg 19 #Hounslow Local Plan earlier this week, meaning we can now launch in to the next stages of the project 🚀 Reaching this significant milestone reflects huge amounts of hard work, talent and dedication from #Hounslow's Spatial Planning Service superstars ✨ with the support of colleagues across the Council and the input of communities and stakeholders over many months. The Local Plan will help shape the future growth of the Borough by: ✅ Delivering much needed new homes for local people, including genuinely affordable housing ✅ Allocating land for the development of new employment and commercial sites ✅ Providing a framework for regeneration in Hounslow’s town centres ✅ Delivering enhanced community infrastructure and improved transport links ✅ Creating local job opportunities. With Hounslow Council declaring a climate emergency in 2019, the Local Plan also focuses on reducing the borough’s emissions and embedding sustainable design, enhancing biodiversity, protecting the environment, and conserving Hounslow's heritage assets and natural surroundings. Very proud of the team and excited about working with them to progress Hounslow's Local Plan to the next stage. Andrea Kitzberger-Smith Chris Kirk Louisa Facchino-Stack Matthew Rees Hannah Haddad Sean Doran Alexander De David Dewar Duncan McKane Will Guyutt Rob Tomlinson Joedee Mckenzie-Headley Ravneet Dyal Andrej Mećava Amanda Rashid Dr Walid Omeir Jayaraj S. Miraj Patel Clive Fraser William Reed Ian Gillespie Phil Cresswell Niall Bolger FRSA Peter O'Brien #Hounslow #London #LocalPlan #Regulation19 #place #development #planning #housing #environment #spatialplanning #design #placemaking #regeneration #planningpolicy #planmaking

Major News for Planners! The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has been published today. This long-anticipated update builds upon the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act, with a strong focus on infrastructure, democracy, environmental priorities, and community involvement. Key changes include: 1. Flexibility in Housing Plans: Local councils now have more discretion in determining housing requirements. The standard method for calculating housing need is now explicitly stated as an advisory starting point, enabling adjustments for local needs. 2. Green Belt Safeguards: Councils are not obliged to amend Green Belt boundaries purely to meet housing targets, providing greater local control over these spaces. 3. Support for Diverse Housing: New measures promote small-scale developments, community-led housing projects, and provisions for retirement housing, reflecting a commitment to housing stock and accessibility. 4. Focus on Sustainability: Stronger emphasis on low-carbon, energy-efficient building adaptations to align with climate goals, including protections for heritage assets. 5. Prioritisation of Agricultural Land: New rules that favour the development of lower-grade farmland to protect high-quality agricultural areas used for food production. These changes aim to address housing supply challenges, while preserving environmental integrity and empowering local communities. #UrbanPlanning #NPPF #Sustainability #HousingDevelopment #PlanningPolicy

The City of Sydney is proposing to make changes to the Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012 that will support build-to-rent and co-living housing in Central Sydney. This will contribute to greater housing diversity and help address the current housing supply shortage. The proposed changes include introducing floor space incentives for applications lodged within 5 years of the changes being made. The proposed changes also provide clarity on responding to the specific characteristics of Central Sydney through the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021. This proposal has been informed by the Central Sydney planning strategy and is considered to support compatible uses to help meet the current housing shortage while not compromising the long-term vision to provide for productive employment capacity in a mixed-use global city. Council will consider all submissions received during the public consultation period and report the results to Council and the Central Sydney Planning Committee. If Council approves this planning proposal after public consultation, the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces will be responsible for finalising the applicable amendments to Sydney Local Environmental Plan 2012. Consultation on the proposal closes at 5pm on Tuesday 14 May 2024. Jeff Mead Sophie Perry Troy Loveday

Current Low Impact Development (LID) regulations apply strict environmental standards to projects with five or more units, making smaller housing developments costly and difficult to complete. LABA proposes raising the threshold to seven units, allowing smaller projects to move forward without unnecessary burdens. This adjustment would encourage more housing development while maintaining sustainable practices—helping Los Angeles grow responsibly and affordably. Let’s work toward policies that support both our environment and our communities. Learn More About LABA: https://lnkd.in/gWD2X-RA #LABuildersAssociation #LABA #BuildingLA #SustainableDevelopment #SmartGrowthLA #AffordableHousing #LADevelopment #LowImpactDevelopment #ResponsibleGrowth #HousingSolutions #EnvironmentalBalance #StreamlinedRegulations #InnovativeHousingLA #BuildingForTheFuture

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻: 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 🏛️ Cheltenham Borough Council has launched a revitalised Local Planning Enforcement Plan to protect the town's architectural heritage while improving the enforcement process. The updated plan offers clearer timescales and expectations for residents, developers, and businesses, ensuring a more efficient process for dealing with unauthorised developments. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲: • Prioritising investigations into unauthorised planning breaches 📅 • Categorising breaches into three priority levels, each with set investigation deadlines 🔍 • Focus on preserving listed buildings, conservation areas, and protected trees 🌳  • Incorporating sustainability measures from the Climate SPD (Climate Change Supplementary Planning Document) 🌱 Councillor Mike Collins, cabinet member for planning and building control, highlights that this plan will ensure the town's unique heritage is preserved, while developers and residents benefit from a transparent and timely approach. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://lnkd.in/eF83866s Chris Morrall Daniel O'Neill Amie Graham Claire Donnelly Freya G. Catherine Drinkwater Michelle Payne Fiona Heubeck MRICS Shannon Keating Michael Ratcliffe Peter Jeffries Julie McCarthy Natasha Reece Ben Smith Maizy McCann Stephen Mason Gareth Edmundson Martin Stacy Shona Lovett Philippa Crossland Dan Greenhouse Judy Hibbert Jacob Doleman Sophie Bradley Kim John Claire Hughes Richard Drinkwater Martin Chastney Flo Clucas OBE, Cav. OSI, LL.D(h.c), Andrew Lansley Joanne Humphreys Richard King Helen Mole MSc FIPM Chris Gomm Suzanne Hall-Gibbins Angela Edwards Director and Co-Founder at Circle2Success Ltd Mel H. Jess Allen #CheltenhamBoroughCouncil #Planning #LocalPlanning #UrbanDevelopment #Sustainability #HeritagePreservation #BuildingControl #PlanningEnforcement #ClimateChange #SmartDevelopment #Cheltenham #Gloucestershire