World Town Planning Day 2021

This year has bought some significant changes for the planning sector, which has opened the conversation up about planning and what the future for the industry holds. World Town Planning Day was the perfect excuse for us to ask a few of the team to reflect on the past year and think about things to come. See what they said below:

How do you feel about changes in the sector over the past year?

Frustrated.  Some of the changes to the Permitted Development rights create the potential for dramatic changes to our High Streets.  Whether for good or bad is to be seen, but what is clear is that it runs the risk of unacceptable ‘homes’ being created which are not appropriate, decent or liveable places by way of their size or lack of windows or some other seemingly optional feature.  The Planning White Paper debacle is a further irritant which has only served to create delay and uncertainty. I’m also worried for our colleagues in the public sector who appear to being poorly served by their local politicians, lacking support and resources.  That is fundamentally changing the role of a local government planner.  Turning their job into administrators.

Pete Chambers, Senior Associate 

Over the past year, there have been some real shifts on key topics in the industry such as sustainability. In my view, best practice of sustainability in the industry is crucial and there is a responsibility for planning to lead this necessary change.

As planners, we have an opportunity to ensure sustainability shapes each stage of the planning process. All schemes should be held to the highest standards of sustainability through robust enforcement of up to date planning policies at a national and local level. Although great steps have been made over the past year, there is still a long way to go to guarantee that implemented schemes contribute to solving the climate emergency and not worsening it.

Gaby Medforth, Senior Planner

There have been a number of positive and negative changes presented to the planning sector, but each change is a reminder that the role of planning is still vitally important in delivering places.  Changes present new opportunities but also new challenges that planners, masterplanners and urban designers must work through to deliver successful and sustainable development.  It is encouraging to see our clients respond in similar ways and putting sustainability at the forefront of their projects.

Greg Pearce, Associate

Planning has always been a sector of change and is highly political promoting lots of debate and this last year is no exception. I welcomed the increased emphasis on design quality and mitigating the effects of climate change in the revisions to the NPPF in July and the encouraging moves towards strategic planning through the Spatial Framework for the Ox-Cam Arc. However, I am disappointed that some of the bold aspirations for planning reform look like being diluted as the politics around planning take hold and as the headlines claim greenfield development should be ruled out.

Claire Britton, Senior Associate

How do you feel about the direction of planning going forward?

It is an exciting time to be entering the planning industry. We are at a critical point where planners have the opportunity to lead on creating places that can help to tackle climate change through truly sustainable designs.

Elisha Robjant, Assistant Planner

I’m forever hopeful. It is an exciting period to be town planner.  There are great challenges for society, and like all, town planners have their own role to play. We need to drive the agenda in the absence of clear direction.  We are the experts in our field and so need to be telling others what we can do.  More focused on legislation changes, the ‘paused’ White Paper focused on housebuilding and land-use planning, to the exclusion of the many roles planning undertakes to create places.  I hope we see a recognition of that going forward and a period of stability for the sector.

Pete Chambers, Senior Associate

The exciting work we have been doing with a number of our clients has shown how much of an influence these conversations about climate change and sustainability are having on the way schemes are evolving in their early stages. I am grateful to be involved in a number of exemplar schemes, setting a high but necessary bar which others should be held to. I am hopeful that the attention on this topic continues to get the consideration it needs and standards that may be considered high at the moment, become a guarantee in the future.

Gaby Medforth, Senior Planner

Sustainability and climate change will undoubtedly have a huge influence on the sector.  There is currently lots of intent but this needs to be backed up by meaningful policy and legislation to ensure intent is transferred into deliverable and achievable outputs.  If this is achievable it will allow planning to be part of a step change in how sustainability and climate change are managed.

Greg Pearce, Associate

Moving forward, planners and the sector have an important role to play in making an impact on climate change and delivering government ambitions. As such, it will continue to prioritise the delivery of better places; including the delivery of housing to meet increasing demand, employment and reimagined town centres to facilitate economic growth and pursuing new and innovative measures along the journey to net zero targets spurred on by COP 26.

It is an exciting and fast-moving sector to be a part of (despite the length of time it still takes to get a Local Plan adopted!)

Claire Britton, Senior Associate