Member Article

Gloucester businesses investigate planning framework

Businesspeople found out how new planning rules will affect their business, at a seminar run by Gloucestershire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The event was designed to help regional businesses with their understanding of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Claire Edwards, Head of Planning and Performance at GFirst, said: “It was really encouraging that so many people came and we had a good mix of businesses and practitioners.

“We had a really interesting debate which reflected both sides of the argument well and in the spirit of the discussion GFirst will continue to help the private and public sectors to get together to improve future development opportunities and more positive engagement with the local planning process.”

More than 120 people attended at the Queen’s Hotel in Cheltenham, including local councils, surveyors, solicitors and other businesspeople.

Full details of the NPPF were examined by Barrister Chris Young from No5 Chambers and Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood.

The pair were also joined by planning professionals Steve MacPherson of Bloor Homes and Tim Watton of the Joint Core Strategy Team for Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Cheltenham to debate the key elements of the framework.

Chris Young said: “I think it was a very interesting debate. There are obviously different ideas and different opinions and I think planning is about trying to resolve these problems in a structured and in a meaningful way. But you can’t please everyone all the time and that was very apparent.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .