Jonathan Jenkin Planning & Design Archives - Page 2 of 7

Planning & Design celebrate 20 years

19th June 202317th May 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice are celebrating their Emerald anniversary in May 2022, having achieved 20 years of success in providing town planning services, architectural expertise and specialised heritage advice.

Founded in May 2002 by Jonathan Jenkin, Planning & Design Practice has since forged an excellent reputation for winning approvals and for creating attractive and sustainable proposals. Comprising RTPI Chartered town planners and RIBA Chartered Architects, the company has generated over £200m of uplift in land values for clients through its consents and proposals over the years.

In July 2021 Jonathan sold his stake in the business but retains an active role in the company as a Consultant. Specialist Conservation Architect Lindsay Cruddas and Chartered Town Planner Michael Bamford joined Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Chartered Town Planners Richard Pigott and Jon Millhouse as Directors. This diversification of the board represented both our increasing architectural ambition and the continuing growth of our Sheffield office.

Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant said “I am immensely proud of what we have achieved over the past twenty years, the clients we have helped and the problems we have solved and continue to solve. In the end our work is about problem solving, understanding our client’s needs, and providing a bridge between the client and the Local Planning Authority.”

Richard Pigott, Director, says “The team continues to evolve with the development of our architectural team now that we are an RIBA Chartered Practice, the growth of our Sheffield office and the success of our heritage team. Whilst building on our expertise and experience in rural development we are increasingly working on major high profile projects as well. Our aim is to build on and enhance the reputation established over the last 20 years.”

The architectural side of the business boasts true international expertise, with our team of RIBA Chartered Architects and Architectural Assistants having worked on large scale projects across Europe and the United States as well as in the UK. The company is able to design award winning proposals for a wide range of clients across the country.

During our 20 years of business, we have worked with a diverse range of clients including landowners, existing business owners, farmers and other architects including Matthew Montague, John Smedleys Ltd, Chevin Homes, Derby and Burton University Hospitals Trust, Evans Vettori, Derbyshire County Council, Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust, Callow Hall – Wildhive, Meadowview Homes, and Microsoft Rare Ltd.

Recently, following a Public Inquiry, we secured outline planning permission for an extension to Denby Hall Business Park, one of the largest permissions of its kind which secured the retention of 100 jobs and the creation of a further 680 new jobs in a significant boost to the local economy of Amber Valley.

Our heritage work was recognised and awarded the Highly Commended Certificate for Excellence in Planning for Heritage & Culture at the 2019 and 2021 RTPI East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence, for our work on the redevelopment of the ‘East Site’ at John Smedley Mills, Lea Bridge and the redevelopment of Ambergate Social Club respectively. We were recently appointed as Heritage Planning Consultants by Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust, in partnership with Derbyshire County Council for the proposed £35 million restoration and transformation of the in the 321-acre Derbyshire estate.

Comprising RTPI Chartered town planners, RIBA Chartered Architects and architectural assistants, plus heritage specialists, Planning & Design Practice are headquartered in Derby, with offices in Sheffield as well as Matlock and Macclesfield. For more information, or to discuss your own project please get in touch.

The window is opening for protected species surveys

19th December 202227th April 2022 by Gary Stringer

We share our buildings and spaces with other animals and with plants (including trees). On many potential development sites, both residential and commercial, many animals and plants are protected species and the Council needs to know what is there and the means of protection or mitigation.

Protected species include bats, badgers, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and plants. In preparing a planning application, where protected species are likely to exist; protected species surveys have to be prepared by an ecologist or a recognised expert and submitted as part of a planning application.

These surveys can only be done at the right time of year. Great Crested Newts became the poster boy for delay in the planning system because the window for undertaking a Great Crested Newt (GCN) survey is noticeably short. For example, an eDNA GCN survey the window is mid-April to the middle of June.

This means that if an application is submitted in July but without a required eDNA survey, a decision on the application would be delayed for a year and for many councils, a planning application would not be validated unless accompanied by the survey.

On sites with multiple protected species, surveys have to be done at the right time of year. This needs forward planning and can extend the preparation period for a planning application.

For example, a former quarry development site containing a badger sett, some derelict buildings, areas suitable for reptiles and two ponds.

The following surveys will be required:

A badger survey – (any time throughout the year)
eGCN survey (mid-April to mid-June)
An amphibian survey (May to September)
A bat emergence survey (three visits May to September)
Breeding birds (March to July)
A reptile survey (March to October).
Plant habitat surveys – (May to September)

Spring is the best time of year for multiple surveys, and it is important to get these surveys in place when you can. Please note that ecologists are very busy at key times of the year and will need to be booked well in advance.

This issue is likely to become even more important as this country commits itself to improving biodiversity and the planned uplift in biodiversity on larger development sites.

Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Section 73 application approved for redevelopment of Derbyshire farmstead

19th June 202314th February 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice are pleased to have secured planning approval for a Section 73 application that will allow the redevelopment of a farmstead in Derbyshire.

This was an interesting case which took place in Amber Valley outside of nearby towns and villages. Our clients had full planning permission and had discharged their pre-commencement planning conditions and work was well underway.

This is a large-scale project and with all projects what seems reasonable at the planning stage cannot always be achieved and changes must be made.

For a Section 73 all the following conditions must be met:

The site boundary is not changed
The siting, landscape, scale, and height is not significantly changed
The use is not changed.
The appearance is not adversely affected.
The change is compliant with local planning policy and with the conditions attached to the original permission.
Changes to windows or other openings that do not impact on neighbouring properties.
The interests of parties consulted about the original application are not disadvantaged.

In this case we wanted to make several changes, chief amongst these was changes to the access around the house. Other changes included changes to the fenestration of the house and some of the outbuildings, the construction of a new building to house plant associated with heating across the farmstead and a small extension to the out-buildings.

The development included a large underground basement for parking, storage, and amenity space. This involved cutting an access into the hillside. The approved plans showed an access to the farm buildings at the back of the house cutting across the underground access in the form of a flyover for vehicles. This was not a practical solution and had come about because of the insistence of the landscape officer from the council notwithstanding the evidence that such an access had no historical significance. The alternative was to go around the house and access the buildings using existing land levels.

At the pre-app stage, the planning officer was broadly supportive of the application. Although the submitted application was considered by another officer, that support was maintained. Interestingly as part of the development, a building that was shown to be retained had to be demolished during the building process to accommodate underground workings. This led to a S73 application showing a building that was no longer there to be consistent with the planning approval.

There were questions raised regarding trees and landscaping because by this time the appearance of the site was substantially changed. A question arose regarding the adjoining wood by the council’s tree officer which required further input from an arboricultural consultant.

We were pleased to receive the approval, but it took a considerable time to come through and during the process building works continued which complicated the situation. The council is very short of staff, the council’s budget is tight, and these problems are quite widespread. This means that applications are very delayed, and we had to push hard to get the decision notice issued. This is both challenging and potentially costly and when building works are underway an application can be overtaken by events.

It is in everyone interests to better resource planning and to my way of thinking this does not mean raising planning fees. Planning is a public function; it should be properly resourced from public funds as it benefits everyone and is an important part of the local democratic process. The costs of running not just development control but planning policy and the appeal process must be properly resourced to order for the system to operate smoothly. Changes to the General Permitted Development Order do nothing to help and just add complexity. I hope that the new planning bill is much better than the last planning bill and that this time public money as well as the use of fees forms part of a balanced package to increase resources. The austerity of the last 12 years has decimated the system. A huge amount of expertise has been lost, particularly in conservation, trees and in third party support for planning authorities. This needs to change.

Speed of decision making will improve with resources, other means of doing so over the last 12 years have failed.

Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning & Design Practice is a multi-disciplinary team of Town Planners, Architects, Architectural Assistants and Design Professionals. We can take a project through from inception to completion but we also offer the flexibility to engage a client’s own architects and provide a planning service, whilst our design team can also work with clients who have engaged other town planning professionals. We have extensive knowledge about the policies and procedures of individual councils and the approach taken by planning officers and Councillors. For a no obligation consultation to discuss your project or property, please get in touch on 01332 347371 or by email at enquiries@planningdesign.co.uk

The new Planning Act – Will it see the light of day?

28th November 202218th January 2022 by Gary Stringer

The Planning White Paper, published in August 2020, promised the biggest shake-up of the planning system since the Second World War. However, there has been a re-think following the Tories’ Amersham and Chesham by-election defeat where planning dominated the campaign, with the electorate concerned that the proposed changes would make the planning system less democratic with less opportunities for communities to participate. Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant at Planning & Design Practice takes a look at what might be in store for the Act in 2022.

There is a section within the Conservative party who loathe the planning system on ideological grounds. It is seen as one of the last bastions of socialism one that should be scrapped to allow the market in land and property to be unfettered with development rights returned to landowners.

There is another section within the Conservative party who use the planning system to protect their often-privileged way of life. Those who have paid to live in the Green belt, in conservation areas, the coast, AONBs, National Parks etc and whose property prices reflect the constraints on development in those areas. There are also those who value tradition, the way areas look, protecting old buildings and the quality of the man made townscape and landscape of town and countryside. Whether it is protecting privilege or a way of life, anti-development protest has become a middle-class activity.

The planning system has been starved of resources in the last 10 years. The system has lost expertise, few councils have conservation officers, Development Control is often poorly paid and many of the best planners now work for the private sector. Enforcement is also laxer, undermining the faith people have in the system and its fairness. This lack of resources both at local level and nationally through the appeal process has slowed the system down. In wealthy areas councillors have become more anti-development to reflect the wishes of their constituents. This leads to planning officer’s recommendations being turned down and pressure on the appeal system. This has led to calls to simplify and speed up the system. Changes to the General Permitted Development Order have become labyrinthine and have reduced the scope of the planning system to control change particularly in urban areas. This has conversely increased the anxiety of those seeking to prevent development from allowing schemes fearing future changes that cannot be controlled.

The whole system is a mess, and the first thing is that it needs proper resourcing using public money. Michael Gove is now the minister responsible; few would mourn the loss of Robert Jenrick. Michael has said that public money for public goods , but can he do this for planning?

The second is a review of the GPDO, to make it sensible.

The third is a new white paper that seeks to create a proper system of local, regional, and national plans which provide direction and purpose helping to ensure that national infrastructure and climate change goals can be delivered with levelling up through a proper appraisal of the needs of the country.

The Planning White paper of 2020 (Planning for the Future) sought to further reduce the role of planning in public life. It sought to divide and rule with areas for growth, development, and protection. It tried to give protection to the wealthy and privileged while removing controls in poorer areas as a way of meeting the ideological divide at the heart of the party. The white paper was not about what is good for the country, or the well-being of its people and it should have been.

The white paper bit the dust following the Amersham and Chesham by election. A safe conservative seat to the liberal democrats who used the fear of the loss of a functioning planning system to win the seat. In the conservative heartlands, planning matters and I hope that the new white paper will look at the national picture in England to deliver for all the people in the country a national system that is equitable to all.

The new white paper is promised sometime this year. Let’s see….

Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

What is Class MA? Class E to Residential Applications

26th September 202328th September 2021 by Gary Stringer

PDP_Class MA, Class MA, Alternative Spacial Strategy

The Government has made efforts in recent years to simplify the planning processes to assist in the creation of new homes. One such initiative is the creation of a new Use Class, Class MA which allows a change from commercial (Class E) to residential use. This was introduced in 2021. Below we explain what Class MA is and the types of buildings that are eligible for the process.

What is Class MA?

Class MA allows most Class E properties (commercial) to be converted into residential properties. This is a prior approval process where the change of use is already acceptable in principle. A prior approval application must be made to the Local Planning Authority.

A prior approval application will be assessed against the following criteria:

Impact on transport and highway safety
Potential site contamination
Risk of flood
Noise from commercial units affecting or could affect residents
Natural light being required for all habitable rooms
The impact of the conversion on businesses in the area
Effect on local nurseries or health centres, where an impact assessment may be required.

What Uses Require Class MA

Examples of Class E properties that are eligible for Class MA change of use include:

Shops
Financial and professional services
Restaurants and cafes
Offices
Light industrial
Medical or health services
Crèches
Day nursery
Indoor sports including gyms

All of the above types of properties can be converted into residential properties provided that the floor space does not exceed 1,500 square metres. Note that this is for residential use only. Class C3 single-family dwellings cannot be converted into a House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) under Class MA.

Class E to Residential Limitations and Restrictions

While Class E to Residential (Class MA) applications are done via a prior approval process which is typically acceptable in principle, there are a few limitations and restrictions you should be aware of:

The property must be vacant for a period of 3 months before an application for prior approval can be made. If tenants occupy the property an application cannot be made.
The building must have been of Class E use for example as a shop or an office, for at least 2 years before the application was submitted.
Buildings cannot be converted where they are located within a national park, Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a World Heritage Site or where the building is Listed
Conversions cannot take place in designated ecological sites such as SSSIs (Sites of Special Scientific Interest) and SPAs (Special Protection Areas)
In a conservation area, any conversion of the ground floor will require a Heritage Impact Assessment
Planning fees are £100 and prior approval for a valid application will be deemed to be approved if no decision is made within 56 days of validation
Most ground floor commercial uses in town centres are valued higher than pure residential and commercial buildings on industrial estates. As such, they are unlikely to prove attractive
One thing to consider, rateable values and rents in city centres are steep. These need to drop considerably for conversions and re-use to become viable in such areas.

Contact Us Today

If you’re unsure about the Use Class Orders and how they relate to your business or property, we’re here to help. Our team of Planning Consultants, Architects, and Conservation Specialists are here to help you navigate complex planning applications from start to finish. Get in touch today to learn more about your options and what we can do to help you achieve a successful planning application.

The Fire Safety Bill and planning

29th November 20229th August 2021 by Gary Stringer

Measures to ensure that fire safety concerns are incorporated at the planning stage for high-rise residential developments have come into force.

From the 1st August for multi-occupied residential buildings over 18 metres -or 6 storeys, there will be a new requirement at the planning stage for a Fire Statement.

The new requirement, known as planning gateway one requires action before planning permission is granted when fire safety issues which impact on planning will be considered, including emergency fire vehicle access to a building and whether there are adequate water supplies in the event of a fire. To aid the local planning authority in their decision as to whether to grant planning permission, the developer will be required to submit a Fire Statement setting out fire safety considerations specific to the development with their planning application.

The Building Safety Regulator is the Health and Safety Executive and they are now a statutory consultee on all developments of multi-occupied buildings over 18m. It should be noted that permitted development under Class AA (the ability to build two extra floors above blocks of flats) does not apply if the resulting development exceeds 18m.

Any planning application for developments on top of existing offices or existing blocks of flats above 18m or 6 storeys will require a Fire Statement as well as for new building multi occupied towers or mixed use buildings.

The Housing minister, Christopher Pincher said: “This is a key step in our progress towards a new, risk-based building safety regime that will ensure fire safety is prioritised at every stage in the development of high-rise buildings.

“I am pleased to appoint the Health and Safety Executive as the statutory consultee, which will be on hand to provide its expertise to local planning authorities on these important fire safety elements.

“We are driving up the standards of safety for people’s homes and our new regulator – to be introduced under the building safety bill – will provide this essential oversight, from a building’s initial design, to providing homes in the future.”

The changes to planning requirements follow a key recommendation made by Dame Judith Hackitt that fire safety in high-rise buildings should be considered at the earliest possible stage in the planning process, as set out in her panel’s independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

It marks one of the first steps in the government’s major overhaul of building safety regulation. Last month, the housing secretary introduced the Building Safety Bill that will set a clear pathway for improved standards on how residential buildings should be constructed and maintained.

Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Amber Valley – Alternative Spatial Strategy Options

29th November 202227th July 2021 by Gary Stringer

Amber Valley Borough Council has just issued the Alternative Spatial Strategy Options consultation that will run until the 30th of September 2021. It has also issued the Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA).

The Strategy Options have two elements.

The first is the quantum of housing and the amount of employment land that should be allocated. There are three options based on a central point where they council believes they can meet both their housing and employment land needs. There is a higher figure to promote growth and a lower figure to restrict growth in the Borough. The central figure is sufficient land for 6,395 dwellings and 42.33ha of employment land. The figure for growth is land for 7994 dwellings and 54.8ha of employment land and the lower figure is 4,796 homes and 34.2ha of employment land.

All these figures should be seen in the context that in 2019 the council were committed to building 9,977 dwellings and releasing 42ha of employment land. Since 2019 the government has changed the method for calculating housing need and the requirement to take housing from Derby, effectively overspill, has gone.

We believe that Amber Valley should pursue a growth agenda, unemployment is currently 4.5% and there is a need to secure employment, particularly in manufacturing. With new jobs comes new housing as jobs and homes should be located close to each other to minimise commuting and to reduce carbon emissions.

The second element is the spatial distribution of homes and employment land. The first option is to focus growth on the edge of Derby but outside the Green Belt. The second is to disburse growth into the villages and away from existing urban areas. The third is for a major urban extension or a new settlement outside the Green Belt, while the fourth is to concentrate development around Alfreton, Belper, Heanor and Ripley and on the edge of Derby with more limited growth in villages.

The fourth option is the likely outcome, but a major urban expansion of Derby, perhaps at Mackworth and Radbourne is a reasonable other option.

It is likely that the council will end up seeking to take the middle course but there will be pressure to limit development and it is important that we are seen to pursue a growth agenda.

The SHELAA is available on the Council’s web-site and it shows which sites have been considered and those considered suitable. It is likely that the quantum of land will broadly meet the middle option.

Jonathan Jenkin, Consultant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning & Design announce new Directors

29th November 202223rd June 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd are excited to announce two new additions to its Board of Directors.

With effect from July 1, 2021, Specialist Conservation Architect Lindsay Cruddas and Chartered Town Planner Michael Bamford join Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Chartered Town Planners Richard Pigott, and Jon Millhouse as Directors of the Derby based team of town planning consultants, architects, and heritage specialists. This diversification of the board represents both our increasing architectural ambition and the continuing growth of our Sheffield office.

Lindsay said: “After leading the Architectural Team for over 6 years I’m delighted to be appointed as a Director. The change in the company reinforces our practice core values that Planning and Architecture go hand in hand to make spaces better for the people who live in and use them. We are all excited to assist our clients in developing new and exciting projects.”

Michael added “I am excited to be a part of the next chapter in the future of Planning & Design. We have seen considerable growth over the past 2 years within the Yorkshire region as well as across the country and I look forward to working with the team to continue to deliver projects we are proud of.”

The news coincides with the announcement that Planning & Design’s Founder Jonathan Jenkin is stepping down as Managing Director to work part time in a consultancy role.

Jonathan said: “In order to strike a better work/life balance I am stepping back to work part time. The new Directors are talented and ambitious, they will bring fresh drive and capability to the company and this change represents an important milestone. I wish the new board every success and as they represent all aspects of the company’s business, I am confident that the company has a bright future as leaders in architecture and town planning. This is certainly not a goodbye from me, and I look forward to my new role as Chairman of the Board, and the opportunities it presents to strengthen relationships with our key clients as well as develop new ones.”

A chartered town planning consultant and building designer, Jonathan has developed the company, established its core values and delivered many hundreds of projects since the company was founded in 2002.

As Managing Director of Planning & Design, Jonathan has been responsible for the company’s overall operation on a day-to-day basis, working together with existing Directors Richard Pigott and Jon Millhouse on developing, implementing, and informing the strategic vision for the business.

Since being founded in 2002 Planning & Design Practice Ltd has generated over £200m of uplift in land values for clients through its consents and proposals and has an excellent reputation for winning approvals and for creating attractive and viable proposals. The architectural side of the business boasts an approachable and experienced team comprising architects, architectural assistants, designers, and technicians. Our architects have true international expertise having worked on large scale projects in Russia, Germany, Spain and the United States as well as across the UK. The company is able to design award winning proposals for a wide range of clients across the country.

The company also has a heritage team who can advise on listed buildings and developments in sensitive locations whilst maintaining a strong planning consultancy team. In 2019 our heritage work was recognised and awarded the Highly Commended Certificate for Excellence in Planning for Heritage & Culture at the recent RTPI East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence 2019. The Highly Commended Certificate was for our work on the redevelopment of the ‘East Site’ at John Smedley Mills, Lea Bridge.

Planning & Design Practice has a close connection with Sheffield, having long maintained an office in the city and with numerous clients and projects in the region. In 2019 the company made a significant investment in their presence in Sheffield with a move to new premises at The Workstation, the city’s leading business centre for creative talent and innovation in the heart of its thriving Cultural Industries Quarter.

Speaking on behalf of the current Directors, Richard Pigott said:

“We are delighted to welcome Michael and Lindsay as Directors, having worked with them both for a number of years. They will bring fresh energy and different perspectives to the company as we strive to achieve our strategic objectives. After 10 years of working with and learning from Jonathan we are also delighted he will remain an integral part of the business as his vast experience and contacts will continue to be important for the business.”

Secretary of State to decide fate of Derby Assembly Rooms

29th November 202226th April 2021 by Gary Stringer

Councillors have backed controversial plans to demolish the 1970s Derby Assembly Rooms but have handed the final decision to the Secretary of State. Planning & Design Practice Ltd Managing Director Jonathan Jenkin writes about this latest development.

In a personal capacity I objected to the demolition of the Derby Assembly rooms because I felt that the building could be retained either as a venue or be available for re-purposing. I spoke at the meeting and I asked members consider using the building as part of the revival of the city centre rather than turning their backs on the building. The council has declared a climate emergency. Demolishing this building and building new will exacerbate climate change not reduce it and will see the waste of a building which could be re-purposed or continue to be used.

The reason the council want to demolish the building is that the proposed major refurbishment of the building has become too expensive. This refurbishment is not about re-opening the doors, it is to re-make the Assembly Rooms as a performance venue that is future proof rather than being willing to use what is there. The refurbishment would take at least a couple of years and the costs have ballooned because the works must last at least 15 years and that brings into question the original construction of the building.

It is complex situation but the council has not looked at repairing what is there and opening the doors. We need to revive the city centre now and the building can help and not hinder the revival as it will do if it is abandoned. In 2014 the building was operating and was safe. The ground floor of the building continued to be used until 2018 and parts of the building could be re-opened tomorrow and thus breathe new life into Market Square.

The council are committing to the proposed Becketwell venue on the edge of the city centre and there is no need for two city centre performance venues. This I believe has affected the decision making process and make the Assembly Rooms seem less important. It must be considered that the St James Securities venue may never be built and while waiting for the new venue the Assembly Rooms will deteriorate and the city centre will suffer.

The planning application has been called in by the Secretary of State. This provides a second opportunity to object to the proposed demolition. I call on all those who want to save the building to push for a further report on the building with the aim of re-opening the doors and in the meantime for the council to re-open those parts of the building including providing short term leases for the former restaurant and the tourist information centre so these and any other parts of the building can re-open this summer.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

NDSA – Round table discussion on Government’s Planning White Paper

29th November 202220th April 2021 by Gary Stringer

Our Managing Director, Jonathan Jenkin recently joined an expert guest panel to look at the potential implications of the Government’s planning white paper on the built environment and it’s possible impact on the architecture profession.

The Nottingham and Derby Society of Architects – NDSA – recently hosted a live Round Table Discussion with an expert panel of consultants, architects, planners, planning committee officers and other built environment stakeholders and professionals. This was a first of it’s kind for the NDSA in terms of format but also in the comprehensiveness and complexity of the issues raised.

We are very fortunate to have had the time of those who participated. Both the effectiveness of the format and the power of debate is evidenced in the results of our opening and closing poll, which asked attendees of their views on the White Paper.

Included within the guest panel in running order were:

Philip Waddy, Chair of RIBA National Planning Group and Managing Director of WWA Studios
Laura Alvarez, East Midlands Convenor for the Urban Design Group and Senior Principal Urban Design and Conservation Officer at Nottingham City Council
Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning Design Ltd
Linda Woodings, Basford Ward Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Planning, Housing and Heritage
Jamie King, Founder and Director of Nottinghamshire based practice KOR Architects
Pavlos Kotsonis, Planning Committee member and Nottingham City Councillor
David Birkbeck, Design for Homes director and co-author of Building for Life

It was our hope that the NDSA, as a group working together within the architecture profession and as representatives of the two counties RIBA membership, that we could provide a platform for healthy debate and discussion and ultimately for us all to come away with an improved understanding of the key areas contained within the White Paper. What the proposals mean for us as industry professionals but also the broader implications were something we had hoped to be highlighted throughout the event.

The evening began by handing each guest speaker the floor to lay out in succession their own understanding of the White paper and possible implications, drawing from their respective areas of experience and expertise. From this we were able to pull together a very rounded view, one which was otherwise inaccessible to us.

The panelists were previously asked to draw our audiences towards specific areas of attention, concern or intrigue. From this, we successfully learned much about the content and nature of the 80 page document issued by the government in Autumn of 2020.

Following the round of presentations we moved into open dialogue amongst the panelists themselves, who had the opportunity to expand upon key points and the overlapping topics to emerge from the run of presentations. The panelists also had the opportunity to present a counter argument to some of the positions adopted on the White Paper by their fellow speakers.

The event featured a live Q&A where those in attendance were able to pose questions directly to the panelists. Permitting our membership the opportunity to engage directly in the debate is a feature in all our live events, which on this occasion was moderated by NDSA Committee Officer Sara Saadouni.

We opened and concluded the event with a poll, asking if attendees were generally for, against or undecided on the overall content of the White Paper. The results read as follows:

Opening poll results:

For: 26%
Against: 21%
Undecided: 53%

Closing poll result:

For: 18%
Against: 68%
Undecided: 14%

At subsequent Committee meetings and upon much reflection, the NDSA felt the event showed that the complexity of the subjects covered raised questions over how RIBA members are generally informed but also represented at a National level. Some work is now under way by the NDSA to examine how this arrangement can be improved upon.

This event was recorded and is available for free to all on the NDSA website and on their YouTube channel.

Planning & Design celebrate 20 years

The window is opening for protected species surveys

Section 73 application approved for redevelopment of Derbyshire farmstead

The new Planning Act – Will it see the light of day?

What is Class MA? Class E to Residential Applications

What is Class MA?

What Uses Require Class MA

Class E to Residential Limitations and Restrictions

Contact Us Today

The Fire Safety Bill and planning

Amber Valley – Alternative Spatial Strategy Options

Planning & Design announce new Directors

Secretary of State to decide fate of Derby Assembly Rooms

NDSA – Round table discussion on Government’s Planning White Paper

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