CPRE Buckinghamshire Planning Roadshow

The Bucks branch of the Council for the Protection of Rural England held its first ever conference at Bledlow Village Hall on Saturday 6 May, 2017. I had the pleasure of attending this event both as Mayor and as a representative of the Planning Committee of the Town Council.

This is my brief report of the event. (link to slides is below)

The speakers, with my added (very much summary!) notes from what they said

Cheryl Gillan was the MP for Chesham and Amersham and is President of CPRE Buckinghamshire. (Cheryl was the Vice Chair of All Party Parliamentary Groups on Ancient Woodland and the Environment and has been a long standing champion for protection of the countryside and Green Belt in Bucks) Ms Gillan gave the welcome address and opened the event with some observations on the current state of planning in rural areas.

• Preservation of the rural and urban environments is critical to our country
• Any fool can impose a planning policy on a rural environment, but it takes a local community to build a local place
• There are so many influences on the rural environment, for example Slough are trying to export their housing needs on South Bucks
• We need to be vigilant about the Green Belt areas - they are the lungs of London and the Belt is under threat
• We need our woodland to mitigate air pollution
• Even though Areas of Natural Beauty are meant to inviolable, HS2 shows that to be untrue. We must protect AONBs
• We must not throw away the EU protections of the environment as we Brexit
• It is not about NIMBYism: well planned development is to be welcomed
• The CPRE are seeking support for their manifesto in the General Election to:

• get strong protection for Green Belt and AONBs
• invest in urban regeneration
• keep public funding for farming beyond just food
• smarter travel / integrated travel policies are critical
• less waste and pollution
•  transpose EU protections into UK law 

Peter Lerner spoke about the recently published Housing White Paper, its influence on local planning policy and how local people can make the best use of the planning system. (Peter Lerner is a chartered town planner with over 40 years’ experience, working both as a local authority officer and as a consultant to local authorities. He has led planning teams in authorities in Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Greater London, and still retains his enthusiasm for an ever more complex and confusing planning system. Outside of work he is a loyal supporter of Wycombe Wanderers football club.)

• Peter is a supporter of CPRE but not a member or representative
• it is vital to shape local planning policies
• note: 80% of applications are granted
• local views must be taken into account
• the system needs simplifying - for developing and maintaining local plans
• application fees are likely to rise by 20% with hypothecation
• planning appeals may not remain free
• but white paper did not mention...
• early 2017 time limit on local plans
• competitive planning administration (maybe rowing back on this?)
• increased permitted development rights
• Peter was sad that it did not mention:
• planning to involve planning for jobs
• infrastructure boosting a key part of local planning
• planning in rural areas in particular 

Dr Geoffrey Botting spoke about how to get the most out of a neighbourhood plan and answering key questions – Are neighbourhood plans worth the effort? What’s in it for the community? How do I start the process and what’s needed for success? (Geoff Botting is the vice-chair of the Woodcote Parish Council in Oxfordshire. He led the team that produced the Woodcote Neighbourhood Plan, one of the first dozen to be made nationally, and is currently leading the production of the village’s second Neighbourhood Plan. When he’s not involved in planning and parish matters, Geoff spends his time restoring old British motorcycles.)

• This was the most cogent presentation with some very informative slides. So I probably made least notes! But here goes:
• Borne of frustration, a sense of powerlessness, great concern for the village and a new opportunity, 15 people came together to drive forward the Neighbourhood Planning process. They worked and methodically and reckoned it took 5 person years worth of work. 
• The Neighbourhood Plan was made in May 2014
• They did not use consultants. They learnt a lot along the way: upskilling is crucial
• And yes it was worth it: many benefits
• Now embarking on updating the plan as the context has changed and they learnt several things since their first plan. 

Dr Stan Jones spoke about what CPRE is doing to influence the planning system and provided closing remarks for the event. (Stan Jones is the Chair of CPRE Buckinghamshire, a Parish Councillor in Bucks and a trustee of the London Green Belt Council. Stan has also worked extensively with councils for the benefit of the community in Newcastle via City Challenges and Regeneration Partnerships. In addition to this, Stan has a keen interest in ceramic and pottery technology.)

• Summarised some of the key points
• Explained some more about the CPRE
• Thanked everyone for coming

So overall, a very worthwhile event. As I say, once I get the slides sent to me, I will upload here. UPDATE: slides now available here.