SF Planning Limited

An incredible result for professional quash player, Nathan Lake, who we are very proud to sponsor. Nathan joined the England squash team for this year's World Team Championships, taking silver in the finals. 🥈 #proudsponsors #prosport #squash Professional Squash Association England Squash World Squash Federation (WSF) East Glos Club, Cheltenham — Tennis, padel, squash, racketball

Revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) - a guide for our clients and contacts. No doubt there will be a fair few of these summaries around. We’ve created ours to be as relevant as possible for our clients, while attempting to keep things simple. We’ve also included a table with details of revised housing delivery figures for the local planning authorities we work within most frequently. Lots of opportunities for landowners and developers, but as always, the finer details are all-important. SF Planning Limited’s consultants are ready to discuss the changes, and how they could relate to your sites and applications.

NPPF comparison ❗ Just before we sign-off for the day, we're sharing this in case it's useful for anyone. It's a direct comparison document that might help if you're looking for a straightforward way to see the changes to the NPPF. Simon Firkins MRTPI Mark Godson MRTPI Becky Brown MRTPI Paul Jenkins MRTPI Gary Dickens Martin Chandler MRTPI Aiden Xuezi Zhang Liz Shield MRTPI Clare Cambridge Nathan Halloran Molly Rawlinson Maya Rubello

📣 Important Announcement - temporary office closure. In anticipation of the release of the new NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework, for anyone outside the sector), our offices will be closed from 2pm today to allow our team some time to focus on and digest the changes. Or... ...it *might* be our Christmas party 🎄 🎅 🥳. Normal service will resume tomorrow. See you on the other side 🥂.

Thanks to Andrew Merrell from The Raikes Journal for the mention, as he attempts to uncover the reason(s) for the millions of unspent CIL and S106 developer contributions in Gloucestershire. A really important article, including some useful context from Cheltenham Borough Council, as a result of Andrew's research. Mark Godson MRTPI has a close eye on the accumulating 'pot' of unspent money and any decisions made by the newly formed 'CIL joint committee', formed by Cheltenham Borough, Tewkesbury Borough and Gloucester City Councils. It's a particularly relevant subject for our SME developer clients; Mandatory contributions are one of many hurdles on the way to good quality, deliverable and affordable housing, and it's a bitter pill to see such vast sums unspent. It's also something the public may not be aware of. With a government target to deliver 1.5 million new homes (during the current parliament), how the public feel about new development is particularly important. The benefits that developer contributions can and should bring to a community play an important part in public perception. We’d recommend reading the Raikes Journal article, along with the full report from the Home Builders Federation - (https://lnkd.in/eaVNm8nf)

Successful Appeal - 7 New homes on a brownfield site in Cortswold AONB Great decision by the inspector in this case, who agreed that "the significance of the public benefits...outweighs the less than substantial harm that would be caused to the heritage asset" Read the full story here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ebysJiwJ Congratulations to Castlethorpe Homes, and SFP's Gary Dickens and Paul Jenkins MRTPI, and thanks to the following for their support with this project: BRD Environmental Ltd, DTA Transport Planning, Foundations Archaeology, Infrastruct Cs Limited, Lambert Smith Hampton, LandArb, LLC, Trower Davies Ltd.

The first in a series of blogs, focussing on the planning system as is relates to SME developers. Next up, the impact of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) on SMEs.

Thanks to Maya Rubello and Molly Rawlinson for representing SF Planning Limited and the Royal Town Planning Institute at Wycliffe College’s career day today. As a recent graduate and current student, their experiences of beginning a career in planning will be really relatable, and we’re hoping to inspire some more future planners.

Congratulations to Martin Chandler MRTPI on being invited to join the Gloucestershire Design Review Panel! 👏 The panel is described by its website as "an independent, multi-disciplinary panel who wish to make a positive contribution to the quality of Gloucestershire’s built environment. The panel reviews schemes that are significant by nature of their scale, impact, sensitivity, or because they are likely to set a precedent for future proposals. Projects can be proposed by the developer, planning authority or members of the public. A panel of five or six professionals are selected to give constructive impartial advice, different perspectives and can pinpoint any weaknesses ahead of the planning application." Martin’s experience and balanced approach make him perfect for the role, and his extensive expertise in planning will be a fantastic asset. We’re looking forward to seeing the positive impact he’ll have. Well done, Martin. Well-deserved recognition of your skills and dedication to planning and place-making. Find out more about the Gloucestershire Design Review Panel, and their work here: ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eC8bjXCi

£295m, on the application process alone! More than double the cost to build the world's longest road bridge. Perhaps an extreme example of the red tape and spiralling costs associated with applying for planning permission, but in no way isolated. In fact, SME developers, whose costs are already squeezed by a myriad of external factors, are disproportionately affected by the same pressures, and it's becoming a real cause for concern. https://lnkd.in/eUTSiTiz