Bell Cornwell Chartered Town Planners

08/11/2024

🌟 Celebrating Our Outstanding Planning Team!

Today we're shining a spotlight on our exceptional planners who shape the future of development across multiple sectors:
🏗️ Strategic Planning
🌱 Renewable Energy
⚡ Infrastructure Projects
🏘️ Housing Developments
🏭 Industrial Development
🌾 Agricultural Planning
📋 Confirmation of Lawfulness
✅ Achieving the Necessary Approvals

Their expertise guides projects from initial concept, navigating through the complex planning system to ensure sustainable, practical solutions for our clients.

Our planners don't just process applications - they are expert problem solvers and work hard developing strategies that achieve our clients' objectives.

Proud to work alongside such talented professionals! 👏

07/11/2024

The new uniform looks great - good luck on the court!!!

Our U16 Boys Basketball Team are looking great in their new kit! Our thanks to our sponsor Bell Cornwell Chartered Town Planners for their generous support. Best of luck team with your upcoming matches! Amery Hill School

20/08/2024

🚨 Draft NPPF Update Part 5: A Potential Shift in the Tilted Balance 🚨

In the next part of our series, we explore the potential shift in the tilted balance introduced in the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Significant updates to paragraph 11 could reshape how the 'presumption in favour of sustainable development' is applied.

The key change? A shift from focusing on 'most important' policies to policies 'for the supply of land'. This aims to reduce the legal disputes over policy interpretation and offer more clarity to applicants.
Moreover, reintroducing the minimum 5-year land supply requirement could lead to more successful speculative planning applications and encourage LPAs to accelerate their local plans.

Curious about how these changes might impact housing delivery? Read our full article here: https://lnkd.in/eKa-hEu7

As always, we're here to help you navigate these changes and seize the opportunities they may present

20/08/2024

🌐 Draft NPPF Update Part 4: Cross-Boundary Strategic Planning 🏙️

Part 4 in our series discusses the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and its encouragement of cross-boundary strategic planning, with far greater emphasis than the current version of the document.

🔑 Key points covered in our article:

📌 The introduction of new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning
📌 Mandated collaboration among local planning authorities, building on the current duty to cooperate
📌 Coordination on significant infrastructure projects and addressing unmet development needs
📌 The potential for a step change in development opportunities, if these measures are successful

This move towards more robust cross-boundary planning could open up exciting possibilities for sustainable growth and development. However, it also presents new challenges that will require a shift in mindset for many local planning authorities and land ownership constraints to be addressed.

We invite you to read our analysis on our website: https://lnkd.in/eD7uXVa3

As always, we're here to help you navigate these changes and seize the opportunities they may present.

Have thoughts on this shift towards regional planning? We'd love to hear your perspective in the comments below!

20/08/2024

🔢 Draft NPPF Update Part 3: The New Standard Methodology ➕

📢 As part of our ongoing series in the updates to the NPPF, today we discuss the new Standard Methodology.

🧮 New Standard Methodology: The proposed amendments to the NPPF introduce a simplified two-step process for calculating local housing need, to be applied consistently across the country. This method aims to boost housing delivery, projecting 371,500 new homes annually across England. See our website for a more detailed summary of these important proposals: https://lnkd.in/ebAHHkHy

As planners, we see these potential changes as a positive step towards addressing housing shortages and promoting sustainable development. They will offer new opportunities for our clients in the development sector and challenge us to think more strategically about housing delivery.

We're here to help you navigate these changes and make the most of the opportunities they present. If you have any questions about how these updates might affect your projects, don't hesitate to reach out.

20/08/2024

🏘️ Draft NPPF Update Part 2: Local Plan Preparation 🏗️

📢 In part 2 of our NPPF Updates, we focus on the transitional arrangements for Local Plan preparation and cross-boundary planning. 📰

📝 Local Plan Preparation: The draft changes introduce transitional arrangements for emerging Local Plans, which will vary depending on the stage they have reached and the extent to which their housing requirement falls short of the newly published Local Housing Need (LHN) figures.

🔄 Early Reviews: In certain circumstances, well-advanced Local Plans, with housing requirements that fall significantly short of the new LHN, will need early review.

🌐 Cross-Boundary Planning: The Government is reinforcing the existing need for cross-boundary strategic planning, elevating the requirement to collaborate with adjoining LPAs. This potential shift towards regional or sub-regional approaches would mark a move away from the objectives of the 2011 Localism Act.

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eVHQAmyG

If you have any questions or current projects – we're here to ensure your planning objectives are met in this evolving landscape.

20/08/2024

🏘️ Draft NPPF Update Part 1: Housing Land Supply 🏗️

As town planners, we're excited to share the draft changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In the first of a series of posts highlighting the most significant proposed amendments, we are starting with the hottest topic, which is housing land supply.

If adopted, these updates are set to reshape the planning landscape, and we're here to guide you through the key points, which reinforce the Government’s direction of travel for planning policy.

📊 Housing Land Supply: The new NPPF largely reverses the December 2023 changes, removing protections for Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) at Regulation 18 or 19 stage of their Local Plan. This significant shift would mean:

· LPAs must again demonstrate a rolling minimum 5-year housing land supply (5YHLS), even with recently adopted plans.

· The 5% buffer will be reintroduced alongside the existing 20% buffer for LPAs with significant under-delivery.

These proposed changes aim to hold LPAs accountable for housing delivery and support the government's ambitious housebuilding targets. See our website for a more detailed look at this proposed change - https://lnkd.in/ePUduTey

We're here to help you navigate these changes and make the most of the opportunities they present. If you have any questions about how these updates might affect your projects, don't hesitate to reach out.

24/07/2024

We're delighted to welcome Mark Cooke MRTPI to Bell Cornwell as an Associate in our Hampshire office! 🎉

Mark brings a wealth of experience in:
❇ Residential planning (traditional & MMC)
❇ Town centre regeneration
❇ Green Infrastructure strategies
❇ Development management
❇ Site appraisals

With a background in local government and private sector roles, Mark offers invaluable insights from both planning and developer perspectives.

A chartered member of the RTPI since 2016, Mark holds a BA in Geography from Exeter University and an MA in Town and Country Planning from UWE.

Join us in welcoming Mark to the team!

24/07/2024

Martin Moss shares his insights!
Exciting news for property developers and investors in London! 📣🏙️

Recent changes to the "Class MA" Permitted Development rights have opened up new opportunities for converting commercial buildings to residential use. As of 5 March 2024, the previous restrictions on vacant properties and maximum floor space have been lifted.

Key benefits include:
✅ No affordable housing requirement
✅ No need for unit size mix
✅ No amenity space provision
✅ No sustainability targets
✅ No pre-commencement conditions
✅ No Section 106 financial contributions

This presents a unique window of opportunity until early 2025 to secure Prior Approval for converting large, occupied Class E buildings into residential properties.
Read the full article here: https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/news/class-ma-permitted-development/

Interested in exploring these possibilities? Our team at Bell Cornwell LLP is here to help with site appraisals, prior approval applications and securing planning permission.
Contact us to see how we can maximise your property's potential! 🏠💼

The advantages of securing residential conversion under permitted development rightsWhilst housing delivered under national permitted development rights must comply with NDSS minimum size standards, they do not otherwise allow LPAs to apply their Local Plan policy requirements

19/07/2024

King's Speech 2024: Major Planning Reforms on the Horizon 🏗️

The new Labour government has signalled significant changes to our planning system through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill announced in the King's Speech. Key headlines include:

✅ Reintroducing mandatory housebuilding targets of 1.5 million new homes over five years, reversing the changes made by the previous government in December 2023.
✅ A fresh attempt to reform the planning process, speeding it up to allow more homes and infrastructure to be built.
✅Further reforms to compulsory purchase order rules are being considered to reduce the risk of this holding up development delivery.
✅ Recognition that local planning authorities need better funding and support to enable these aspirations to be delivered.

Bell Cornwell understands that these changes will not happen overnight or all simultaneously. We will be on hand to keep track of the evolving landscape:

🔷 Proactively monitor all upcoming changes and provide regular, clear updates on how these reforms might affect your projects so that you are prepared.
🔷 Navigate the new system for you to ensure your planning needs are met.
We're here to guide you in making the most of these new opportunities.

Please contact us if you have any questions about how these changes might impact your plans or if you have any projects you'd like to explore.