THE Building Garden Communities programme, in partnership with SELEP (South East Local Enterprise Partnership), Essex Developers Group and Kent Developers Group, brought together a round table of experts on 24 September to discuss the government’s white paper on planning reforms and its potential impact on garden communities.

The round table discussed the current planning system, thoughts on the planned proposals, the importance of infrastructure and what they believed would be the key drivers for garden communities.

Key highlights included:

• The need for a local plan to help drive development forward in a viable way
• Better resource for planning and development departments in councils 
• A call for government to have a national policy framework for garden communities with their own infrastructure and funding plans
• Infrastructure to be prioritised with NSIP (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project) status to help move proposals forward.

The full report is now available to read here.

The round table was part of a wider programme bringing together experts from across the region to highlight the opportunities and challenges for garden communities with support from SELEP, Essex Developers Group and Kent Developers Group.

Participants included Victoria Hills, RTPI; Jonathan Buckwell, DHA Planning; Mark Curle, Essex Developers Group; Nick Fenton, Kent Developers Group; Tara Gbloade, Gbolade Design Studio; Liz Gibney, Lee Evans Partnership LLP; David Godfrey, Kent County Council; Carl Hockey, CHP; Brian Horton, SELEP; Guy Nicholson, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town; Alastair Pollock, South Essex Housing Group; Jeremy Potter, Chelmsford City Council; Andrew Taylor, Countryside and Rupert Warren QC, Landmark Chambers.

In the SELEP area, the government has already supported proposals for 134,600 new homes, along with around 90 hectares of employment land and 36 new schools, providing a third of the government’s planned garden community homes.

You can find more details on the programme at gardencommunities.co.uk

brought together a round table of experts on 24 September to discuss the government’s white paper on planning reforms and its potential impact on garden communities.

The round table discussed the current planning system, thoughts on the planned proposals, the importance of infrastructure and what they believed would be the key drivers for garden communities.

Key highlights included:

• The need for a local plan to help drive development forward in a viable way
• Better resource for planning and development departments in councils 
• A call for government to have a national policy framework for garden communities with their own infrastructure and funding plans
• Infrastructure to be prioritised with NSIP (Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project) status to help move proposals forward.

The full report is now available to read here.

The round table was part of a wider programme bringing together experts from across the region to highlight the opportunities and challenges for garden communities with support from SELEP, Essex Developers Group and Kent Developers Group.

Participants included Victoria Hills, RTPI; Jonathan Buckwell, DHA Planning; Mark Curle, Essex Developers Group; Nick Fenton, Kent Developers Group; Tara Gbloade, Gbolade Design Studio; Liz Gibney, Lee Evans Partnership LLP; David Godfrey, Kent County Council; Carl Hockey, CHP; Brian Horton, SELEP; Guy Nicholson, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town; Alastair Pollock, South Essex Housing Group; Jeremy Potter, Chelmsford City Council; Andrew Taylor, Countryside and Rupert Warren QC, Landmark Chambers.

In the SELEP area, the government has already supported proposals for 134,600 new homes, along with around 90 hectares of employment land and 36 new schools, providing a third of the government’s planned garden community homes.

You can find more details on the programme at gardencommunities.co.uk