The Brailsford River Restoration Project demonstrates how planners have effectively marshalled a range of technical evidence and presented a planning application in a form which made a positive decision straightforward.

The project was instigated by the owner of a private country estate wishing to improve the management of a watercourse which in times of flood was impacting adversely on his trout hatchery ponds. 

The owner commissioned a scheme which involved multiple parties to develop an ecological design to move the main river channel and widen the riparian zone to create a natural brook flow able to accommodate seasonal changes in waterflow without detriment to the trout hatchery whilst at the same time bringing about wider ecological and landscape improvements to the estate. The judges were impressed by the quality of the planning statement which summarised the benefits of the scheme, set out the policy basis for approval, shaped how it was understood and provided a consent ready narrative directly leading to the securing of planning permission. Stakeholder engagement as part of the application preparation meant no objections were raised when the application was submitted to the District Council.

The application was thus processed swiftly for approval. The scheme itself improves landscape, safeguards hatchery and angling interests, controls flood water and improves biodiversity significantly within a private country estate. It also incorporates a commitment to biodiversity net gain levels which significantly exceed basic requirements, helps to deal with the impacts of climate change and incorporates a full commitment to long term monitoring. The scheme and entry demonstrates key strengths which planners bring to a scheme requiring planning consent - the importance of setting out clearly the policy framework to support approval, ensuring that local interests understand and appreciate the proposal, the translation of complex reports into a decision