Forthcoming events:
15 October - Self Build CPD
14 November - Joint CPD event with West Midlands Young Planners on Local Plans
28 November - Festive Social and Quiz
Recent events:
"On the 11 September I had the pleasure of hosting a fantastic walking tour of Cheltenham as part of the RTPI Gloucestershire Young Planners events, bringing together a diverse range of speakers from the council, Cheltenham BID, commercial property management, and the private planning sector. It was inspiring to see how professionals from different sectors can collaborate to shape the future of Cheltenham.
Thank you to:
Chris Gomm from Cheltenham Borough Council for sharing updates on the North Place car park and Cavendish House.
Paul Jenkins MRTPI from SF Planning for discussing the exciting development of the Quadrangle and its positive impact.
Philip Martin from Martin Commercial Properties, who provided valuable insights into the development of the Brewery Quarter and its importance to the local economy.
Francesca Inman from Cheltenham BID, who highlighted the BID’s vital role and ongoing collaborations to enhance the town.
It was a great turnout with engaging discussions throughout the day. We had the chance to explore some exciting developments in the pipeline for Cheltenham, which promise to enhance the town’s future growth and vibrancy. It’s clear that through collaboration across sectors, we can continue to unlock Cheltenham’s full potential.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended and toRidge and Partners LLPfor sponsoring the event. The future of Cheltenham is looking bright!"
Daniel Jones, Chair of Gloucestershire Young Planners
Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Young Planners' Cotswold Water Park Event: A Day of Learning and Fun
On July 18, 2024, the Gloucestershire Young Planners hosted their second Cotswold Water Park event, combining professional development with outdoor activities. The day kicked off with an informative nature walk led by experts from Tyler Grange, our sponsors for the event.
During the walk, participants gained valuable insights into assessing site constraints from landscape, ecology, and arboricultural perspectives. Topics covered included invasive species management, soil compaction effects on tree growth, ash tree disease, and strategies for tree replacement.
After the educational portion, attendees enjoyed a casual pizza lunch, providing an excellent opportunity for networking and discussing the morning's learnings. The afternoon saw participants taking to the water for some friendly competition. Attendees could choose between participating in paddle boarding games and group challenges or opting for a more relaxed kayaking experience around the lake.
The event successfully blended professional development with outdoor recreation, offered a unique opportunity for young planners to enhance their understanding of environmental considerations in planning while connecting with nature.
Great way to start off the Gloucestershire Young Planners events this year with a talk around the process of emerging Local Plans at our Strategic Planning Breakfast Seminar on the 8 February.
This was a a key topic area noting the Local Plan consultations that have recently been released in the area:
- The Strategic and Local Plan Regulation 18 consultation (deadline of 12th March 2024)
- Cotswold Local Plan Update Regulation 18 consultation (deadline of 24th March 2024)
Key take home messages were:
- Providing a greater understanding to landowners/clients about the promotion of their land for development through the Local Plan process can be challenging, but with the recent emphasis from the Government to streamline and encourage Local Plan making, this has become increasingly important.
- The Local Plan consultations held for each stage are important, however, it is the representations submitted to the Regulation 19 consultation that Inspectors will review, and therefore it is at this stage that technical detail should be undertaken and submitted to support proposed allocations.
- Challenging a Local Plan can be only be undertaken once the Local Plan is adopted and up to 6 weeks following its adoption. It can then be a lengthy process if it is accepted that the challenge can go to the High Court.
A huge thank you to Hcrlaw.com for sponsoring and hosting the event, and a special thanks to key speakers Rosalind Andrews, Claire Bromley Daniel O'Neill and Hannah M. for enabling a thought-provoking discussion.
The Gloucestershire Young planners held their inaugural (hopefully soon to be annual) Christmas Quiz on 30th November at Bottle of Sauce in Cheltenham. It was a great start to the festive season with some fantastic Christmas jumpers on display.
Full of Pizza and wine, the competitive spirits set in, and it was a battle of local consultancies to see who could remember their GCSE geography lessons (anyone remember an Oxbow lake?) and more importantly testing their planning knowledge.
The event was sponsored jointly by Carrington West and Rappor, a big thank you to them for helping to create a fantastic evening.
In September, Gloucestershire Young Planners together with Wiltshire Young Planners took to the waters at Cotswold water park. The event began with a walking tour and talk at Lake 16 with speakers from SF Planning who will discuss recent planning appeals on site within the Waterpark. Afterwards they then took part in some water based activities. Not everyone managed to stay dry, but all enjoyed the opportunity.
In July, we met in the City of Gloucester for a regeneration walking tour on what may have been the month's only day of sunshine. Expertly guided by Adam Sheppard from the University of Gloucestershire, the walking tour explored projects at various spatial scales, each with its own approach, budget and complexity but all playing an important part in shifting and shaping the perception of the City. Thanks to Adam for sharing his passion for the City and to Zesta Planning who sponsored the event and post-walk lunch. Attendees were really positive about the event and we are considering another similar event in 2024
In June, the 'Ecology and BNG in practice' breakfast seminar welcomed key speakers, Aidan March (CSA Environmental), Ed Gant (Lichen Studio's) and Rosalind Andrews (Harrison Clark Rickerbys) to share key insights on the forthcoming mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain. The Q&A session delivered healthy provocation and insight into some of the challenges of delivery, including how the development management process must reconcile the scale of nature recovery required with the fuzzy geography of administrative boundaries. The speakers highlighted the importance of early consideration of BNG matters in the development process to ensure the most appropriate strategy is secured. Thank you to Harrison Clark Rickerbys for sponsoring the breakfast and hosting the event in their Cheltenham Offices. Feedback has been really positive and we are consdiering a similar event in Jan/Feb 2024.
