Planning Authority of the Year
Crawley Borough Council
Crawley's small planning team achieved exceptional results last year in overcoming an unprecedented and unique combination of challenges. Highlights include, despite the Water Neutrality constraint, adoption of a new Local Plan following the examination Inspectors’ ringing endorsement of the country’s first Water Neutrality policy. Under urgent time pressure, the team led the formulation of a technically robust, detailed response to the Gatwick Airport northern runway DCO by ten authorities. Concurrently, we overcame unique major Water Neutrality constraints to achieve the first major residential permissions since 2021 and significantly reduced the backlog of planning applications caused by COVID and Water Neutrality.
Wealden District Council
Wealden District Council is a leading planning authority committed to excellence, demonstrated by its unwavering dedication to delivering outstanding planning services. The council embraces innovation through pioneering digital transformation with platforms like the Planning Hub and "Let's Talk Wealden". They prioritise proactive stakeholder engagement, ensuring transparency and accessibility. Furthermore, Wealden exhibits a strong commitment to sustainability and climate action, integrating it into all planning processes and engaging the community through initiatives like Wealden's Big Climate Conversation. Their efforts in policy innovation and service improvements have garnered positive feedback, reflecting their impact in shaping a thriving district