All things Local Plans: February’s meeting

A change is as good as a rest, or so they say.

It was a pleasure not only to change venue, but also the format for the latest HIDB meeting.

With record numbers of attendees we descended on the stunning Sopwell House and shook up the order of service to allow for more free-flowing networking.

Having surveyed members to canvass opinion about what they wanted to see from future meetings, we were delighted to welcome two really interesting sets of speakers, both presenting on the topic of Local Plans.

We heard from Ka Ng, Chief Executive and Chris Barnes, Executive Director for Place at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council on their journey towards the recent adoption of their Local Plan.

We also heard from Mary Cook, Partner at Town Legal and familiar face from the popular ‘Have We Got Planning News For You’ podcast. Mary’s presentation focused on the NPPF and the subtle nuances we should all be aware of since its publication just before Christmas. The note scribbling around the room was something to behold!

Always a pleasure to be able to facilitate these meetings, and we look forward to the next one in June, hot on the heels of the local (and maybe general…?) elections.