Forthcoming events:
28 November - Festive Social and Quiz
Recent events:
Gloucestershire Young Planners wrapped up 2024 with our much-anticipated Christmas Quiz at Bottle of Sauce in Cheltenham. Sponsored by Rappor, with prizes provided by SF Planning Limited, the event was filled with competitive spirits, festive cheer, and plenty of planning-related challenges. Attendees tested their knowledge with a mix of planning trivia, nostalgic GCSE geography questions, and even artistic sketches, all while sporting a variety of questionable Christmas jumpers!
The evening offered a perfect opportunity for young planners to network, build relationships, showcase their skills, and celebrate the year's achievements in a fun, relaxed setting. We’re excited for more opportunities in 2025 to connect, learn, and grow together as a vibrant group of planning professionals.
Well done to the team from Rappor who won 1st place!
Gloucestershire young planners jointly held an event with West Midlands young planners on the 14 November around the Future of Planning. We were kindly hosted by Marrons in Stratford upon Avon for an evening of CPD and networking. The event was kicked off with an excellent talk by RTPI President Lindsey Richards on the future of the profession including action being taken by the RTPI in schools and colleges and the rise of the apprenticeship route.
Following this, two planners, Louis Jones and Issy Howell who had followed the apprenticeship route into the planning profession talked about their roles and their experiences.
The CPD session finished off with Reiss Sadler of Marrons and John Careford of Stratford upon Avon District Council discussing the future of strategic planning including impending changes to the National Planning Policy Framework and longer-term planning reforms from public and private perspectives.
It was great to see so many people attending from across both regions and the event was interesting and informative. It was particularly useful to hear different perspectives on the options for delivering cross boundary planning and we look forward to seeing how things unfold. 
The Gloucestershire Young Planners hosted another insightful CPD breakfast event on the 15 October focused on planning for self and custom build housing. The event brought together professionals from various sectors to discuss key aspects of this growing housing trend.
The event stood out for its diverse range of perspectives, featuring speakers from local government, private practice, and the legal sector. The three knowledgeable speakers: Katie Warrington from South Gloucestershire Council, Tom Howard from Lived In/Miller + Howard Workshop, and Laura Greenman from HCR Law provided attendees with a comprehensive view of the self and custom build housing landscape.
Throughout the morning, discussions covered topics including the requirements for providing self-build housing and maintaining registers, delivery mechanisms for self-build projects, and the challenges faced by local authorities in monitoring and managing these initiatives. Attendees gained valuable insights into practical experiences of designing and consenting self-build homes. The event also delved into important considerations such as exception policies, land disposal strategies, phasing conditions, and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) implications.
As the landscape of self and custom build housing continues to evolve, events like these play a crucial role in keeping planning professionals informed and connected. We look forward to organising more such informative sessions in the future and encourage all young planners to stay tuned for upcoming 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.
