Review: Wiltshire breakfast with Cllr Richard Clewer
SP Broadway was delighted to welcome Cllr Richard Clewer, Leader of Wiltshire Council, as the guest speaker for our latest online Politics of Planning roundtable.
Attendees from Taylor Wimpey, Vistry Group, Savills, Bloor Homes and David Wilson Homes among others all contributed to the discussion. Topics covered included the need for sustainable development around the rural villages, the challenges with the updated NPPF, and the need for greater and earlier engagement between developers, councillors and planning officers.
Cllr Clewer gave an in-depth overview of the planning challenges facing his county, including Wiltshire’s need for affordable housing, the issue of highway constraints across the authority, and the lack of employment land. Cllr Clewer led a robust discussion on whether the location of housing sites should be developer led or community led and how best to deal with opposition. Cllr Clewer discussed Biodiversity Net Gain and his preference for offsite and covered the importance of Neighbourhood Plans and how well they can work to direct development.
Our thanks to Cllr Clewer and guests for attending and contributing to such an interesting discussion. Our next online event is with Cllr Ross Garrod, Leader of Merton Council, on Tuesday 12th March.
If you would like to attend any of our forthcoming events, please email edward@spbroadway.com.
