Unravelling the mysteries of the planning system

On 30th November 2022, CPRE Bedfordshire ran a one day workshop to help participants understand the planning system.

Planning can be complicated. With a whole host of acronyms, terms, laws and processes it is a lot to get your head around. When you just want the best for your community it can feel daunting to deal with the planning system.

At CPRE Bedfordshire we work hard to support local communities and parishes to make sense of planning and to ensure local people can have a say what happens in their environment. Following feedback from groups across the county, we created a one-day workshop to bring together representatives from Parish and Town Councils in Bedfordshire, Local Action Groups and community representatives to learn more about the planning system in a relevant and understandable way.

Places were quickly booked up and over 50 delegates from a range of organisations joined us at Meppershall Village Hall.

Sessions were led by members of the CPRE Bedfordshire team who were joined by Paul Miner, Acting Director of Campaigns & Policy at National CPRE.

About the day

The day started with a welcome from Martin Christopher, Chair of CPRE Bedfordshire. He then handed over to Paul Miner who gave an overview of the national picture with the latest news on planning reforms, including the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. After a tea break, attention turned to the local picture with presentations on the Local Plans of Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire Councils, and updates from Luton. The hot topics of East-West Rail and the Oxford-Cambridge Arc were also covered.

After a buffet lunch, we shared a little about the work of CPRE Bedfordshire with delegates before moving on to a practical exercise. This guided participants through the process of understanding a planning application and writing and submitting objections, helping them to understand how to build a case.

Participants left the workshop with a better understanding of how they could engage with local planning concerns – of which there are many, given that whilst Bedfordshire is one of England’s smallest counties it has one of the highest levels of new housing development in the country.

Thank you

Our thanks go to Meppershall Village Hall for providing an excellent venue, Bubbles Lighting for the sound system and Lesley’s Lay and Leave Buffets for the catering. And of course to everyone who attended, asked questions and made the day a success.