Last night, our Basingstoke team hosted housebuilders, planners, architects, construction professionals, land promoters and others from across the development sector, to discuss how to win hearts and minds for development. Our two speakers, Professor Tony Curtis, former Chief Executive of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and Dr Carole Fry, Director and Co-Founder of AHC Consulting, were introduced by our CEO, Janet Miller. Their thought provoking and inspiring discussion, both during and after the event, identified a number of drivers that will help win hearts and minds for development. The top five are:
1. Strong civic leadership, willing to take risks and drive growth, is needed.
2. Engagement with key partners, businesses and business organisations, extoling the benefits of local and regional development, is vital.
3. Housebuilders need to involve local communities at the beginning of the process, not just immediately before they submit the planning application.
4. Government needs to better articulate the benefits of economic and housing growth.
5. Communities, of whatever size, must embrace growth or otherwise face decline. Standing still is not an option!
Dr Carole Fry, said: “If we do not plan and deliver more communities we are failing to create historic places for future generations. We need growth in order to continue to have these rich layers.”
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