Navigating Planning with Former Councillor and PR Specialist Henry Lamprecht

For this episode, Paul is joined by Henry Lamprecht, a leading Built Environment Communications and PR specialist at the Community Communications Partnership (CCP) and a former Councillor and lawyer. He and Paul discuss the current state of planning and the best ways to navigate the planning process both now and in the future.

You will also gain an understanding of how CCP works and how using their highly effective approach can help you to achieve planning consent success.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Councillors are still mainly influenced by what the people who vote for them say, so take residents with you.

• Addressing the needs of the community creates opportunities for all stakeholders,  e.g. providing the opportunity for people to downsize and stay in their community.

• The Community Communications Partnership (CCP) includes people from all political parties. All views are represented.

• The CCP approach works. For one development they got 100% consent.

• Using online resources to do the community consultation is far more effective than pop-in exhibitions.

• Use social media effectively. Target people who need housing and use layman´s terms to explain how they will benefit from the development.

• Leverage Section 106 to meet community needs.

• In the future, you will likely have to get your development included in the local plan.

• New towns next to existing settlements is a practical approach, but it will take time to deliver. So, smaller developments are still vital.

BEST MOMENTS

“As a councillor, you measure the importance of something by the content of your mailbag.”

“When I started as a councillor, I had absolutely no idea about planning legislation. ”

“Drop in exhibitions in the village hall … are just not working.”

“Focus (communication) on the people that want and need housing.”

“They (councillors) are acting like the police, when they should be acting like the fire and ambulance service trying to solve the crisis.”

“Do not put yourself in the middle of a political battle.”

“You have to pay the section 106. Make sure that it actually delivers tangible benefits for that community, that's how you convince them.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

https://www.theccp.net

https://www.cityam.com/build-a-new-town-in-london

ABOUT THE HOST 

Paul Higgs is a Chartered Planning and Development Surveyor with 40+ years' experience in land, planning and development and a 100% success track record in winning planning consents.

Paul undertook his first refurb project when he was just 17 and then worked his way up from labouring on building sites to becoming Head of Land for renowned plc housebuilder, Barratt Developments. He managed to escape the corporate world in 2002 to set up what is now a multimillion-pound award-winning property development company, Millbank Group. 

In 2013 Paul founded the Millbank Land Academy, the UK’s first training company dedicate