Planning team highly commended in Royal Town Planning Institute awards

The Strategic and Local Planning team at Harborough District Council has been highly commended in the Planning Authority of the Year category in this year’s East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence.

The awards showcase and celebrate the best plans, people and projects in the region and are run by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

The team was shortlisted for their work in preparing the Proposed Submission Harborough Local Plan 2020-2041 in record time and in accordance with relevant regulations, while meeting government deadlines.

Judges praised the quality planning service the council provides to residents of Harborough district.

David Atkinson, Director of Planning at Harborough District Council, said: “I am delighted the team has been awarded this highly commended accolade as I know the hard work that has gone into producing a proposed submission draft local plan for the Harborough district.

“The team have worked under very challenging circumstances in terms of changing government legislation and tight timelines to deliver a plan for consultation.

“If council support the proposed submission plan it will mean at least 2,000 less houses will be allocated up to 2041, and land supply will increase leading to reduced chances of unwanted speculative development applications being recommended for approval.

“We understand any new housing allocations can be contentious but it is a statutory duty that we have to produce a local plan and one that is based on the prescribed formulas of housing need for the district and wider housing area.

“We would not have presented the plan to council if it was not sound, but as with all previous plans once they are drafted we continue to work with statutory agencies including highways, health, education and the flood authority. We are currently collating and evaluating all of the feedback received before presenting it back to members later in the year.”