Planning officers from around the country are converging on Nottingham this week and will hear how the current explosion of development in the city is being managed.
Nottingham is hosting the annual conference of the Planning Officers Society at a time when billions of pounds of development is underway in the city. It also coincides with the position of the Society’s President being held by Nottingham City Council’s Director of Planning and Regeneration, Paul Seddon.
Paul will tell delegates that the City Council has led much of the recent investment to drive a once-in-a-generation programme of strategic regeneration and radically improve the economy and opportunities for its citizens. The programme includes a new transport hub, new tram lines, new grade A offices, new aspirational city living homes, the largest council house building programme in a generation, new Nottingham Castle visitor attraction, new city college HQ, HMRC’s new regional hub and major investments by the city’s two universities.
The City Council has taken a strong leadership approach by recognising the importance of planning and its role in place-making. This has ensured that key regeneration schemes can come forward having taken a strategic approach to maximise the real opportunities that development can bring in order to improve the lives of Nottingham’s citizens.
This includes ensuring that schemes take account of climate change, that their look makes a positive contribution to how people see the city, and enhance its built heritage and public places. All of these contribute to improving Nottingham as a place to live, work and visit and provides a boost for business. Delegates will take a tour of the Southside area which is an excellent example of this approach.
Paul said: “The opportunities for investment and development across Nottingham are substantial, with a pipeline of schemes including within just a half square mile of the railway station totalling well over £2bn.
“Key to the success of all this is place leadership, setting the strategic context for Nottingham and delivering high quality buildings and spaces and active partnerships across the city. A soon-to-be launched city centre strategy to address the challenges for retailing, together with a city centre masterplan and joint venture partnership approaches will help deliver the next phase of strategic regeneration and add to a well-established strategic planning framework that has seen housing delivery comfortably exceed targets.”
City Council Leader, Cllr David Mellen, said: “The developments that are planned or underway in Nottingham’s Southside alone will have a transformative effect on the city, making it a more attractive area with less traffic, better buildings and amenities and bringing vital jobs and investment to Nottingham.
“It’s a timely moment for the city to host this prestigious national conference, when we can point to great success in our strategic approach to planning and development which plays such a significant part in shaping the future for our city and citizens.”