New Planning Agents and Architects Forum to launch

Hot on the heels of the relaunched 'duty officer walk-in service', a new Planning Agents and Architects Forum is set to hold its first meeting next week.

The move further underlines the Isle of Wight Council's commitment to boosting the visibility and accessibility of its planning service.

Open to all professionals who have a planning involvement with the council, the forum will provide an opportunity for County Hall planners to share their knowledge and thinking while enabling agents and architects to put forward their views.

The quarterly forum will be non-political and chaired by Ollie Boulter, the council's strategic manager for planning, who will ensure all participants are given the opportunity to suggest agenda items for the forum to discuss.

Mr Boulter said: "The planning agents and architects forum has evolved from a previous forum which has not met since COVID and the national lockdowns.

"This is another example of our commitment to improve the visibility and accessibility of our planning service, providing an in-person forum for two-way conversations on planning-related matters. 

"It’s timely to launch now, as the development sector grapples with understanding the government’s requirements for biodiversity net gain, which becomes mandatory for all major applications from Monday 12 February and we will be able to share our understanding of the requirements and how we expect it work." 

Councillor Paul Fuller, Cabinet member for planning, coastal protection and flooding, added: "This is something I have been very keen to reintroduce, as this will support open dialogue with housing providers to enable the service to improve outcomes for stakeholders." 

The first forum is planned for Friday 9 February in the council chamber at County Hall, between 10am and 1pm. Future meeting dates, minutes and agendas will be published on the council's website.

Yesterday, meanwhile, saw the relaunch of the council's duty officer walk-in service aimed at making the planning process as accessible as possible for all applicants and agents.

The sessions provide in-person, face-to-face initial and high-level, informal advice at the council's offices at Seaclose, between 2pm and 5pm every Wednesday.

It is hoped this will help with issuing decisions more quickly and improving customer service provided by the council's planning department.

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