October 08th 2020
Community Engagement - In a Digital World
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Continuing our series of planning webinars, linked to the White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ this session focuses on ‘Community Engagement’. The underpinning driver for the planning reforms is to build homes at pace but at the same time it seeks to ‘radically and profoundly re-invent engagement with local communities so that more democracy takes place effectively’.
The ambition is to make the planning system more accessible to a wider audience, by harnessing the latest technology and simplifying the plan making process. In an environment where the new proposals set out specific growth and renewal areas which have outline approval at the get go how can we ensure meaningful community engagement is enshrined in the planning process both at the plan making stage and when detailed planning applications are submitted for consideration? Can the new planning proposals really build at pace and properly engage with communities in placemaking – if so, how?
EVENT SPEAKERS
Wesley Ankrah
Founder Managing Director
SeerBridge
Wesley has 10 years’ experience in the charitable and voluntary sector. As a result he gained experience from a major national charity in community engagement and employability. This enabled Wesley to move into the property development sector. Formerly he was the Managing Director and founding partner of Essential Living Future. This was a Community Interest Company associated with developer, Essential Living. Here, Wesley drove a ‘mind-set changing’ approach which challenged traditional approaches to Community and Social Responsibility.
Thus SeerBridge was founded through this experience. Wesley brings his wealth of experience in creating and delivering community engagement with long-term results. His approach to consultation is to get under the skin of the community objectives of clients and deliver unique benefits to the communities and clients he works with.
Cllr Nesil Caliskan
Leader
London Borough of Enfield
Michael Edwards
Teaching Fellow
Bartlett School of Planning
Education: PPE (mostly economics and statistics) in Oxford 1961-4 and then Town Planning at UCL 1964-6. Employed in Nathaniel Lichfield and Associates and in that capacity worked on the Milton Keynes Master Plan, other new settlements, retail schemes and cost benefit analysis. Joined the UCL staff in 1969. The 2008 date above is misleading: a few weeks after “retirement” I was re-employed.
Faraz Baber
Operations Director - Midlands & South East
RPS
Faraz Baber is the Operations Director for Planning at RPS Group covering London, South East, Midlands and the North of England. RPS was founded in 1970 and is a leading global professional services firm which employs c. 5,500 staff. Faraz is a dual qualified chartered town planner and chartered surveyor; he currently serves as a member of the British Property Federation’s Planning Committee and, as the former chair of the RICS Planning Policy Panel, he also advises RICS on current planning policy issues. His specific areas of planning reform interest and expertise include the evolution of Community Infrastructure Levy and more recently helping to provide technical input into the proposals for an Infrastructure Levy.
Faraz provides both strategic and technical expertise to planning projects and over the duration of his career, he has successfully worked on a wide and varied caseload of large and complex schemes across England.
Chairperson: Faraz Baber, Director, Terence O'Rourke
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