Local Plans and local authority suppport

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DAC Planning has experience of managing a wide range of projects, from local Community Led Plans to strategically important Local Plans, Supplementary Planning Guidance, masterplans, consultations, and evidence and research based projects.  

We are aware that local authorities can often be faced with significant resource demands, complex problems, multiple priorities, and challenging timescales when producing Local Plans and Supplementary Planning Guidance. The need for additional support within planning policy teams can vary significantly depending on the stage of plan production. At times there may be a need for a short term increase in expertise and capacity, and at other times there may be need for a long term increase in the capacity of a team to progress key projects. 

DAC Planning can add significant expertise and capacity to provide both short and long term support to local authorities producing Local Plans and Supplementary Planning Guidance. Support includes:
 

• Offering expert advice, capacity building and problem solving;
• Undertaking research to inform decision making, policy production and the production of evidence base documents; 
• Producing Infrastructure Delivery Plans;
• Producing Housing Implementation Strategies and five year land supply statements;
• Drafting planning policies, supporting text, consultation documents and supporting material;
• Collating and analysing consultation representations, and reporting on the outcomes of a consultation; 
• Producing evidence base documents on a range of subjects, reports to support decision making, and examination statements; 
• Representing the Council at Independent Examination, consultation events, and stakeholder meetings; and
• Introducing service improvement measures and preparing for Local Plan implementation.

Our plan making experience includes working with a range of interested parties to progress the development of Local Plans and Supplementary Planning Documents. If you are affected by proposals within an emerging Local Plan or Supplementary Planning Guidance, and would like professional support and representation to get your views across, DAC Planning can provide support in: 

• Offering expert advice to consider the impact of proposals and how to respond;
• Undertaking research to review the impacts of proposals and inform representations;
• Producing detailed consultation representations on emerging planning policy; and
• Representing residents, community groups and stakeholders at Independent Examination, consultations events and Council meetings.

DAC Planning has significant experience in preparing, undertaking, and analysing the results of public consultation on draft plans. 

We have an excellent  understanding of the importance of community and stakeholder engagement, and through our experience we know the most effective ways of engaging a range of groups and organisations. We understand how effective community and stakeholder engagement can be used to improve the quality of a Plan and ensure communities and stakeholders feel ownership of emerging Plans and planning related decisions.  

Our experience in undertaking community and stakeholder engagement has included working with a range of interested groups and organisations. If you would like to ensure effective engagement with a local authority through consultation representations, DAC Planning can provide the following support: 

• Offering expert advice on how to effectively communicate with the local authority, and how to approach consultation representations
• Reviewing consultation material to consider the impact of proposals and consider how to respond based on your individual needs;
• Undertaking research to review the impacts of proposals to inform consultation representations;
• Producing consultation representations on your behalf;
• Representing residents, community groups, organisations and stakeholders at public consultation events, Council meetings, stakeholder workshops, and developer forums; and
• Summarising the views of other consultation representations as required. 

DAC Planning has extensive experience in helping local authorities to oversee complex and large growth plans for their area, and implementing local plans.  This may be through the production of masterplans covering multiple sites, Area Action Plans, Supplementary Planning Documents or regeneration frameworks.

We understand the importance of producing plans to coordinate growth proposals, and the benefits provided by a good quality masterplan in ensuring the effective delivery of large scale growth proposals and infrastructure for an area.  We also know what skills and processes are required in producing a successful high quality masterplan, and ensuring its delivery in a fast and efficient manner.

We are aware that local authorities can often be faced with significant resource demands, complex problems, and multiple priorities, and the production of plans can often be delayed when faced with other priorities such as the production of the Local Plan and associated documents. DAC Planning can support local authorities to bring forward plans quickly and efficiently, without having a detrimental impact on other Council priorities. We can also help local authorities introduce Planning Performance Agreements with developers and other partners which can be highly beneficial in managing the progression of complex and large scale growth plans.

DAC Planning can provide a range of services to support the implementation of plans, including: 

• Offering expert advice and problem solving;
• Reviewing and establishing governance processes, resources and structures to ensure their suitability and promote effective and efficient decision making; 
• Establishing effective developer forums and community liaison processes;
• Incorporating 'Garden City' principles in emerging growth plans;
• Working with elected Members to facilitate growth plans;
• Working to facilitate the timely delivery of housing and infrastructure;
• Facilitating the delivery of infrastructure projects;
• Undertaking research to inform the production of plans;
• Collating and analysing consultation representations, and reporting on the outcomes of a consultation;
• Producing reports to support decision making; 
• Representing the Council at consultation events and stakeholder meetings; and
• Presenting the emerging plans at various stages at Council meetings, public meetings, and developer forums.

Our experience in producing large scale growth plans includes working with a range of interested groups and organisations. If you would like to influence the content of an emerging plan.

DAC Planning can provide the following support to residents, community groups,  organisations and stakeholders:

• Offering expert advice to consider the impact of proposals and how to respond;
• Undertaking research to review the impacts of proposals and inform consultation representations;
• Producing detailed consultation representations on a draft plan and associated supporting documents; and
• Representing residents, community groups, organisations and stakeholders at consultations events, Council meetings, public meetings, and developer forums. 

DAC Planning has experience of managing a wide range of projects, from local Community Led Plans to strategically important Local Plans, Supplementary Planning Guidance, masterplans, consultations, and evidence and research based projects. Experience within DAC Planning includes managing projects within both the public and private sectors, where bringing together a range of organisation, disciplines and interested parties was essential to the successful completion of projects. We understand the importance of delivering projects on time, on budget, and to an exceptionally high standard. 

DAC Planning can provide the following project management services to local authorities, local communities, parish and town councils and organisations:

• Production of development plan documents such as Local Plans and Neighbourhood Plans;
• Production of Supplementary Planning Guidance, masterplans, consultation reports and evidence base documents;
• Undertaking research projects, consultations, surveys, consultation events, meetings, and specific tasks supporting plan production; and
• Preparing for and implementing large scale growth through the production of Planning Performance Agreements and masterplanning.

DAC Planning has a large amount of experience in preparing local authorities for periods of significant change by increasing the capacity of teams to prepare Local Plans and associated documents, managing large scale growth proposals and strategic infrastructure projects, and ensuring long term improvements to service delivery. 

Director David Coleman managed the transformation of planning teams in a number of local authorities to enable the effective progression and delivery of Local Plans and associated documents. 

We understand that local authorities can often be faced with significant resource demands and competing priorities. Whether your local authority has short term projects where additional support is required, or long term challenges to change and improve the way that services are provided, DAC Planning can help to identify ways to build capacity within your authority planning services.   

DAC Planning can provide the following services to build capacity within your local authority planning service:

• Offering expert advice and problem solving;
• Reviewing existing service delivery and identifying options for improvement;
• Introducing new practices and approaches to effectively manage Local Plan production, large scale growth delivery, neighbourhood planning, and meeting new national policy requirements; and
• Advising on team capacity requirements for major project delivery, managing large scale growth proposals, neighbourhood planning, and production of a Local Plan, Supplementary Planning Guidance and associated evidence base documents.