50 Shades of Planning : Episode 122 – Love Thy Neighbourhood Plan

The latest episode of the 50 Shades of Planning podcast is available to listen now.

What are we to make of neighbourhood planning? Friend of the podcast Ben Castell considers it a “grassroots planning revolution”. Perhaps less favourably it conjures for others images of corduroy and tweed-clad councillors convening a parish council working group to thwart plans for an incinerator or, worse still, new housing.

Ben convened a group of planners with nuts-and-bolts experience in this field for a conversation recorded online in April 2024.

Samantha Banks is the Neighbourhood Planning Programme Manager at Locality, which has provided the government’s Neighbourhood Planning Support Programme since 2013. Samantha previously worked as the Neighbourhood Planning Manager at Herefordshire Council, leading a team that supported over 100 town and parish councils produce neighbourhood plans.

Graeme Markland has been the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer at Thame Town Council since 2016 and before that was a technical and planning officer at Luton Borough Council and the Luton and South Bedfordshire Joint Technical Unit.

Leani Haim is a Planning Director at ONH, which provides planning and development services to town and parish councils, neighbourhood forums, landowners and developers. ONH has supported over 200 neighbourhood plan projects.

50 Shades of Planning is produced in partnership with Cratus Group and is the podcast for planners, by planners. Hosted by Sam Stafford, 50 Shades of Planning is about the foibles of the English planning system and it’s aim is to cover the breadth of the sector both in terms of topics of conversation and in terms of guests with different experiences and perspectives.

We hope you enjoy Episode 122.