Surrey Development Forum Conference 2024 – highlight for a busy year

On Tuesday, many people gathered to take part in an important event that will have a big impact on the issues that people care about. No, not the US Presidential Election, I am talking of course about the Surrey Development Forum Annual Conference organised by Cratus Group together with Savills and Surrey County Council.

Surrey Development Forum has held the annual conference for four consecutive years to give a dedicated space for planners, developers, councillors, experts and industry leaders met to share best practice and discuss the opportunities and challenges facing development in Surrey. This year’s conference was sponsored by Stantec, and attracted the largest audience in the Forum’s history to hear from an unparalleled line-up of key industry leaders.

Keynote speaker Baroness Taylor, the new Minister for Housing and Local Government, took to the stage first and was unapologetic about the Government’s commitment to building what she called the “decent, affordable, greener homes that our country needs”. The Minister spoke about plans for a devolution deal in Surrey, addressed concerns about the introduction of Grey Belt – making clear that the country does not have to choose between development and the environment – and confirmed that the results of the NPPF consultation will be published before Christmas. Baroness Taylor also confirmed that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is progressing, which will include measures to ensure planning can’t be used to obstruct the Government’s central mission of economic growth.

Recently elected MP for Woking and member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, Will Forster, provided a Liberal Democrat perspective on the Government’s proposed planning reforms. He notably opposed Government plans to label lower quality Green Belt land as “Grey Belt”, which was useful for those in the room who regularly engage with Liberal Democrat-led authorities in Surrey.

Cllr Tim Oliver, Leader of Surrey County Council, spoke about his vision for “creating a stronger identity for Surrey” while expressing uncertainty about a possible Mayoral devolution deal creating too many layers of Government, and the role a Mayor would play in planning policy. This could mean that unitarisation is back on the cards for Surrey as part of its progressing devolution deal.

Conference Sponsor Stantec held a session focused on the Government’s planning reforms and their implications for Surrey which was delivered by Mike Knott, their Town Planning Director and Strategic Land Sector Lead. Mike delved deep into housing delivery, the new Government’s proposed planning reforms, and the possibilities and constraints of delivering housing targets in Surrey. He also looked at the status of local plans across the county, and highlighted the requirement for accelerated local plan production.

Attendees also heard from other experts including Cllr Stephen Robinson, Leader of Chelmsford City Council, who made clear that delivering affordable and social housing is his top priority when it comes to development. Cllr Robinson’s key message was that for a local plan to work, it had to be a part of the councils strategic plan. In a highly anticipated session, the Chair of the Board and the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate took the stage together to speak about the pressures on resources that they and local authorities are facing. Finally, an expert panel sponsored by Savills discussed the function of the Green Belt, proposed policy changes affecting it, and the language used in the NPPF consultation.

Outside of the sessions, useful connections were made over coffee, best practice was discussed, opportunities facing development in Surrey were shared, and attendees went away with new ideas to take forward.

Cratus was proud to organise this event – we are already looking forward to next year and hope to see you there!