We couldn't find a round table big enough for all our attendees, but it didn't stop the dynamic discussion on sustainability and planning at Houlton. Three housebuilders currently building at Houlton, Lovell, Francis Jackson, and Redrow joined Mike van den Berg, Richard Quartermaine and Rugby Borough Council Officers led by the Chief Officer for Growth and Investments, Nicola Smith for a discussion on sustainability targets.
Ahead of the public consultation for Rugby Borough Council's new Sustainability Supplementary Planning Document, Richard Quartermaine hosted the discussion to help inform Planning Officers of our local sustainability goals and the challenges faced by the industry.
All parties took away a deeper understanding about the practical steps required to be more sustainable and knowledge on how to meet the new Building Regulations.
Points raised during the forum will be incorporated into the SPD Planning draft that will come out for consultation later this year. The Rugby Team were delighted with the willingness to collaborate in meaningful discussion in an informal setting despite the clear challenges faced by everyone around the table.
[has it come out yet?]
We hope that the group will continue to come together to monitor progress - with additional housebuilder representation, given the success of the format to date.