Birmingham City Council’s transformed planning department has been given the stamp of approval by the West Midlands Developers’ Alliance (WMDA).
The lobbying group representing the region’s commercial property developers believes the new on-line pre-application service and streamlined advice team introduced by the Planning and Regeneration Department will boost jobs and inward investment.
The Council’s faster and more efficient response to enquiries is enabling developers to save time and schemes to move more quickly to fruition, according to the WMDA.
Alan Griffith, WMDA Chairman, said: “Despite public spending cuts, BCC’s restructured planning department has been able to meet demands for a fast and pro-active enquiry service which has been increasing the speed and level of successful formal planning applications.
“By being able to reduce the delays in planning processes, BCC and our members are boosting regeneration, enabling occupiers to move faster in obtaining the right properties in the right locations.”
He added: “We hear so much about “damaging” public spending cuts so it is good to report how a trimmed down department has been able to provide a better and faster service – and will help significantly in job creation and inward investment.”
This “can-do” attitude to planning sustainable developments has extended to other city councils, as well as county and district councils, according to the WMDA.
“It’s clearly been taken on board by politicians and local government that unless we create growth in the UK in a major part through development, the chances of riding the current economic storms are lessened dramatically – and we look to the politicians too support the initiatives implemented by BCC,” said Alan Griffith.
