Nottingham-based chartered surveyors and property consultants, heb, has started working with local authorities to provide important training for local planning officers.
Heb has launched a development appraisal training service aimed at east midlands planning authorities to train local planning and development officers in both the art and science of undertaking development appraisals.
The scheme will also have the added feature of a heb ‘help desk’ which is open for local planning authorities to speak directly to valuers and chartered surveyors on the ground in the east midlands. They will be able to provide up to date and real time market evidence to assist planners in completing development appraisals.
Ashfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council have already signed up to the scheme and heb are in discussions with a number of other local authorities in the region.
Jonathan Emmerson, partner at heb, said: “The right balance needs to be struck between local authorities and developers when it comes to Section 106 payments for affordable housing and other infrastructure projects. Local planning officers are experts in their fields, however when it comes to analysing development appraisals, they need to be able to comment on the viability of a scheme from their own point of view and with their own knowledge to hand.”
Jon continued: “The development appraisal programme provided by heb not only shows local planning and development officers how to undertake development appraisals and to interpret them, it also provides the unique feature of a ‘help desk’ within heb which provides up to date market evidence from both the residential and commercial sectors.
“Section 106 agreements will not become extinct due to the introduction of CIL and it is therefore important that local planning authorities continue to consider the cost and viability of affordable housing provision,” Jon added.
In addition, heb are one of the leading consultancies in the UK with regard to implementation of CIL and they advise a range of local authorities across the country.
