Amid the many legislative and policy changes that the government has introduced, time will tell whether they deliver the housing and economic growth we need. However, the change required to create impact, attract funding and fuel development lies at ground level, argues hgh Executive Director, Nick Belsten.

‘Culture eats strategy for breakfast’  – Peter Drucker

At our regular hgh breakfast round-table events and, more recently at UKREiiF, one theme frequently discussed is changing the culture of local authority planning departments, to reflect the wider change in the profession and the need for different ways of working. Indeed, whilst much of what I heard whilst at UKREiiF was promising, I continued to hear from developers about the funding challenges as a consequence of the continued uncertainties of the planning process, implications of the Building Safety Act and challenging economic conditions.

In seeking to solve the uncertainties of the planning system, planning policy changes can arguably only be effective if the decision makers apply them with the spirit that they were meant to be applied. This requires strong and effective leadership and an energy and motivation that is filtered down to those at the coal face. Good communication and working collaboratively to find solutions is key to a successful planning system, not a tick box numbers game. We need to reverse the trend from “computer says no” to “how can we make this happen?”.

Investment in training, improving resourcing and attracting new people into the sector is one thing. However, a key ingredient in making this shift is enabling leaders to embed a can-do attitude at all levels and changing the mindset to one of ‘get around the table’ collaboration rather than bureaucracy. 

If we can make this cultural shift happen, we will regain the confidence of investors and facilitate change that will benefit everyone – from the board room, in the council chamber to the local neighbourhood.

Image: Mitchell Luo on Unsplash