Plans and Strategy Projects

BDOR's long term work on the Kennet Local Plan Review was a leading-edge project at the time and has been quoted in government guidance as a model of good practice. Similar work was undertaken with other planning authorities under the old planning system. Under the new Local Development Framework system, Jeff Bishop has been working with Forest of Dean, Wokingham, Havant and Sedgemoor Councils.

The current government's push towards Loclaism in plannkng is leading to a flurry of projects. Weare currently working (with Tibbalds) on one Neighbourhood Plan - for Thame - and may soon be working on two more. This led Jeff Bishop to bring colleagues together into a new Localism Network (see links).

Our consultation work on the Warwickshire Transport Strategy is another BDOR example quoted in government guidance. The work has now been followed up by regular support for Warwickshire's Local Transport Plan and events on spending priorities and speed management

Starting in the northern part of Norfolk and then moving on to Kent and Surrey Hills, BDOR initiated innovative approaches to community involvement in the development of Quiet Lanes - a Countryside Agency initiative. The Norfolk work won BDOR a Commendation in a national participation award scheme.

One of our most dramatic projects involved designing and managing a process to produce a Management Plan for the Thanet Coast in Kent. The coastline is of international environmental significance and the area is subject to Objective 2 funding because of serious economic decline; a sure-fire recipe for conflict. The example is now quoted regularly by Natural England as a model of good practice, and the consensus methods introduced are still in use in the area on everyday management issues.

The same is true of our work on the Management Plan for the Blackdown Hills AONB. This was an intense participation process over many months, again quoted in recent government agency guidance. BDOR also undertook the main part of a substantial consultation programme for the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty team, helping them to formulate their original Management Plan. We have recently been working with them again on the Review.

One of BDOR's (several) projects in Bath involved helping to resolve serious conflict and set up future management structures over solutions to possible serious subsidence problems to houses directly above the Combe Down Stone Mines. The project took a real turn for the better and has now secured significant government funding to infill the old mines. This project has been so successful that it is shortly to be written up for the government as a model of good practice.