Five minutes with Petra Biberbach
Meet the Planning and Land Reform Conference speakers
SFHA Events Intern Mollie Stephen spoke to Petra Biberbach, Chief Executive of Planning Aid Scotland, ahead of next month’s joint SFHA and SURF Planning and Land Reform Conference. Petra will be taking part in a session on ‘Community Engagement, Lesser Heard Voices and Community Place Plans’.
Your organisation has championed community involvement in planning and place – do you see opportunities in the bill to increase community involvement and up-front engagement?
One of the provisions we welcome in the Bill is the introduction of Local Place Plans. This will give communities the right to create community-led plans and to take a more proactive role in the decisions that affect their place.
How might up front community engagement lead to better outcomes and better places?
The point of early and meaningful participation is to involve people from the start, enabling greater openness in decision-making. It’s also about addressing important issues, such as affordable housing at the earliest opportunity, rather than at the end of the process – the earlier the engagement, the greater the opportunity to influence decisions.
What are you most looking forward to about the conference?
I’m looking forward to exploring with other speakers and delegates how early and meaningful engagement can help deliver the quality affordable housing that Scotland needs.
Other topics to be explored at the conference include:
- The Planning Bill and land reform, land and communities – from engagement to ownership
- Planning for the future
- Planning for better places.
The conference is taking place on 21 March at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors in Edinburgh city centre. Day delegate rates start at £219 for SFHA members and £299 for non-members. If you book three places, you will receive a fourth place free.
For more information or to book a place please visit www.sfha.co.uk/events