A rather special bus is coming to Ipswich this month - it’s called the Planning Portal Bus and its mission is to highlight the changing landscape and the role of local planners.
Planners from Ipswich Borough Council will be on board the bus to explain how the planning system works - who makes the decisions on planning applications, how they are made and why. They will also be pointing out how much Ipswich has changed in recent years, including major developments on the Waterfront, at Ravenswood and in the Ipswich Village area.
But changing landscapes can also be about a resident’s new extension or conservatory and joining the council’s planners will be a team from the Government’s Planning Portal scheme, which has been set up to simplify planning applications.
From October, residents and businesses wishing to apply for planning permission can go straight to a new national website www.planningportal.gov.uk and get a form tailored for their needs. At present, Ipswich and other district and borough councils in Suffolk have the same planning application forms - this will co-ordinate this joined-up thinking across England.
The double-decker Planning Portal bus, which is on a tour of England and Wales, will be stopping in Ipswich at the bottom of Lloyds Avenue on Friday 27th July. On the top deck there is an area for planning professionals, architects, developers and surveyors to talk about the new planning application system. The bottom deck will be reserved for members of the public to ask for advice and to find out more about how to apply for planning permission and what changes are planned for their local area.