James Stevens
Strategic Planner @Home Builders Federation Hbf
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WORK HISTORY
Strategic Planner @Home Builders Federation Hbf
London, GB
Representing the broader interests of the house building industry through strategic town planning in England but focusing primarily on the regions of London, the South East and the East of England. Representations on all local plans and appearance at local plan examinations in public, including work on the London Plan. His main areas of expertise are demographics, development viability, housing land supply calculations, development implementation and affordable housing policy. He is also familiar with many other aspects of local plan making and strategic planning. James has proven to be particularly successful in securing increases to planned housing numbers in a number of local authorities as they have brought forward new local plans, thereby increasing the development opportunities for house builders by helping to get their sites allocated. In the last year (2015) through a combination of technical expertise and persuasive and articulate argument he has been instrumental in securing increases of 200 more homes a year in Basingstoke, 250 more a year at Arun, 150 more a year in Horsham, 140 more a year in Crawley, 200 more a year in Swale, and 20 more a year in Swale. James has also helped to successfully fight off West Oxfordshire\'s attempt to provide for far fewer homes than were needed, helping to secure a recommendation from the Government\'s Inspector that the Council should match the level of need indicated by the SHMA (660 homes per year rather than the 525 homes a year proposed by the Council). James is conversant with many aspects of sustainable design and construction and how these are applied through planning. He is also adept at understanding and scrutinising viability assessments and critiquing these on behalf of the house building industry. James is often invited to speak at public events on aspects of planning and housing. He most recently participated in a debate organised by the RTPI and ARUPS on the role of the green belt (February 2016).
EDUCATION
University of Liverpool
BA Hons
London South Bank University
MA Planning Policy & Practice
SKILLS
ABOUT JAMES STEVENS
James Stevens has a new role grappling with the Government\'s devolution agenda and how this will role out in practice across England\'s devolved cities. He also retains responsibility for all planning matters in London. As the country attempts to devolve more direct political responsibility to the devolved cities and their hinterlands it will be important to ensure that new housing supply continues to be a priority. Coordinating planning strategy between these devolved city regions will be challenging. James has extensive experience of the operation of the NPPF-based planning system. He has engaged with the local plans of numerous authorities nationally. His main role has been to challenge local authorities over their housing numbers and other policies where these are found to be wanting. Prior to this James was covering the whole of England considering Regional Strategies as well as local plans, and before this he was the HBF\'s London Regional Planner. James has made representations on the plans of some 150 local authorities in England and has attended over 60 examinations in public around the country. James has been involved in some of the key local plan examinations that have tested the interpretation and application of the NPPF, including those of Salford, Bath, North Somerset, Solihull, Reigate & Banstead, Waverley, Brighton, Mid Sussex, Aylesbury Vale, Central Bedfordshire, Cherwell, Cheshire West and Chester, Cambridge, West Dorset, St Albans, and the London Plan. James speaks at various conferences (including those hosted by organisations such as the NHF and the LGA) on planning matters.James is also the co-founder of the 250 New Towns Club, a gallant but ultimately doomed project, that sought to free-up planning, to allow people to build their own settlements with a view to deflating the housing bubble. Thoughts expressed as part of the 250 New Towns project are entirely his own. They are not the views of the HBF.
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