Integrity: Dan Levy, Planning Manager discusses the importance of an in-depth planning process.

At Balance Power, our values are at the core of everything we do. In this feature, we focus on how we hold our integrity and why we think it’s of high importance to be devoted to providing honesty and transparency in all that we do.

Dan Levy, Planning Manager at Balance Power discusses why it’s important to have an in-depth planning process, showing transparency and integrity to the communities.

Within our planning team at Balance Power, our planning process is all about being proactive and deeply engaged with both landowners and the community. It’s important that we are the face behind both the name and the developer. We're not just developers behind desks; we're out there meeting with landowners early on, ensuring they understand the process inside out. Transparency and integrity are key; we lay out the challenges, timeframes, and potential setbacks from the get-go.

When it comes to the community, we organise meetings, both in-person and virtually, and even host events in community halls to ensure the community and stakeholders are aware of the impacts, and their concerns can be addressed. We're not just building projects; we're building relationships.

As a planning team, we want to ensure that everyone impacted by the scheme is kept informed. We achieve this by being out in the field, actively engaging with people, addressing issues, and resolving conflicts before they escalate. We listen to feedback and incorporate it into our plans because we know these developments will be embedded in the community for years to come. We want to ensure that those who interact with the site daily, such as nearby businesses, residents, dog walkers and commuters, can provide feedback, which we can then incorporate into our design to benefit the community. Only through face-to-face interactions and attentive listening can this be achieved effectively.

Our planning process kicks off when a site enters the business, we assess its feasibility and discuss as a team the constraints. If the site is considered viable, we begin our environmental assessment work which consists of a multitude of site surveys to inform the design. As our design evolves, we begin our engagement with stakeholders, and start discussions with the council through a pre-application enquiry. We seek their initial thoughts on the proposed development.

Secondly, we ensure the community is informed every step of the way by conducting our community engagement. This involves informing all residents and businesses within the immediate location of the proposed development. This process begins by hand-delivering flyers through their doors, providing information about the project and directing them to a website where they can complete a feedback form. This form enables them to express their interest or concerns regarding the project and inquire about any other aspects they may have questions about.

Following this, we collate the responses received and determine the most effective method of response, whether through email, virtual communication, or in-person meetings. This ensures that we communicate accurately to those it matters to. As the process unfolds, we refine the scheme in greater detail, followed by the submission of the planning application.

Our thorough planning process isn't just about meeting requirements; it's about showing our integrity and dedication to responsible development. By engaging early, being transparent about challenges, and actively seeking feedback, we're not just ensuring project success, but also building trust within the communities.