The Farnham Society are full members of Civic Voice for the 2021-2022 membership year. This allows TFS members to be part of the bigger conversation and take part in on-line Talks and Events. Griff Rhys Jones is their president; he campaigns with his team to shape national policy. Please look them up http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/.

2020/2021 has seen a raft of new National Planning policies. The Farnham Society and Civic Voice work together with 332 other Civic Societies to help lobbying and campaign on National Policy through All-Party Parliamentary Groups. 

The Farnham Societies members voices, join other societies and partners to create 75,000 + voices. Civic Voices Twitter feed has 10,500 followers https://twitter.com/civic_voice, so please join the conversation.

Civic Voices Partners include well-respected organisations like IHBC, The Institute of Historic Building Conservation, CPRE Campaign for Protection of Rural England, Farrells Architects and the Prince’s Foundation.

With 10,000+ conservation areas in England, Farnham has 6, luckily WBC has managed to retain one conservation officer, but he only works part-time. Most of England’s conservation areas have seen cuts of up to 35% since 2007. So Civic Voice and The Farnham Society have an essential role to play in highlighting planning concerns. 

For every Conservation Officer, 500 volunteers are helping the Heritage sector, mainly within Civic Societies. 

The main areas of current focus for Civic Voice and its Civic partners are:

1. To bring new life to high streets/town centres
2. To give communities more influence in planning decisions
3. To enhance and protect conservation areas

The Farnham Society and Civic Voice accept that our high streets, town and city centres are currently facing acute challenges, and they will need to adjust, in some cases contract in response to changes in shopping and leisure habits.

However, The Farnham Society and Civic Voice believes this needs to be done in a planned and curated way by local communities through their regional planning policies, not by allowing the market to decide in a random and potentially counterproductive manner. 

Please watch a short video setting out the importance of being part of a national movement: http://www.civicvoice.org.uk/uploads/files/Join_Civic_Voice_2021.pdf

New legislation in 2020 and there is more to come!

• NEW Part 1 Class AA – Enlargement of a dwellinghouse by construction of additional storeys [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 on 31st August 2020] 
• NEW Part 20, Class ZA – Demolition of buildings and construction of new dwellinghouses in their place [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 2020 on 31st August 2020] 
• NEW Part 20, Class A – New dwellinghouses on detached blocks of flats [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development and Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 on 1st August 2020] 
• NEW Part 20, Class AA – New dwellinghouses on detached buildings in commercial or mixed use [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 on 31st August 2020] 
• NEW Part 20, Class AB – New dwellinghouses on terrace buildings in commercial or mixed use [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 on 31st August 2020] 
• NEW Part 20, Class AC – New dwellinghouses on terrace buildings in use as dwellinghouses [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 on 31st August 2020] 
• NEW Part 20, Class AD – New dwellinghouses on detached buildings in use as dwellinghouses [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 on 31st August 2020] 
• NEW Part A – Commercial, Business and Service & Part B – Local Community and Learning [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020 No. 757 on 1st September 2020] 
• NEW Class MA – Commercial, business and service uses to dwellinghouses [Inserted by The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) Order 2021 on 1st August 2021]