My name is Mark Benham, I’m Head of Real Estate at Lester Aldridge. I advise housebuilders on land promotion, acquisition and development. Outside of work, my passion is music.

There is a clear synergy between community assets, including live music venues, and the creation of new housing. In 2023, the Government’s chief planner Joanna Averley reminded planning authorities that they “have an important role in identifying and protecting local grassroots music venues in their area from the effects of new development”, referring them to the requirements in the NPPF regarding the provision of suitable mitigation measures. She also flagged how the Music Venue Trust can offer support to planning authorities when consulting on applications.

Independent music venues are the lifeblood of the music industry here in the UK, breathing life into our towns and cities as part of the “night-time economy”. Sadly, current data shows that two grassroots venues are closing every month across the UK. Without government support, the reality is that the number of venues will continue to shrink.

Our next guest is Tim Slaney.

Tim Slaney is a director for the South Downs National Park Authority. Tim is responsible for the day-to-day leadership, culture and management of SDNPA, which he joined in 2011.

Tim oversaw SDNPA becoming the first national park in the UK to set up a biodiversity credits scheme, part of its ReNature campaign to create 13,000 acres of new land for habitats to form, with the aim to ensure that a third of the national park is managed for nature by 2030, while the remainder is nature-friendly.

Mark: What do you think is the biggest success story that has come out of ReNature, the Authority’s BNG and nutrient neutrality credits programme?

Tim: Scale and replicability. Secured over 1,500ha new space for nature, 3 strategic partners and 5 more in discussion, 17 landowners or land managers benefitting from bespoke farm plans friendly for nature and supplying them with financial return. We have people buying voluntarily credits as well as in relation to need for BNG and ‘compliance market’. Another 4.689ha proposed or coming on tap in due course and, financially, I reckon it has unlocked £8m nature finance for nature’s recovery.

Mark: What was the first, and most recent, music gig/concert that you attended?

Tim: First was Amazulu and Rubella Ballet – reggae and punk – perfect intro to live gigs at Kentish Town Forum. I remember just being blown away by live amplified music – I caught the bug.

Most recently I’ve been to Victorious Festival – everything from world music afro dub and dhol foundation to Vampire Weekend, Queens of the Stone Age and Kings of Leon – 3 of the best US acts over three nights.

Mark: How do you balance the competing priorities of conservation, public access, and local economic development within the park? 

Tim: It’s called planning – it’s what we do – balance. Firstly, our award-winning local plan is the guide. It ensures an approach that enables development provided rooted in context and aware of the history. Not to stifle innovation but to inform. 

Then it’s a mix of a) evidence base, b) community engagement and input, and c) ultimately a degree of leadership which we are empowered to do as one of many guardians of this landscape. 

But given these are national assets designated for use and enjoyment by the public whilst recovering nature and adaptation to climate, – there is an emphasis on conservation and quality intervention that noticeably speaks of the place.

Mark: What is your favourite venue for live music? 

Tim: Indoors – Roundhouse, Camden; Outdoors – Castle Stage, Victorious Festival (albeit this may be just reflecting as it was so recent). Both have wonderful historic heritage.

The latter last time there the sun, grass banked small bowl, sea and wind in sight/smell and sunset to west behind Henry 8th castle fortification and old lighthouse – nature, cultural heritage old and new and bands coming together perfectly… and I can get home in 30 mins!

Mark: What housing policy or project from another jurisdiction would you like to see implemented in the UK?

Tim: Let’s give zoning a go in some town or city as an experiment – with a design code and see what happens – no one will die and it’s got to be better than some of the office block to residential schemes that make no sense in a civilised world.

Mark: What is the furthest you’ve travelled to see live music?

Tim: Ibiza – closing parties mid-nineties – whole array of DJs at Pasha, Space and Amnesia including Norman Cook, Danny Rampling and Pete Tong.

Mark: What is the first step you would take to repair the planning system in England and Wales?

Tim: regional planning, and I’m glad to say it’s coming in via SDSs – and a bloody national plan on an interactive map (GIS) that all could open, access and play with ideas – young and old.

Mark: What is your favourite album? Name the first that comes into your mind.

Tim: U2 – Achtung Baby. A mix of the old and progressive U2 in the right balance. I played it continually for many years and still return to it. There’s always something new you hear.

Mark: Tell me something about your job that people are unlikely to know. 

Tim: It involves oversight and leadership of running our Country Park. We are showing how to recover nature at scale with chalk grassland restoration at the forefront. I am also responsible for ensuring it is a commercial enterprise serving some 750,000 visitors from all over the world, literally, as it contains the iconic chalk Seven Sisters. 

We provide visitor experiences and an events programme, holiday accommodation and camping space and camping barns, just such a varied set of functions and not to mention the car parking matters. It can involve interesting discussions with colleagues over planning matters from a different perspective!

Mark: What role could (or should) music play in planning policy?

Tim: We should protect music venues – they add so much vitality and are breeding grounds for talent and joy. Proactive policies toward major events that don’t qualify under PD rights, albeit with appropriate checks and balances, but all festival managers I speak to say the amount of paperwork is now killing some off. Yet they provide so much joy and celebration and often in wonderful locations.

Mark: What band or artist is your dream headline act, who would be the support act and where would the gig be?

Tim: U2/Gorillaz or Confidence Man with The Last Dinner Party opening… Lion’s Den at Boomtown (bias as in National Park?).

Mark: What one technological advance do you think would help accelerate the delivery of housing in the UK? 

Tim: I hate to say it, and you said delivery not supply: AI builders and more off-site construction with quick placement on-site. Obviously with necessary quality checks – we have machines now to produce cars, etc and fly planes, why not build the permissions that are out there but that we are advised can’t be built out cause of labour shortages.

Mark: If you could sum up the state of housebuilding in the UK by reference to a song, what song would it be?

Tim: No Future – the Sex Pistols… Joking.

Pulp – Disco 2000. Why? Because I so remember the lyrics ..’Deborah, do you recall, Your house was very small, With woodchip on the wall, When I came round to call, You didn’t notice me at all.’

It’s so relevant to so many of the soulless homes being built that are bland inside and out, not enough usable space when we have so much land really and we don’t notice how appalling the legacy we are leaving for the next generation.

If you need further advice about any of your real estate requirements, please contact Mark via email at mark.benham@la-law.com.

Sign up here to be notified when the next volume of House Music is published.