S2 Ep1: Estates MD at Blenheim Palace Roy Cox | History will judge us on solar farm plans

02/13/25 • 41 min

Managing Director of Estates at Blenheim Palace, Roy Cox, is the first guest to join Season Two of the Estate Matters podcast.

Roy, along with host Anna Byles and KOR's Senior Public Affairs Consultant, Andrew Howard, discuss the reasons behind the Estate's proposed solar farm at Botley West in Oxfordshire.

Roy explains how the rigid planning process governing nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIPs) prevented Blenheim adopting its usual proactive approach to communication with the local community, and subsequently what that meant for its reputation and relationships with its community and stakeholders.

https://www.blenheimpalace.com/estate/

Managing Director of Estates at Blenheim Palace, Roy Cox, is the first guest to join Season Two of the Estate Matters podcast.

Roy, along with host Anna Byles and KOR's Senior Public Affairs Consultant, Andrew Howard, discuss the reasons behind the Estate's proposed solar farm at Botley West in Oxfordshire.

https://www.blenheimpalace.com/estate/

Previous Episode

S1 Ep 20: Iestyn John | Navigating the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

Iestyn John is a Partner at Planning Consultants, Bell Cornwell. In this episode of Estate Matters, he is joined by KOR's Senior Consultant in Public Affairs, Andrew Howard.
The pair discuss the detail in the updated Framework and what opportunities that poses for landowners. Both agree the main thrust of the revisions is creating more new homes, more quickly.
But will that mean compromising on "building beautiful"? Estates' reputations are built on the quality of any project they deliver, so how will they ensure they can continue to create legacy developments?
Read more about Iestyn here: https://www.bell-cornwell.co.uk/team/iestyn-john/

Next Episode

S2 Ep2: Sir William Worsley and Avril Roberts | The need for community engagement in rural masterplanning

Sir William Worsley is the owner of the 3,000-acre Hovingham Estate in North Yorkshire, which has been in his family for more than 450 years. He is joined in this episode of Estate Matters by Avril Roberts, Senior Property and Business Policy Advisor with the CLA.

The pair discuss masterplanning for rural estates and the importance of good communication and engagement with neighbours and stakeholders, set against the background of the Government's housing targets.

https://www.hovingham.co.uk/

https://www.cla.org.uk/people/avril-roberts/