A BUSINESS leader in Trowbridge is urging firms to get involved in building and design issues that could have a dramatic impact on the local economy.

Local architect Pepper Barney, a co-director of the BiBo Studio in Court Street, says they wish to address the problem the built environment – regeneration, development and infrastructure - has on place-making and the local economy.

"It is something that has traditionally been talked about behind closed doors amongst professionals and experts. Consequently, the public are not only disengaged but almost entirely disempowered from design and implementation processes.

"It is too easy to disregard public opinion when they’ve not made materially relevant comments in terms of planning policy, or if they don’t have enough context/knowledge of things such as financial or legal constraints that shape proposals.

"So what we’re trying to do is help more people put forward 'materially relevant' ideas, and give them the educational context they might need to reinforce their points without actually sending them to university to study property law, planning, or architecture."

Some of the forthcoming events include:

• October 12: Property Investment Mentoring. Gavin Bridge will contribute to this session; he’s behind the Finzel’s Reach development in Bristol. It’s a mentoring session aimed at people who might like to get into property, but perhaps from a more socially-led angle, such as addressing homelessness or decarbonisation.

• October 20: Property Professionals Networking. Typically the property industry has to commute to Bristol to meet each other, so Miss Barney is keen to bring together Wiltshire-based entities.

• November 4: Business Networking Coffee Morning. This is aimed at business owners running or launching corporations, social enterprises, CICs and Cooperatives.

• November 17: Property Investor Networking. "We’re eager to bring people with money to spend into Trowbridge, you never know what might take their fancy!"

She says: "In our own experience of setting up a business in Trowbridge there is not much in the way of quality mentoring or professional business knowledge."Our coffee mornings are generally about raising the standard of business professionalism in the town in our attempt to showcase that Trowbridge has a serious business offer."

All events will go on https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/bibo-31010622399.