MARCH 2014 THE PROFILE OF PLANNING: RTPI SURVEY RESULTS // p.22 • URBAN SPACE MAN: GREG CLARK AND THE HOUSING CRISIS // p.28 • FOOTBALL CLUBS: GROUNDS FOR RELOCATION // p.32 • SEARCHING FOR A FIRST JOB IN PLANNING // p.44
T H E B U S I N ES S M O N T H LY FO R P L A N N I N G P R O F ES S IO N A LS
PLANNER
THE
OUR CRITICAL FRIEND How JONATHON PORRITT scorns the present yet hopes for the future
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THE PLANNER \ SEPTEMBER 2013
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www.rtpi.org.uk 25/02/2014 09:41
Celebrate with the RTPI in 2014 To mark the occasion of our Centenary a number of projects and events are taking place throughout the year. Check out the RTPI Centenary 2014 page on our ZHEVLWH WR À QG RXW ZKDW \RXU UHJLRQ LV GRLQJ DQG KRZ \RX FDQ JHW LQYROYHG 2XU &HQWHQDU\ LV D WUHPHQGRXV RSSRUWXQLW\ WR UDLVH WKH SUR¿ OH RI SODQQLQJ the Institute and its membership and the profession as a whole. It gives us a unique chance to look forward to the future of planning whilst at the same time celebrating our rich history and past experience.
rtpi.org.uk
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CONTENTS
PLANNER P 06 18
THE
MARCH
20 14
“IF YOU ARE GENUINE ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THEN A KEY ISSUE IS THE MISMATCH BETWEEN SUPPLY AND DEMAND AND PEOPLE'S ACCESS TO HOUSING”
NEWS
6 Applying Sir Patrick Abercrombie’s plans to the 21st century
7 Holyrood bill cuts planning fees
8 Planning transport infrastructure: Seven top tips
OPINION
9 Planners must monitor local trends to anticipate housing need
12 Chris Shepley: We’re through the looking glass on localism
10 Tide is turning for marine planning
16 Austin Brady: Biodiversity offsetting won’t do in its current form
11 Planning court will ‘de-clog’ disputes
16 Jackie Sadek: Reject garden cities and pursue garden villages 17 Dean Blackwood: Eco-crime thrives in Northern Ireland
28 QUOTE UNQUOTE
“I THINK THE PLANNING REFORMS ARE CLEARLY WORKING.” GEORGE OSBORNE
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17 Jonathan Manns: England needs a national plan like Wales
COV E R I M AG E | PE T E R S E A R L E
FEATURES
INSIGHT
18 Sir Jonathon Porritt tells Huw Morris why he’s feeling optimistic
38 Decisions in focus: Development decisions, round-up and analysis
22 Planners profiled: The RTPI's membership survey examined
42 Legal landscape: Opinion, blogs, and news from the legal side of planning
32
28 Kate Dobinson speaks to Greg Clark – a global cities guru 32 Simon Wicks asks: Are football stadium developments a special case?
77%
2%
Wales
5%
Outside the UK or Ireland
5%
Scotland
15
10% Ireland
1%
5,718 25.3% SURVEY
RESPONSE
22,670
RTPI MEMBERSHIP
46 Plan Ahead – our pick of upcoming events for the planning profession and beyond 48 RTPI round-up: News and interviews from the institute
Northern Ireland
England
44 Career development: How to stand out as a newly qualified planner in the jobs market
54 Plan B: Pickles and Paterson – peas in a pod?
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PLAN UPFRONT
Leaderr Yet another hard rain’s gonna fall – The record rainfall and widespread flooding of the past two months have regrettably proved one thing. It’s a hard lesson for politicians of all parties to learn but ignoring warnings is tantamount to a dereliction of duty, especially if they were made a decade ago. In 2004 Sir David King, the then-chief scientist, and a team of experts reported on flood risk over a 30-to100-year timescale. Their conclusions were to expect greater rainfall and rising sea levels but, most of all, to treat flooding as one of the biggest peacetime risks to the country. In 2006, Lord Stern urged early action on climate change to minimise economic and social disruption and to drop the business-as-usual attitude. If that was not enough, Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the disastrous flooding of 2007
Huw Morris
the too simplistic calls for widespread dredging and early use of the military. Any river engineer will warn that dredging cannot provide channels large enough to contain the amount of recent rainfall. Spending is one issue. Climate change committee chairman Lord Krebs estimates a £500 million shortfall in resources for flood prevention and coastal defence in the four years to 2015. That is unbelievably shortsighted given the warnings. Concreting over front gardens and continuing to build on flood plains are two major aspects of the built environment that are damaging the country’s ability to alleviate flooding.
made 92 recommendations, many of which are still on the drawing board. A case in point is that flood boards should be used to defend homes instead of the simple sandbag, although they were notable by their absence along the Thames. Yet again the taxpayer has forked out for expensive reviews and advice only for them to be ignored. This becomes all the more unedifying when it descends into a ludicrous blame game, never mind
“IGNORING WARNINGS IS TANTAMOUNT TO A DERELICTION OF DUTY, ESPECIALLY IF THEY WERE MADE A DECADE AGO”
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
Senior sales executive Norbert Camenzuli – 020 7880 7551
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Tackling the nation’s housing crisis must be a priority but the planning system’s increasing trend in favour of development and economic growth, with 200,000 homes built on flood plains between 2001-11, needs a rethink. Who wants a home that is regularly inundated? Anybody who thinks the insurance industry will endlessly continue to pay out for this shambles is living in cloud cuckoo land. The call by former environment secretary Lord Gummer for a single government department of planning and land use is at least a more constructive contribution amid the summits and soundbites. The buck needs to stop somewhere instead of the pass-the-parcel reaction of today. How many more wake-up calls do we need on how we manage water? It is said that experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. Unfortunately this does not seem to apply to flooding.
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© The Planner is published on behalf of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) by Redactive Publishing Ltd (RPL), 17 Britton St, London EC1M 5TP. This magazine aims to include a broad range of opinion about planning issues and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the RTPI nor should such opinions be relied upon as statements of fact. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format, including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet, or in any other format in whole or in partww in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While all due care is taken in writing and producing this magazine, neither RTPI nor RPL accept any liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. Printed by Polestar Colchester Ltd.
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NEWS
Analysis { L O N D O N
What would Abercrombie do today? Sir Patrick Abercrombie is celebrated for his radical plans that transformed post-Second World War London. The Planner listens in to how his lessons can be applied in the 21st century By Kate Dobinson
w
What would Abercrombie do in 2014? Lea Valley, one of Abercrombie’s original "green It was the question that an expert wedges", was his greatest legacy as it gave people panel picked apart in the basement of the access to nature he had envisioned, said Steven the New London Architecture Building Wilkinson, head of planning and strategic partnerCentre in February. ships for the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. Published in 1944, Abercrombie’s Greater London In fact, Abercrombie would think that the first Plan set out a vision for London’s future developthing we should do is environment, whatever guise ment, espousing the benefits of a planned city to that takes, said Marc Stringa, principal at AECOM deal with its growing population. Design and Planning. “If we’re not considering the context what is the outcome of what we do? Plans Stuart Murray, GLA assistant director for planning, need to clearly conceptualise context of the city.” reminded us that by 2030 London could become Europe’s first Mega John Letherland, a City, and it hit home Farrells partner, spoke on behalf of Sir Terry that strategic planning “ABERCROMBIE WAS IMPORTANTLY AN is just as relevant now Farrell. “I didn’t realise ARCHITECT PLANNER AND THAT WAS as 1944. I was coming to the PART OF HIS BRILLIANCE. THIS IS Abercrombie fan club Abercrombie would A TRAIT WE HAVE LARGELY LOST suggest that you need evening so I might offer IN THIS COUNTRY” an even bigger, bolder a slightly different plan, reckoned Sir view,” he quipped. Peter Hall, professor of planning and urban design Abercrombie did, after all, advocate the idea of an at The Bartlett School of Planning. eight-lane Camden motorway, he added. But he would not cope well with the reality that But big problems need big solutions, said Letheranother 1.5 million people are expected in London land, and he was keen to preview Farrell and in the next 20 years, said Hall. Partners’ latest vision for London – incremental extensions of the city around regional “transport “He wouldn’t have understood what was happening to London because he followed the principle corridors” separated by “green lungs”. But what was it about Abercrombie himself that that the density had to be kept controlled in order to maintain the kind of traditional city that London made his plans special? The essence of the Abercrombie vision depended on his abilities as an had always been – a low-density city." architect planner and “that was part of his brilBut the vision behind the Olympic City – an integrated “lifetime neighbourhood”, has improved on liance”, said Bartlett. standard of housing densities, said Kathryn Firth, “This is a trait that we have very largely lost in this chief of design for the Olympic Legacy Company. country and to our detriment,” he said.
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Sir Leslie Patrick Abercrombie (1879-1957)
THE EXPERTS: John Letherland, partner, Farrells Katherine Firth, chief of design, London Legacy Development Corporation Stewart Murray, assistant director, GLA Marc Stringa, principal, AECOM Sir Peter Hall, The Bartlett School of Planning Stephen Wilkinson, head of planning and strategic partnership, Lea Valley Park Authority
I M AG E S | C O R B I S /G E T T Y/ M A RT I N H U N T E R
24/02/2014 11:50
PLAN UPFRONT
15
Performance markers reflect key areas of essential good performance and service quality across the planning service
Holyrood bill cuts planning fees Under-performing Scottish councils will have their planning fees cut under new legislation. Section 41 of the Regulatory Reform (Scotland) Bill will allow ministers to reduce planning fees in circumstances where they are “satisfied that the functions of the authority are not being, or have not been, performed satisfactorily”. A new performance framework for planners developed by Heads of Planning Scotland and the Convention of Local Scottish Authorities will implement the “detailed practical arrangements” that Scotland’s planning minister Derek Mackay (pictured) considers “necessary to incentivise performance development”. The “high-level” group has identified a set of 15 performance markers that “reflect key areas of essential good performance and service quality across the planning service”. “They are the aspects of good performance and service quality that I expect to see implemented consistently across Scotland,” said Mackay. “Too often, performance has been far too variable.” He said that section 41 of the bill would “improve behaviour and outcomes, and there should be no loss of income if planning authorities step up to the plate as I believe they will”. But Labour MSP Margaret McDougall warned that the section would “potentially give the Scottish ministers too much control over the planning process”. McDougall said: “No safeguards exist in the bill itself. There is nothing to ensure that all reasonable steps will be taken to improve the performance of the planning authority, and there is no function in the bill to provide proper parliamentary scrutiny of any proposed variation in fees.” The proposals are part of a range of measures to
Insurance firm takes charge of house building Legal & General, Britain’s biggest pension fund manager, wants to build five new British towns over the next 10 years at a cost of up to £5 billion. The company, which manages £440 billion in assets globally, said building new towns and regenerating inner cities was the best way to address Britain’s housing crisis, and would also
“BRITAIN NEEDS INNOVATIVE HOUSING SOLUTIONS”
“SECTION 41 WILL POTENTIALLY GIVE SCOTTISH MINISTERS TOO MUCH CONTROL OVER THE PLANNING PROCESS”
help planning boost economic growth by removing unnecessary obstacles to delivering projects. These include reviewing planning agreements and obligations, and a consultation on innovative approaches to delivering development. Proposals to reform the fee system will also address Audit Scotland’s concerns, raised in its report Modernising the Planning System, that the funding model for the planning system is “becoming unsustainable as the gap between fees and expenditure increases”.
meet L&G’s aim of investing more of its pension fund money in infrastructure. Speaking to The Sunday Times newspaper, L&G chief executive Nigel Wilson said Britain needs “innovative housing solutions”. “If we can bring communities with us and agree planning, we’d like to help build several new towns across the country. Demand far outweighs supply and if we’re going to tackle this problem we should look at what has worked in the past and see how
it can be updated,” he added. Wilson said that L&G is already developing towns within cities, in partnership with “enlightened local authorities and boroughs”. L&G announced that it was looking for more opportunities to invest directly in infrastructure after it took a stake in British house builder Cala Homes in March last year. In December, it invested £169 million pounds in infrastructure assets, including a chain of care homes and a new hospital.
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NEWS
Analysis { TRANSPORT
Planning transport infrastructure: Seven top tips
Governments need to devolve funding mechanisms to local areas
By Kate Dobinson
A
ll talk and no action is a perennial probjustification for investment in transport infrastructure, lem for politicians but it is anathema to says the report. planners. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s 2013 Although UK transport infrastructure pledge to kick-start infrastructure spending with an has the ability to open up tracts of previously extra £3 billion a year from 2015-16 was considered “too undevelopable land for housing little, too late” . and catalyse economic growth, it has Although financial injections cona “poor” and “historic” under-spend, tinue to be important, the RTPI makes "GOVERNMENTS according to Matthew Hancock, the seven recommendations for how the NEED TO DEVOLVE minister for skills and enterprise in the government, policy-makers and planFUNDING Department for Business, Innovation ning professionals can work together MECHANISMS TO to reject limited cost-benefit analysis and Skills. LOCAL AREAS" For this, Hancock has laid the probwhen deciding on infrastructure lem squarely at the feet of planners. investments. These are that: “We need to make it faster to get from an infrastrucc Policy-makers need to deliver a visionary narture project proposal to diggers in the ground,” he said. rative of the real benefits that transport But an RTPI report, Capturing the Wider Benefits infrastructure-led schemes bring; of Investment in Transport Infrastructure, is sharing c Governments need to operate in a way that the solution between policy-makers and planning enables transport infrastructure schemes to be professionals alike. integrated with wider policy priorities across The problem actually lies in the faulty measurement different sectors; system, the report notes. c Individual schemes are integrated into broader The knock-on economic effect of a transport project strategies for transport at a national, subon a surrounding area is rarely immediate and so regional and local level; difficult to quantify for a cost-benefit analysis that it c There must be greater co-operation among key mistakenly used as the deciding factor in whether a delivery partners and their stakeholders; project is viable. c Revolving funds, in combination with strong public sector leadership, can help deliver This means that transport infrastructure projects that appear unviable at first could proceed if the land infrastructure-led development; values they could unlock were included and reprec Governments need to devolve funding sented accurately in appraisals. mechanisms, including better systems of cost recovery, to local areas looking to implement The RTPI believes that projects that could deliver land for housing and employment are being wrongly viable transport infrastructure-led schemes; vetoed because they fail to pass the narrowly focused and appraisal system. c Policy-makers, including local and national leaders, must only use limited cost-benefit Project appraisals are also too concerned with shortened journey times and miss the big picture. analysis as a guide to infrastructure investment Quicker journey times shouldn’t be the sole or main decisions and not as the final arbiter.
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VOXPOPS THE CONVERSATION: John Longworth, directorgeneral of the British Chambers of Commerce: “More forceful measures are also needed to unlock massive private funding to renew Britain’s infrastructure that will create confidence in the short term, jobs in the medium term and growth in the long term” Matthew Hancock, minister, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: “The problem is that we got into a position as a country that it took us too long to get projects from ideas, even when the financing was behind them, to actually getting them completed” Nick Prior, infrastructure chief at Deloitte: “The extra investment won’t happen until 2015, but we need shovels hitting the ground now”
I M AG E | A RU P
24/02/2014 11:51
PLAN UPFRONT
2011
household size did not fall as expected between censuses, but stayed constant
Planners must monitor more local trends to anticipate housing need English councils may be underestimating housing need by up to 30 per cent in local plans because they are forced to use faulty government data instead of custom-fit analysis. The Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) household projection figures were published in April 2013 and form the basis of councils' continuing local plans. But it is likely that the DCLG figures, based on 2011 census results, became rapidly outdated and so poorly reflect likely household need in some cases, according to the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Housing and Planning Research. The 2011 census showed that the average household size did not fall as expected between censuses, but stayed constant. It is likely that increased international migration, the economic downturn and the effects of a long period of poor housing affordability could be to blame for the discrepancy. Neil McDonald and Peter Williams, authors of the study Planning for Housing in England, said producing projections at a time when established trends have changed significantly is challenging. “Those using the projections should be aware of their inevitable limitations and use them appropriately. The key issue is whether the trends that have been projected forward in the latest projections are likely to continue unchanged. Authorities need to consider their own specific situation carefully in the light of what the latest projections suggest for their area.” The RTPI commissioned the report and fears that some local authorities may consult only the government household projections when submitting a local plan to the Planning Inspectorate, as it may be impractical to produce a comparative “robust local evidence base”. Government data must be a starting point, said Cath Ranson, RTPI president (pictured), and “not an end point when calculating how much housing they need to plan for in their area”.
“GOVERNMENT DATA MUST BE A STARTING POINT WHEN CALCULATING HOUSING PLANS”
TOP TIPS FOR PLANNERS:
Planners must be helped to use the freely available population and household projections, which are refreshed every two years, more intelligently and confidently, the study recommended. The Office for National Statistics and DCLG already produce projections for variant scenarios at a national level to give users some indication of, for example, the impact that increased international migration might have on the number of households. But something similar could be produced at the local authority level through an interactive tool that would enable planners to gauge the range of uncertainty they need to allow for. The government could also help by publishing the past and projected data for the drivers of change such as births, deaths and migration flows. Presenting simple tables and charts showing what has changed in each local authority for the past 10 years and what is projected to happen in the future would enable users to see what is driving the projections for their area and decide how realistic they are. I M AG E | PE T E R S E A R L E
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(1) Compare the latest projections with the 2008 projections; (2) Consider whether the trends in headship rates (number of people perceived as head of each household) are a prudent basis for planning; (3) Extend the projections beyond 2021 to the end of the plan period, and consider the impact of alternative scenarios that reflect a range of different assumptions; (4) Estimate what the range of potential outcomes is; (5) Produce plans that are flexible enough to accommodate the range of potential outcomes; and (6) Monitor what happens and be ready to adjust the plan.
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NEWS
Analysis { CO AS T AL
All marine plans, which should be in place by 2022, must conform with the Marine Policy Statement
P L A NNING
Marine planning not just for coastal authorities Marine planning is gathering pace around the country’s coasts. Even planning authorities far from the sea are affected by the new regime, finds The Planner By Huw Morris
For five years, a parallel planning system has been emerging around the country. The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 aims to deliver “clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans and seas”. A crucial mechanism for this is marine planning. But the new system does not only affect coastal planning authorities. Even authorities that are far away from the sea can either affect or be affected by the marine area and need to be aware of marine planning. So what is the lowdown on the new system? Who is affected by marine planning? Just about everyone. Marine planning directly affects coastal authorities, as well as those with estuaries and tidal waters. Land-locked authorities through their infrastructure links also need to consider marine planning. How do the land-use and marine planning systems link together? Marine planning covers the mean high water mark, while the land-use system applies to the mean low water mark. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and public authorities share responsibility for planning in this intertidal zone. What is the statutory basis of marine planning? Under the 2009 Act, Defra is the marine plan authority for England. The Marine
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Policy Statement (MPS), adopted by all UK administrations in 2011, is the framework for how decisions are made and provides an overview of national policy. All marine plans, which should be in place by 2022, must conform with the MPS. What are the similarities between land-use and marine planning? Both systems aim to ensure decisions are made strategically and comply with policies and objectives. Both have a presumption in favour of sustainable development and recognise key economic activities outside their respective remits. They also share similar objectives such as a strong economy, sustainable transport, climate change, conserving the natural and historic environments and the sustainable use of minerals. What are the differences? Marine plans are much larger than local development frameworks, with the East Inshore and Offshore plans equal to more than 40 per cent of England’s land area. Land-use planning’s examinations in public aim to balance contentious issues while marine planning’s independent investigations take place only if issues are unresolved after public consultation. Space allocation is less significant in marine planning as more than one activity can take place in the same location such as shipping, recreation
“THE MARINE AND COASTAL ACCESS ACT 2009 AIMS TO DELIVER “CLEAN, HEALTHY, SAFE, PRODUCTIVE AND BIOLOGICALLY DIVERSE OCEANS AND SEAS”
40% Marine plans are much larger than local development frameworks. The East Inshore and Offshore plans are equal to more than 40 per cent of England’s land area
Q
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PLAN UPFRONT
12,600 or fishing. Marine plans cover activities as well as development, although they have no specific targets as in land-use planning with housing allocations. The amount and quality of evidence for the marine area is behind that available to the land-use system. How are the systems integrated? The MMO is required to ensure that all marine plans are compatible with development plans. This is particularly important as all activity in the marine area depends on land-based infrastructure. The Localism Act 2011 obliges all public authorities to work together, requiring a continuing dialogue to ensure effective marine and land-use plans. What about coastal development? A concordat for coastal development was launched in England last November. This sets out key principles that marine regulators and estuarine and coastal planning authorities must follow. How do the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the MPS compare? Both set out high-level objectives and national policies. Land-use plans must be consistent with the NPPF, while marine plans must be in line with the MPS. Marine plans also need to conform with the Planning Act 2008, the NPPF and relevant National Policy Statements. How do marine plans work? Marine plans include a main strategy document, a sustainability appraisal and a monitoring and implementation plan. The strategy sets out the specific vision for a plan area in line with that of UK administrations. Specific policies inform decision-making, particularly for new licences and development. What are the similarities between marine and land-use plans? Both systems aim to support sustainable development. Both have a legal requirement to prepare a statement of how people can get involved in plan-making. Both also require a sustainability appraisal. Will marine plans change? The 11 marine plan areas will all eventually have marine plans but the MMO acknowledges that as the planning evidence grows, some policies are likely to become more spatially specific. Under the 2009 Act, marine plans will be monitored every three years and reviewed every six years. n Marine planning: A guide for local authorities is available at www.marinemanagement.org.uk/ marineplanning/about/index.htm#la
Judicial review applications have rocketed from 4,300 in 2000 to 12,600 in 2012
Planning court will fast-track ‘de-clog’ disputes Planning disputes over large-scale infrastructure projects will be fast-tracked through a new specialist court to be established by the summer. About 400 planning cases, from schools to shopping centres, will go before specialist judges working to fixed timetables as part of a move by ministers to prevent “meritless” challenges clogging up the main administrative court system. Justice secretary Chris Grayling (pictured) believes that the new court will halt a rise in judicial reviews, which have nearly trebled in a decade to more than 12,000 a year. The move has been prompted by concern that legal challenges to building projects can drag on for years, acting as a brake on large infrastructure projects and adding to uncertainty for businesses, local authorities and residents. The strong package of reforms, following a consultation from September to November 2012, means that only individuals or groups with a financial interest in a case can bring a challenge. Therefore, individuals who make a claim face a fair level of financial risk – ending the current situation where individuals and campaign groups can cause expensive delays with no cost or risk for themselves. Grayling said: “Judicial review must continue its role as a crucial check on the powers that be – but we cannot allow meritless cases to be a brake on economic growth. That would be bad for the economy, the taxpayer and the job-seeker, and bad for confidence in justice. “These changes will bring balance to the judicial review system, so justice is done but unmerited, costly and time-wasting applications no longer stifle progress.” According to the latest figures, judicial review applications have rocketed from 4,300 in 2000 to 12,600 in 2012. But of the 440 that went on to a final hearing without being refused permission, withdrawn or settled in 2011, only 170 went in favour of the applicant. Planning cases often take more than a year to resolve, with an average time of 370 days in 2011. Some of the measures will become part of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill, which was introduced to Parliament in February.
Planning barristers take silk in new QC list Five planning barristers are among the 100 new appointments to be Queen’s Counsel by the Ministry of Justice. In total, 225 barristers and solicitor-advocates applied for silk this year, with the success rate at 44 per cent. James Pereira was called to the Bar in 1996 and specialises in planning, environmental, local government and
administrative law, compulsory purchase and compensation. Saira Kabir Sheikh was called to the Bar in 2000 and her practice, Francis Taylor Building, covers all aspects of planning and environmental law.
and specialises in all aspects of planning, environmental, compulsory purchase and compensation law.
Two specialist planning barristers to be named as QCs are from Landmark Chambers.
Marc Williers, of Garden Court Chambers, was called to the Bar in 1987 and is known for acting for members of the Travelling communities in relation to planning, human rights and administrative law matters.
David Forsdick was called to the Bar in 1993 and specialises in environmental, planning, local authority and public law, while Rueben Taylor was called to the Bar in 1990
The appointments are made by Her Majesty the Queen on the advice of the Lord Chancellor, Chris Grayling, following consideration by the independent Queen’s Counsel Selection Panel.
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CHRIS SHEPLEY
O Opinion Desperate housing slithies will never run out of stunts Another demented day at the think tank. ’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves were conceptualising, gyring and gimbling in the wabe. There was tension in the air. The Jabberwock was on the prowl, and he had accused the think tank of running out of ideas. Since this was their purpose in life, it was not surprising that the slithies were in a bit of a tizz. Lucinda and Ptolemy, who were on thought-ejaculation watch today, gathered round the borogroves, looking mimsy after a night of brainstorming in the cocktail lounge. They had a good record over the past few years. But stratagems were scarce today, and suggestions were in short supply. The Jabberwock would not be satisfied with just a bit more pernickety meddling with the Use Classes Order. Their triumph, of course, had been localism. O frabjous day! The whole world seemed to have fallen for it, without knowing what it was, and without realising that it was not intended to mean anything. A failure that everyone thought was a success. Callooh! Callay! People thought they could do what they wanted, but in fact the Jabberwock was still in complete control. What an idea, what a triumph, what a coup. This had kept the slithies in bonuses and champers for four years, but now it was seriously outgrabed. Out there by the Tumtum tree, in the vicious undergrowth that was modern local government, in
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“THE WHOLE WORLD SEEMED TO HAVE FALLEN FOR LOCALISM, WITHOUT REALISING THAT IT WAS NOT INTENDED TO MEAN ANYTHING” the frumious vaguenesses of the neighbourhood watches, in the hindersnugs of the local action cells, people had begun to notice. They wanted to stop things happening. But now they were being told by stern planning inspectors that they could, in fact, not. You must have houses, they were told, and they were starting to blame the Jabberwock himself, which was categorically not part of the plan. Lucinda and Ptolemy had temporarily held at bay the outrage of the great unwashed by tendering bungs
– a tactic the Jabberwock so admired that he was now trying to assuage the uffish outcries of the fracktious multitude by paying people to have their villages undermined. The ylang ylang dispenser was set to max, and the brainboosting effusion began to fill the visualisation space. We can’t just drop localism, thought the slithies. It’s been too successful. We’re stuck with it. And of course Labour started to burble similar burblings. Good news if they’re fraught with similar cock-eyed hollow promises, of course, but it still leaves the Jabberwock with a problem. And a problem recently aggravated by the slithies’ latest wheeze – a revival of the old but interesting idea of a garden city. Plumptious, of course, and even sensible (a new experience for the think tank); but therefore unpopular with the
Jabberwock’s friends, who preferred something with superficial appeal but no actual impact on the ground. Something that civilians could not object to. Even the merest mutterings about this idea had half of Oxfordshire galumphing through the tulgey wood, with eyes that bulged with glorious rage. No wonder the slithies were nervous. Ideas flowed painfully slowly. Cut down the 50 pages of guidance to five? Counter-argumentative – the 50 had already grown to 200 and were growing still. Build a railway, boys? Effulgent. End all that green nonsense? Mostly gone already. Autochange of use from think tank to housing? Own goal. The Jabberwock galumphed onward with eyes of flame. In the poem, of course, it had been slain by the beamish boy. There’s never one of those around when you need one. What to do? Where to go? ‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves gyred and gimbled nervously in the wabe. The rest of us, though chortling sighs of relief that the slithies might have run out of stunts, were still worried that desperation would give birth to even more whiffling absurdity. We can only watch. And wonder. And hope.
Chris Shepley is the principal of Chris Shepley Planning and former Chief Planning Inspector
I L L U S T R AT I O N | O I V I N D H O V L A N D
24/02/2014 10:46
Quote unquote FROM THE WEB AND THE RTPI “I think the planning reforms are clearly working” THE CHANCELLOR GIVES EVIDENCE TO THE LORDS’ ECONOMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ON THE HOUSING CRISIS
“The worst examples of modern design” PLANNING MINISTER NICK BOLES DERIDES THE INCONGRUOUS CASTLE MILL STUDENT FLATS BUILT IN AN OXFORD BEAUTY SPOT
RIBA PRESIDENT STEPHEN HODDER ON THE DAMAGING IMPACT OF UK CITIES ON HEALTH
ED MILIBAND SETS OUT HIS AMBITION FOR THE CREATION OF NEW TOWNS IN "SUSTAINABLE LOCATIONS" RESILIENT TO FLOODING
ESTATE AGENTS KNIGHT FRANK ON WHY COMMUNITIES ARE CHANGING SHAPE FAST
FUTUROLOGIST TOM CHEESEWRIGHT ON A NEW “TIME TRAVEL” PLANNING TOOL THAT LETS PEOPLE VOTE ON AND SEE, VIA A VIRTUAL SIMULATION, HOW PROPOSALS WILL AFFECT THEIR CITY
“By making public health a priority when planning cities, we can save the country upwards of £1bn”
“UP TO FOUR WOULD BE DEVELOPED, INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO TO TAKE THE HEAT OFF LONDON"
“MANY STREETS IN PRIME PARTS OF LONDON HOUSE BARELY A SINGLE BRITISH RESIDENT”
“This approach allows planners and citizens to explore infinite scenarios”
“Not even 10 per cent of land in Britain is built on” THIS ESTIMATE BY SHADOW HOUSING MINISTER EMMA REYNOLDS IS WRONG THE FIGURE IS JUST 2.27 PER CENT
“DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES OF FLOODING THROUGH BUILDING RESILIENT, HIGHQUALITY, WELLDESIGNED PLACES THAT PROVIDE SPACE FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN DRAINAGE, GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENHANCED BIODIVERSITY WITHOUT ADDING COST TO DEVELOPMENT” TCPA HEAD OF POLICY HUGH ELLIS ON HOW GOOD PLANNING IS VITAL FOR FLOOD DEFENCES
£55k I M AG E S | OX FO R D M A I L A N D OX FO R D T I M E S / S H U T T E R S TO C K
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The amount that Birmingham City Council is proposing to charge for pre-application advice on major applications M AR C H 2 0 1 4 / T H E P L A N N E R
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CORRESPONDENCE
I Inbox
YOUR NEWS, VIEWS AND QUESTIONS F E E D B ACK
Philip Hurling I read with interest the article on page nine of The Planner February edition that ‘House sizes are shrinking’. Subsequently on page 18 in Analysis with the title ‘Britain in deep water’, reference is made to the fact that since 2009 some 5,000 homes have been built on flood plains. I wonder if this is the reason why houses are shrinking in size! Philip Hurling, retired local government chief planner and planning consultant
Steve Chapman I read the decision on the Lower Eggleton pub with interest. Although the pub may still have some theoretical community benefit, as it’s clearly no longer a viable business it is arguably no longer of reasonably beneficial use to the owner/s and I therefore suggest they serve a Purchase Notice under Part V1 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 requiring the council to purchase it. That should certainly bring the council back to the negotiating table! Steve Chapman BA (Hons) MRTPI DEVAPLAN Ltd
Steve Robshaw At all the conferences I have attended in connection with planning enforcement/ compliance any speaker from the RTPI, including presidents, has always extolled the virtues of planning enforcement and the officers who carry out the work. I, therefore, find it very disappointing that, apart from one small article from Scott Stemp on prosecutions, your magazine seems to completely ignore the fact
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that enforcement exists and concentrates solely on the roles of planners and development. This is totally at odds with what I understand to be the official view of the RTPI. My question to you, therefore, is when do you propose to correct this current oversight and include an enforcement section in your publication? We enforcement officers exist and whilst we know that we will always be treated as the Cinderellas of the planning system, acknowledgement and discussion of our work in your publication would be appreciated. I look forward to hearing from you on this important current oversight. Steve Robshaw Tech RTPI (retired)
From the Editor: Steve, we understand your concerns and are working on a solution. More on this soon.
Martin Gorman The chairman of the National Trust believes that planning control is now the slave to profit (Analysis, February). This is because developers, according to a survey commissioned by the NT, regard brownfield sites as unviable. As a result, 51 per cent of local authority respondents held that some green belt land would be taken for development in the next five years. Planning policy, concludes the NT in its December press release, puts green belt at risk. There is a lot here to respond to, but what concerns me most is the continuing campaign by the NT to disparage the planning system. Let us look a little more closely. Firstly, it strikes me as odd that the Trust should question the idea of viability. Acting as landowner,
the trust has developed part of its Dunham Massey Estate, near Altrincham. The 750-house scheme gave the trust “an understanding of the commercial realities of development”. In particular, “it was really important to everyone involved that the development was financially viable”...(NT website). Another, less noticed, news story in December was the publication of the government’s latest land use change statistics. These revealed that 2 per cent of all houses built in 2011 were on green belt land and, of these, 71 per cent were on previously developed land. The average density on all developments was 43 dwellings per hectare, up 72 per cent on 2001. It is difficult not to conclude that there is a gap between rhetoric and reality here. Green belts are widely misunderstood and have become a political football. In our centenary year we should do what we can to clarify their purpose and the role of planning in defending and reviewing designations and boundaries. The original purpose is clear from the government’s 1962 booklet, Green Belts. The drive to “do all we can to prevent the unrestricted sprawl of the great cities” came from both a respect for the identity of places and for the health of citizens. Protection of the countryside, wildlife and fine landscape were not the imperatives. Once green belts are declared it is instructive to note how resolutely planners defend them. I looked at a range of inspectors’ decisions reported over three months of this government’s first year and found case after case where “not preserving the openness
of the green belt” prevailed as a reason for rejection at all scales of development – village extension, business park expansion, crematorium and single garage, for example (OctDec 2010). Perhaps we should go further. Planning has matured since 1914. We know what the big issues are and have a wide knowledge of local priorities. Chris Shepley, in the February edition, identified the biggest issues as the need to see everyone with a decent and affordable roof over their heads and both local and strategic policies to address where they will go. Shouldn’t we look very closely at whether green belts add value any more,? Martin J Gorman RTPI (retired)
Nigel Britton Here are a couple more suggestions for your Planning Lexicon: Landscape setting: Viewed from a council chamber window late on a summer evening, the sun goes down over distant hills. Adverse Impact: Title of an action movie in which Bruce Willis and Harvey Keitel are refused consent for their cakeshop sign in a conservation area — with terrible consequences.
Send your definitions Thanks, Nigel. For next month, please do send us your alternative definitions for “public examination”, “planning gain” and “inward investment” – or indeed any other planning term that deserves our attention – and we’ll add them to Lexicon (online shortly). You can email your suggestions to editorial@theplanner.co.uk.
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24/02/2014 14:12
ALL OF A TWIT TER @ThePlanner_RTPI
P R O B L E M
SO LV ER
WHO CAN MAP THE FORCES AT PLAY? Why do OS maps have to be so expensive? In my work as an assistant planner I often have to purchase Land Registry-compliant OS maps. These maps are usually quite sizeable owing to the size of the sites we deal with, and often I am left with bills of over £150 for a single PDF download. Naivety may be playing a part here, but are maps genuinely that expensive? Does anyone know of a reasonably priced mapping site? Currently, we use CentreMaps Live. It seems excessive to me to pay so much for something that ultimately is just used for generating lease plans and site layouts. I assume many companies operate with a licence allowing for permanent access to OS maps for one or many terminals, but as I represent a company of only 27 employees this is not financially feasible or necessary. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. Joshua Hellawell is an assistant planner at Green Switch Solutions
Samer Bagaeen @samerbagaeen @ThePlanner Fantastic endorsement of planners globally. RTPI international education policy claustrophobic
Bill Lindsay @borninrottenrow @ThePlanner_RTPI continues improved Scottish, Welsh, & Irish coverage including feature of @DerekMackayMSP
Planning Scotland @planningscot Finished perusing this month’s @ThePlanner_RTPI and really pretty impressed so far. Planning Scotland even got a (very) brief mention!
Monica Lennon @MonicaLennon7 Concerned about financial penalties for councils who don’t meet Derek Mackay expectations especially as resources to deliver shrinking
Cliff Hague @CliffHague @CrenellatedArts @ThePlanner_RTPI Agreed. Planning education is good at widening perspectives, but statutory limits narrow that in practice.
Phil Swann @swannphil @CliffHague @ThePlanner_RTPI Could you ever be 100% a planner? Am sure my planning education somewhere suggested not!
Graham Chalmers @HarrogateGigs Great documentary on legendary architectural critic Ian Nairn on BBC 4 last night. Where are today’s equivalents?
Andy Foster @fosterarchitect “The outstanding and appalling fact about modern British architecture is that is just not good enough”. — Ian Nairn, 1964
Craig McLaren @RTPIScotland Disappointed BBC have renamed The Planners prog Permission Impossible espec as 94% plan apps in Scotland are approved.
I M AG E | A L A M Y
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B E S T O F T H E B LO G S
O Opinion
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Austin Brady is director of conservation at The Woodland Trust
Environm Environment secretary Owen Patterso Patterson suggests that it would be fine fine to build on ancient woodland as long as for every tree bulldozed 100 were planted. From the minister in charge of biodiversity protection this is doubly alarming; it contradicts statements by both Patterson and Defra that ancient woodland would not be part of an offsetting scheme, and suggests a lack of understanding of such habitat's ecological value. The government has promoted biodiversity offsetting as a way to remove blocks to development, while also seeking to deal with losses in biodiversity caused by development. But despite the protection afford by the National Planning Policy Framework, hundreds of ancient woods are threatened in England – 78 by HS2 alone. Destruction of our most precious and irreplaceable habitats must be excluded from the offsetting approach. So could biodiversity offsetting deal with some of these problems? Done properly, it could deliver an explicit mechanism to ensure that a developer makes up for environmental damage in a way that doesn’t happen now. Done badly, it could exacerbate existing biodiversity declines. Various forms of offsetting play an informal role in the existing planning process, mostly associated with larger
Jackie Sadek is chief executive of UK Regeneration
Reject garden cities and pursue garden villages
Biodiversity offsetting won’t do in its current form
applications and are operated in an ad hoc fashion. Developing a national scheme with clear guidance on how to implement an offsetting programme would introduce controls and standards for decision-makers, taking the onus off individual planning authorities and giving a consistent approach for developers. But we are not going to reverse the losses of the past 50 years. An independently assessed, credible and well-run offsetting scheme could perhaps deal with some of the damage being caused by inappropriate development. But who would oversee such a scheme? Only a third of planning authorities have such expertise. Ancient woodland is our link with the original wild wood formed after the last ice age. It is home to rare species, many of which do not colonise new areas easily. A simple ratio of trees lost to trees planted cannot be an effective compensation measure for the loss of a complex ecosystem. A bespoke response must follow, one that exceeds anything implied by even the most generous interpretation of existing offsetting metrics, where all such habitat is protected. If the current decision-making process follows the mitigation hierarchy and compensatory requirements for destroying ancient woodland become punitive, this will make developers think more carefully.
“A SIMPLE RATIO OF TREES LOST TO TREES PLANTED CANNOT BE AN EFFECTIVE COMPENSATION MEASURE FOR THE LOSS OF A COMPLEX ECOSYSTEM”
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There ca can’t be a town planner or an urban regeneration practi practitioner in the country who doesn’t harbour a soft spot for garden cities. And most of us have followed, with some real amusement, the recent furore over the suppression of a government report calling for the construction of two garden cities in the SouthEast to help meet the nation’s housing shortage. Suddenly (and this must be a symptom of how few real responses we have to the housing crisis), everyone is obsessed with the idea of garden cities. Industrialists lead the charge. Lord Wolfson, chairman of retailer Next, has offered a prize of £250,000 to anyone who can come up with a design. And Nigel Wilson, chief executive of insurance company Legal & General, has pledged an eye-watering £5 billion of institutional funding to support the build-out of garden cities. I would urge that we get a reality check. First, the two garden cities always cited are Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City – neither of which is, by any conceivable stretch of the imagination, a city. We have 64 cities, enough for our small islands, and neither Letchworth nor Welwyn GC is one; they don’t have cathedrals or a Royal Charter for starters. Garden cities, as conceived by Ebenezer Howard,
are over 100 years old. They were never cities; they are isolated and special examples of green settlements and, moreover, rather dependent on the use of the private car. To find sites for new settlements of comparable size will be fraught. The location of new garden cities has the potential to be way up there – alongside HS2 and fracking – as political hot potatoes. Second, the clever money will point to the lesser publicised success of the garden suburbs, as assessed in Martin Crookston’s recent excellent book Garden Suburbs Of Tomorrow? as the real achievement in housing – some three million, in fact, over the past 100 years. So, in pursuit of a new zeitgeist for our politicians to mobilise around, we should reject garden cities and propose instead fiscal and planning stimulus for “garden villages” – good old urban regeneration. Take all the lessons from the garden suburbs and transfer them onto brown land in unloved bits of existing conurbations. Build out mixed-use villages where people can live and work, preferably without cars, and that will serve to stitch fractured bits of cities back together and boost the local economy. This could house many more people than the proposed garden cities – and do it in places that have grown up organically over the centuries and where people want to live.
“NEITHER LETCHWORTH OR WELWYN [GARDEN CITY] IS, BY ANY CONCEIVABLE STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, A CITY”
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Have your say Would you like to see yourself in these pages? Get in touch by email – editorial@theplanner.co.uk Topical, inspirational, angry or amusing – we consider all relevant comment.
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Dean Blackwood is a chartered town planner and studies environmental law
Jonathan Manns is associate director of planning at Colliers International
England needs a national plan like Wales
Eco-crime thrives in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland’s former Minister of tthe Environment, Alex Attwo Attwood, warned he was getting tough on environmental crime last June. A press release reported most probably the largest illegal landfill ever uncovered in the British Isles. This ‘super-dump’, found 1.5km from Londonderry –Northern Ireland’s second largest settlement – has since been confirmed to contain half a million tonnes of illegal waste. Alarmingly, its western edge abuts the River Faughan Special Area of Conservation for a length of 1.4km – just 1km downstream from where two-thirds of the city’s water supply is abstracted. The ex-minister’s tough stance on such crime is to be welcomed, but the issue for new minister Mark Durkan to examine is whether his department’s strategic planning division (SPD) is creating the conditions for such crimes to thrive. For 10 years the division presided over unauthorised sand and gravel extraction at this location. Six unauthorised mineral extraction sites were mined out without planning permission. It is these vast holes created by unregulated quarrying that are now the repositories for huge amounts of illegal waste. For many years the planning authority had failed to take enforcement action because it was in receipt of retrospective planning applications to regular-
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ise the unauthorised extraction. Evidence from the Department of the Environment’s own Environment Agency found that actual environmental harm was being caused in 2009 and reported that unauthorised quarrying was responsible for the release of toxic leachate from the illegal waste site. But it did little to persuade the SPD to stop these breaches of planning control. A recent independent report by Chris Mills, the former head of the Welsh Environment Agency, criticised the department for its policy of after-the-event regularisation of unauthorised mineral extraction and called for a change in enforcement policy. But when an estimated £250 million is proposed to clean up known illegal wastes sites and the department’s Environmental Crime Unit is probing another 26 priority locations, it seems that the UK Environmental Law A s s o c i a t i o n’ s labelling of the province as the “dirty corner of the UK” in 2004 was an understatement. Shocking as this is, it should be considered in the context of the minister’s confirmation recently that 33 out of 55 minerals applications being dealt with by the SPD are retrospective. So it seems that DoE planning has not only been complicit in creating the conditions where eco-crime can flourish, but stands accused of institutional neglect.
“DOE PLANNING HAS BEEN COMPLICIT IN CREATING CONDITIONS WHERE ECO CRIME CAN FLOURISH”
We need to start seeing planners more as guardians; equipped to rec recognise the competing demands on space and balance these appropriately at each level, on behalf of others where appropriate. We need a profession that deals with city and regional processes as much as development control. Sounds hardly ground-breaking, but the appropriateness of a decision varies significantly between different spatial levels and this is not embodied in the way the system now operates. As letters pour into local authorities, seeking both more homes and less development, planners face seemingly irreconcilable demands. These often stop development but win few friends among the public or private sector planners. Yet little political posturing surrounds the adoption of new Local Plans or Site Allocations documents by comparison to when applications are brought forward. Likewise, despite a duty to co-operate, claims that other areas should accommodate more housing abound between authorities despite adopted plans. What’s missing is the “larger-than-local” vision. This isn’t a call for top-down Stalinist planning, but a national spatial plan would be a step to closing the gap between national and local objectives. We do this in other areas of planning already, with mechanisms to sup-
port regeneration and renewal, yet the planning system does not operate independently from any other public policy decisions either. Competition between functional areas, as opposed to co-ordination, is just counter-productive. A national plan is the only logical means to direct key growth issues in a “post-regional” age. In Wales, national spatial policy does not emerge from loosely written guidance but is shown diagrammatically. And whereas English i n f ra s t r u c t u ra l decisions come forward independently from government departments, Welsh ministers keep a firm hand on the tiller assisted by a dedicated and centralised team who focus on policy integration. It would not conflict with the aspirations of localism to the extent that government, as with HS2, Hinkley C and the “super-connected” cities, is making key investment and infrastructure decisions. We must make decisions with consistency, moving away from planning by appeal. This means taking decisions in context of the funding and investment available, with an awareness of sectoral issues that might conflict spatially – and crucially, making robust decisions on behalf of the wider public. A national spatial plan would provide a suitable position from which to do this.
“A NATIONAL SPATIAL PLAN WOULD BE A STEP TO CLOSING THE GAP BETWEEN NATIONAL AND LOCAL OBJECTIVES”
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After 40 years of campaigning experience, Sir Jonathon Porritt is a scathing critic of the government’s record on planning and the environment. Yet he is optimistic about the prospects for the planet in the next few decades. Huw Morris reports
PHOTOGRAPHY | PETER SEARLE
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ir Jonathon Porritt is probably better placed than most to comment on how governments tackle the environment. A former director of Friends of the Earth and founder director of Forum for the Future, between 200009 he was chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), the Blair government’s “critical friend” on environmental policy. He is the outsider who worked on the inside of Whitehall and is now on the outside again. “It’s extremely difficult to get change and there is much in government that militates against that, but it is possible to get sustainable development accepted across government,” he says. “By the time it was axed, the SDC had working partnerships with every Whitehall department to make sustainability the central principle of every action. We didn’t achieve it, but we went a long way to doing it. Every department had a green action plan, a performance audit and spending approval against sustainability criteria and they even had green ministers, but we had less impact on policy.”
A poor half-time score So, more than halfway through the coalition’s tenure, what does he make of the pre-election
promises of being “the greenest government ever”? Porritt openly scoffs at the notion, branding the government’s record as “depressing and disappointing”, predicting that the recent deal with Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset “will come badly unstuck” and attacking the Liberal Democrats for doing little to defend the green agenda. He points to an analysis he published for Friends of the Earth on the government’s first year in office that found little or no progress in three-quarters of environmental policy areas. Things have not improved. “The claim of the greenest government ever was conflicted pretty quickly and was very patchy even after one year in office. It’s regrettable how sustainability has now been swept away and is an astonishing dereliction on the part of the coalition government. By and large, it has been made to disappear,” he says. “The coalition has massive difficulties living up to that claim and I’m not sure they will even bother to make it again. There are so many government backbenchers that don’t think the environment has any traction with voters. “But then there is no heat on the issue from Labour. If you have an opposition which makes no heat, then as a government you keep playing things down.” {
{ HUW MORRIS is consultant editor of The Planner
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Smear campaign against planners Scathing as he is about the government’s green credentials, Porritt reserves his full ire for how ministers have treated planning. The pro-growth agenda set out in the National Planning Policy Framework is incompatible with sustainable development, he says. At the 2011 RTPI Convention, he accused communities secretary Eric Pickles of being “a cheerleader in a carefully choreographed campaign to smear planners”. This campaign also took in business secretary Vince Cable and Prime Minister David Cameron, who had described some planners as “enemies of enterprise”. Moreover, planning is not bureaucracy or red tape but essential for ensuring the right kind of development takes place in the right place, he says. “I have always hated people who turn planning into a political football then launch personal attacks on planners and people on planning committees who have to reconcile contrasting efforts at a local level. “I was really cross when this government blamed planning for failing to generate economic growth in the middle of a deep recession. That level of dishonesty beggared belief and the idea that planning was responsible was both fantastical and hideous. It implied that planners were repressing enterprise and creativity, which is ludicrous. “Local Conservative parties have their own view on what constitutes good development and a lot of local authorities won’t be bounced into economic growth by signing off each application. It’s not crazy nimbyism. It’s a mischaracterisation of people doing their best to find a balance between competing interests.” Not that Porritt could be mistaken for an anti-development campaigner. “THE He is a non-executive director of Willmott LIKELIHOOD NOW Dixon and argues that the country needs to IS THAT PEOPLE build at least twice as many homes than curWON’T OWN A rent levels of development. He believes that HOME UNTIL THEY shifting attention to redeveloping and refitting ARE MUCH OLDER existing homes is as important as new build THAN THEIR – “80 per cent of the homes we will live in by PARENTS” 2050 are already built”. Indeed, he maintains that successive governments will need to take on the mindset of a war effort to tackle the nation’s housing crisis. “If you are genuine about sustainable development, then a key issue is the mismatch between supply and demand and people’s access to housing. “The likelihood now is that people won’t own a home until they are much older than their parents or that people are living in miserable conditions. That is as unsustainable as cutting down forests and doing huge amounts of environmental damage. “Social justice is just as important as any other aspect of sustainable development. Housing is one of the top priorities for better living standards in the UK. We have had so many years of lagging behind demand that we now have a national crisis, which we are making worse. There is no sign of it getting better and we should look at everything in the policy kitbag.”
political values of economic growth, profit maximisation and global consumerism will collapse in the 2020s under pressure from a “bottom-up” revolution spearheaded by tomorrow’s youth, who are alarmed at accelerating climate change. A vast army of business leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists, inventors and academics then set about working towards a sustainable future. The world faces other big wake-up calls. Insurance companies refuse to pay for climate problems, forcing politicians to promote lowCV
HIGHLIGHTS
S IR J O N AT H O N P O R R ITT Born: London, 1950 Timeline: 1973
Cause for optimism In spite of his criticisms, Porritt is unashamedly optimistic about the future. He has just published The World We Made, a book that shows “how the world could look in 2050 – if we play our cards right” and is the culmination of 40 years of environmental campaigning. The fictional narrator is Alex McKay, who looks back at the key changes, lifestyle revolutions, and technological breakthroughs since he became a teacher in the 2020s. The book took more than 18 months to research and involved taking the best possible forecasts and projections for 2050 and tracking them back to see how the world could get there. So what lies ahead for the world by 2050? Porritt predicts that “old world” 20
1973 1980 1984 Graduates with a degree in modern languages from Magdalen College, Oxford
Co-chair of the Green Party
Director of Friends of the Earth
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“IF YOU HAVE AN OPPOSITION WHICH MAKES NO HEAT, THEN AS A GOVERNMENT YOU KEEP PLAYING THINGS DOWN”
carbon technology, while a global famine puts an end to the belief that a nine billion population can be fed on business-as-usual production. The world’s nuclear industry will be killed by a series of devastating cyber attacks. Porritt also predicts that 90 per cent of energy will come from renewable resources, with 30 per cent of the world’s electricity coming from solar power. By 2050, the super-rich will have largely disappeared after realising it is better to live in a world that works and therefore use their wealth to make it happen.
Porritt is perhaps most surprisingly optimistic about the future role of China, given its controversial environmental record. The country has considered the impact of climate change on its agriculture, water, soil and sea levels and decided the consequences for its people of not taking action are graver than anywhere else. This has led to what Porritt describes as a prevailing “engineer’s mindset” that is driving the Chinese to find solutions more than any other nation. Energy efficiency, reducing the country’s dependence on coal and huge investment in renewables are already apparent. He points out that after a period of strong growth China is now putting in measures that will eliminate in 40 years what took the UK 250 years to put right from the Industrial Revolution to clean air legislation to anti-smog measures after the Second World War. The book is a deliberate attempt to combat environmental gloom. Its big idea is not just that environmentalists will never scare people into living sustainably, but that for all the world’s problems, a sustainable future is still within mankind’s grasp. A major source of Porritt’s optimism is the growing readiness of people to personally make a difference. This might seem small against the scale of the challenge facing the world, but Porritt says it all adds up. “Most of the early history of the green movement was about stopping things happening. We’re anti this and anti that but are we ever going to say ‘yes’ to something? I feel personally responsible for not getting the balance right. “Much of the narrative around sustainability is driven by apocalyptic things to come. We default to telling bad news, yet all the evidence shows that does not empower people. “We either already have got the things we need for a sustainable future or it’s on the drawing board. This is all do-able. The vast majority of people would have better lives as a consequence.” But could all of Porritt’s scenarios really happen in 36 years? In the year 2050, he will be due for a hologram from Buckingham Palace congratulating him on his centenary. “It’s not a utopia,” he says. “It’s a possible future available to us.”
The World We Made is published by Phaidon, priced £24.95.
2013
1993 1996 1999 2000 2007 2008 2009 2013 Chairman of United Nations Environment and Development Committee for the UK
Launches leading sustainable development charity Forum for the Future,
Chairman of Sustainability South West
Chairman of the UK Sustainable Development Commission
Publishes Capitalism As If The World Matters
Publishes Globalism & Regionalism
Publishes Living Within Our Means
Publishes The World We Made
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RTPI SURVEY
THE PROFILE OF PLANNING THE RTPI WANTED TO KNOW WHAT MAKES ITS MEMBERS TICK. THE MEMBERSHIP SURVEY GAVE PLANNERS A VOICE AND 5,718 OF YOU SPOKE UP …
The RTPI was established 100 years ago this year. As well as providing an opportunity to celebrate our history, the institute’s centenary year is also a good time to take stock – to evaluate where we stand now and consider where we go next. This is why the institute wanted to conduct a comprehensive survey of its membership, the first of its kind for many years. The first thing we were struck by was just how many members responded – in the midst of busy and demanding working lives, more than a quarter of the membership took the
SARA DRAKE is managing director of the Royal Town Planning Institute
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time to complete the survey, and I’d like to thank all of those members who shared their views with us. It is an extraordinarily high response rate. Clearly, RTPI members care about the institute — but they also want us to do more on their behalf, and more on behalf of professional planning both here in the UK and across the globe. The results from the survey give us detailed and robust data on what members think about the institute, where they work, who they work for, what they earn and what they think about planning. It’s an invaluable insight that will determine how we tailor our services going forward in order to fully support members’ professional development. The survey clearly demonstrates the value of chartered status in particular to both members and their employers. Over the next few pages we present some of the key findings from the survey and set out how we intend to respond. However, this is just the start of a broader programme of research into the “state of the profession” that we will be conducting over the next year – led by our Head of Membership Martine Koch and Deputy Head of Policy and Research Dr Michael Harris – and we’d welcome further thoughts from members on this work, via our
website, email and social media. Our plans for the centenary year already reflect some of the findings from the survey. This magazine, The Planner, is one such response, as is The Planner’s new website. Both offer members a forum for debate on planning issues. We have also introduced regular news bulletins and we are increasing our engagement with members via social media. We know that there is more to do. The survey results will further inform the institute’s work as we prepare the new corporate strategy and business plan from 2015-20 to ensure that we focus on what matters to members and enhance the status of professional planners. Looking even further ahead, the survey results will help us to chart the demographic changes in the membership and the profession in the future. It is our view that planning has never been more important – economically, environmentally and socially. The institute will do all it can to promote the value of planning and to represent the profession in all its diversity. It is a challenge we are already committed to meeting; the next few pages explain how we will do even more.
Charlotte Morphet – Chartered planner, CgMs, and RTPI Trustee “I am proud to be a planner and of planning because it is about delivering development, infrastructure and services which contribute to people’s lives.”
INFOGRAPHICS | INFOMEN
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The Profile of Planners Where are you? Just over three-quarters of respondents live in England, with 10 per cent of members in Scotland, Wales (5 per cent), Northern Ireland (2 per cent) and Ireland (1 per cent). In England, the highest number of members live and work in the South-East at 20 per cent; eight and 6 per cent live in the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the North-East respectively. We are providing the RTPI’s committees, and our nations and regions teams and networks, with detailed breakdowns of the survey results so that they can tailor their services and activities for their members. Five per cent of members live outside the UK and Ireland. The highest number
are in Hong Kong, which accounts for 18 per cent of the overseas membership, followed by Australia (12 per cent) and New Zealand and the Channel Islands (8 per cent). The RTPI has always been proud of its international role. In the centenary year,
the president and chief executive will be presenting at major international planning conferences, including on our five Planning Horizons papers. These will take a step back from immediate policy concerns and take a long-term, global view of planning and
the challenges we face in the 21st century, such as climate change, demographic change, urbanisation and health, and planning for economic growth and enterprise.
Northern Ireland
England
77%
2%
Wales
5%
Outside the UK or Ireland
5%
Scotland
10% Ireland
1%
5,718 25.3% SURVEY
RESPONSE
22,670
RTPI MEMBERSHIP
Also represented in the survey: Malaysia, Barbados, Greece, Japan, Malta, Nigeria, Norway, Belgium, Bermuda, BosniaHerzegovina, Cyprus, Indonesia, Kuwait, Macau, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland (each 1% of the 5% international membership)
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5% of survey were outside of the UK. This Planners livingrespondents outside the UK or from Ireland number breaks down as follows:
18%
12%
8%
8%
6%
5%
3%
3%
3%
3%
3%
2%
2%
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S T RP AI PS UH RE VR E Y X X R
Administration 6%
Renewables 6%
13%
Economic Development Regeneration 21%
Planning Policy Local
16%
Rural Planning
Minerals & Waste 8%
Transport Planning 7%
Urban Planning
13% Management Enforcement Property 14%
Planning research (academic) 4%
26%
GIS/Mapping 4%
48%
Architecture 5%
What you do
15%
Environmental Planning Planning Policy– Regional 12%
21% Housing
53%
Development Management/ Control
Planning Policy– National 9%
18%
Heritage & Conservation
13%
Design
Areas of work not illustrated: Property development (14%) Working with communities (13%) Nonacademic planning research (8%) Leisure/Tourism, energy (4% each) Legal, construction (3% each) Surveying (2%) Engineering, health (1%) Other (4%)
Experience UNDER 2 YEARS
3%
1620 YEARS
9%
34
25 YEARS
7%
2125 YEARS
12%
610 YEARS
18%
2630 YEARS
10%
1115 YEARS
14%
Hotspot: Hong Kong Steven Siu is town planner in the Hong Kong SAR government “After graduating from two RTPIaccredited programmes at Cardiff university, I returned to my birthplace after 11 years in the UK. I made the decision based on the new public aspirations for heritage conservation and better living environment in Hong Kong, as well as the enormous job potential over the border in mainland China. I applied for RTPI chartered membership as I believe this globally recognised status would open up opportunities for me in spatial planning in other parts of the world.”
MORE THAN
30 YEARS
27%
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Retired
12%
10%
policy, 21 per cent regeneration, and 18 per cent in heritage or conservation. One in eight members is involved in community engagement and economic development. The survey revealed – unsurprisingly – that earnings increase with experience. Fifty per cent of respondents earn between £25,000 and £40,000. The highest-earning English planners are based in London and the South-East, but the biggest group of high earners is found in Ireland (with 29 per cent earning above £55,000) and overseas (33 per cent above £55,000).
plo y
em me
ti
Fulltime employed
65%
1%
1%
1%
Student
Portfolio working
Se
e
t Par
0% Volunteering
l
3%
ed lp oy m
Unemployed
We are proud of the diversity of the institute’s membership, which covers the public, private and third sectors. Half of members work in local government. Twenty-two per cent of members work for consultancies; 5 per cent work for international consultancies, while nine and 8 per cent work for national and local consultancies respectively. Eleven per cent of members are self-employed or freelance. Twelve per cent of members are retired. The areas in which members work are also diverse. Half of members engage with development management and/or local planning policy, 26 per cent work in urban
Freelance
f
It is clear that the RTPI has a longstanding membership with significant experience – just over half have been members for 16 years or more. The largest single proportion (at 27 per cent) have more than 30 years of experience in planning, followed by 18 per cent with between six and 10 years’ experience.
11%
ed
Working status
Proud of Planning YES
77% DON’T KNOW
12%
NO
7%
Clearly, RTPI members are proud to work in planning.
NOT APPLICABLE
4%
This figure is even higher for members who work in central government, national agencies and international consultancies (83-85 per cent), and those who live and work outside the UK and Ireland (84 per cent). The RTPI President for 2013-14, Dr Peter Geraghty MRTPI, made “Proud of Planning” the major theme of his presidency, and the importance of this theme will continue in the RTPI’s Centenary Year of 2014 under the RTPI President for 2014-15, Cath Ranson MRTPI.
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RTPI SURVEY
Future priorities and services To gain an understanding of what members think about the future of the RTPI, we asked members to select what they saw as the top three priorities going forward. More than two-thirds of respondents think that a priority should be policy and influencing. Forty-two per cent identify sharing good practice and 39 per cent training and development. The RTPI is responding to many of the priorities indicated by members. In terms of policy, the institute has already published the first two in a new series of policy papers, on large-scale housing development and transport infrastructure. Further policy papers will be published this year. To support our policy work, we have also invested in our research programme, including the Small Project Impact Research Scheme (SPIRe) – a new fund to support high-quality research projects with the potential to impact on policy and practice, and to encourage closer collaboration between the RTPI and accredited planning schools. In relation to services, almost three in five members (56 per cent) suggest that they would like to see more online learning resources made available; 45 per cent suggest news services and a further 38 per cent suggest additional publications. Unsurprisingly, training and development and online learning are more popular for younger members at the start of their career, whereas policy and influencing became increasingly important to members as their careers progressed. We will continue to assess and improve our weekly news bulletins, Twitter and LinkedIn communities, and build on the popular RTPI Learn platform that has already gained more than 1,000 members since it launched in January.
RATINGS OF CURRENT SERVICES
The mean score is calculated by assigning a number to each rating as follows: Excellent=5 Good=4 Average=3 Poor=2 Very poor=1 RTPI PROFESSIONAL INDEMNITY INSURANCE REGIONAL/CHAPTER EVENTS SCOTTISH PLANNER RTPI’S EMPLOYMENT LAW HELPLINE LECTURES CAREER SUPPORT NATIONAL EVENTS E.G. UK, SCOTLAND, WALES CPD EVENTS CONSULTANCY INFORMATION AND SUPPORT RTPI NETWORKS RTPI’S ONLINE DIRECTORY OF PLANNING CONSULTANTS BLOGS RTPI PLUS MY RTPI MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE AND INFORMATION MEMBERS’ PRIORITIES
69% POLICY AND INFLUENCING
20% EVENTS AND NETWORKING 26
3.83 3.79 3.79 3.74 3.73 3.71 3.70 3.67 3.65 3.63 3.63 3.52 3.51 3.49 3.48
S S S S S S S S S 5S 42%
39%
29%
24%
SHARING GOOD PRACTICE
TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT
MEDIA PROFILE
13%
12%
10%
5%
PLANNING AID
EDUCATION
RESEARCH
REPORTS
COMMUNICATING WITH MEMBERS
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Why you are a member Members place a great importance on being part of the institute. The most popular reason for originally joining the RTPI, cited by 91 per cent of members, was to take advantage of support for their professional advancement, especially among student members. This was followed by 70 per cent of members who joined because membership of the RTPI is highly valued by their employer or clients, and 67 per cent of members who joined to improve their status and skills/ knowledge. Salary, promoting the profession and networking were seen as important but less significant. However, the most popular reason for maintaining membership is because of how it is valued by employers and clients. Chartered status is particularly valued. It is encouraging that the majority of services are highly rated by members. Most
services are rated as being of good quality. However, there is variable awareness of some services and this is something we need to reflect on. Members typically have a high awareness of CPD, regional and national events, chapter events (the RTPI regional networks in Scotland) and the online directory of planning consultants. However, this varies by nation. Members in England showed a higher awareness of CPD events, while regional events are most well known in Scotland. Awareness of RTPI activities also tends to rise with length of membership.
promote the planning profession, our programme of research on the state of the profession will include planners who aren’t currently members of the institute and those whose membership has lapsed, with a view to understanding and reflecting the needs of the wider planning profession and continuing to strengthen the institute in the years ahead. For further information on this work, please contact: research@rtpi.org. uk
What next? We are delighted that so many members chose to provide us with their views of the institute, and we look forward to continuing to engage with members to strengthen the work and profile of the RTPI and of professional planning over the next few years. The RTPI’s centenary is an important occasion, marking 100 years of professional planning, and represents a significant opportunity to raise the profile of planning, the institute, its membership and the profession as a whole. This will be reflected in a wide range of activities, projects and publications during the centenary year. More results from the membership survey can be found on the RTPI website at: rtpi.org.uk/knowledge/research/ projects/membership-survey/ As part of our work to represent and
Anonymous survey respondent: “I think the RTPI’s Proud of Planning, Proud of Planners campaign is excellent. I must admit that at times I have felt a little disheartened by people’s lack of understanding of what planners do. Peter Geraghty has been brilliant in promoting planning and not just the big projects or the most senior of planners. The RTPI publicised one of my colleagues getting an outstanding award service award and that was brilliant too. It’s important that we inspire the generation of planners coming through. I am proud to be a planner and proud to be a member of the Institute. Thank you Peter and Cath for helping to raise my spirits and carry on celebrating the great work in planning.”
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INTERVIEW GREG CLARK CV HIGHLI G H TS
High-flyer: Greg Clark
KATE DOBINSON is news and content editor of The Planner
all it petty opinion or peculiar truth, but few could deny that Greg Clark – the prolific global cities adviser – is the go-to guy for metropolis and municipality rather than his namesake, the government’s minister for cities. To be fair to Clark the politician, any three-year post would appear feeble next to Clark the mentor’s love affair with planning, space and population that spans quarter of a century. Clark is a behemoth of the planning boardroom. He consults for an astonishing 17 organisations, including the prestigious Urban Land Institute, the OECD, the World Bank, and Royal Society of Arts and treads government turf himself as the DCLG’s city and regional development man. But as he is wise counsel for more than 100 planning authorities in cities as diverse, difficult and dazzling as Melbourne, Barcelona, Glasgow, Baltimore, Milan, Canberra, Belfast, Seoul, and Krakow, it’s clear that the UK has to get in the queue when it comes to outsourcing any of its spatial, planning and population predicaments to Clark. Inevitably, we speak as a car ferries him to another meeting via a pit stop at the home he shares with wife Julia Franks, a psychotherapist, in Muswell Hill, North London. He darts animatedly between locations of endless vexation that have fallen into his portfolio – those that suffer from unemployment, inflated crime rates and miserly architecture – that are slowly “remade” by planners with a gift for incentivising and encouraging its disgruntled inhabitants. “Planning has begun as a first-aid style intervention to correct what had gone wrong in Sao Paulo and Mumbai,” he says. Engrossing and colourful as these examples may be, can the UK implement any of the planning solutions piloted in comparatively alien political environments? Nick Boles, a Conservative planning minister with a liberal advocacy for selfbuilt housing, often carries out nice compare-and-contrast
198081: Volunteered in Mexico City and New York, which sparked interest in the world’s biggest cities 19811986: Read education and social and political science at Cambridge University 19861995: Roles at the British Refugee Council, the London Borough of Lambeth and London Docklands Development Corporation 19951996: Selected as a Harkness Fellow by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City to study city and regional planning at Columbia University 19962001: Appointed managing director at Greater London Enterprise, chief executive of the London Enterprise Agency and chairman of OECD Cities and Regions Forum 2004: Joins DCLG as city and regional development adviser 2007: Appointed senior fellow of Urban Land Institute (ULI), Europe, London 20092010: Appointed adviser to World Bank Metropolitan Planning Lab and Western Cape economic development partnership 2012: Appointed global fellow of Brookings Institution Metropolitan Programme and Global Cities Initiative 2013: Appointed to UK Government Foresight Lead Expert Group on Future of Cities
{
20062014: Appointed adviser to Barcelona, Vienna and Turin strategic plans and chairman of Sao Paulo, Metropolitan Auckland, Toronto and fourth New York regional city advisory boards
URBAN SPA GREG CLARK IS SINGLEHANDEDLY MAKING THE WORLD A SMALLER PLACE WITH BIG IDEAS. THE GLOBAL CITIES ADVISER TELLS KATE DOBINSON WHY PLANNERS ARE STAGING A FIRSTAID STYLE INTERVENTION FOR HOUSING CRISES
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INTERVIEW GREG CLARK
“MY WOR RRY IS THAT BUILLDING G WNS EN MASSE WILLL NEW TOW XPENSE BE DONE AT THEE EX HER COMPLIC CATED OF RATH RESIZIN NG OP PERATIIONS”
“Central government increasingly realises that all of the important things that they want to do span the interests of all of the departments, and has realised that fire-loading departmentalism is not going to work. Local government has to work across boundaries and central government across departments.” Public services and authorities have been more forcibly required to work “cross ward” to cope with unprecedented cuts but are beginning to question why they were separated by arbitrary administrative boundaries in the first place, he says. “Cities and metropolitan areas are also increasingly realising that whether or not they are given power it’s an imperative for them to form coherent organising blocks. They’re realising that municipal boundaries are essentially arbitrary. Planning policy is much more effective when it is coherent across territorial markets or space. What helps planning policy achieve its objectives is if it’s consistent. Unless they start to get together they’re not going to be effective.”
exercises with Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany. However, the UK’s idiosyncratic, bureaucratic hurdles make “customhousing” an unworkable idea here. Similarly, to compare the wealthy city governments of New York and Tokyo with London’s is unfair. And whereas our capital ploughs investment into Crossrail and affordable housing, New York chooses infrastructure and Tokyo, waterside development. So what is useful about comparing a tiny complicated isle with its foreign cousins?
Systems of cities “There are some generic things that nearly all cities can learn from others, like good leadership and governance. It’s about trying to provide inspiring examples that we can all learn from,” Clark explains. Countries are not separate in Clark’s world but grouped by a classification that relates to their quality and market competitiveness. “I think slightly in typologies,” he says. “‘Emerging cities’, ‘high quality of life cities’, ‘competitive middleweights,’ – the idea being that cities with similar opportunities try to innovate within this framework. The message is that the UK cannot afford to isolate itself. This is a global discourse and dialogue.” Blurring boundaries and smashing silos is typical “Clarkvision” for cities to prosper and solve their housing crisis. Whitehall doesn’t escape this treatment either.
Resizing versus creation Infinitely more consuming to the coalition is not recalibration but creation. Census analysis shows the UK needs 145,000 more homes supplied annually. Only 33 of the 82 biggest housing developments in 12 of the UK’s biggest cities are meeting their affordable housing targets. London alone requires the equivalent of 18 Olympic villages by 2021. The response this month? David Cameron’s “secret Tory plans” to build two new largely unpopular garden cities in Kent and
Clark's 100 city visits 1. Glasgow 2. New York 3. London 4. Cambridge 5. Mexico City 6. Moscow 7. Istanbul 8. Singapore 9. Hong Kong 10. Seoul 11. Beijing 12. Shanghai 13. Chongqing 14. Wuhan 15. Nanjing 16. Chengdu 17. Shenzhen 18. Guangzao 19. Cape Town 20. Johannesburg 21. Durban 22. Nairobi 23. Addis Ababa 24. Al Ain 25. Abu Dhabi 26. Mumbai 27. Ahmedabad 28. Colombo 29. Los Angeles 30. San Francisco 31. Portland 32. Seattle 33. Miami 34. Atlanta
30
35. Houston 36. San Antonio 37. Phoenix 38. Detroit 39. Chicago 40. Philadelphia 41. Baltimore 42. Washington DC 43. Boston 44. Toronto 45. Montreal 46. Vancouver 47. Ottawa 48. Edinburgh 49. Aberdeen 50. Cardiff 51. Belfast 52. Londonderry 53. Dublin 54. Cork 55. Oslo 56. Stockholm 57. Copenhagen 58. Helsinki 59. Amsterdam 60. Rotterdam 61. The Hague 62. Utrecht 63. Hamburg 64. Cologne 65. Stuttgart 66. Frankfurt 67. Munich 68. Berlin
69. Vienna 70. Zurich 71. Basel 72. Poznan 73. Warsaw 74. Krakow 75. Riga 76. Prague 77. Budapest 78. Bratislava 79. Turin 80. Milan 81. Rome 82. Bologna 83. Naples 84. Barcelona 85. Madrid 86. Bilbao 87. Seville 88. Valencia 89. Lisbon 90. Porto 91. Sydney 92. Melbourne 93. Brisbane 94. Auckland 95. Havana 96. Rio de Janeiro 97. Sao Paulo 98. Buenos Aires 99. Santiago 100.Bogotá
46 32 31 30 29
49 55 56 58 48 75 6 51 1 4 59 57 77 72 53 50 64 52 3 60 61 65 73 74 54 66 67 62 63 79 78 86 68 69 90 85 70 71 80 82 7 81 89 88 84 87 83
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37
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34 35
47 44 45 39 38 41 40 42 2 33 95
5 23 100
22
96 97 99
98
20 19
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Buckinghamshire have been exposed by a delighted Nick Clegg in full point-scoring panto-mode. Elsewhere, an unlikely investor, insurance company Legal & General, represents the general public feeling of being so fed up with the government’s housing plans it is taking matters into its own hands and proposes to build five new towns at a cost of £5 billion. The measures don’t have to be so drastic. “My worry is that building new towns en masse will be done at the expense of rather complicated resizing operations,” says Clark. “What we have to get better at is resizing cities. “We’re in this period of rapid urbanisation and the world has finally realised that cities are good for us. Planning is increasingly being reinvented as a system for shaping metropolitan and urban spaces. The reinvention of planning has been in the redrawing of the city for the citizen.” Places are more pliable and durable than we realise, according to Clark. There is a risk that the older city could become a ghost town as it merges with another neighbour, but there is also an opportunity for the new city to adopt the old city and create a place that is stronger than the sum of its parts. The problem, he says, is narrow-minded public perception. “We shouldn’t be too quick to judge how it will turn out. There’s a terrible inclination for the public during the process of development to assume that it’s a bad thing.”
The downside of devolved power Assuming the worst of government is not helpful either, he says, when I ask if centralisation is a uniquely British problem. “The assumption that you’re making is that centralisation is
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11 10 16 15 12 14 13 18 17 9
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always bad and localism is always good. In general, localism empowers, but there are certain situations where centralisation is the right tool to use. We should avoid the thinking that all centralism is bad and all federalism is good. “It doesn’t surprise me that any British government hasn’t done wholesale reform and devolved power because it wouldn’t work. It is endemic, if I can put it that way. Reform is systematic in other countries but in the UK we negotiate in individual reforms. It’s inherent to the way that the UK operates. Reform must be negotiated, bespoke, a combination of top down and bottom up, done in a long cycle. The Centre for Cities think tank is piling on pressure for more power to be devolved to struggling regions it says are “punching below their weight”. In the meantime, cities can bolster economic power by working with unconventional partners or – what some may find a novel idea – by working together, says Clark. “I’m most interested in how some (cities) have – through collective action – improved quality of life for large numbers of people. London has gone from being dormant to an exciting cosmopolitan, self-confident, brilliant, ironic city, full of richness and a sense of its “THE ‘NARROW’ own global presence.” VERSIION OF SMART The Department for CITIEES IS THAT Business, Innovation and TECHN NOLO OGY CAN Skills is keen to practise what SOLVEE EVERY URBAN jargon-heads call “joined-up PROBLLEM.. THIS IS working” to close the SIMPLLISTIC AND, TO widening economic gap BE FR RANK, WRONG” between talent-sucking London and the rest of the country. In December, it announced that the government, cities, businesses and universities would join forces to develop the Smart Cities Forum, chaired by universities and science minister David Willetts and the cities minister Greg Clark. According to Clark the adviser, it’s a new era of mobility that ushers in researchers, entrepreneurs, students and investors to work as one dynamic crowd gathering and sharing data and exploiting technology to support integrated public services that improve local economies. “Smart Cities” are lucrative. Their commercial value of is projected to be £247.9 billion globally by 2020 and the UK is expected to gain a 10 per cent share.
Scientific intelligence, not SMART cities
8
93 92
91
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But there is no quick fix – not in garden cities or in smart cities. It’s actually leadership that needs some extra smarts and a “world view”, warns Clark. “The ‘narrow’ version of smart cities is that technology can solve every urban problem. This is simplistic and, to be frank, wrong. The promise of new technology has to be pursued between leadership. Technology has to be the servant of good leadership and good governance, not to replace it. “There is a broader definition of smart cities, which is how we create intelligent and flexible cities. How do we create an adaptive system? Cities are systems of different things, all of which are more effective through leadership and governance. So I’m not sure I would call it a smart city, but I would call that an intelligent or flexible city.” And how does Clark, honorary citizen of more than 100 countries, manage to be so flexible? His vision gives him a portal into the future that Clark is busy installing in every city. MAR C H 2 0 14 / THE PLA NNER
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FO O T B A L L S TA D I A
GROUNDS FOR DEBATE RELOCATING A TOP FOOTBALL STADIUM IS A GAME OF TWO HALVES BETWEEN THE VESTED INTERESTS THAT ARGUE THEY ARE THE HEARTBEAT OF THE LOCALITY AND THOSE WHO SAY THEY RIDE ROUGHSHOD OVER PRESSING NEED. SIMON WICKS IS YOUR COMMENTATOR
“T Wembley Stadium The 90,0000-seat stadium – the UK’s largest – opened in 2007 on the site of the earlier stadium, which was 003 03 3 demolished in 2003
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he football club is the beating heart of a locality,” says Steve Curran, the Labour cabinet member for planning at Hounslow Borough Council. “We lost a safe seat over that [a proposal to move Brentford FC to Woking]: the football supporters put up an independent candidate and they beat the Labour candidate.” In December 2013, Curran’s planning committee colleagues (he stepped down because of a potential conflict) approved an application for Brentford Football Club to build a new 20,000seater stadium on a brownfield site in the town. The club believes that the move will secure its D R AW I N G S | F O S T E R PA R T N E R S / B R E N T F O R D F C
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Lionel Road At the end of the day, the planning trade-off won’t please all Brentfordians
LIONE L
financial and sporting future. The 12,000-seat Griffin Park, its home since 1904, is losing in the region of £5 million a year, says the club. Curran supports the scheme and the community is broadly in favour of a more modern stadium for its local club. But the approved plan for the three-hectare site is controversial; as well as a stadium, outline permission has been secured for an enabling development of 910 flats in 12 blocks up to 61 metres high, a 160-room hotel and retail space. None of the flats will be “affordable”, despite standard London requirements. Critics also say the proposed housing is too dense – its estimated 526 homes a hectare is far more than the 294 allowed by the London Plan for a site with its level of access to public transport. Then there is the potential impact on conservation areas, including Kew Gardens; the concern about congestion and pollution on a site hemmed in by the M4 and the South Circular; and the pressure on the public transport network and health, education and recreation services. Because of its strategic importance, the plan had to go for the Mayor of London’s approval, which was given as The Planner went to press. An objection lodged by English Heritage means that it must now go before the secretary of state.
ROAD
20,000 seater stadium on brownfield site
It’s a scenario that has been played out across the UK dozens of times in the 23 years since the publication of the – literally – game-changing Taylor Report. Written in the wake of the Hillsborough tragedy, the report sounded the death knell for Britain’s antiquated football stadia. Taylor’s recommendations led to compulsory all-seater stadia for high-level clubs, and professional teams across the country had to refurbish their deteriorating assets. Many moved elsewhere – in fact, almost 40 English, Scottish and Welsh professional football clubs have moved to new stadia in the past 20 years.
An age of new stadia
910 160 flats in 12 blocks
room hotel
Sunderland were among the first to go – to the stylish Stadium of Light. Bolton followed, as did Coventry, Peterborough, Southampton, Leicester, Cardiff, Swansea, Brighton, Watford, Southend, East Fife – and the list goes on. We’ve seen Wembley Stadium demolished and rebuilt, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff constructed and the Olympic Stadium in London – soon to be home to West Ham United. Many more proposals are on the table, including those for Tottenham Hotspur, Bristol Rovers, Coventry City, Scunthorpe United and Queens Park Rangers. We haven’t seen this level of stadium building MAR C H 2 0 14 / THE PLA NNER
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FO O T B A L L S TA D I A
for 100 years or more. But the environment in which these stadia are now planned has changed radically. There is less undeveloped space now, and much of that is protected. Regulations are tighter. Costs are huge and usually need to be met with an enabling development. Community consultations and benefits in the form of section 106 agreements are the norm. The clubs have history now, too. The modern stadium is more than just a stadium. These are huge developments entangled with feelings of civic pride and local identity. It’s hard for planners and councillors to treat such proposals as anything other than special.
The challenge to planners “This was such an important application for the borough,” says Curran. “So much so, that within the Brentford Action Plan there was an objective to support the relocation of Brentford FC to this site. Having a town side not in the town doesn’t work.” The club has to move to survive, he says, because it has “no hospitality offer” and Griffin Park simply cannot provide the revenue generation that a modern football club requires. But the council, he concedes, has had to make compromises to keep Brentford FC in the town. “It’s above the London plan density,” admits Curran. “But we took the view that although it’s a tight site there’s room to expand and it’s going to be akin to city living. We looked at some of the Greater London Authority (GLA) standards for housing and we can meet those minimum standards. Some aspects of this development departed from our policies, but we felt this was outweighed.” What it was outweighed by was the overall community benefit and the wider requirement to regenerate the town through fresh development. Then there is the obligation of councils to provide for London’s expanding population. The council has also compromised on the affordable housing element because the enabling development simply couldn’t pay for the stadium if the flats weren’t sold at full market value. A clawback is in place should there be an uplift, which will provide for affordable homes elsewhere, and housing is planned for the Griffin Park site. A section 106 agreement will keep the valued Brentford Community Sports Trust at the new ground. There are good arguments in favour, but the sheer scale of the physical and social impact of such developments stirs up strong feelings. “The issue here is the enabling development – to introduce 910 homes in that location is quite irresponsible, really,” says local resident and retired planner John Burrow, who has been working with opponents of the scheme. “It’s the sheer number of flats, their density 34
“WE TOOK THE VIEW THAT ALTHOUGH IT’S A TIGHT SITE THERE’S ROOM TO EXPAND AND IT’S GOING TO BE AKIN TO CITY LIVING” STEVE CURRAN
and the impact on traffic. Lionel Road will be closed for construction and on match days. It’s a relief road for the M4 and even now it’s regularly gridlocked,” Burrow continues. “Then there’s the pollution – Hounslow’s own environmental health officer said the scheme is non-compliant with the London Plan on pollution grounds.” Burrow claims substantial breaches of both the London Plan and Hounslow’s own planning policies. “As a town planner I want to see good development,” he says. “I don’t like the site and would like to see it developed. You could get an exemplary stadium on that site. But other stadia would take up the whole space. “You have a lot of competing interests here and the council wants to be seen to be supporting the club. I think they are desperate to appease the football club,” he adds. It’s a theme picked up by Graham Loveland, Islington’s chief planner during Arsenal FC’s Emirates stadium development (see box). “This [Brentford] is a very significant development in terms of running ahead of where planning might or might not go in London,” he says. “It’s a bit of a Trojan horse, keeping the club in the borough but on the back of that an awful lot of development. It’s so contrary to planning policy. “The key benefit is keeping the club in the borough and what they are doing for community regeneration. But I simply don’t think that adds up to the planning decision they have made. I feel the borough has lost sight of its role as a planning authority.” Loveland feels that the proposed Lionel Road development features two developments squeezed into one site. Either might be acceptable on its own, but not together. Burrow agrees. Perhaps the sheer influence of football clubs puts planning authorities under too much pressure, and it’s too easy to make the popular decision rather than the correct one.
A special case? But Brian Burgess, founder of Lionel Road Developments Ltd and the man behind Brentford FC’s planning application, would argue that football clubs are a special case. Burgess is a trustee of the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust that is central to the section 106 agreement. He also led a buyout of the club supporters, was chairman for a period and is now also chairman of Supporters Direct, the national body of supporters’ trusts. “Clubs should be run as good businesses on a sustainable basis,” he says. “But a football club is not like other businesses. We had a letter from someone whose father’s ashes were scattered on Griffin Park – people don’t have that kind of loyalty to Sainsbury’s or Tesco.”
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The Emirates: A model development?
Graham Loveland Islington’s chief planner during Arsenal FC’s Emirates stadium development
Arsenal FC found in the late 1990s that their iconic Highbury home did not provide the revenue they needed to compete at the highest level. Plans to increase capacity to 60,000 were thwarted by a lack of space and the club, which had already moved from Woolwich in south-east London in 1913, started to look elsewhere. “They thought about King’s Cross. They looked at the Millennium Dome,” recalls Graham Loveland, former director of planning and transportation at the London Borough
Burgess insists that the new stadium will enable the Bees to function on a more solid footing. “Clubs do create a lot of social and economic value for communities,” he adds. “Keeping Brentford FC in Brentford is essential for the football club. It’s essential for the local economy and the town’s profile. Most people only know about Brentford because of the football club. “It’s also essential for the disadvantaged in the community. The Community Sports Trust works with 40 estates and more than 100 schools. An independent assessment of the value of our community work put it at a minimum of £8 million a year in social value to the public purse. “It’s more than football,” he adds, noting that the site “will be developed sooner or later I M AG E S | P OPU LOU S / A RS E NA L FO OT BA L L C LU B
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of Islington. “The story is that they went up in a helicopter, looked around and thought ‘Hold on a minute, you can build a football ground a stone’s throw from the existing ground’.” The application for a new stadium on the site of a waste transfer station in Ashburton Grove was dealt with by a dedicated team of planners at the council. The council and the club also formed a community forum that helped to shape the application. “The club made a mature decision because they knew there were detractors out there,” explains Loveland. It was a huge development – the
stadium itself, two bridges linking with Holloway Road, improvements to Holloway Road underground station, a new waste transfer station, housing around the stadium and on the site of the old Highbury ground, some 30-40 per cent of which was affordable. Arsenal FC moved into the new stadium in 2006. “We had to think about what there would be in terms of enabling development and affordable development,” says Loveland. “You have to look at the particular circumstances that apply. We are in a very different economic climate now. “And there was the
massive issue that Islington had only two different employment areas and The Emirates knocked out one of them. Fortunately, we could demonstrate after that there were as many jobs in Ashburton as when it was a development area. “It was probably the most challenging development I was involved in. One of the things we thought long and hard about was how much Arsenal was a part and parcel of the community. We didn’t want to lose the club because they are part of the history of the borough. But we were very wary of playing that card because some people get outraged about that.”
because it’s such an eyesore. But if it wasn’t for the stadium, the London Plan would enable a developer to put a lot more flats on than we are talking about”. Everywhere you look, there are compelling arguments that present planners with difficult, significant decisions. New stadia can fuel regeneration and provide housing; they can become viable assets for clubs and communities. But they can also be disruptive, affect house prices, force businesses to close and completely change the character of neighbourhoods. Under what terms should they go ahead? Poor decisions now will mean that future planners will have a similar headache in 100 years’ time when the current stadia near the end of their useful lives. MAR C H 2 0 1 4 / THE PLA NNER
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D E C IS IO N S IN F O C U S ..................................................... P .38 L E GAL L AN D S C A P E ............................................................. P .4 2 C ARE E R D E VE L O P ME NT ................................................... P .4 4 P L AN AH E AD . . . . . . ........................................................................ P .4 7 RT P I N E W S. . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................................ P .4 8 P L AN B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................................ P .5 4
INSIGHT WHAT DO YOU THINK IS SCOTLAND’S BEST PLACE? Crags, moors, castles; Scotland is renowned for its natural beauty, and RTPI Scotland has set itself the difficult task of identifying the top 10 places that have been built, enhanced or protected by planners since 1914. The winning entries, announced at a parliamentary reception on 26 March, must demonstrate how it is sociable, environmental and economically sustainable, benefits from the important role played by planners, and is nationally significant and an example of best practice. Follow @RTPIScotland and hashtag #bestplaces on Twitter for more details on how to vote online. You can help whittle down the shortlist to a top three that will be unveiled in a special edition of RTPI Scotland’s journal The Scottish Planner in June. You’re welcome to contribute to, or comment on any of our Insight pages – email at editorial@theplanner.co.uk
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DiF { D
DECISIONS IN FOCUS
Decisions in Focus is where we put the spotlight on some of the more interesting, offbeat and significant planning appeals of the last month – alongside your comments. If you’d like to contribute your insights and analyses to future issues of The Planner, email DiF at editorial@theplanner.co.uk Too bonny: The site of the Jacobite rising of 1745
HOUSING
Victory in sight for Culloden homes appeal (1 S U M M A R Y Appeal by Inverness Properties Ltd against Highland Council’s refusal for a development at Viewhill, Balloch, near to Culloden Battlefield, the location of the last pitched battle fought on British soil in 1746. (2 C A S E D E T A I L S The application proposed to demolish empty agricultural buildings to make way for 16 homes plus ancillary works including the upgrading and extension of a road on a 2.3ha site south of Balloch. Highland Council refused permission because the application failed to demonstrate that the development would bring an environment benefit to qualify as an exception to the local development plan’s general presumption against new housing in hinterland areas. Balloch Community Council and National Trust for Scotland objected to the proposal due to its potential to affect the character of the conservation area by interrupting open views
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and increasing the visual and physical intrusion of development into the battlefield site. (3 C O N C L U S I O N R E A C H E D Reporter Richard Hickman said there is no realistic prospect of the site being cleared and restored for
agricultural use and the removal of the redundant buildings would result in a major environmental benefit. He noted that Historic Scotland, the Scottish Government’s heritage watchdog, is content that the proposal would not affect the integrity or significance of
the battlefield. The reporter decided that the development would not have any impact on the character and ambience of the battlefield. Hickman concluded that he is minded to allow the appeal and grant planning permission. He deferred determination of the appeal
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Xxxxxxx xxxxxxxx
for 12 weeks to ensure that a planning obligation is completed to secure affordable housing and footpath/cycle improvements.
Appeal details: PPA-270-2093 can be found at www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/ CaseDetails.aspx
(4 A N A LY S I S RICHARD J PHILLIPS The appeal decision has attracted considerable controversy from those concerned about the impact of the housing development on Culloden Battlefield, but it also raises other issues. Consideration of the environmental benefit of the proposed development, which effectively determined the appeal outcome, hinged to a large degree on the impact of the proposed houses on the battlefield site. Historic Scotland had already made it clear in its consultation response that the proposal would not have an adverse impact upon the integrity or significance of the battlefield and would be unlikely to have a significantly greater impact than existing structures on the site. The reporter agreed. Indeed, it would have been challenging for the reporter, appointed by the Scottish ministers, to reach a different view than Historic Scotland, who carry out regulatory functions on the historic environment also on behalf of the Scottish ministers. Because of this, perhaps the writing was on the wall for the appeal outcome once Historic Scotland had committed itself. RICHARD J PHILLIPS is director, WYG planning & environment, Edinburgh
Yoga scheme poses no loss of office space (1 S U M M A R Y Inspector Tom Cannon allowed an appeal against the London Borough of Barnet’s refusal to allow the change of use of an existing property from offices to yoga studios in Finchley, North London. (2 C A S E D E T A I L S The appeal site is an office building and forms part of a group of commercial units including retail, estate agents and takeaways. The wider area is predominately residential. The appeal involved the change of use of both floors of the building to yoga studios. Barnet’s Local Plan seeks to protect existing employment space and proposals that result in the loss of office space must show the site is no longer suitable and viable for business use. The plan requires a site to be marketed for sale and rent over 12 months for the re-use or redevelopment for business use. Only if no interest is expressed over this period will alternative uses be considered. The inspector found no evidence that the site had been actively marketed for business use over a sustained period. The National Planning Policy Framework says I M AG E | S H U T T E RSTO C K
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planning policies should seek to address potential barriers to investment, including a poor environment and lack of infrastructure. The building has an internal lobby providing access to a firstfloor mezzanine and down to a lower ground floor via separate staircases, restricting access to the interior of the premises. A local marketing agent confirmed that such constraints, together with the site’s location away from footfall and limited public transport, limit the building’s potential for office use. The inspector noted that the appellant has been looking for a site in the area to expand her business and recently obtained planning permission to change the lower ground floor for use as a yoga studio, limiting the building’s office space to just 32m2. To exploit the business’s full potential, both floors of the building are required. The proposal would provide jobs for three full-time and four part-time staff. (3 C O N C L U S I O N R E A C H E D The inspector found that the loss of such a small area is unlikely to have a significant impact on total office space in the borough. Given the limitations of the building, its location, local market and the need for the alternative use, he allowed the appeal.
Appeal reference: APP/ N5090/A/13/2204975 http://acolaidpublic.barnet. gov.uk/online-applications/ (4 A N A LY S I S DAN OSBORNE While this case relates to a small proposal and the reasons for allowing the appeal are specific, the implications of the decision will be important when bringing forward similar proposals for justifying loss of office space. The government has promoted the initiative of encouraging councils to allow empty offices to be used for alternative uses since the National Planning Policy Framework was published, though many councils have tried to resist this, favouring their own local planning policies to justify a refusal. What the decision does demonstrate is that local authorities need to be more pragmatic in encouraging any type of commercial use. Businesses should be supported and the planning system should not hinder enterprise, especially in today’s economic circumstances. DAN OSBORNE, associate planner, Barton Willmore
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DiF { D
DECISIONS IN FOCUS The housing development would have changed the character of the area
HOUSING
Pickles backs inspector on Clitheroe homes refusal (1 S U M M A R Y Communities secretary Eric Pickles has agreed with an inspector’s recommendation to reject an appeal against a refusal for up to 345 homes to be built on the edge of Clitheroe, Lancashire. (2 C A S E D E T A I L S Huntroyde Estate, Clitheroe Auction Mart and others made the appeal after Ribble Valley Borough Council refused the application on the grounds that the scale and location of the development would change the character of the area. The proposal would also conflict with landscape policies and would predetermine decisions about the scale and location of new development in emerging policies. Inspector J Stuart Nixon recommended that the appeal be rejected. (3 C O N C L U S I O N R E A C H E D Pickles attributed limited weight to the emerging Ribble Valley core strategy, which is at public examination stage and liable to change. He noted that the council had no five-year housing land supply and that planning permission should be granted for a housing scheme on the site if it can be judged sustainable. He also said any harm to the landscape would be modest and was “not a cogent reason” for dismissing the appeal. However, Pickles cited the scheme’s impact on local roads, particularly its
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safety and environmental consequences, as “a compelling reason for refusal”. Highway safety would be affected by additional traffic using a substandard junction and heavily parked route. He decided that the adverse impact of the scheme “significantly and demonstratively outweighs its benefits”.
Decision letter reference: www. gov.uk/government/uploads/ system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/274951/Recovered_appeal_-_ Waddington_Road__Clitheroe__ Lancashire__ref_2194601__23_ January_2014_.pdf
(4 A N A LY S I S [1] STUART ANDREWS It is difficult to imagine in this case that that the absence of any housing land supply wasn’t a compelling case in support of the appeal proposal. There will always be some harm from a residential scheme of this scale but, in circumstances like this, the
NPPF demands that this must be a significant constraint to resist much-needed housing development. In this context, it is very difficult to equate this policy requirement with the issues of local highway safety, which were relied upon by the secretary of state. STUART ANDREWS, head of planning partner at Eversheds LLP
[2] VINCENT RYAN The key lesson from this decision is for developers and their highway consultants to think very carefully before stopping at merely appeasing the local highway authority (LHA). In this case, the appellant had clearly offered a number of potential remedies to existing substandard junctions, but the LHA had rejected them as either unnecessary or unsuitable; the LHA instead favoured the “do-nothing” approach and accepted the impact assessment case of the appellant. The inspector was highly
critical of the LHAs approach, concluding that no credible objective assessment of traffic impacts had been undertaken. He opined that, taken cumulatively, the traffic and environmental impact of the development transgressed the ‘severe’ criteria evinced by the NPPF (para 32) and, therefore, recommended that the appeal be dismissed. A further point of interest is that the LPA offered no evidence to the inquiry, having withdrawn beforehand its opposition on prematurity and landscape impact grounds. Regardless of whether or not a five-year housing supply could be demonstrated (in this case it couldn’t) the default position of the framework prevailed despite the emerging plan being at examination when Pickles signed off his decision. VINCENT RYAN, associate planner at Barton Willmore LLP
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+ We’d like to incorporate your comment, insight and analysis into Decisions in Focus each month. Whether you can offer a brief obversation on a matter of interest within an inspector’s judgement or an informed interpretation of a decision, please let us know by emailing DiF at editorial@theplanner.co.uk
ROUNDUP Here are some other decisions that we think are worth a look this month. All the details and inspector’s letters can be found on the Planning Portal website: www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk
AGRICULTURAL
(2) Application: Change of use of land for the keeping of horses and creation of a stable block with associated access in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: Effect of the development on highway safety. Appeal reference: APP/ P9502/A/13/2203893
LEISURE AND TOURISM
(3) Application: Construction of a tennis court near Swalcliffe, Oxfordshire. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: The land is currently used as a paddock for horses. Effect on the character and appearance of the surrounding area. Appeal reference: APP/ C3105/A/13/2205522
Main issues: The effect of the proposal on the landscape, character and visual amenity of the area, potential harm to local heritage assets and the effect on amenities of residents. Appeal reference: APP/ Y2810/A/13/2200118
ENERGY
(6) Application: A single 500kW wind turbine of 50 metres to hub and 77 metres to tip at a farm near Lifton, Devon, with associated works and formation of an access track. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: The impact of the development, both alone and in combination with other wind turbines, on the character and appearance of the landscape as well as the impact on designated heritage assets and nature conservation. Appeal reference: APP/ Q1153/A/13/2199327
AGRICULTURAL
(4) Application: Retention of a caravan for security purposes as a farm near Gravesend. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: Whether the development is inappropriate within the green belt and where any material considerations outweigh the harm caused. Appeal reference: APP/ K2230/A/13/2191715
ENERGY
(5) Application: A single 500kw wind turbine with a height of 78 metres at a farm near Kelmarsh, Northamptonshire. Decision: Appeal dismissed.
HOUSING NEW BUILD
(7) Application: A development of 76 homes at Stanford in the Vale, Oxfordshire. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: The Vale of the White Horse has only 4.4 years’ supply of housing supply, making its housing policies out of date under the National Planning Policy Framework. Consideration of the case centred on only three policies in the local plan covering design, protecting neighbours’ amenities and landscape quality. Appeal reference: APP/ V3120/A/13/2203341
LEISURE AND TOURISM
HOUSING NEW BUILD
(8) Application: Change of
(11) Application: Development
use of land for a small private gypsy site comprising two static caravans, two touring caravans and ancillary development at Dilton Marsh, Wiltshire. Decision:Permission granted. Main issues: Principle of the proposed change of use of land, countryside location and the effect on highway safety. Appeal reference: APP/ Y3940/A/13/2192339
of 45 homes, new access, car parking and public open space on land at Powick, Worcestershire. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: Whether the release of the land for residential development is justified by housing land supply consideration and the presumption in favour of sustainable development. Effect on the character and appearance of the area, on public views of the Malvern Hills, highway safety and whether any adverse impacts outweigh the benefits. Appeal reference: APP/ J1860/A/13/2200044
COMMERCIAL
(9) Application: The change of use of building in Sevenoaks, Kent, moving from agricultural to the storage and distribution of secondhand clothing. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: The appeal site is situated within the Metropolitan Green Belt; whether the change of use is appropriate under national policy and the development plan; and implications for the character and appearance of the surrounding area. Appeal reference: APP/ G2245/A/13/2196697
HOUSING CONVERSION
(10) Application: Refurbishment of a filling station comprising a new pay kiosk and car wash at Tenterden, Kent. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: Effect on living conditions of residents, particularly noise disturbance. Appeal reference: APP/ E2205/A/13/2199001
HOUSING CONVERSION
(12) Application: Appeal against a refusal by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to grant conservation area consent to demolish an existing building in Redhill. Decision: Permission granted. Main issues: One of the key features of the conservation area is the number of houses designed in the “arts and crafts” style by local architect Albert Venner. The original house designed by Venner has been much altered and bears little relationship to the original design. While the council’s local plan says the loss of buildings important to the character of conservation areas will be resisted, the inspector found that there is little of historical significance still within the building and in salvageable condition to warrant its retention. Appeal reference: APP/ L3625/A/13/2198542
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INSIGHT
LLegal landscape FRACKING: WE’RE ON OUR OWN – FOR NOW The European Commission has opted for a non-legally binding recommendation for the “exploration and production of hydrocarbons (such as shale gas) using high volume hydraulic fracturing in the EU”. It is significant for several reasons, the first being that it is now left to the member states to implement the recommendation or not. It is thought that it is likely to add little to current consenting practice in the UK. However, in terms of the interpretation of any ambiguous EU legislation, the recommendation could be used to assist the court’s interpretation or, indeed, could be perceived as best practice and could lead to the development of an expectation of minimum standards across the EU. The second significant point is that, notwithstanding the interpretation and best practice observations above, on a hard interpretation it still leaves member states to take different approaches to regulation – thus recognising that there is no level playing field across the EU. Witness the current French moratorium. It is arguable that a legally binding regime across all of the EU would have been more helpful to the birth and early growth of the industry as it
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Paul Rice would have provided a level of consistency and certainty across the group. That said, the recommendation recognises that it is an area to which the commission is likely to return following a planned review. The recommendation also
“MEMBER STATES TAKE DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO REGULATION – THERE IS NO LEVEL PLAYING FIELD”
says that EU states are invited to apply the principles within six months and, from the end of this year onwards, to issue an annual report to the commission on implementation. The commission will publish details of relative compliance by member states and has confirmed that it will review the effectiveness of this approach in 18 months. So, it may be that we are back discussing the possibility of legally binding regulations from the middle of 2015. If this is the case and a legally binding regime is implemented, then the principle of subsidiarity that applies to EU environmental laws would also mean that member states could still take an alternative approach to regulation, and adopt implementing legislation that takes an even higher
level or protection for the environment. We cannot second-guess whether the UK would take such an approach. It is not, however, the only area where the EU is seeking the harmonisation of regulation of shale gas development. It is understood that the EU will issue BAT (Best Available Techniques) reference documents following the environmental permitting regime. The aim is to control the environmental inputs and outputs associated with shale gas development in environmental permits wherever they are granted across the EU.
– PAUL RICE Paul is a partner and head of client relationships, energy and natural resources sector, at law firm Pinsent Masons
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B LO G S This month…How the courts are increasingly reviewing decisions made by planners
L E G I S L AT I O N S H O R T S Judicial review gains ground – Duncan Field The government has focused a lot of attention on judicial review of planning decisions and introduced reforms intended to make it harder to initiate proceedings and speed up the judicial review process. For all those good intentions, a change in case law means that objectors are casting the net of judicial review wider still, potentially affecting all planning decisions taken. Until recently, it was commonly understood that interpretation of planning policy was primarily a matter for the decision-maker. But in Tesco Stores v Dundee City Council [2012], the Supreme Court considered a challenge to a planning permission for an outof-centre store on the basis that the council had misinterpreted and, therefore, misapplied certain policy tests. It was held that policy should be interpreted objectively in accordance with the language used and read in its proper context, so it was a matter for the court. The rationale for this was that the public is entitled to rely on a policy document as it stands and not have to be concerned about the views of its author about what it means. Since the Dundee case, predictably there
have been several challenges to decisions by councils, inspectors and the secretary of state that have included the incorrect interpretation of policy as a ground for review. Those cases show how easy it is to add policy interpretation as a basis for challenge to a decision, but they also demonstrate its limitations. The courts have recognised that policy documents should not be construed as if they were statutes or contracts; wording will be given its ordinary meaning and some allowance will be made in relation to the precise language that is used. The courts also accept that many policy statements are drafted in such a way as to require an exercise of judgement in their application; once policy has been interpreted objectively, how that policy is applied is a matter for the decision-maker and the court will only interfere with this if the decision-maker has behaved irrationally. So how best to guard
against this threat of judicial review? 1) Use concise, clear, plain English when drafting policy. This reduces argument in the first place. 2) When applying policy, give wording its ordinary meaning – try not to stretch it to mean what you want it to say. It is a question of law so seek the second opinion of a lawyer. 3) When faced with conflicting but plausible interpretations of policy, identify which you think is correct but countenance how the outcome would differ (if at all) if the other interpretation were correct. If it would not make a difference, this could be fatal to any judicial review claim. The Prime Minister has expressed his “frustration” that judicial reviews have become “something of an industry”. Unfortunately for him, the industry is alive and well and a new product line has been added. Duncan Field is a partner in the Planning team at Wragge & Co LLP
High Court strikes out North Norfolk turbine appeal The High Court has overturned an appeal to build a wind turbine in “unspoilt landscape” in Norfolk. North Norfolk District Council rejected the 86.5-metre turbine at Pond Farm in August 2012 after it received 1,400 objections, but the scheme was approved on appeal last year. The turbine was to be sited near Cromer Ridge, one of the highest points in the county, with nearby listed buildings including Barningham Hall and Baconsthorpe Castle. The High Court ruled that the planning inspector had not complied with requirements under the Planning Act to pay special regard to the desirability of preserving the settings of listed buildings.
Ruling leaves two village greens at risk of development The Supreme Court has ruled that two open spaces should be removed from the greens register, leaving them open to development. Village greens at Curtis Fields in Weymouth and Clayton Fields in Huddersfield are affected by the ruling. The case turned on whether delays by developers in challenging their village green status under the Commons Registration Act 1965 was unreasonable – a delay of four years in Weymouth and 12 years in Huddersfield. Meanwhile, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has unveiled guidance on the latest changes to village green registrations. Defra said the changes are needed to stop people applying for a site to be registered as village green to prevent development. The publishing of local development orders and neighbourhood development orders are now seen as “trigger events”, under which the right to apply for village green designation will be removed. The government has introduced a “terminating event” that causes the removal of rights to be lifted for local and neighbourhood plans, which take effect two years after the documents are published by a local authority for consultation. Latest Defra figures reveal that applications for village green designation fell from 194 in 2009 to 103 in 2011, with only 27 granted in 2011.
Boles moves on office to home conversion rights Two local authorities have misapplied Article 4 directions in trying to stop office-to-home conversion under permitted development rights introduced last May. In a written ministerial statement, planning minister Nick Boles claimed that a small number of councils are trying to undermine the reforms. He said eight authorities had issued Article 4 directions to remove the right, with some applying to specific areas and other across the entire council area. The DCLG is asking Broxbourne Borough Council and the London Borough of Islington to make their Article 4 directions “more targeted”. The government will also update national planning guidance on how authorities can apply tests on applications for prior approval for office-to-home conversions.
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INSIGHT
Career { D E V E L O P M E N T C JOB HUNTING
Foreign adventures, Skype sessions and fighting through private sector force fields are standard issues for recently qualified planners venturing into the jobs market. Kate Dobinson talks to those in the know about how to stand out
Q
When Charlotte Morphet, a chartered planner at CgMs, graduated from Kingston University in 2009, private sector firms weren’t offering graduate training and councils were considering job cuts. Competition for jobs was fierce as graduates contended with experienced planners made redundant. Five years on, and savvy graduates are more prepared - which makes it even more competitive. “Don’t give up, says Morphet. "Your first job might not be your dream job but it will lead to opportunities." We join three planners on their job hunts to investigate how hard graduates have it in 2014...
R OSS BR E R E TON —
It’s not all about work experience “I REGRET NOT CONTACTING MORE PRIVATE CONSULTANCIES FOR WORK EXPERIENCE” ROLE: PLANNING POLICY ASSISTANT AT MOLE VALLEY DISTRICT COUNCIL EDUCATION: GEOGRAPHY (BA), UNIVERSITY OF HULL AND PLANNING (MA), UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER. n Towards the end of my planning MA I decided that it would be best to apply the context of this degree, particularly the NPPF and localism, in a work experience role. Manchester City 44
Council accepted my request and I worked casually in the development control team while completing my dissertation. But I believe it was not just enthusiasm and work experience that helped me gain my first post but a combination of the academic work that I did. While studying a practice-based module at Hull, I devised a SWOT analysis for the visual assessment of wind farm applications for East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Planning Department while on work experience. Share solutions for high-profile issues My undergraduate dissertation was based on urban regeneration in Dublin Docklands. During my Master’s I was involved in a project to regenerate two wards in the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen and my dissertation focused on urban regeneration in Blackpool. I started applying for private sector jobs in December 2012. I received many replies where I was unsuccessful. I applied for a position at Mole Valley District Council where I believed I didn’t have a chance. But I got an interview. The team was thrilled with my work experience, academic achievements and skills, but believed the role was too advanced. They offered me a permanent assistant position, allowing me to complete my APC. If I could change one thing… One regret I have is not contacting more private consultancies for work experience. That was because it was easier to gain it in local authorities. If you are not sure of which sector you want to go into, try to get a mix of both.
PA U L HO WS O N —
Make things happen on LinkedIn “I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING TOTALLY OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE SO I TRAVELLED TO SOUTHERN INDIA” ROLE: SENIOR SALES MANAGER AT JAEGER EDUCATION: GEOGRAPHY (BA), LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY AND CIVIC DESIGN (MA), UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL n The time since post-graduation has been tough. It took me nine months to get my first interview. After 18 months (and a few sleepless nights) I began marketing my skills on the professional networking site LinkedIn, initiating discussions in international forums. Eventually I was offered an opportunity in Pondicherry, India. Take the initative I have a fascination with East Asia. To me it represents an exciting stage in our global history, whilst the pace of urban change seems so exciting to a prospective planner. Ideally, I’d like a role dealing with special and large infrastructure projects. My manager previously worked for the IBI Group in America and I was able to assist on a transitoriented development strategy for a new city called Naya Raipur, based
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KATE DOBINSON is news and content editor of The Planner
S TA N D I N G O U T upon the principles of the famous French architect Corbusier that he used for India’s "dream city", Chandigarh. Don’t give up Attempting to get an interview was still challenging after I returned to the UK. But I spent three months interning for four days a week at Wirral Borough Council while also working in my paid role for three days. It has definitely been worthwhile; I was able to land four interviews within the public sector. Unfortunately it’s not bagged me that elusive job yet, and I still haven’t received interview invitations within the private sector with my experience cited as the reason, which is frustrating.
(1) Structure your CV – Ensure that you get the basics right – you
want no more than two pages, avoid italic fonts and include clear headings and bullet points so that it is easy to read quickly. Don’t lie or leave off jobs even if they were for short stints. If this is the case, then you can add a “reason for leaving” as a last bullet point. If you achieved your RTPI or RICS at the first attempt, do say so. If you are still a licentiate member do state your target submission date.
TOP TIPS What always amazes us is how many great planners let themselves down in a poorly presented CV or application, warns director at Cobalt Recruitment, Sara Burton. Here are three top tips to make sure you stand out for the right reasons
(2) Tailor your applications – If you have been provided with a job specification make sure the bullet points in your CV reflect that (truthfully). If not, do have a look at the company website, review the projects it has been involved in and note any crossover either in your CV or covering email. This approach should extend to interview stage as well. For instance, a client had stated on their CSR page that they undertake marathons each year, so the candidate was able to elaborate on his marathon times at the appropriate point in the interview to demonstrate his commitment. (3) Choose referees carefully – Where possible, it is more
informative to include one or two recommendations from those you have worked with, or if you have recently started out on your career, a quote from a course tutor or peer. This shouldn’t be general “what a great person X is”, but specifically highlighting your strengths in a professional environment. For example, “I worked with X on the appeal for Y and he/she was very effective in communicating the issues clearly to the community.”
SIM ON TAY LOR —
Work experience can’t be denied “I HAVE FOUND THE PLANNING JOBS MARKET TOUGH FOR GRADUATES” ROLE: STUDENT EDUCATION: GEOGRAPHY (BA), COVENTRY UNIVERSITY AND URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING MA, UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER n Like a majority of graduates that come out of university, I did not have a clear direction with what I wanted to do as a career. After trying a couple of routes, I sat down with a piece of paper and decided what I was good at and where my interests lay. After doing a human geography degree, I realised that I wanted to expand my understanding and knowledge of urban areas and the processes that dictate their development. Since leaving Coventry, I have found the jobs market tough for graduates. I was talking to some of the people on my course about how they found their first planning positions. Some went through several rounds of the interview process, others obtained a position through networking, and others fell
into it. But one thing that they all agreed upon was the need for practical experience. I am mainly looking for an unpaid, voluntary position so I am able to manage my time between my studies and my part-time work. I am currently in the process of contacting the three local authorities within my area (Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Malling and Sevenoaks), as well as private firms. I was wondering if anyone has any further recommendations or advice to obtaining voluntary work experience, or possibly where to look? I can’t deny the importance of work experience, especially with entry level planning positions looking for six–12 months’ worth of experience.
S A RA BU RT O N —
Q. How can graduates diversify into other fields? What are the growth areas you suggest? A. Energy is probably the biggie here. Whether it’s solar panelling, wind farms, biomass plants, nuclear, tidal, there are schemes large and small across the country looking at securing our energy future. A planning degree or experience can be useful if you want to branch out into development, sales and research. Given the winter of 2013/14, expertise or interest in all matters relating to flooding and its prevention is likely to be in demand. Finally, it’s not new, but it’s certainly in demand: Our clients are all very keen for experienced retail planners, so if you can conduct retail impact assessments and have an eye for how retail can fit in major mixed-use schemes, there are plenty of options for you.
Q. Why does it seem so much harder to break into the private sector? A. We find that a lot of private sector clients like planners to have public sector experience particularly in development management. If you are liaising with consultancies, house builders and developers in your day-to-day job, remember to view them as potential employers.. Take opportunities to meet them in a more informal environment. Perhaps if they are hosting networking evenings or if you are
Q. I’ve had to take up alternative means of employment while I search for a planning job – will this put off potential employers? A. This is certainly something that has been very common over the past four or five years, and sensible employers would not discount someone working in a non-planning field for a period – after all it’s better than doing nothing. Keep an active interest in attending talks, seminars, RTPI events and keep that up to date on your CV – “recently attended a talk by X on Y ”. Approach organisations for internships or voluntary work; local authorities, for instance, may be able to give you work experience for one or two days a week. It does become harder after you’ve had, say, a year or more away from planning, so keep knocking on those doors hard once you have the comfort of some income behind you.
The town planning recruiter, answers your niggling issues
I M AG E | S H U T T E RSTO C K
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involved in meetings together – show a genuine interest in their organisation (just bear in mind where the boundaries are, as your current obligation is to your current employer). If you have worked in development management and have been involved in project managing mid to large schemes, this experience tends to be welcomed by the private sector and is more readily transferable. If you can make a move internally to such a position for a six or 12-month period before moving on, then this should make a move into the private sector easier.
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INSIGHT
Plan ahead P Time to make garden cities a reality Shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn and Euan Hall, chief executive of the Land Trust, will debate how to overcome the practical, economic and political barriers to new suburbs at the TCPA Spring Conference The garden city movement is moving again. Rumours abound that Prime Minister David Cameron could revive the method of urban planning that was first introduced by Ebenezer Howard in 1898 – but his reluctance to uncover this key part of the coalition’s forthcoming housing strategy has been flouted by his deputy, Nick Clegg. Clegg has accused Cameron of making “secret” his plans to build garden cities in Yalding, Kent, and Gerard’s Cross in Buckinghamshire that, if built, would aim to model themselves on the first ever garden cities that were built in Letchworth and Welwyn, Hertfordshire, and have delivered thousands of new homes. Although Cameron is expected to publish a report later in the year into the viability of building large new settlements to alleviate Britain’s housing crisis, his reluctance to openly support garden cities heavily implies that he is aware of the cons to such a scheme. Garden cities must have private sector support and could “eat up” the green belt, according to Clegg. However, the new “prospectus” does follow comments that the Prime Minister made two years ago in support of the settlements.
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Forget Cameron and Clegg: What do you think? The new cities would be built in areas considered to be Tory Party heartlands and so would lead to an outcry from grassroots activist – but it is important not to let political infighting sway our view of Howard’s original concept; could garden cities actually work? If they were to go ahead and were successful, they could be the first of many such creations and solutions to the housing crisis. The garden city has a promising premise – to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by protected green belts. They would ideally contain proportionate areas of industry and agriculture and be arranged in an attractive concentric shape. When a garden city becomes selfsufficient, another could then be created nearby. Howard certainly envisaged a cluster of these small, green cities as satellites of a central city of around 32,000 people, linked by road and rail. Applying today’s average household size of 2.4 people, this figure would mean somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 homes.
“IT IS EASY TO LET POLITICAL INFIGHTING SWAY OUR VIEW OF EBENEZER HOWARD’S CONCEPT”
But if new communities are to be successful, they need strong political support and leadership, with a clear vision and firm commitment set out in local plans. By not going for growth, communities may face a range of detrimental scenarios, including overcrowding, failing infrastructure, and a lack of investment as the population continues to rise. Clegg acknowledges that garden cities would be an effective way to ease these strains. “Already bloated towns and cities are being forced to expand bit by bit,” he said. “We must stop the piecemeal infill and bring an end to the endless controversy about developments that sprawl out from already established areas.” Indeed, unlikely garden cities developer Legal & General, Britain’s biggest pension fund manager, wants to build five new British towns over the next 10 years itself at a cost of up to £5 billion, in a move that it sees as only enlightening and inspiring communities and planners. “If we’re going to tackle this problem we should look at what has worked in the past and see how it can be updated,” said chief executive Nigel Wilson. Attack the challenges The Town and Country Planning Association’s Spring Conference plans to do exactly this. A diverse panel that includes John Lewis, chief executive, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation and
Barry Wood, leader, Cherwell District Council, will consider how planners can overcome the practical, economic and political barriers to delivering new large-scale communities built to garden city standards. It will explore issues such as whether the existing New Towns legislation needs updating; how land value increases can be used to fund up-front infrastructure investment; and how we can ensure that high-quality new developments remain attractive and successful places for generations to come.
KATE DOBINSON is news and content editor of The Planner
Making a case
T (1)
he case for new garden cities and surburbs is in three parts:
TCPA SPRING CONFERENCE Where? Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre, London SE1 9NH When? 25 March 2014 Theme: Inclusive and Equitable Development Find out more: www.tcpa.org.uk
Need: Large-scale new communities are an important part of the portfolio of solutions that will be essential in tackling today’s acute housing shortage. A phased approach can also contribute to meeting five-year land supply requirements.
(2)
Vision: Well-planned new communities give an opportunity to provide highquality sustainable places.
(3)
Management: Properly managed, large-scale new developments can be good for business and society.
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DIARY
LISTINGS Talks, conferences, training, master classes – everything you need to keep on top of the latest thinking and developments in the planning world.
NORTH EAST 24 March – New Directions in Planning Law Bond Dickinson and Kings Chambers examine the continuing impact of the NPPF, localism and the government’s economicboosting developments on planning legislation and procedures. Venue: Newcastle upon Tyne Details: http://bit. ly/19OQIJQ
NORTH WEST 27 March – Local Plans: Moving from Strategy to Sites This event considers how site allocations, development management policies and other designations can be used to achieve local plan objectives. It will also consider the most efficient ways to prepare viable and deliverable plans and specifically focus on: the processes used to select and assess sites, including those for Gypsies and Travellers; the relationship between neighbourhood plans and the local plan; and the duty to co-operate. Venue: Gateley, Manchester Details: http://bit. ly/1gvqjFU 02-03 April – Trees, People and the Built Environment More than 400 planning professionals from across the nation will discuss how urban trees and woodlands play a vital role in promoting liveable and sustainable towns and cities. The urban forest can have numerous environmental, economic and social benefits, contributing enormously to the health and welfare of everyone who lives and works in urban areas. Venue: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston Details: http://bit.ly/ J9y2wW
03 April – Community Infrastructure Levy The government is wedded to CIL, at least for the time being, and has promised to deal with the issues that have arisen with its practical application. More local authorities are bringing forward charging schedules, and CIL is really starting to bite. This event will consider the practical impacts of CIL on development and how to formulate and pursue permissions to manage CIL liability and cash flow. Venue: Eversheds, Manchester Details: http://bit. ly/1d4K3kW
YORKSHIRE 20 March – Contentious Planning Issues Preparing mineral, waste, energy and climate change policy for local areas are planning breadand-butter nowadays. But how can planners keep the government – a harbinger of one-size-fitsall economic schemes – and fearful communities protective of their environment locale, both happy? Venue: Sheffield Hallam University Details: http://bit.ly/1l6Crjr 16 April – Delivering the Homes We Need How should the local plan process deal with increased housing requirements? What role should neighbourhood planning and the community right to build take? And how should we plan for affordable homes, the needs of Travellers, and for an ageing population? Venue: Leeds Metropolitan University Details: http://bit. ly/1atrHE6
EAST MIDLANDS 25 March – Positive Conservation in Action
DON’T MISS RTPI Planning Convention 2014: How will planners shape the future? Planning Convention 2014 will explore the big challenges on the horizon that will shape the next 50 years. Planners from both public and private sectors will debate divisive subjects such as how to deliver quality as well as quantity in housing, how we build healthier communities and how to overcome the constraints on economic growth, such as infrastructure and market failure. Date: 24 June 2014 Venue: Central Hall, Westminster, London Details: http://www.rtpi.org.uk/about-the-rtpi/rtpi-centenary-2014/
This event is targeted at planners as well as conservation professionals and other disciplines with an interest in building conservation and built heritage Venue: Ely, Cambridgeshire Details: http://bit. ly/19ReGHw
WEST MIDLANDS 16 May – Sustainable Communities – Bournville and Lightmoor This is an opportunity to compare the mature planned community of Bournville with its new counterpart in Telford, Lightmoor, that is being developed by Bournville Village Trust. The full-day trip will include guided, walking tours at both locations, linked by a coach ride and lunch in Telford. Venue: Bournville, West Midlands Details: http://bit. ly/1d50tK5
SOUTH WEST 02 April – Planning for Town Centres There is growing consensus about the need to redefine the economic and social function of town centres in the face of changing retail market trends. This session will explore the opportunities and role that planning can play in maintaining vital and viable town centres. Venue: Sherborne, Dorset Details: http://bit. ly/1lErTFI
SOUTH EAST 20 March – Urban Design and Planning This event addresses
how good urban design connects people with places, and how to integrate new development into the natural built and historic environment. Venue: Winchester, Hampshire Details: http://bit. ly/19RdK5Z
residual land value, which is the basic way development sites are valued; assess what planning benefits could be achieved on a site; and assess a case for financial support. Venue: Hatton Garden Details: http://bit. ly/1cMYlF9
03 April – Localism and Neighbourhood Planning Planning Aid England and RTPI South-East join forces to provide a comprehensive insight into neighbourhood planning. Delegates will receive an overview of the technical side of the topic and recent developments, as well as hearing from those who have first-hand experience of the process. Venue: St Aldgates, Oxford Details: http://bit. ly/1kfgkto
01 April – Sustainable Buildings Terms like 'sustainability' and 'eco-building' are frequently used but what do they even mean? This event will help you gain a common sense understanding of the issues. Venue: ILEC Conference Centre Details: http://bit. ly/1e1LfU3
LONDON 06 – 20 March – Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings Spring Lecture Series Crystal grottos, ancient valleys and war memorials; the SPAB presents a series of talks exploring conservation projects in designed and industrial landscapes, and the relationship between landscape, war and commemoration. Venue: St Boltolph’s Hall, Bishopsgate Details: http://bit. ly/1mtCJ4L 27 March – Using a Site Appraisal Model Developers use appraisal models to help with land buying, to factor in proposed planning gain, and to monitor changes in scheme profitability as a site progresses. You can do the same. Learn how to calculate
WALES 27 March – Impact of Policy on Public Bodies and Business A seminar led by Peter Davies, Wales’s commissioner for sustainable futures and Jane Davidson, director, INSPIRE, University of Wales, precedes the introduction of the Future Generations Bill to the National Assembly for Wales – expected in summer 2014. Venue: Cardiff Details: http://bit. ly/1ieMcN1 03 April – Planning for Major Infrastructure and Renewable Energy Projects in Wales 2014 Attendees will have the chance to discuss the proposed changes put forward in the draft planning bill and explore how these will impact on their role. Venue: Eversheds LLP Details: http://bit. ly/1kPoj0r
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NEWS
RTPI {
RTPI news pages are edited by Tino Hernandez at the RTPI, 40 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DL
Bring back regional planning strategies IAN WRAY, VISITING PROFESSOR IN PLANNING AT THE HESELTINE INSTITUTE, LIVERPOOL UNIVERSITY, SAYS ENGLAND’S PLANNING SYSTEM LACKS STRATEGIC DIRECTION Not long ago, every English county had a county planning officer. The county planner was a senior officer, usually part of the council’s management team. He or she – and there were women CPOs, gifted people like Audrey Lees and Mary Riley – had substantial departments. These were professional departments with architects, economists, planners, landscape architects, specialists in historic buildings and nature conservation. Before John Prescott invented his Regional Spatial Strategies the county councils contributed to cooperative models for English regional planning: in the South-East through SERPLAN, and in the NorthWest through the North-West Regional Association. The old-style regional planning guidance system worked – and it was cheap. Before local government reorganisation in 1974 English shire counties were unitary authorities for planning, although they were ‘Swiss cheese’ authorities and contained county boroughs that also had unitary powers. But there was no two-tier system. The two-tier system emerged from flawed implementation of the Radcliffe Maud report (the Royal Commission on Local Government 1966-69), which had recommended single tier or unitary local government for most of England, and a two-tier system for some big metropolitan areas. What we now have is precisely the reverse. It seems doubtful whether this settlement can last. Three sets of pressures are emerging. First, local government is experiencing an unprecedented financial squeeze. Some big urban authorities are implementing reductions in excess of 50 per cent of their total controllable expenditure. They don’t know if they will have enough money to provide
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The RTPI is putting together a paper on strategic planning in that we will examine general principles for planning wider areas and some specific questions relevant to each of the RTPI Nations. We have an open call for evidence until 31 March www.rtpi.org.uk/ knowledge/core-issues/
statutory services in a couple of years’ time. It is rumoured that a civil service briefing identifies 100 authorities as on the way to bankruptcy – not just big urban authorities, but small shire districts with little in the way of resources. Second, the big urban authorities have seen the light and are moving towards a combined authority model, a trend that started in Greater Manchester but now extends to many urban authorities. They are much exercised by the need to share services, whilst adopting a more strategic outlook. Third, all the structures for strategic planning, transport and development have gone. The metropolitan counties fell victim to Margaret Thatcher, and the regional tier to Messrs Cameron, Clegg, Cable and Pickles. The system we have is without strategic direction. Except in London and beyond the English borders, it depends on financially stretched district councils. If my friends in the private sector, local government and the inspectorate are to be believed, those councils are increasingly short of skilled and experienced staff. So they are prone to refuse a difficult case rather than negotiate, and increasingly use administrators rather than planners to turn over the paperwork. So I’ve a suggestion. It goes with the trends. It should deliver increased efficiency and economies of scale. It could recreate a more professional and coherent system and might even make the ‘duty to co-operate’ easier to handle. It is to go back to the county level (or near to it) in the shires, either formally, or informally, through joint teams. And to create the equivalent of strategic ‘county teams’ in the big cities, initially as joint teams for strategic planning and specialist services like conservation. These would form an institutional platform for democratic city regional governance, probably through city region mayors, in all the big city regions. It would reunite planning with transport planning, essentially practised at the county level by PTEs and county highway authorities, and with the Local Enterprise Partnerships, also operating at county level. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe we should drift and muddle through. Or maybe we should heed the wise words of Sir Ernest Rutherford, Nobel Prize winner: “Gentlemen, we have run out of money. It is time to start thinking.”
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Editorial E: rtpinews@rtpi.org.uk
RTPI (switchboard) T: 020 7929 9494 F: 020 7929 9490
Registered charity no. 262865 Registered charity in Scotland SCO37841
RTPI SHORTS
Zoe Green Senior planning consultant ATKINS
(1) What do you currently do? I work on policy and masterplanning projects in the UK and internationally. I’m also active with RTPI London and the European Council of Spatial Planners, and as a regular contributor to the Global Urbanist, one of the world’s most respected online platforms for urban affairs and development issues. (2) If I wasn’t in planning, I’d probably be... Working for a think-tank providing research and policy analysis/ lobbying on city economies. In my current role I deliver practical policy solutions on the ground, assisting cities with adapting and evolving to better manage their resources and infrastructure. Working for a think tank would still provide the opportunity to positively influence the development of cities through focused research and advocacy.
(3) What has been your biggest career challenge to date? I worked to shape Bahrain’s National Planning Development Strategy, focusing on implementation mechanisms for delivering 200,000-plus homes and 10,000 hectares of employment land by 2030. I led the national land use survey and facilitated the design of an interactive land use development tool covering Bahrain. That said, I’m not sure whether it was the work or the heat that was more challenging!
(4) What attracted you to the profession? I grew up playing SimCity – a game that allows you to create your own city and tackle unexpected challenges from natural disasters to rampaging dinosaurs. Without oversimplifying matters too much (and dinosaurs aside), that’s essentially my current job – only with real places.
(5) Why did you take on the role of RTPI London’s international rep? I do a lot of work internationally and London is fortunate to be a global city, with large networks of planners from Australia, New Zealand and beyond. My involvement began by organising World Town Planning Day, which has since become a regular fixture in the London events calendar for international planners. Going beyond this isn’t too challenging, given that there’s never a shortage of planners looking to talk shop over a pint or after an event.
(6) If you could change one thing about the planning profession, what would it be? I’d look for more people to become involved in discussions around planning; precisely what the recent launch of the book Kaleidoscope City achieves by providing an accessible collection of essays – relevant to lay and professional audiences alike – from leading practitioners and academics.
MEMBERS NEEDED FOR RTPI CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE PANEL Part of the work of the institute involves ensuring that professional standards are met and that professional ethics are upheld. A key role for members as volunteers (and some related professionals as lay members of our panel) lies in deliberating over complaints and allegations of breaches of our Code of Professional Conduct. This activity is very important and requires commitment and diligence. Are you committed
to the maintenance of high standards of professional conduct and do you have a wide range and an appropriate depth of experience to be able to contribute to the institute’s conduct and discipline activities on a voluntary basis? Apart from RTPI members, we are looking to recruit other professionals to act as lay members and whose area of expertise has some link to town planning (e.g. architects, surveyors, highway engineers).
n For further information please visit www.rtpi.org. uk/cdpanel
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS BIG HOUSING SHORTFALL Councils in England may be underestimating housing need by up to 30 per cent because of an over-reliance on government household projection data, according to findings from the University of Cambridge commissioned by the institute’s Spire research project. Following RTPI chief executive Trudi Elliott’s appearance on the BBC’s Sunday Politics to highlight the findings, which were covered in the local
government press, we are talking to ministers and MPs about the recommendations. Planning minister Nick Boles recently remarked on the limitations of the statistical projections in a Westminster Hall debate. The report includes recommendations for how local authorities can use the existing projections data, and how the government could improve the data it provides to local authorities.
n For more on the report, including a link to an easy-to-use Excel sheet for use by planners to examine their local authorities housing, visit www.rtpi.org.uk/briefing-room/news-releases
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NEWS
RTPI { Housing: One solution will not fit all NEW RTPI POLICY OFFICER JOE KILROY SAYS SOLVING THE HOUSING CRISIS WILL REQUIRE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT POLICES. IN THE WAKE OF OUR OWN POLICY PAPER OTHERS HAVE JOINED THE DEBATE
Last September the RTPI published our Delivering Large Scale Housing policy paper as a major contribution to issues around housing. Since then the debate on how to deliver the homes we desperately need has, if anything, intensified. The government continues to announce its own new measures and the Labour Party has promised to build 200,000 houses a year by the end of the next Parliament. Labour’s Lyon’s Review is gathering evidence to set out a plan for the changes to planning policies that it feels are required to deliver the proposed new homes, and to flesh out their so-called ‘right to grow’ and ‘use it or lose it’ policies. Labour’s proposals have their merit, but we would also like to see more detail before being able to say if either ‘right to grow’ or ‘use it or lose it’ is feasible in practice. We have long argued that we must avoid the national housing crisis becoming a quota-filling exercise wherein large numbers of houses are built, but matters of location, affordability, and design are not taken into account. These kinds of crucial details are often glossed over by peddling numbers; therefore, the RTPI welcomes the Lyons Housing Review’s undertaking to explain the delivery side of Labour’s housing promise, and will actively contribute to the review. Earlier last year we contributed to the Liberal Democrats’ planning roundtables and, of course, we work with all the
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parties in the UK and Ireland on developing or refining planning policy. The Wolfson Economics Prize is looking for ideas to develop proposals to use garden cities as one of the tools to help solve the housing crisis. Well-planned garden cities could well be part of a long-term solution to the housing crisis. But, obviously, where they are built is it crucial and it may well be the case that an urban extension where demand already exists is preferable to building entire cities in less popular areas. Offering incentives to residents is cited as a potential way to unlock land in areas of high demand, but the questions of who should be incentivised and whether incentives are the most efficient use of public money need to be answered convincingly before incentives are ingrained as policy. In any case the intricacies of the housing crisis mean that solving it will require a variety of types of housing developments, of which well-planned garden cities will be only one. Decentralisation to cities and regions is an area of ever-increasing interest to the RTPI. Our recent submissions to the RSA City Growth Commission and the Communities and Local Government Select Committee on fiscal devolution contribute to a wider trend acknowledging the importance of cities “WELLPLANNED as centres of power, GARDEN CITIES with the recent Centre COULD WELL BE for Cities Outlook PART OF A LONG 2014 report showing TERM SOLUTION that cities are the key TO THE HOUSING drivers of growth in CRISIS” the UK attracting a lot of attention. In terms of planning, the RTPI’s call for increased involvement of cities in the planning process will be elaborated on in the coming months as we explore the merits of decentralisation in more detail in our planning horizons research paper. On a personal note, I have come to planning from a slightly circuitous route. In terms of theory, I am new to planning; my academic background is in policy, but I was involved in planning practice while working on a community development project in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This experience maps nicely on to my role at the RTPI. I will also be producing a policy paper on decentralisation to cities once I have co-authored RTPI’s Planning Horizons Centenary paper on the subject, due in November. Beyond that, I look forward to engaging with and hearing the views of our members.
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STEP CHANGE
RTPI members discuss their big career-changing decisions ROSSLYN TAKES OVER Rosslyn Stuart has been appointed as the new director of professional standards and development at the RTPI. Rosslyn brings a wealth of experience in senior management to the RTPI, having held positions with English Heritage as a planning and development director and with local authorities specialising in regeneration, development and heritage, and most recently with the Greenwich Foundation. Rosslyn said: “I’m delighted to join the Royal Town Planning Institute during its centenary year. It’s an exciting time for the institute and for the profession. My goals are to see strong standards and ethics continue to be embedded across the profession, promote planning as an exciting and rewarding career, and strengthen knowledge and skills of planners, particularly in relation to spatial planning.” She will start in her new post in late March. Rosslyn will replace Professor Gavin Parker, who returns to the University of Reading after his secondment to the RTPI.
STAR SPEAKER FOR RTPI PLANNING CONVENTION In a coup for the RTPI, Anil Menon, one of the most innovative speakers about the environmental and social challenges we face in the future, will open this year’s Planning Convention. The theme of this year’s event will be the big challenges that will shape the next 50 years, nationally and internationally. Recognised as an outstanding thought leader, Anil Menon joined Cisco in 2009 as president, Smart+Connected Communities (S+CC). He will present at the first session, helping to set the scene for the convention and taking part in a Q&A with delegates. Meeting the challenge: How will planners shape the future? will take place on Tuesday, 24 June in Central Hall, Westminster. A packed and flexible programme will offer outstanding opportunities for networking and debate. Critical topics will feature across workshop and plenary sessions with speakers of national and international renown. Planning Convention 2014 will examine the contribution every planner should and can make to the solutions we need.
n For more information go to www.theplanningconvention.co.uk
“I WOULD CERTAINLY ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO TAKE WORK PLACEMENTS”
Charlotte Morphet Chartered Planner CgMs Ltd My biggest career decision to date – taking a job as an enforcement officer – did not seem like it would be so significant at the time, but it proved to be the making of my career in planning. I have not looked back. After studying at Kingston University I had six internships but could not seem to get my break and land a fulltime paid job. The recession had started and I seriously doubted that I could pursue a career in planning. Should I give up and try something else? When I saw the enforcement role, I hesitated. Why? For a start, it wasn’t in the particular field of planning I had envisaged for myself. I knew it was a myth, but I associated enforcement officers with tough ex-policemen and believed there would be a lot of aggravation and confrontation. I decided to apply and, to my surprise, was offered the job. But, to be honest, as I left for work on my first day I doubted I would be up to it. Did I really have the skills to work in enforcement? How would I be able to deal with conflict? Enforcement, however, was very different from how I imagined it. That taught me a major career lesson – don’t make assumptions. I discovered that a lot of people simply misunderstood the legislation and my role was to explain what could and could not be done. There was a lot less confrontation and I found I actually had very good communication and negotiation skills. I was also grateful for those internships as they had actually taught me a lot. The outcome of my time at Wandsworth was gaining a graduate planning role at CgMs. It was the job I always wanted and am still enjoying now. I would certainly encourage others to take work placements if you cannot get the job you want. Take any opportunities that come your way as you never know where they will lead. I was able to use the experience of both my internships and that first job to get the position I now have. Don’t give up if having a career in planning is your dream. Be open-minded if an opportunity comes up.
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ADVERTISEMENTS
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Chartered Town Planner London, £30,000-£35,000 A medium-sized planning consultancy with a great culture seeks a chartered or nearly chartered Planner to join its team in Central London. This consultancy has a very strong pipeline of projects and is seeking impressive individuals with strong analytical skills. Experience with housing needs assessments or retail impact assessments is preferred. This is an opportunity to work directly with leading figures in the industry without being lost in a large corporate environment. Ref: 241931
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ADVERTISEMENTS
make the connection Consents Officer | £38,000 - £45,000 | Warwick, Manchester and Leeds National Grid is much more than the UK’s biggest network utility business. Connecting millions of customers in England, Scotland and Wales with gas and electricity, our people make sure that lights are on, homes are heated and businesses powered. You’ll be at the heart of it. An experienced consents professional, you’ll draw on your expert knowledge to gain consent for complex, contentious and major National Grid construction projects; building on our portfolio, whilst enhancing our reputation in the field too. That means challenging and guiding the design of projects in line with consent strategies, programmes and best practice. It also means engaging with the relevant external stakeholders and local communities, as well as making sure the necessary resources are identified and available ahead of time, driving efficiencies through cost and best practices. Share your knowledge, drive performance and continue to deliver consents, and you’ll have a real impact on the shape of our electricity and gas systems helping to meet the energy needs of the future. Find out more and apply at www.nationalgridcareers.com We value and encourage diversity of gender, race and thought, whatever your background.
www.cornwall.gov.uk/careers AONB Planning Officer
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£26,375 - £33,128 per annum pro rata Truro | 29.6 Hours | Fixed Term until March 2016 The Cornwall AONB Unit, supported by Cornwall Rural Communities Council (CRCC), is seeking a highly motivated landscape planning expert to take the lead on planning and development for the Cornwall AONB Partnership. The purpose of the post is to provide independent advice on development proposals within the AONB and on planning policy. You will also work with CRCC to engage with local communities and Parish Councils to bring forward Neighbourhood Plans which address the needs of the protected landscape. You will be a professional, expert in landscape management and planning practices. You must have an in-depth knowledge of landscape assessment and current planning legislation including Neighbourhood Planning. You will have a relevant degree, or equivalent professional qualification, in landscape and/or planning, and have experience of working in the landscape planning environment. To apply please visit our website, www.cornwall.gov.uk/careers Further details can be obtained by calling 01872 323800 or by emailing careers@cornwall.gov.uk Closing date: 19th March 2014 Interview date: 27th March 2014 Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and is an equal opportunities employer.
Reach the largest possible talent pool of RTPI candidates by advertising your planning vacancies in The Planner. The new RTPI magazine provides the only way to access all 23,000 members each month and is the best way to reach the largest targeted and relevant audience.
The next booking deadline for Recruitment Advertising is: 1.30pm Thursday 20th March
Please contact the recruitment team on 020 7880 7665 or email david.barry@redactive.co.uk
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INSIGHT
Plan B
SINKING INTO THE ABYSS
PICKLES AND PEAS The flooding that has afflicted large swathes of the country is not to be taken lightly. It has, however, produced some very entertaining exchanges between our beloved communities secretary Eric Pickles and – well, just about everyone, actually. Events took a farcical turn when Owen Paterson – environment secretary and the man responsible for the floods (literally, some would say) – was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation on his retina. The communityminded Pickles waded into the breach as de facto “floods minister” and neatly apologised
MR PATE RSON
MR PICKL ES
for the floods while blaming them on the Environment Agency. This, apparently, put him at odds with his recuperating colleague, prompting opposition politicians to suggest that ministers were at each other’s throats. The BBC reported this all with an excited flurry of animal references. Pickles was using the agency as a
A BRIDGE TOO FAR
Writer, environmentalist and professional naysayer George Monbiot has also been getting stirred up by the floods and laid the blame squarely at the wellington-boot clad feet of the government in two pieces for The Guardian. In a nutshell, his argument is that raising subsidies for farmers to farm unsuitable hilltop land is leading to massive water run-off that finds its way into towns and cities. To qualify for subsidies, land must be cleared of “unsuitable vegetation” – i.e. trees – which actually provide good drainage and water storage. Mr Moonbat expands on his theme by accusing the government of abandoning
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“scapegoat”, ministers were “fighting like ferrets in a sack” – this according to shadow environment minister Maria Eagle. Pickles then had to explain himself to the government’s Cobra committee. It wasn’t looking good for the big guy, but he flummoxed his accusers with a deft paradigm shift.
regulations that kept topsoil on land where maize is grown. The topsoil run-off is becoming catastrophic, he says. It’s so bad, in fact, that we
can see from space how British topsoil is reaching far into the North Sea and creating a massive isthmus that almost reaches the Netherlands. You may think Plan
Out went animals, in came vegetables. There couldn’t possibly be a rift between himself and Paterson, because they were “peas in a pod”. Actually, what Pickles said was, “We are two peas in a pod, we are two brothers from a different mother and we speak on a regular basis”. Critics silenced, crisis over and we can all get back to dinner. Just one question lingers for the communities secretary, however: are you Boris Johnson in disguise?
B is something of a conspiracy theorist, but we wonder whether Mr Manblot has stumbled on something bigger than any of us had imagined. Yes, we may be losing a bit of coastal land to climate change. But what’s a village in Norfolk when we can recreate the prehistoric land bridge that linked Britain to continental Europe and claim it as our own (it’s our soil, after all)? This isn’t flooding. This is the biggest land reclamation scheme the world has ever seen. Lack of viable land for housing development? Tick. Need a new airport for the South-East? Tick. Fresh communities for free schools? Tick. It’s a brave new world that’s being built for Britain and we have our visionary environment minister to thank for it. All hail Owen Paterson.
If there’s anything that could topple Paterson’s dastardly, yet masterly, land reclamation scheme, it’s the epidemic of sinkholes that is currently blighting these soaking isles. You can’t even pop to the corner shop these days without plummeting into the street. Or so the Daily Mail would have us believe. It helpfully illustrates its story about the (pretty small) UK sinkholes with a picture of a 150ft-wide behemoth that swallowed 50 homes whole in Guatemala. Guatemala/Gateshead – what’s the difference, eh? There are clearly implications for planning here, as the Mail Online’s commenters pointed out. “I wonder if they check for this on the now obligatory survey when you’re buying a property?” asked one. “And they think it safe to do fracking!” fumed another, who probably isn’t a qualified geologist. “Throw the politicians in” was a particularly pithy comment that Plan B enjoyed – not least because it means that we would have found yet another use for Pickles: Environmental troubleshooter, vegetable lover, sinkhole stopgap.
I M A G E | D U N D E E S AT E L L I T E R E C E I V I N G S TAT I O N
24/02/2014 10:54
Highlight ‡ celebrate ‡ inspire The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence highlight exceptional examples of planning and celebrate the contribution that planners and planning make to society, inspiring others to achieve the highest standards. We will be celebrating the very best at our awards ceremony on 23rd June at the Shaw Theatre, Pullman St Pancras, London.
To book your ticket visit rtpi.org.uk/planningexcellence2014
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19/02/2014 16:27
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