The Planner April 2018

APRIL 2018 THE DRAFT REVISED NPPF // p.4 • OPENING A NATURAL CAPITAL ACCOUNT // p.8 • SOCIAL CLEANSING, 19TH CENTURY STYLE // p.28 • TECH LANDSCAPE: THE VELOCITY VISION // p.33 • HARINGEY DEVELOPMENT VEHICLE // p.42

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

COMMON GOALS SPORT AND DIPLOMACY HOW THE COMMONWEALTH IS DELIVERING SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT

01_Cover__The Planner 1

19/03/2018 11:13

p02_PLN.APR18.indd 2

16/03/2018 11:38

CONTENTS

PLANNER 08 20

THE

APRIL

20 18 “WE WERE REALLY KEEN TO ENSURE THAT WHEN THE UN ADOPTED ITS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS), THEY REFLECTED URBAN POLICY”

NEWS

4 The NPPF: What you need to know

7 Chancellor backs West Mids to deliver 215,000 homes 8 Accounting for nature improvements – who pays?

OPINION

10 Raab reveals changes for permitted rural development

16 Chris Shepley: Government ‘fix’ is another brick in the wall for the broken housing market

11 Major life sciences facility confirmed for Mid-West Ireland

18 Viral Desai: A manifesto for Commonwealth youth 18 Simon Wicks: Let’s all bash the developers – oh, wait…

17

19 Jill Wood: It’s time for gender-inclusive planning 19 Louise BrookeSmith: Play, planning and positivity – why the West Mids is feeling good

QUOTE UNQUOTE

“THE TOWN’S PROUD HISTORY AS AN EPICENTRE OF RAIL JOURNEYS IS SET TO CONTINUE” TRANSPORT SECRETARY CHRIS GRAYLING OUTLINES CREWE'’S MORE SUBSTANTIAL HS2 ROLE

COV E R | G E T T Y

03_Contents__The Planner 3

FEATURES

INSIGHT

20 Clive Harridge of the Commonwealth Association of Planners, explains how the body promotes the profession 24 As Australia hosts the Commonwealth Games, Simon Wicks considers the role of planning in creating long-term benefits for host cities 28 Was London’s first council estate an early example of ‘social cleansing’? Sarah Wise investigates

28 36 Nations & Regions: The year ahead

33 Tech landscape: VeloCity, the winning proposal in the National Infrastructure Commission’s ‘Cambridge to Oxford Connection: Ideas Competition’

16

38 Decisions in focus: Development decisions, round-up and analysis 42 Legal Landscape: Opinions, blogs and news from the legal side of planning 44 RTPI round-up: News and interviews from the institute 50 Plan B: How a 'panning' application ended with a soggy bottom

24 AP R IL 2 018 / THE PLA NNER

3

19/03/2018 15:33

NEWS

Report { NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK

The NPPF: What you need to know

Development leading to loss or deterioration of “irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodland,” should be refused without exceptional reasons

By Laura Edgar

The country has “failed to build enough of the right homes in the right places,” Prime Minister Theresa May told planners at the launch of the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), organised by the RTPI. The rewriting of planning rules aims to help local authorities and developers to build more properties and therefore restore the dream of home ownership. The new rules will streamline the planning process and cut red tape to make it fairer and more effective, she said.

The draft NPPF comprises 80 proposals from the housing white paper, which was published in February last year, including the more efficient use of land and giving greater certainty to local authorities.

Housing secretary Sajid Javid added: “We need to think big about the kind of communities we want to live in, not just now, but for years to come.”

So has the government thought big about the NPPF? Here, The Planner has highlighted a number of policies and paragraphs that have been discussed in the year since the white paper

was published, the government was challenged on its air pollution plans and in advance of the draft’s publication.

VIABILITY

The question of viability is an area that has drawn a number of calls for change, including from Kate Henderson, chief executive at the Town and Country Planning Association. Speaking to The Planner before publication of the draft revised NPPF – and in advance of us knowing it was going to be published, when we were asking around to find out what the revised draft should include – she said setting a new direction for planning must include rebalancing the viability test to “ensure that policy which enhances people’s lives and saves public money over the long term is equally as important as landowner and developer profit”.

Paragraph 173 in the original, which aims to ensure viability and deliverability, has been replaced by paragraph 58. This takes forward the reforms proposed in

The secretary of state will publish Housing Delivery Test results every November

4

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

04-05_News__The Planner 4

the Planning for the Right Homes in the Right Places consultation. It states: “Where proposals for development accord with all the relevant policies in an up-to-date development plan, no viability assessment should be required to accompany the application. Where a viability assessment is needed, it should reflect the recommended approach in national planning guidance, including standardised inputs, and should be made publicly available.”

In addition, paragraph 34 notes that the local plan must set out where further viability assessments might be required at the planning application stage.

G R E E N B E LT/ B R O W N F I E L D

The draft NPPF maintains strong protections for green belt land, defining the boxes that must be ticked before any change to green belt boundaries can be made – paragraphs 132-136.

They should only be altered in “exceptional circumstances”, through the preparation or updating of plans.

Strategic plans will need to establish the need for any changes to green belt boundaries.

“Where a need for changes to green belt boundaries has been demonstrated through a strategic plan, detailed amendments to those boundaries may be made through local policies, including neighbourhood plans.”

To justify that exceptional circumstances exist, the strategic planmaking authority should have examined all other options.

Paragraph 137 notes that when green belt boundaries are being reviewed, and it is necessary to release green belt

I M AG E S | A L A M Y / G E T T Y

19/03/2018 09:43

PLAN UPFRONT

additional dwellings provided in a local authority against the homes required, using national statistics and local authority data, according to the NPPF. The secretary of state will publish Housing Delivery Test results every November.

Helpfully, the government has published a ‘rule book’, which you can find here: bit.ly/planner0418-rulebook

land for development, plans must first consider previously developed land or land that is well served by public transport.

AIR QUALITY

ASSESSING HOUSING NEED

Following work undertaken by the Local Plans Expert Group in 2016 and the Right homes consultation on a standard methodology for calculating housing need, paragraph 61 introduces this. Strategic plans should be based on the local housing need assessment and any needs that cannot be met within neighbouring areas should be taken into account when establishing this figure.

Air quality was much spoken about in 2017, what with the government’s strategy to improve it being deemed unsatisfactory on a number of occasions. It was published for consultation in May and finalised in July. And this year, a High Court judged ANCIENT WOODLAND deemed the UK air quality plans “unlawful”.

The draft states that development Clean Air Zones were put forward in resulting in the loss or deterioration those plans, and paragraph of irreplaceable habitats, 179 suggests that planners including ancient should take into account woodland, should be “WE NEED TO the “presence of Air refused “unless there are THINK BIG ABOUT Quality Management Areas wholly exceptional reasons THE KIND OF and Clean Air Zones”. and a suitable mitigation COMMUNITIES WE “Opportunities to strategy exists”.

WANT TO LIVE IN, improve air quality or If development involves NOT JUST NOW, mitigate impacts should the loss of individual aged BUT FOR YEARS be identified, such as or veteran trees outside TO COME” through traffic and travel of ancient woodland, “it – SAJID JAVID management, and green should be refused unless infrastructure provision the need for, and benefits and enhancement.” As far of, development in that as possible, opportunities location would clearly should be considered at outweigh the loss”. the plan-making stage.

Furthermore, development that has a primary objective to conserve or enhance biodiversity should be supported, “while opportunities to HOUSING DELIVERY TEST incorporate biodiversity improvements in and around developments should First mentioned in the housing white be encouraged, especially where this paper, published in February 2017, the can secure measurable net gains for the draft NPPF introduced the Housing environment”.

Delivery Test. This will measure net

We asked the government…

The Planner: “There was a lot of talk about the importance of planning in delivering the housing, infrastructure and vibrant places that we need.

Given that local authorities have lost 40-50 per cent of their resources to cuts in recent years what plans does the government have to ensure that planning departments have the resources, skills and new entrants to meet the responsibilities you are placing on them?”

A government spokesperson: “We are committed to giving councils the tools they need to build more homes in the right places.

“Council planning fees must be spent on planning services, and the rates were recently increased by 20 per cent so authorities have the resources they need to deal with cases quickly.”

The spokesperson added that the planning fee increase in January this year has the potential to generate “over £75 million per year in additional outcome for councils”. Further, the government is considering “how best a further 20 per cent fee increase can be used to support housing delivery”.

IMPORTANT DETAILS n The deadline to submit response to the consultation on changes to the NPPF Thursday 10 May. All consultations documents can be found on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government website: bit.ly/planner0418-nppf

n The English regions of the RTPI will be holding round table discussions on the draft NPPF during April. Information on the dates and locations of these can be found here on the RTPI website: bit.ly/planner0418-roundtables

AP R IL 2 01 8 / THE PLA NNER 04-05_News__The Planner 5

5

19/03/2018 09:43

NEWS

Report {

“The consultative NPPF could have suggested that the green belt, as a land use, needs to be reviewed nationally, as its founding reasons in 1947 need to be reassessed to meet societies’ modern needs, namely ‘housing our population.”

NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK

What do you think?

Harry Burchill MRTPI, policy officer at the RTPI, noted that while there are no major shocks in the consultation, there are some ”little surprises which do show that concerns raised over the last three years have been addressed”.

He noted the removal of paragraph 173 as one of them, as well as the proposal in policy to make viability assessments publically available.

ANTHONY AITKEN MRTPI, HEAD OF PLANNING AT COLLIERS INTERNATIONAL

“For councils to move beyond just approving planning permissions and actually start building themselves, they must be allowed to borrow more money and be given ‘use it or lose it’ powers to get hold of land.”

POLLY NEATE, CEO OF SHELTER

“It is also important not to underestimate the operational impact of changes to policy. Members have frequently cited the ‘tinkering’ of policy and legislation as one significant reason for uncertainty and delay.

We must make sure that any subsequent changes in the final draft will be implemented with realistic transitional arrangements.”

“Currently, methods employed to calculate housing need vary significantly across the country and result in significant time and cost burdens, fundamental flaws that will impede an ambitious housebuilding programme if not resolved. We strongly support the standardised approach to assessing housing need without exception.

That is the way that the government will deliver on its housing promises, and as importantly, cater for a generation that wants to have a home to call their own.”

“The standardised approach to setting a housing target is still a concern given the variety of demographics across different authorities, especially in the North.

We hope when this is reviewed, it is directly linked to job creation.”

JAMES HALL MRTPI, PLANNING PARTNER AT BARTON WILLMORE

MELANIE LEECH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BRITISH PROPERTY FEDERATION

“The proposed NPPF is very similar to the current document, although in respect of green belt the policies are tighter, which makes one wonder how development that meets the needs of the South East will be able to be accommodated.”

TONY BATEMAN, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF PEGASUS GROUP

6

“Reforming the language of the NPPF to allow for residential development that contributes to local affordable housing on brownfield green belt sites – so long that it doesn’t cause substantial harm – looks like a sensible reflection that much green belt land isn’t actually green. Of course, the interpretation of ‘substantial harm’ will be key, but at the same time one is left wondering whether the government has gone far enough.”

JASON LOWES MRTPI, PARTNER IN THE PLANNING TEAM AT RAPLEYS

TH E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

04-05_News__The Planner 6

19/03/2018 12:14

PLAN UPFRONT

News { SPRING STATEMENT

Chancellor backs West Mids to deliver 215,000 homes Chancellor Philip Hammond’s 2018 Spring Statement brought with it a housing deal; cash for the capital; a letter from Sir Oliver Letwin on the gap between housing completions, and the amount of land allocated for permission; and funding for city regions.

So what were they?

The XXII Commonwealth Games are coming to Birmingham

JOINED­UP THINKING ‘CRUCIAL’

Harry Burchill MRTPI, policy officer at the RTPI, said the funds for affordable housing in London and the housing deal with the West Midlands Combined Authority are welcome.

“For these initiatives to be successful it is crucial that due consideration is given to joining up transport and housing priorities and that planning departments are well resourced enough to help deliver these ambitions sustainably.” accepted from local transport authorities outside London that represent a city region with a workday population of around 200,000 people or more.

The West Midlands

Letwin review

A deal between the government and the West Midlands Combined Authority sees the authority commit to building 215,000 homes by 2030/2031.

It includes:

In the Budget, Hammond announced that Sir Oliver Letwin would lead a review into the “significant” gap between housing completions and the amount of land allocated for permission.

In a letter to the chancellor and housing secretary Sajid Javid, Letwin says he has exclusively considered the question why, once major housebuilders have gained outline planning permission to build large numbers of homes on large sites, they take as long as they do to build those homes.

He proposes to publish a draft analysis of the results by the end of June. This would contain only a description of the problem and its causes, he says.

Several of his witnesses, he notes, suggest that the build-out rate for large sites is held back by constraints including: • Limited availability of skilled labour; • Limited supplies of building materials; • Limited availability of capital; • Constrained logistics on the site; • Slow installations by utilities companies; • Difficulties of land remediation; and • Lack of local transport infrastructure.

His draft analysis will assess each of these. He hopes to formulate “robust recommendations” in a final report with recommendations in time for the Budget.

• A £100 million grant from the Land Remediation Fund, which will help to buy and clean up land on a number of sites, focused on the Walsall to Wolverhampton corridor, to deliver at least 8,000 homes.

• £250 million will help to deliver priority sites, including the Commonwealth Games Athletes’ village and associated development in Birmingham.

London The capital will receive £1.67 billion to go towards building a further 27,000 affordable homes by the end of 2021-22.

The government said the additional funding would deliver homes for social rent, as well as homes for London Affordable Rent, flexible shared ownership and rent to buy.

At least two-thirds of the homes built will be for rent.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has “cautiously welcomed” the cash, but said the government “has failed” to take the “bold action” the city needs to protect jobs, prosperity and public services from the “massive uncertainty that is coming”.

I M A G E S | G E T T Y / PA

07_News__The Planner 7

City regions and transport City regions in England are being invited to bid for £1.7 billion of funding from the Transforming Cities Fund, launched in the 2017 Autumn Budget. The money is part of the government’s plan to deliver its industrial strategy.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling welcomed the funding. He said city regions would be able to submit a proposal to the government, with up to 10 selected to work with the Department for Transport to codevelop a “strong package of proposals”.

The fund aims to support new local transport links, particularly for those struggling to travel between city centres and suburban areas. Proposals will be

Sir Oliver Letwin

n Reaction to the statement is on The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0418-spring n See Sir Oliver Letwin’s letter at: bit.ly/planner0418-letwin

AP R IL 2 01 8 / THE PLA NNER

7

19/03/2018 09:46

NEWS

Analysis { NATURAL CAPITAL CONFERENCE

Accounting for nature improvements – who pays?

AS AWARENESS OF THE CONCEPT OF NATURAL CAPITAL GROWS, WAYS OF SECURING LONG­TERM INVESTMENT IN PROJECTS THAT CAN ENHANCE IT ARE BEING TESTED. CATHERINE EARLY REPORTS FROM A CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO SECURING THE FINANCIAL FUTURE OF OUR NATURAL RESOURCES Natural capital – or assets – such as trees, rivers and pollinating insects are well known to benefit people in a variety of ways that include cleaning water, protecting land from flooding and pollinating crops.

Yet it has become clearer in recent years that the benefits provided by nature are undervalued, and therefore not taken into account in our economic systems.

For some time, a growing number of planners, developers and conservationists have been developing ways to finance improvements to nature through the planning system so that development restores – rather than destroys – natural assets.

Their impact has been such that the government now openly supports the idea of projects that enhance natural capital, stating in its 25 Year Environment Plan that the air, water, soil and ecosystems are an essential basis for economic growth and productivity over the long term.

The plan states that it will make the concept of ‘environment net gain’ mainstream in the planning system, and possibly even mandate it.

However, the government has not gone this far in its proposals to revise the

8

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

08-09_News__The Planner 8

National Planning Policy Framework, published in March. These state that local authorities should “encourage” opportunities for measurable net gains in biodiversity in planning applications and policies, and refuse applications that would cause harm.

The government’s stance recognises that traditional conservation approaches have failed to halt biodiversity loss in the UK. During the past 50 years, 56 per cent of species have declined and 15 per cent are at risk of becoming extinct nationally, according to the State of Nature 2016 reports written by 50 wildlife organisations.

According to the RSPB, achieving domestic biodiversity targets would require funding equivalent to 0.1 per cent of UK GDP. The government’s adviser on the issue, the Natural Capital Committee, identified significant rates of return for investment in natural assets in its 2015

“DEVELOPERS WILL SEE A DIRECT FINANCIAL BENEFIT IF THEY DESIGN GREEN SPACES INTO NEW DEVELOPMENTS FROM THE OUTSET”

report, for example, wetland creation on around 100,000 hectares could have a benefit to cost ratio of between 3:1 and 9:1.

But innovative ways of financing nature improvements have yet to become mainstream. Solutions to this funding gap were the topic of a conference run by the Ecosystems Knowledge Network on 1 March, with several speakers pointing to the planning and development system as a potential source.

A standard approach to natural capital investment The development sector does not typically recognise the return on investment in green spaces, nor does it have the mechanisms to quantify any direct benefit, according to the Land Trust, which owns and manages green spaces for communities.

At the event, the trust outlined findings of research into land value uplift as a result of the Port Sunlight River Park, a 30-hectare park and wetland it created on a former landfill site in Wirral, north-west England.

Houses within 500 metres of the park saw average rises in value of £8,674, it found. Increases were higher than those in I M AG E S | A L A M Y

19/03/2018 12:15

PLAN UPFRONT

CAPITAL IDEAS

Other natural capital finance ideas discussed at the conference include: n The RSPB published a report exploring how bonds could raise money through impact investing, where investors actively look for a measurable social or environmental return, alongside financial return. n Surrey Nature Partnership published a natural capital investment plan.

This proposes setting up a company to develop a pipeline of investible projects, and match opportunities with investors. n Consultancy Economics for the Environment announced Natural Capital Statements, which show whether a company makes a positive net contribution to natural capital, and whether its dependency on natural capital is sustainable.

This would increase certainty for developers, and therefore make it easier to finance, she said.

“You could get really smart solutions, rather than spending lots of money and finding out that the local planning authority wants something else.”

It would also mean they were less likely to drop these elements as budgets become tighter, added Holden.

The Natural Capital Trust an area with similar land use, but less green space. Developers will see a direct financial benefit if they design green spaces into new developments from the outset, the trust believes.

This is exactly the stance developer Peel Holdings has taken. It has established a methodology for assessing natural capital and biodiversity net gain that it believes could be applied on developments anywhere in the UK, according to Jo Holden, sustainability manager at the firm.

Natural capital features should be considered during the masterplanning process, which would then make them more economically viable, she said.

Holden believes strongly that there is now a need for the planning and development industry to come together to standardise its approach.

56% OF UK PLANT AND ANIMAL SPECIES HAVE DECLINED IN THE LAST 50 YEARS*

The tendency for spending on natural capital to be cut during the development phase has been noted by Dominic Hogg, chair of consultants Eunomia.

His company is part of the West of England Nature Partnership (WENP), one of 48 such bodies set up by Defra in 2011 to bring together local authorities, business and campaign groups to champion nature in their regions.

The WENP has developed the idea of a Natural Capital Trust, which is an innovative way of funding natural capital through development. The project is mentioned in the 25-Year Plan, with Defra saying it had potential to be replicated across the country. The department is currently considering a report by WENP on the idea.

The Natural Capital Trust’s premise is

15% OF SPECIES ARE AT RISK OF EXTINCTION*

n Catherine Early is a freelance journalist and editor who specialises in environmental issues

0.1% OF UK GDP IS ALL THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MEET UK BIODIVERSITY TARGETS, ACCORDING TO THE RSPB°

S O U R C E S | S TAT E O F N AT U R E 2 0 1 6 * / N AT U R A L C A P I TA L C O M M I T T E E °

08-09_News__The Planner 9

simple: to increase the amount of money captured through the uplift in the value of the land from development.

To do this, Hogg believes that the developer should have a simple methodology using a mapping system to calculate how much it would need to pay towards natural capital as soon as it has identified a potential site, rather than after applying for planning permission.

The cost could then be factored into the price they pay for the land, so would effectively not cost the developer extra. It should then either spend the money on their development site, or pay it into a pot managed by the trust, which would then decide how to allocate it to projects around the region.

Other regions could have their own trust, or alternatively, there could be a national scheme with local boards, he said.

The trust is about making sure natural capital projects actually come to fruition, he said. “I’ve seen loads of great ideas on natural capital. But how will they be delivered?” The Natural Capital Trust is a mechanism that would support actual delivery, he concluded.

3:1 TO 9:1 BENEFIT­TO­COST RATIO OF CREATION OF 100,000 HECTARES OF WETLAND°

AP R IL 2 01 8 / THE PLA NNER

9

19/03/2018 09:47

NEWS

News { Agreement on Cardiff Capital Region City Deal business plan Farm buildings can now be converted into up to five dwellings

PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS

Raab reveals changes for permitted rural development Housing minister Dominic Raab has announced changes to permitted development rights that mean up to five houses can be created from existing agricultural buildings on a farm, rather than the current maximum of three.

According to the government, “several hundred” homes are created each year through the conversion of agricultural buildings. These changes are expected to increase this number.

The changes aim to help communities make the best use of existing buildings to help meet local housing needs “more efficiently”.

They will also make sure the developments are “in keeping” with the character of the area and safeguard people’s privacy.

These measures, said the government, will also help farmers to adopt the latest innovations in farming practices by increasing the size limit of new agricultural buildings on larger farms from 465 square metres to 1,000 square metres.

Applicants will have an extra year to convert storage and distribution

10

buildings into new homes to help relieve local housing pressures, added the government.

Harry Burchill, the RTPI’s planning policy officer, noted that the delivery of affordable rural housing is a priority for the planning system, however, “the use of permitted development rights to meet this priority is not an approach consistent with local plan or even neighbourhood plan-led decision-making”.

“The institute previously raised its concerns about chipping away planning powers from local authorities through the introduction, and extension, of permitted development rights. In practice, the so-called bureaucracy permitted development rights are designed to circumvent still exists in the form of prior approval applications – for a fraction of the fee.

More importantly, however, it is unclear how the incremental relaxation of planning regulations will assist the government in delivering the right homes in the right places.”

The regulations came into force on 6 April.

A five-year strategic business plan to leverage maximum economic and social benefits from the £1.2 billion Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal fund has been formally agreed by the entity’s cabinet, which is composed of the leaders of the local authorities involved.

The economic objectives of the city deal are to create 25,000 jobs and leverage £4 billion in private sector investment.

The business plan focuses on skills and employment, innovation, connecting the region, regeneration and infrastructure.

The strategy also sets out how the city deal’s £495 million ‘Wider Investment Fund’ will be used over the next five years.

A housing investment fund is planned to support housebuilding, ranging from larger builders and developers on stalled housing sites on old industrial sites, through to small builders, community builders, custom builders and regeneration specialists, on small sites across the region. Proposals for a tech venture fund to support firms across the CCR to scale up, with a potential investment pot of £100 million, are also involved.

The city deal aims to benefit the whole CCR region, which includes the 10 local authorities of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen, and Vale of Glamorgan. n The business plan can be found on the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal website: bit.ly/planner0418-city-deal

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

10-11_RTPI Conve__The Planner 10

19/03/2018 09:48

PLAN UPFRONT

Major life sciences facility confirmed for Mid-West Ireland A California-headquartered life sciences company has confirmed that it has selected the Mid-West of Ireland as the location for a new plant to make components for its heart valve therapies.

The €80 million investment is set to create 600 jobs.

Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, the firm involved, is the global leader in patient-focused innovations for structural heart disease and critical-care monitoring.

The plant will manufacture products to enable minimally invasive procedures on patients’ valves, where open-heart surgery would previously have been needed.

Edwards is planning to hire about 60 people this year for various functions, such as production staff, engineering and professional management, to work at its initial site in the Shannon Free Zone.

The company plans to complete a purpose-built manufacturing facility in 2020. The company is looking at three sites in Limerick and Shannon to locate the operation.

Business and enterprise minister Heather Humphreys said: "The arrival of Edwards Lifesciences is a vote of confidence in the Mid-West region as a destination for high-end medical technology manufacturers.

“It will provide even more opportunities for residents and communities to grow and thrive. My department, through the IDA, is committed to supporting Edwards as it establishes operations in Ireland and as the company continues to develop its innovative heart valve technologies."

Major deal promises 1,000 new homes for NI

Fraser Homes, one of Northern Ireland’s long-established housebuilders, is to build up to 1,000 homes at various sites around the province after agreeing a deal with Gardrum Holdings Ltd, part of the NI-owned EuroAuctions group.

The project, to be delivered over the next 10 years, is worth up to £180 million and could secure hundreds of jobs. EuroAuctions is a global construction equipment auctioneering business that also has an extensive commercial and residential property portfolio.

Fraser Homes has a portfolio of sites in greater Belfast, Saintfield, Carryduff, Newtownards and Larne. The agreement will see the development of those residential development sites brought forward as the housing market continues to improve.

Derek Keys of EuroAuctions is quoted in the Belfast Telegraph as saying: “We are active in the residential construction market in mid-Ulster and the west and we see this agreement with Fraser Homes as a perfect opportunity to give us an expanded presence across … Northern Ireland given Fraser’s extensive land holdings.”

Scottish Government affordable homes target in sight Research suggests that the Scottish Government is on target to reach its affordable housing target to deliver 50,000 homes over this Parliament.

Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), and the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland commissioned a report to “better understand” how the Scottish Government will deliver on its target in practice.

The report considers all 32 council Strategic Housing Investment Plans (SHIPs) and associated documents.

Additionally 25 interviews with council staff and others were undertaken, as well as three case studies.

The Scottish Government says the target is backed by over £3 billion. It represents a 67 per cent rise in affordable housing supply, with 35,000 to be delivered for social rent.

I M AG E S | S H U T T E RSTO C K / G E T T Y

10-11_RTPI Conve__The Planner 11

Review of Strategic Investment Plans for Affordable Housing notes that the government’s programme is the biggest undertaken since the 1970s and is set to deliver a net increase of 25,000 homes to the country’s social housing stock – after demolitions or other losses are included.

This, it says, is in “stark contrast to England, where the number of socially rented homes is predicted to fall by 120,000”, as the Right to Buy is still available, unlike in Scotland.

The report adds that as it stands, delivery of affordable homes from April 2016 to March 2021 is estimated at between 45,387 and 49,773, with up to 34,850 being socially rented, so the target of 50,000 and 70 per cent socially rented “is capable of being reached” . n Shelter Scotland’s report, Strategic Investment Plans for Affordable Housing, can be found at: bit.ly/planner0418-shelter

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

11

19/03/2018 09:48

NEWS

Opinion { O Q&A: Routes to resilience The 2018 RTPI Convention on 21 June has the theme ‘Resilient planning for our future’. Emma Langmaid (EL), director of Prospero Planning and chair of Women in Planning in South Wales, is among the speakers.

between all the [built environment] professions – but planning is more often than not in the firing line.

“Local planning authorities get a hard time, with funding being cut and the number of planners falling. And all too often people see planners as getting in the way, but maybe there was a very good reason for that.

“We can’t be afraid to fight for what we believe is the right thing. We’ve got to be proud of what we do and stand up for ourselves.”

–

What are you going to talk about at the convention?

EL: “‘Building a resilient profession’ – in particular the role of women in planning.

How can we encourage more women into the profession?

“I’ll be looking at things like the Women in Planning network, which we’ve just introduced in South Wales. It’s having a really positive impact.”

Why is this important?

EL: “You’ve got to have a workforce that’s representative of the population you plan for. We’re trying to develop a built environment that works for everybody.

I’ve never been an advocate for positive discrimination because you always have to have the best person for the job. But if you have a representative profession, then more people can bring their experience into the way we shape places.”

How can planning attract more people from a wider range of backgrounds?

EL: “I did a geography degree and, if I look back at the choices I made, I see I was destined to be a planner. But it wasn’t until the end of my degree when I happened to come across a book called Careers in Town Planning that I realised it was there.

“We’ve all got to do a bit more to work with universities and schools to get that message out. We recognise that human geography is the traditional route to a planning degree. But we need people to come from all backgrounds because that reflects the way society works.

It’s not just about planners who have a good technical knowledge; we need people from non-traditional educational backgrounds, too.”

12

"WE CAN’T BE AFRAID TO FIGHT FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IS THE RIGHT THING. WE’VE GOT TO BE PROUD OF WHAT WE DO AND STAND UP FOR OURSELVES."

What are the problems you associate with not having a diverse, ‘resilient’ profession?

EL: “It can be something as simple as the way something has been built – no one has considered the gradients, for example, in terms of someone pushing a buggy or a wheelchair. Transport planning provides examples, too – it will be assumed that your travel pattern is that you get up, get on the bus to work, and then you come back home again. But if you have a childcare responsibility just going from A to B and back to A again isn’t a reality.”

Are there other kinds of resilience?

EL: “There’s resilience in terms of how we can interact with the public. We can’t ignore the fact that we are the linchpin

How does planning bestow that confidence?

EL: “By supporting other planners and showing them that we’re promoting planning. There’s a responsibility for all of us to be ambassadors for planning, and to encourage those early in their career.

“If we’re going to put ourselves down as planners, we’re not sending out the right message. I’ll often come out from a conference with a real buzz, and then you go back to work on the Monday and you almost seem to get put back in your box. So that’s about having inspirational leaders giving you the confidence to make decisions for yourself.”

And the results?

EL: “There’s a chain: you need to have resilient planners that can create resilient plans that then will lead into resilient places.”

CONVENTION 2018

‘Resilient planning for our future’ will take place at 155 Bishopsgate, London, on 21 June.

Confirmed speakers include Richard Bacon MP, Emma Langmaid, Helen Gordon of Grainger Plc, and the chief planners of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland. n For further details see: bit.ly/planner0418-resilience

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

12-13_News Opini__The Planner 12

19/03/2018 09:49

LEADER COMMENT

Opinion on Time to get housing delivery in sync – Until recently I’d dismissed the phrase “you can’t have your cake and eat it” as patently absurd. Surely the possession of cake was a prerequisite to its consumption? Lord knows why, but it was only recently that the penny dropped. I, of course, now realise that the intention is to say that you can’t have your cake once you have eaten it. I’d been counting the cake in its digested form as part of ‘having’ it. Thus, I could still have the cake when I both had and hadn’t consumed it.

Now that I fully understand this aphorism I can see why it is so routinely evoked when rival politicians respond to political initiatives. The question following the prime minister’s introduction of the draft revision to the National Planning Policy Framework, which was both welcome and exciting for the planning community, is whether it will survive any cake-and-

Martin Read eat-it accusations that one broad course of action (the focus on housebuilding to sate rising demand from a disenfranchised younger generation) is contradicted by another (no review of the green belt, little in the way of actual measures to speed the rates at which houses are delivered).

Theresa May correctly – and fairly comprehensively – detailed the root causes of the country’s housing crisis, among them a failure to deliver in decades past;

the mid 1990s demographic triggering of a particularly aggressive and sustained price spike; and the undeniably ‘perverse incentive’ (a particularly good line) of a market “where lower supply equals higher prices”. This, plainly, was a message to millennials.

The Bank of Mum & Dad was evoked, as was the ‘anger’ of young people “forced to hand more and more of their wages to a landlord to whom their home is simply a business asset”.

They’re right to be angry, said the PM. It’s a crisis of unaffordability that is simultaneously creating a crisis of “almost literal” social immobility. And who

“IT'S A CRISIS OF UNAFFORDABILITY THAT IS SIMULTANEOUSLY CREATING A CRISIS OF ‘ALMOST LITERAL’ SOCIAL IMMOBILITY”

could possibly argue with any of that? These are strong, arguments for significant change. But it’s surely a pity there wasn’t more synergy between the draft revised NPPF launch and Oliver Letwin’s build-out report (an interim letter came just a week after the NPPF event).

The lack of linkage between these events seems odd given just how much policy in the new NPPF will surely be affected by Letwin’s final report. Indeed, his draft letter suggests that there could be some real progress in understanding and addressing the core issues delaying the delivery of housing. But any such change is not going to come until some time after that report is published.

So, plenty of strong language from a PM clearly engaged in this topic. But some will say that you can’t have your “rewriting the rules on planning” to speed rates of housebuilding when you’re not simultaneously addressing the real reasons why developers fail to deliver.

CONTACTS Redactive Publishing Ltd Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London, E1 8BL, 020 7880 6200

Sub-editor Deborah Shrewsbury

SUBSCRIPTIONS Picture editor Claire Echavarry Designer Craig Bowyer

EDITORIAL

A D V E RT I S I N G & M A R K E T I N G

Tel: 020 7324 2736 editorial@theplanner.co.uk

Display sales Daniel Goodwin – 020 7880 6206 daniel.goodwin@redactive.co.uk

Editor Martin Read martin.read@theplanner.co.uk

Recruitment sales Gill Rock – 020 7880 6232 gill.rock@redactive.co.uk

Consultant editor Huw Morris

PRODUCT ION

Deputy editor Simon Wicks simon.wicks@theplanner.co.uk

Production manager Jane Easterman

Senior news reporter Laura Edgar laura.edgar@theplanner.co.uk Content development executive Matt Moody

ISSN 2053-7581

Senior production executive Aysha Miah-Edwards PUBLISHING Publishing director Joanna Marsh

£120 – UK £175 – Overseas Average net circulation 18,373 (January-December 2016) (A further 5,700 members receive the magazine in digital form) © 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 part 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 PCP Ltd.

RT P I C O N TA C T S Membership membership@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9462 Education education@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9451 Planning Aid England advice@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk 41 Botolph Lane London EC3R 8DL Media enquiries Rebecca Hildreth rebecca.hildreth@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9477 The Planner is produced using paper that is elemental chlorine free and is sourced from sustainable managed forest.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 12-13_News Opini__The Planner 13

13

19/03/2018 14:05

ADVERTISEMENTS

Consultants { border

Planning our sustainable future

Birmingham Bristol Derby Exeter Glasgow London Warrington

Contact:

Joanne Farrar +44(0) 0203 214 8889 Joanne.farrar@atkinsglobal.com http://www.atkinsglobal.com/urban-planning

DUFKDHRORJ\ KHULWDJH SODQQLQJ UHVROXWLRQ

H LQIR#borderDUFKDHRORJ\ FRP

W

ERUGHUDUFKDHRORJ\ FRP ,62 _ ,62 _ 2+6$6

THE BUSINESS MONTHLY FOR PLANNING PROFESSIONALS

ƒ Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment ƒ Townscape Assessment ƒ Expert Witness, Public Inquires & Appeals ƒ Strategic Land Promotion ƒ Local Plan Representations ƒ Green Belt Assessment ƒ Sensitivity and Capacity Appraisals ƒ Minerals and Waste Development ƒ Urban Design, Public Realm and Masterplanning ƒ Regeneration and Renewal ƒ Heritage Landscapes and Restoration ƒ Landscape Design and Implementation ƒ Ecological Consultancy and BREEAM

Mark Flatman - mark.flatman@lizlake.com Head of Landscape Planning

01279 647 044

www.lizlake.com

}

TO ADVERTISE IN T H I S S EC T I O N : SINGLE BOX: 55MM HIGH X 90MM WIDE DOUBLE BOX VERTICAL: 113.5MM HIGH X 90MM WIDE DOUBLE BOX HORIZONTAL: 55MM HIGH X 184.5MM WIDE

Contact Daniel Goodwin: Daniel Goodwin@redactive.co.uk 020 7880 6206

Stansted | Bristol | Nottingham

14

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

p14_PLN.APR18.indd 14

16/03/2018 11:46

CORRESPONDENCE

Inbox

Y O U R V I E W S O N T H E R E V I S E D D R A FT N P P F F E E D B A C K

Wei Yang

Paul Tucker

Tony Bateman

Katherine Evans

– The PM delivered a great speech which covered the key areas that needed to be addressed. It is not only about house numbers; we need a long-term vision that means making better connections between planmaking and place-making, creating beautiful and climate change-resilient places, promoting health and well-being, and above all, advancing social equality in our society. I think the government can be more innovative and think about more models to deliver high-quality communities, rather than mainly relying on housebuilders.

– The draft NPPF at first glance looks like a step in the right direction. What is unfortunate is that ministers continue to cling to the fiction that the problem of delivery is due to developers land banking when they must know that is patently not the case.

The real issue is the politicisation of a system which should be about the delivery of homes in the local and national interest. There is a need for a paradigm shift across the board from developers, politicians, landowners, planners and even lawyers that we are all in it together in the responsibility of delivering homes. Ramping up the political rhetoric and playing the disingenuous blaming game helps no one.

– Overall, given the need to increase housing, I remain concerned that the policies as set out in the revised draft NPPF, are unlikely to actually achieve this.

The proposed NPPF is very similar to the current document, although in respect of green belt the policies are tighter, which makes one wonder how development that meets the needs of the South East will be able to be accommodated.

– While paragraph 789 states that local authorities should consider imposing a planning condition to bring forward development within two years of planning permission, there is no hard line telling householders two use it or lose it as some were led to believe might be coming. Housebuilding is an entirely demandled business model and housebuilders do not hold land voluntarily, so the absence of unfair measures targeting them on this matter will be welcome news.

Dr Wei Yang Fellow, UKL Academy of Sciences vice -chair, RTPI International Committee

Paul Tucker QC Kings Chambers Barristers

Richard Beresford

Dominic Martin

– The government can do more to tackle the housing crisis, but it needs the entire housing supply chain to support its drive as well as challenge its ambition. We would like to see the government be more ambitious on planning reform and the green belt, but we welcome the direction the NPPF review has taken. Local government has a big part to play in enabling the right homes in the right places.

– From a Build to Rent perspective, one of the biggest barriers is a lack of awareness by local authorities in many secondary and tertiary UK towns and cities about what this new product really is and how it can benefit their local renting community.

An education of officers, both planning and housing, but also members, especially those on planning committees, is critical and requires a fresh drive from both those within the sector and wider government.

Richard Beresford chief executive, National Federation of Builders

Dominic Martin business development director, Atlas Residential

Tony Bateman managing director, Pegasus Group

Philip Atkins – We still believe that the draft proposals do not go far enough in ensuring that in two-tier areas planning and infrastructure are delivered in tandem. We have joined with five other national organisations to call for the Statement of Common Ground to be strengthened, with a more formal and inclusive role for county councils.

This will support the government’s ambitions with the provision of infrastructure in the right places and strategic planning at scale to unblock housing delivery. We hope government will listen to this coalition of experts and amend its proposals.

Philip Atkions, spokesman for housing, planning and infrastructure at the County Councils Network Council

Katherine Evans partner and head of planning, TLT

John Fuller – If the government expects districts to manage local housing markets and deliver the homes people deserve, then they must ensure that the promises made, which go some way in delivering a better balance in negotiating strength between councils and developers, are implemented. In particular, developers must be held to account for keeping the promises that they freely enter into when asking for permissions.

Councillor John Fuller chairman, District Councils’ Network

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 15_Correspondenc__The Planner 15

15

19/03/2018 14:07

CHRIS SHEPLEY

O Opinion Government ‘fix’ is another brick in the wall for the broken housing market Generations of young Shepleys have amused themselves with bricks. Their second favourite game has always been to pile them on top of one another until they fall over with as loud a noise as possible onto the floor.

(Their favourite was to have Dad performing this task for them, and I can say with confidence that Dad got a certain amount of enjoyment from this process too).

Ministers clearly, if subconsciously, recall these events with fondness, and the image of a young Dominic Raab cooing with delight at the collapse of such a pile is an appealing one. So much so that this is apparently the basis of the latest futile bid to solve the housing crisis.

Questions remain about whether the refreshed NPPF goes far enough to ensure that housing is sustainably located and of sufficient quality, quantity and diversity, but it includes the unimaginative wheeze of piling further storeys onto existing buildings.

Measures will, we understand, be taken to ensure that these buildings don’t suffer the fate of the aforementioned bricks.

The efficacy of some of the building regs was called into question by the appalling Grenfell fire, but hopefully a more cautious approach will be taken this time.

We must assume that problems such as how to get to these upper floors through the existing buildings without inconvenience or risk can be solved, and that there are enough planners to make sure that these additions have a semblance

16

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

16-17_Shepley Qu__The Planner 16

of decent design quality. Both of these may seem unlikely in most circumstances, but nonetheless this measure may well add a useful handful of elevated homes to the stock.

But this column has previously expressed dismay at the mounting pile of gimmicks trumpeted as dealing with the housing crisis but actually making only a small contribution, often with unintended (but predictable) consequences. So far as I know the bold initiative to make it easier to convert launderettes to residential use has so far failed to ease the problems young people have in getting on the housing ladder, but on the plus side students are generally to be found wearing clean socks.

But something more radical is needed; something which deals not just with numbers but also with affordability

“IN A PROSPEROUS COUNTRY, THE LEAST EVERYBODY DESERVES IS A DECENT HOME” and quality, and which relates to the needs of a growing and ageing population. The answers are all around us, repeatedly advocated by planners, and contrary to repeated ministerial slander, it is not the planning system which prevents dramatic things happening, but the lack of imagination of successive ministers themselves.

We obviously need a large public sector house building programme, as seen in the time when Labour and Conservative governments competed 50 years ago to see who could build the most.

We need land value capture

to help pay for this, and to enable new settlements to be created. We need to bring empty properties into use (by acquisition if necessary) and look at the impacts of things like Airbnb and second homes in certain areas.

Fierce measures to make sure rental accommodation is safe, healthy, comfortable, affordable and secure. Selfbuild, housing cooperatives, better options for the elderly – all these have been advocated recently, but to limited effect.

In answer to criticism, the government issues statements that are masterpieces of complacency, producing various statistics to support their case. But we’ve been told by ministers that government statistics are generally wrong, and the evidence of squalor around us backs this up. We have to be brave, radical, and adventurous. Or do we simply turn our heads and look the other way?1 In 2018, in a prosperous country, the least everybody deserves is a decent home.

1

Presley, E, In The Ghetto, RCA Victor

1969. A parable for our times

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

19/03/2018 09:50

Quote unquote FROM THE RTPI AND THE WEB

“The town’s proud history as an epicentre of rail journeys is set to continue”

“The chancellor’s tentative message suggests the government is still fumbling around in the dark over what it can actually do to increase housing delivery”

TRANSPORT SECRETARY CHRIS GRAYLING OUTLINES CREWE'S MORE SUBSTANTIAL HS2 ROLE

“There are limited opportunities for rivals to enter large sites and compete for custome customers” ers

SARAH FITZPATRICK, PARTNER AT LAW FIRM BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNER, ON THE SPRING STATEMENT

OLIVER LETWIN'S BUI BUILD OUT I LD OUT REVIEW LETTER TO PHILIP J HAMMOND AND SAVID JAVID NOT UNEX X PECTED HITS ON A NOT UNEXPECTED CONCLUSION

“I hope that I have been a role model for women and helped more women think about leadership roles themselves” TRUDI ELLIOTT, SPEAKING TO THE PLANNER ON HER ACHIEVEMENTS AT THE RTPI

“If local councils are to be responsible esponsible for delivering housing in their area, central government must strengthen and support their negotiating power when dealing with developers and builders” JOHN FULLER, CHAIRMAN OF THE DISTRICT COUNCILS’ NETWORK, WELCOMES OLIVER LETWIN'S INTERIM UPDATE ON THE BUILD OUT REVIEW

“Planning rules already say green belt boundaries should be changed only in ‘exceptional circumstances’. But too many local authorities and developers have been taking a lax view of what ‘exceptional’ means.”

THE PRIME MINISTER TAKES EXCEPTION TO THE MISUSE OF 'EXCEPTIONAL'

I M AG E S | I STO C K / G E T T Y / JON E N O C H

16-17_Shepley Qu__The Planner 17

AP R IL 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER

17

19/03/2018 10:15

B E S T O F T H E B LO G S

O Opinion

1

Viral Desai MRTPI is the young planners coordinator for the Commonwealth Association of Planners, and a senior planning consultant with Atkins

A manifesto for Commonwealth youth

Between April 16 and 20, London will pl play host to the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The summit will have a strong youth focus; rightly, as 60 per cent of people in the Commonwealth are under 30, so the futures of the 53 nations are in the hands of more than a billion young people.

Indeed, the summit will feature the Commonwealth Youth Forum which “provides an opportunity for the young people of the Commonwealth to build crosscultural connections and networks, debate the challenges facing its young people, and agree youth-led initiatives to influence decisionmakers and ensure young people have a voice in its future”.

This year’s Youth Forum theme is ‘Powering our common future’ – a reflection of the summit’s main theme of ‘Towards a common future’. Young planners and architects are among the groups who are answering the call to feed into the theme.

For example, the Commonwealth Association of Planners Young Planners and the Commonwealth Association of Architects Young Architects, with support from the RTPI and RIBA, have come together to illustrate how young planners and architects can influence urbanism and sustainability. We’ll be delivering a manifesto to the Youth Forum,

Simon Wicks is deputy editor of The Planner

Let’s all bash the developers – oh, wait…

which provides a prescription for how young people can help deliver Sustainable Development Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Young planners and architects from Australia, the Caribbean, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Africa and the UK have given us their views.

Some talked about the importance of sharing practice, knowledge, experiences and ideas outside their own profession and with other nations to shape a more sustainable society across the Commonwealth.

Some expressed the need to bridge the gap between ‘Young’ and ‘Experts’, and to listen to fresh ideas, with better links to schools and universities.

Some felt young people should be given the space to contribute, advocate for ‘one world planning’ and reject the status quo, while capitalising on the diversity of Commonwealth Nations.

Our manifesto aims to ensure that the views of young planners and architects are solidified in the Commonwealth they will help to create. It aims to show heads of government the importance of sharing practice across professions and between professionals, and the importance of having a vision for how young people can influence their society within a holistic approach to sustainable development.

“OUR MANIFESTO AIMS TO ENSURE THAT THE VIEWS OF YOUNG PLANNERS AND ARCHITECTS ARE SOLIDIFIED IN THE COMMONWEALTH THEY WILL HELP TO CREATE”

18

2 BLOG

BLOG

The dra draft revised NPPF was accompanied by escalation in accomp anti-developer rhetoric from Theresa May and Sajid Javid. It makes a refreshing change for a premier and housing secretary to declare open season on developers rather than planners.

But it doesn’t really take us closer to Solving the Housing CrisisTM. Yes, we know some developers some of the time do some land banking. They may well have, as May called it, a “perverse incentive” to do so. If the commercially rational choice is to sit on land for which you’ve overpaid in land and housing markets made dysfunctional by poor policymaking, then that’s what a business will do.

If you can then guarantee a 20 per cent profit, even where that means sacrificing a public good (affordable housing), then that’s also what many firms will do. No amount of shaking a big stick stamped CPO is going to change this.

By the same token, of course, we know there are planners who are behind the curve. But neither they nor developers can be held wholly responsible for the cultural and structural flaws in the land and housing markets that lead to slow build-out rates on consented schemes. It’s kinda complicated.

But politicians can fix it. It will require a nuanced appreciation of what happens on the ground and, it seems, there is someone in

the governing party who is displaying this – Sir Oliver Letwin MP, charged with investigating the gap between permissions and build-out rates.

His interim letter to the chancellor and housing secretary was published in the same week as the draft NPPF. It discusses skills, resources, the negotiation of conditions and – most tellingly – absorption rates. Here’s the rub.

If houses on a large site sell slowly, there’s little incentive to build them at speed. But if the houses are all built by the same builder to the same designs in the same type and tenure using the same materials, where’s the thrill for the buyer?

Letwin hints at a solution in a mix of builders, styles and types on site creating competition and interest. He vows to visit Germany and the Netherlands to see what public mechanisms they use to achieve this.

Planners have been saying all this (and I haven’t even touched on land price) for years. There’s irony in former planner-bashers moving towards a similar position.

Yet more in a free-marketeer talking about state intervention.

But my favourite piece of cognitive dissonance here is that Letwin’s report is due in summer, and it’s likely to have ramifications for policy. The NPPF – the policy document – is also to be published in the summer. Who else thinks there’s a problem with the timing?

“THERE ARE PLANNERS WHO ARE BEHIND THE CURVE. BUT NEITHER THEY NOR DEVELOPERS CAN BE HELD WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE”

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

18-19_Blog__The Planner 18

19/03/2018 11:14

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

3

Jill Wood is policy analyst for Engender, which campaigns for women’s equality in Scotland

It’s time for gender-inclusive planning

Gender equality and public planning do not appear to go plannin hand in hand. This stems from the way our planning systems have developed. Women experience and navigate public space differently from men. This is due to a host of gendered issues and inequalities that shape patterns of movement, the use of different public services and buildings, participation in public and domestic spheres, drivers of the gender pay gap, and women’s lack of safety and security.

Planning models have historically catered to the needs of the male breadwinner, so design of urban space and infrastructure is rooted in women’s exclusion from public life and continues to overlook their needs.

In March, we marked International Women’s Day 2018; it is still the case that women are marginalised in the public sphere.

Women undertake the lion’s share of unpaid care work (worth billions to the national economy), earn on average £182.90 less per week than men, and violence against females is endemic.

None of these issues should be divorced from the management of public space in our cities, towns and rural areas. For instance, employment opportunities, especially those that are well-paid, tend to be distant from residential areas and the amenities that women access for caring and

4 BLOG

BLOG

Louise Brooke-Smith MRTPI is a partner at Arcadis and former global president of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors

Play, planning and positivity – why the West Mids is feeling good

household management roles.

This limits women’s access to the labour market and creates time poverty for the many who make up the part-time workforce.

Safety and lighting are key issues; and inaccessible streets and public buildings, and inadequate public toilets stop disabled women, carers and mothers of young children accessing public spaces. The needs of minority ethnic women, older women, pregnant women, rural women and those on low incomes also form part of this picture.

Delivery of landuse projects (office, retail and housing d e ve l o p m e n t s, health and childcare facilities, parks, and entertainment venues) should systematically take these gendered realities into account, and recognise the impact of location, cost, and facilities on this social and economic equality.

The UK is a signatory to the United Nations New Urban Agenda, which commits to cities that are designed to achieve gender equality. National planning frameworks and policy should therefore embed gender equality as a design standard. At all levels, planning initiatives should include measures to enable women’s equal participation and to include a diversity of perspectives. The government should also support women’s knowledge of, and employment in, built environment professions.

“DELIVERY OF LAND­USE PROJECTS SHOULD SYSTEMATICALLY TAKE THESE GENDERED REALITIES INTO ACCOUNT”

As the Peaky Pe Blinders – or some of their Black Country kinsmen – mig might have said, had they been around today: “It’s a bostin’ time to be living in The Midlands.”

You can practically taste the positivity in the air. Is this because Coventry has been awarded UK City of Culture for 2022, or that Birmingham will host the Commonwealth Games a year later? Or is it a reflection of the investment boom across the region and a tangible community swagger?

If the West Midlands Combined Authority, under the leadership of the erudite Andy Street, and management of the impressive Deborah Cadman, can corral the various boroughs and get them to all pull in the same direction at the same time, then this part of the world, at the heart of the UK, will be a force to reckon with.

The benefits of two big accolades – City of Culture and Commonwealth Games – and the ripple effects they will have on regenerative and legacy schemes are huge.

A quick look at the way Hull has benefited from its ‘cultural crown’ in 2017 shows how vital the arts and culture are to any location. Be it visual, performance, music, poetry, theatre – all reflect the soul of a community, and encourage social cohesion, pride and innovation.

Looking at the Commonwealth Games, before any new build has even started, a wide range of stakeholders are already exploring and agreeing how the event can regenerate parts of the conurbation to ensure there will be a legacy in place for years to come. That is certainly how Queensland planned for the Commonwealth Games this year and it has paid off with a range of social initiatives in place for the immediate and long term.

At the last count, the West Midlands had circa £500 billion of infrastructure projects about to be implemented or in the pipeline. If the skills shortage is properly addressed – a problem affecting the whole country as recently highlighted in the recent Arcadis ‘Investing in Britain’ research – The Midlands is on target to wow the world.

In the two years after the 2012 London Olympics, the UK enjoyed a £14.2 billion injection of sales and investment from trade and industry. With the economic impact estimated to hit £28-£41bn by 2020, The Midlands’ location at the heart of the UK suggests it could reap the rewards of a well-planned Year of Culture and the Commonwealth Games.

‘Positivity’ and ‘planning’ are rarely words seen together given the constraints on services – but in The Midlands it’s a reality.

“AT THE LAST COUNT, THE WEST MIDLANDS HAD CIRCA £500 BILLION OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS ABOUT TO BE IMPLEMENTED OR IN THE PIPELINE”

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 18-19_Blog__The Planner 19

19

19/03/2018 11:14

I N T E R V I E W : C LI V E H A R R I D G E

“COMMONWEALTH COUNTRIES TOOK UK PLANNING LAW AND THE 1947 TOWN & COUNTRY PLANNING ACT, MATCHING IT TO THEIR OWN LEGAL FRAMEWORKS. BUT THAT DOESN’T REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUES THOSE COUNTRIES FACE TODAY.”

P H O T O G R A P H Y | A K I N FA L O P E

20

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

20-23_Clive Harr__The Planner 20

19/03/2018 15:34

COMMON GROUND AHEAD OF THE BIENNIAL COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING TAKING PLACE IN LONDON, THE SECRETARY­GENERAL OF THE COMMONWEALTH ASSOCIATION OF PLANNERS, CLIVE HARRIDGE, TELLS MARTIN READ HOW THE ORGANISATION IS USING ITS UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL REMIT TO PROMOTE PLANNING’S CAUSE This month is an unusually dynamic one for the Commonwealth of Nations. The quadrennial Commonwealth Games takes place on Australia’s Gold Coast from 4th-15th April, after which attention immediately turns to the other side of the planet and the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government summit (CHOGM) in London from 16-20 April.

But it’s on 12th March – Commonwealth Day – that Clive Harridge, the former RTPI president and now te secretary-general of the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP), stops off at The Planner’s offices. He’s on his way to Westminster Abbey where, alongside the Royal Family, he will attend a multicultural, multi-faith service in celebration of the organisation whose 53 member countries represent just shy of a third of the world’s population.

CAP, which currently represents 28 of those nations, is uniquely placed among planning organisations in having the opportunity to meet political leaders and influence thinking at a global level through its CHOGM connection. And this year, that CHOGM link may be even more valuable.

Heads up ”It’s unusual for such a large group of countries to come together through their heads of government

meeting every two years,” says Harridge. “The unique thing about CAP and the Commonwealth is that we and other civil society organisations get access to commonwealth governments through these Heads of Government meetings.

CAP’s aim is to get these leaders to recognise the value of planning and the work of planners in creating and delivering opportunities for community development, economic development – and addressing climate change.

Before the actual heads of state meeting, CHOGM events include four events – a people’s forum, youth forum, women’s forum and business forum.

CAP, as one of the civil society organisations afforded access, contributes mainly through the business forum.

Each CHOGM has a theme, and London’s is ‘Towards a common future’. The focus is on building on the strengths of the Commonwealth to make sure that this unique organisation is responsive to global challenges “and delivers a more prosperous, secure, sustainable and fair future for all its citizens, particularly its young people”.

This time, CHOGM 2018 will see its four forum events followed on the second day by a joint meeting of all four forums at the QE2 Conference Centre in Westminster.

“We as a civil society organisation have regular

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 20-23_Clive Harr__The Planner 21

21

19/03/2018 15:35

I N T E R V I E W : C LI V E H A R R I D G E

meetings with other built environment professions as well as other Commonwealth organisations,” says Harridge. “We share experiences and thinking on a regular basis, but we feel there’s an opportunity with this Heads of Governments meeting taking place in London to try and do something more substantive.”

Accordingly, CAP has been working on a survey of its members – and other Commonwealth planning associations – to assess the state of the profession across its 28 member states. The results are to be presented at CHGOM alongside parallel studies by the Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) and Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy.

The way planning is perceived - as well as the political and legislative frameworks in which it operates - will feature in the results, with Harridge expecting to identify a huge capacity shortage across the Commonwealth (“there’s no doubt about that”).

Already, Commonwealth countries vary wildly in their percentage of planners to head of population.

“It is clear that there is a severe shortage of planners across the Commonwealth – particularly in the most populous countries, excluding the UK. We have 25,000 planners in the UK for population of about 65 million,” says Harridge. “But in Bangladesh it’s 250 for a population of 163 million. And In India there are 3,800 qualified planners for a population of 1.3 billion."

“PLANNING IS A GLOBAL PROFESSION – WE CANNOT OPERATE IN ISOLATION”

An urban agenda A particular focus for CAP is the importance of cities and urban policy.

“We were very much part of a global campaign about the importance of cities,” says Harridge. “And we were really keen to ensure that when the UN adopted its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), they reflected urban policy. So we were delighted when SDG 11 – focusing on cities – was adopted.”

CAP is supporting the rapid urbanisation toolkit project being developed by the Prince's Foundation for Building Community and the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), which has

CLIVE HARRIDGE AND CAP

During his time as chair of West Midlands Planning Aid, an opportunity arose for Harridge to help develop an international planning aid project supported by CAP – and he's been involved with the organisation ever since, being elected to the honorary role of secretary-general in 2010.

Harridge himself is passionate about sustainability, and the theme for his 2006 term as RTPI president was ‘Get Real about Sustainable Development!’

Harridge’s CAP role is purely voluntary; in his day job he’s director of planning, transport and design at Wood, leading a team of more than 100 staff across the country.

22

support from the RTPI the Commonwealth Association of Architects and funding from the Commonwealth Foundation.

“It’s an example of a project where we are delivering an output that can be used across the Commonwealth to tackle a really serious issue,” explains Harridge. In February, CAP hosted a launch event for the toolkit at the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

And CAP is now working with colleagues in the city of Bo, Sierra Leone to see through a pilot deployment of the toolkit.

“If we had more funding, this would be one area it would make a difference,” says Harridge. “The idea would be to pilot [the toolkit] in a city which is at the right place in terms of its development.” (The current pilot in Bo has been part funded by planning consultancy Turley’s, with further support from an organisation called One World Link, which is set up to sustain links between the communities in Bo, Sierra Leone and Warwick here in the UK. Harridge is keen to talk up CAP’s unique status and what can be achieved by bringing together the international planning community. He believes the planning profession ‘came of age’ internationally

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

20-23_Clive Harr__The Planner 22

19/03/2018 15:35

three years ago, when the UN adopted its 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), putting planning centre stage in the delivery of sustainable urban development.

“Planning is a global profession," says Harridge.

“We cannot operate in isolation.”

A broader view CAP is well placed to reinforce the SDGs, giving them added impetus through initiatives that support and develop their implementation.

But what many Commonwealth countries need, says Harridge, is a fresh approach to planning that’s not based on the 20th century UK model.

“Quite often Commonwealth countries took UK planning law and the 1947 Town & Country Planning Act, matching it to their own legal frameworks. But that doesn’t really highlight the issues those countries face today. They need to develop an approach to planning that reflects the pressures and opportunities specific to their needs - 21st challenges such as climate change, food security, gender issues and human rights.”

One particular example of this work is in a project CAP is working on which brings together the RTPI, the South African planning accreditation body SACPLAN, the University of the Free State in Bloemfuntein, the University of Birmingham, and Birmingham City University. It’s called SAPER (South African Planning Education Research), and it’s a project jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and National Research Foundation (NRF). The project is researching the appropriateness, usefulness and impact of the current planning curriculum in South African Higher Education - with Harridge a member of the project’s advisory board.

“It looks at how planning education can be made fit for purpose in south Africa,” explains Harridge. “It is a concern of the Commonwealth to ensure that education is relevant to the specific situation in a country, but is also reflects sustainable development goals.” (In 2017 the Commonwealth agreed its own curriculum for enabling the UN SDGs.) Wider reach Given the greaty variety among Commonwealth member states, it’s understandable that planning activity varies. Harridge points to Zambia as an example of a country in which planning operates through a particularly robust governance structure, while in Belize work is being done - with CAP’s help - to develop better models for coastal zone management and areas which are subject to flood risk and sea level rise.

CAP sees its role not just as with its Commonwealth base, but in feeding into other global planning networks and helping the establishment of others..

Last year CAP took part in the UN’s COP23 Climate Change conference in Bonn, helping launch the ‘Planners for Climate Action’ initiative (P4CA), which promotes planning’s place in developing adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change.

CAP is also devising a statement on sustainable development with the CAA. CAP is also involved in initiatives to enhance the capacity of planning in the Caribbean region, helping to establish networks across the planning community in the Caribbean and developing the region’s planning capacity; new associations in Dominica, St Lucia, and Guinea have been formed as a direct result of work funded by UN Habitat and carried out by CAP and its colleagues in the Caribbean.

After CHOGM, the immediate future for CAP will see a new member joining the ranks: departing RTPI chief executive Trudi Elliott become its first patron, a newly created ambassadorial role.

“Trudi’s been a great supporter of CAP since she took office at the RTPI,” says Harridge. “With the global profile she has, Trudi will be a great ambassador for us and for promoting the work of planners in addressing global issues.”

It’s a brief that CAP intends to continue fulfilling in the future.

IF THE CAP FITS… Established in 1971, CAP today comprises a single representative from each of the national planning associations from 28 of the Commonwealth’s 53 member states. (Those not represented are, in the main, countries that do not yet have their own planning association). CAP calculates that it represents more than 40,000 planners across its association members.

These individual association representatives, called vicepresidents, make up the body’s executive committee, which has a bimonthly teleconference, although the range of time differences can make attendance difficult.

CAP's current president is Dy Currie, chief planner at Brisbane City Council.

"The people that work in CAP give as much time as we can and we achieve much despite our limited funds,” says Harridge, whose position as secretary-general is unpaid.

He’s supported by RTPI Scotland’s office manager, Annette O’Donnell, through an arrangement between the two organisations by which O’Donnell spends one day of her working week on CAP business – the organisation’s only paid resource.

CAP is funded through a combination of subscriptions and grants. National associations pay a membership fee commensurate with the number of individual members in their country – an equitable structure that ensures smaller countries are not penalised. While CAP representatives do much on a voluntary basis, its projects are funded principally by grants from a variety of sources including the Commonwealth Foundation and UN-Habitat. The body runs occasional training events and webinars, and also has networks for a young planners and Women in Planning. network.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 20-23_Clive Harr__The Planner 23

23

19/03/2018 15:35

P L A N N I N G FO R M EG A E V E N T S The City of Manchester Stadium (now the Etihad), built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games

PLANNING FOR THE

LONG GAME AS THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES BEGINS IN GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA, SIMON WICKS CONSIDERS THE ROLE OF PLANNING IN CREATING LONG­TERM BENEFITS FOR HOST CITIES

24

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

24-27_Commonweal__The Planner 24

19/03/2018 16:57

Is it worth holding an Olympic Games? On the one hand, it raises profile and increases tourism; it pulls in investment and can drive regeneration. On the other, host cities can be lumbered with debt and empty venues. We’ve seen it in Athens; we’re seeing it in Rio. What about a Commonwealth Games? “The Commonwealth Games might be a better thing to have for tourism and regeneration than the Olympic Games,” says Richard Blyth, head of policy and research for the RTPI. “It suits second cities better.” This is not least, he notes, because “they are less beholden to certain kinds of corporate sponsorship”.

In short, the Commonwealth Games is more modest in scale, location and funding than its Olympic sibling, thus easier for a city to absorb. Yet it’s not a small event: the Manchester Games in 2002 was the biggest sporting event held in Britain until the 2012 Olympics. The 2018 Gold Coast Games will see 71 countries competing across 275 events in 19 sports, and in 18 venues.

Putting on a big sporting event is one thing; reaping a long-term benefit from the investment in venues, housing and transport infrastructure is quite another. As Blyth points out, ‘legacy’ is something that Commonwealth cities since Manchester seem to be getting more right than wrong.

Legacy planning In 1993, Manchester bid for the 2003 Olympics and came third. Though the bid failed, it formed the basis for a successful bid to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games focused on the rundown eastern part of the city. The City of Manchester stadium, the Manchester Velodrome and National Squash Centre have helped to transform an area beset by industrial decline.

There is business space and new housing, too.

Tourism has risen fivefold since 2002 and the Games are often cited as a catalyst for this.

But the 2002 Games can be seen to fit into a broader narrative of change. Manchester City Centre was already undergoing remodelling after the Arndale Centre bombing in 1996. In 2011, the I M AG E | G E T T Y

24-27_Commonweal__The Planner 25

“THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES MIGHT BE A BETTER THING TO HAVE FOR TOURISM AND REGENERATION THAN THE OLYMPIC GAMES”

Greater Manchester Combined Authority came into being and with it a rising civic confidence.

The Games undoubtedly is part of this story.

But the Manchester Games left a different legacy – a beleif in the UK’s ability to deliver major sporting events. Ideas and skills that began to emerge with the Manchester Games have circulated through the subsequent London Olympics and Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

The approaches may vary, however. Where Manchester and London were ‘compact’ and focused regeneration on a single area, Glasgow spread it across the city. (Key sites were located in areas already earmarked for regeneration.)

“This has ensured that different parts of city have benefited from Games investment and better connectivity from improved transport infrastructure,” wrote Scotland’s chief architect Ian Gilzean, along with Cathy Johnston of Glasgow City Council and Alison Brown of Clyde Gateway after the Games.

“Glasgow’s experience can be used as an exemplar for replication in other towns and cities – by focusing on what they have in place already and working around that.”

One could argue that a well-planned Games, incorporated into an existing city strategy, has a better chance of delivering physical, economic and social improvement. Part of this, as Blyth notes, is to do with the size of the host city: the “bang per buck” is comparatively greater in a smaller second city.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

25

19/03/2018 16:57

A visualisation of Birmingham's athletes' village in Perry Bar

Good governance Mega events can also have a lasting political legacy. Blyth recalls the French city of Lille which, another former industrial second city that made a failed Olympic bid. “Lille consists of around 90 municipalities and 1.4 million people,” he explains. “Historically it’s a cotton spinning city, so it has an industrial heritage. But there were closures at the end of the 80s, leading to high levels of deprivation.

“The bid involved everyone pulling together – businesses, the community, local authorities, all working together.”

Rather than let the new spirit of cooperation disperse, the city bid for the European Capital of Culture and got it. This brought visitors and investment into the city. The various partners in an emerging informal governance system kept working together and now the Greater Lille Commission meets regularly to make decisions on development projects.

Is it a stretch to see a direct line from Manchester’s Olympic bid and its recent Greater Manchester Spatial Framework? Perhaps, but there are clearly many forces at play here and a consensus that Games have been good for Manchester, London and London.

Or is there? Not everyone believes in the rrgenerative potential of mega events. Emmanuel de la Masseliere founder of E.co, a Paris-based planning

C O M M O N W E A LT H S T H E N A N D N O W

Launched in 1930 as the British Empire Games in Hamilton, Canada, the Commonwealth Games has been held on 20 occasions. The first edition was attended by 11 teams (including one representing Newfoundland) from 10 countries, with 400 athletes competing across 59 events in seven sports. Virtually all the events took place at a

26

single venue, the Civic Stadium.

Male athletes were accommodated at the Prince of Wales Public School, and female athletes at the Royal Connaught Hotel.

The 2018 Games will see 71 nations competing across 275 events in 19 sports (plus seven para sports) in 18 venues in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville. A newly-built athletes village will house 6,600 athletes.

and development consultancy, says: “I’m not convinced at all that we [Paris] should have been candidate [for the Olympics]. My conclusion is that mega events… produce rarely automatically any urban development. Public policies and public and private investment that are run at the occasion of the mega event do.”

De la Masseliere continues: “All that money could have been invested somewhere else in the city or for other purposes. The true question is: ‘Do we want the Olympics for the sport elite, or do we want care and nursing houses for old people?’ We do not have the money for both.”

It’s an accusation that’s often levelled at big sporting events. Sure, you might claim some benefits, but they’re hard to attribute to the Games itself and, besides, you could simply have spent the money directly to better effect.

Manchester has seen criticism from local journalists and community figures, who have spoken of uncertainty for the residents who have been somewhat bypassed by the developments in East Manchester. The shadow side of regeneration looms: elitism, gentrification, displacement, exclusion, the nagging voices of those who are left behind.

Blyth is somewhat philosophical, citing “pragmatic” politics as a necessary adjunct to this kind of exercise. “Manchester has been in the news only this month for not having affordable housing,” he says. “It’s a political calculation. If you choose to do something which is bringing in money does that mean that you at same time become compromised because you are then going to not achieve all of your inclusion goals?”

Commonwealth cities don’t always get it right.

In Delhi, the Commonwealth Games host city in 2010, costs spiralled to more than $4 billion amid official corruption, slow construction and a lack of planning that has left the city with unused venues. But if we were looking for a formula for success, we might start with:

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

24-27_Commonweal__The Planner 26

19/03/2018 16:57

P L A N N I N G FO R M EG A E V E N T S

n modest in scale n integrated into existing

plans and processes, which will continue “I DON’T THINK beyond the Games THERE’S EVER n much of the physical BEEN A PERIOD infrastructure is already in LIKE IT IN place and in regular use BIRMINGHAM’S n a resilient, accountable HISTORY. THE civic culture – including, SCALE OF particularly, a professional CHANGE IS and effective planning HUGE.” culture n governance, cost and sharing of risk between multiple parties, including public sector, private sector and communities n building on recent experience of hosting large events regionally or nationally.

“For us the legacy bit is critical,” says Ian MacLeod, assistant director of planning and regeneration for Birmingham City Council. “A lot of the venues are already in place. Alexander Stadium will be refurbished and expanded in size and there’s going to be a new aquatics centre in Sandwell.

“But [the athletes village at] Perry Bar will be the big construction project for the games. Its 1,000 residential units will house 6,500 athletes and officials.”

Perry Bar had already been identified within the city’s statutory development plan as a priority area for regeneration. The 1,000 homes will be built by the council’s own development company (albeit with the private sector contributing) using some government funds, but with most coming from the council’s own coffers. There will also be a refurbishment of Perry Bar station and an extension to the city’s SPRINT bus network will strengthen its connections with the rest of the city.

The Birmingham Games is projected to cost £750m – small beer beside the official £8.77bn cost of the London Olympics, but more than double the cost of the Manchester Games. The investment has to be worth it.

“There’s a fundamental impetus going on in the city at the moment. I don’t think there’s ever been a period like it. The scale of change is huge,” MacLeod stresses. “We need to capitalise on it and get that quality right.”

Putting on a Games is thus “challenging” and absolute: “The one thing you cannot change is the start date.”

What does “success” look like in a Commonwealth Games context? Blyth concedes that this is a “difficult question to answer”, but is adamant that the delivery of a Games cannot be seen as an exercise in profit and loss.

“You say with any of these mega events there’s a deadline and we are not doing it with a bottom line purpose. You don’t do it to make money. Once the purpose is in place the legacies come in all sorts of different forms.” n ‘Planning for mega-events’ will feature as a session

at the RTPI Convention 2018 on 21 June http://www. rtpi.org.uk/events/planning-convention-2018/ n Simon Wicks is deputy editor of The Planner I M AG E S | G E T T Y

24-27_Commonweal__The Planner 27

WELCOME TO THE GOLD COAST

Nicole Bennetts (NB) is a senior planning advisor with the City of Gold Coast How long does it feel as if the city has been gearing up for the Games?

NB: Quite a while. We started counting down two years out from the Games, but planning was well underway four years out.

What's the mood in the city at the moment?

NB: Excitement. There is a real buzz in the air. The city is looking fantastic. It seems businesses and residents are making their parts of the city ready for it to be on show.

Has there been much development?

NB: Yes. But mostly upgrades to our existing sporting venues.

The single biggest legacy piece is the athletes’ village, which will convert into a health and knowledge precinct after the Games.

Also, stage two of our light rail network was built for the Games, connecting our downtown to our heavy rail.

Has this been disruptive? Exciting? Do people welcome it?

NB: It's been a bit of both. I think largely people do welcome it though. The transport is the biggest change for our city. Our residents rely on and love their cars, and the Games are really challenging that norm. People are going to need to start using public transport and cycling due to lane closures, reduced speed limits and increase people on the roads. It will be interesting to see how the city copes.

Are you able to place Games-based development into a wider narrative of regeneration?

NB: Yes, our northern part of the city is experiencing greenfield housing growth and was in need of infrastructure. The Games has bought sporting and community facilities to this part of the city that will rely on this so much afterwards. It's bought forward this investment and the venues are world class so it an amazing legacy.

I think the investment generally has been really positive in terms of legacy. The only negative feedback about games investment that I've heard is in relation to some public art – which is always something which generates public interest.

As a citizen, how do you feel about having the games in your city?

NB: I'm personally really excited about it. I'm volunteering for the game and working my day job. I have tickets for a few sports. My sister is in the opening ceremony. I can't wait to go into the venues and into Broadbeach and Southport to feel the vibe.

AP R IL 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER

27

19/03/2018 16:58

SOCIAL HOUSING

THE BATTLES OF

Boundary Street London’s first council estate is celebrated for marking a new era in progressive approaches to housing the poor. But with just 11 of the original 5,700 evicted residents moving into the new flats in the late 1890s, it was in fact an early example of ‘social cleansing’, discovers Sarah Wise “It was a district of almost solid poverty, in which the houses were as broken down and deplorable as their unfortunate inhabitants... The whole place deserved destruction.” This epitaph for the Old Nichol neighbourhood, in central East London, was written by Charles Booth – social investigator and creator of the famous Poverty Map of London, published in 1889. Decades of jerry-building, rack-renting, a corrupt local vestry inspectorate and municipal indolence had created a slum of a square quarter-mile that by the 1880s was tottering to the point of collapse.

Here lived a population of 5,700 souls, 40 per cent of whom were under the age of 15. Its mortality rate was double that of the streets that surrounded it, while its statistics for overcrowding were among the highest in the capital.

London would not have its first fully empowered unitary authority until 1889 – years after Britain’s other major cities had modernised their local administration. Members of the first London County Council (LCC) had been elected with an unforeseen swing to the ‘left’ (London was safely Conservative during parliamentary elections in these years), and so the so-called Progressive Party had a huge mandate for driving through measures to improve the working and living conditions of the city’s poor. The most urgent arena for reform was the housing of the working class — the subject of both a massive (but ultimately toothless) Royal Commission of 1884-5, and no fewer than 25 acts of Parliament since 1847. Despite these, undersupply and the squalor of much of the existing stock became 28

Map of the Old Nichol from 1872

more intractable problems as the years passed.

The new LCC therefore asked Londoners at large to write in with their suggestions for which district was most in need of demolition and rebuild. The overwhelming answer was: the Old Nichol.

The council was not permitted to build low-

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

28-31_Boundary E__The Planner 28

19/03/2018 09:52

The cleared The cllea c ear ared a d site sit ie

rent premises for the low-waged: its powers were restricted to undertaking the demolition using rates money and then offering the cleared land for sale to a charitable housing provider — one of the ‘Five Per Cent Philanthropists’ organisations, such as Peabody, the Guinness Trust and Sydney Waterlow’s Improved Industrial Dwellings Company.

However, as the long process of “LONDON WOULD NOT HAVE compulsory purchase, ITS FIRST FULLY EMPOWERED eviction and UNITARY AUTHORITY demolition was under UNTIL 1889” way, between 1890 and 1895, it became clear that no philanthropic company was willing to come forward. And so, very reluctantly, the home secretary permitted the LCC to construct the dwellings, on the understanding that these would quickly be sold on to the charitable sector.

The LCC was not to act as a landlord. Antipathy towards state intervention in housing was put most colourfully in Parliament by the member for Portsmouth, who told the house that such a thing was “monstrous”, and that “if such a principle were admitted, I do not know where it will stop. The next demand made of Parliament might be to provide clothing, if not carriages and horses, for the poor”.

Red brick and terracotta But change was in the air. Arguably, the state provision of public housing in Germany may have prompted Westminster to see that a better housed and healthier working population made for superior military recruits and industrial workers. Certainly, papers in the National Archives at Kew show the home secretary gradually coming round to the idea of the LCC not just building housing but acting as a landlord.

And that is how London’s first planned council estate came into being.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

28-31_Boundary E__The Planner 29

29

19/03/2018 09:52

SOCIAL HOUSING

The Boundary Street Estate was, and remains, magnificent. The LCC’s architects’ department created 22 blocks of red brick and terracotta that while fully harmonising with each other, nevertheless allow for whimsy and picturesque variation. Set around a central (fake) hillock with a terraced garden, seven broad, tree-lined avenues radiate outwards. Each step along the streets presents a new vista to the eye, like a slow-dissolve kaleidoscope.

The British Architect magazine of February 1897 was scathing, though, describing the development as ‘a workman’s paradise’, where he would become “a pampered pet... [who will] pass from the partly useful to the wholly ornamental”.

More damning was Dr George Paddock Bate, the local parish vestry medical officer of health, who had campaigned hard for local sanitary reform. Bate told Charles Booth’s survey team (compiling data for Booth’s 17-volume Life & Labour of the People In London) that: “No attempt [has been] made to rehouse the people displaced... not five per cent are original residents. Those who largely occupied the spot were costermongers, little cabinet-makers and those who required stabling and workshops, but instead of trying to provide for them, the Council has built extravagant blocks, quite unsuited to them, and beyond their means.”

He pointed out that many of the former residents were now having to crowd even more densely into foetid lodgings nearby in Bacon Street, Sclater Street, the northern end of Brick Lane and so on. Instead of

30

Court in the Old Nichol

“JUST 15 OF THE 1,069 NEW FLATS CONSISTED OF ONE ROOM ONLY, BUT HALF OF THE NICHOL POPULATION HAD LIVED IN SINGLE­ROOM LODGINGS IN THE SLUM”

the Boundary Street Estate being a revolution in sanitation, it had forced many of the locals into property that was even more dangerous to health.

How on earth had this happened? An LCC architects’ department crammed with men who self-identified as ‘progressive’ (holding either Radical Liberal or Socialist views) had managed to create 1,069 high-quality, publicly subsidised apartments that were being inhabited by clerks, teachers, policemen, artisans, a vicar – people perfectly able to rent a decent London home on the open market. And yet the 5,700 Old Nichol residents had been slung out with very little compensation, despite the estate having been promoted as a place in which the poor could ‘improve’ themselves.

It’s a conundrum: but examination of the large caches of LCC documentation held at the London Metropolitan Archives suggests the (slightly messy) answer. In 1890, the architects had presented a somewhat unambitious scheme for the replacement of the Old Nichol. As can be seen in the plan (right), it amounted to no more than a widening of the streets on a retained grid system. However, in a noteworthy example of fin de siècle peoplepower, a meeting of Bethnal Green residents and ratepayers urged the LCC to be more adventurous.

In particular, they asked the architects to include far more open space, particularly for children to play in. (They also called for the owners of the rotten houses in the slum to be named, shamed and prosecuted, rather than compensated.)

As the project dragged on, Owen Fleming and his team devised the radical new topography for the site.

Social cleansing A researcher at the American Academy of Political & Social Science wrote to Fleming in June 1896, as the estate’s first blocks were being let, asking him how the scheme had come about.

Fleming’s lengthy reply (never seen by the general public) reveals that he had never, in fact, intended the estate to be lived in by the residents of the Old Nichol.

He wrote that it was “difficult to let the dwellings to the class of persons who have been displaced. In many cases, the people have been

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

28-31_Boundary E__The Planner 30

19/03/2018 09:52

SOCIAL HOUSING

so long accustomed to live in dirty rooms that they cannot be induced to keep these rooms clean, nor do they desire to live in rooms of this class. In fact, they very rarely apply for these dwellings”.

This amounts to deception, because throughout the project, the public, the residents, the government, Dr Bate and other professionals had assumed that the flats were intended for “MIGHT FLEMING HAVE those Old Nichol ADDITIONALLY BEEN GUILTY people who did want to OF WHAT WE CALL TODAY live in them. But no STARCHITECT SYNDROME?” one had thought to ask the architects, therefore Fleming had not Gentrification has seen needed to reveal his privately-owned flats true purpose. He become increasingly sought-after. But around merely allowed an assumption to continue, two-thirds of the while believing that the chronically poor “could premises remain under Tower Hamlets' control not be designed for”.

It didn’t matter that the LCC had indeed (as required by the home secretary) kept rents to the average charged on the open market in East London, because in spatial terms alone, most Nichol people were priced out of Boundary Street. Just 15 of the 1,069 new flats consisted of one room only, but half of the Nichol population had lived in single-room lodgings in the slum.

Some 34 per cent of Old Nichol people could not have afforded even a one-room flat on the estate.

Those former slum-dwellers who did apply for a council flat often found that their home-based trade (furniture or textile manufacture; foodstuff or flower-hawking, for example) was not

• In 1891, the Census put the population of London at 4.2 million – up 10% on the 1881 figure.

• The population of England and Wales was 29 million, 14.5% of whom lived in London.

I M AG E | G E O RG E T U R N E R

28-31_Boundary E__The Planner 31

permitted on LCC premises.

When eventually challenged, Owen Fleming fell back on the ‘levelling up’ theory (similar to our ‘trickle-down’ concept). He claimed that as lower-middle-class people moved on to the estate, the lodgings that they had vacated in the vicinity would be moved into by the people of the Old Nichol. No such thing happened.

Fleming also said that he had wanted the high quality of his project to act as a role model: to show architects that blocks for cheap rent did not need to look like barracks or prison wings.

And might Fleming have additionally been guilty of what we call today Starchitect Syndrome – choosing beauty over utility? He knowingly designed out the poor, while nevertheless maintaining that these were to be homes for “the working classes”.

The Boundary Estate is viewed benignly today as a massive progressive step. But the archival evidence suggests that it was, in fact, a prototype of the ‘social cleansing’ that many councils are engaged in today. As Dr Bate bitterly stated, with regard to the LCC and its dealings with the chronically poor and needy: “They are afraid to touch ‘the real thing’.”

• 34% of Londoners in these years were born outside London. In the Old Nichol, that figure was just 12%, making it the most native-Cockney place in London.

n Sarah Wise is a historian, lecturer and writer. She is author of The Blackest Streets, a history of the Old Nichol. www.sarahwise.co.uk/

• Average death rate in the Old Nichol slum: 40 per 1,000 Average death rate in surrounding district: 22 per 1,000.

Average death rate in London: 18 per 1,000. Old Nichol death rate of children under-one: 252 per 1,000.

• Booth found that 35% of East London’s population could be termed ‘poor’, or ‘very poor’, but that figure was 83% for people of the Old Nichol – the highest rate in London.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

31

19/03/2018 09:53

32

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

p32_PLN.APR18.indd 32

16/03/2018 11:44

LANDSCAPE

Tech { L A N D S C A P E

P33 TECH P36 REGIONAL P38 DECISIONS P42 LEGAL P50 PLAN B P51 ACTIVITY

REVOLUTIONS IN THE ARC NEW TECH DRIVES AN AWARD­WINNING SCHEME FOR R THE HEADSHOT 'OXBRIDGE ARC'. SO DOES OLD TECH, FINDS SERENA RALSTON Sajid Javid, the housing secretary, last month revealed that up to five new towns could be built between Oxford and Cambridge in an area dubbed the ‘Oxbridge Arc’. The ‘arc’ is one of the UK’s fastest-growing and most productive regions, but a chronic housing shortage threatens this prosperity.

The answer is the village, says VeloCity, the winning proposal in the National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC’s) ‘Cambridge to Oxford Connection: Ideas Competition’. But rather than a ‘chocolate box’, or even a garden village, VeloCity imagines how groups of small, ‘smart’ villages might evolve over 30 years. New technologies are very much part of this story, along with a rather older one – the bicycle.

In the 2017 Budget, the government backed

I M AG E S | V E LO C I T Y

33-34_Case Study__The Planner 33

the NIC’s ambition to build a million homes across the arc by 2050, and announced plans to complete both an East-West rail link and an Oxford-Cambridge Expressway.

The contest sought imaginative responses to the challenge of integrating placemaking with these proposed infrastructure projects. The jury was drawn to VeloCity’s human-scale approach to sensitively and incrementally accommodating new homes, alongside the team’s commitment to ensuring that new settlements would be communities from the outset.

“When we heard about the competition, we thought, ‘Everyone’s going to sit there and come up with garden villages and expanding Milton Keynes’,” says Jennifer Ross, director at Tibbalds Planning & Urban Design. “We

are much more interested in growing existing communities and we wanted to think about infrastructure in a completely different way.”

Thus, development is focused on existing settlements, rather than new ones. The initial VeloCity proposal concentrates on a ‘cluster’ of six existing villages outside the market town of Winslow, which will host a new station on the East-West rail link.

The cluster will be located within 11km radius of the station, and incorporate about 3,600 new homes. Winslow would have four such clusters, to the north, east, south and west; the town itself would accommodate another 1,000 homes, meaning that in its entirety the Winslow cluster will cover an area of 22km from edge to edge and house a minimum 15,400 new homes.

The VeloCity proposal envisages 15-20 such developments threaded though the Oxbridge Arc and centred on the new transport routes. That would be 225,000400,000 new homes over 30 years.

A million new people would usually create significantly increased vehicle pollution and congestion. VeloCity, though, would place the bicycle at the heart of its vision. The approach

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

33

19/03/2018 11:14

LANDSCAPE

Tech { L A N D S C A P E

The Light Touch – one of VeloCity’s five governing principles

ensures that each village in a cluster is within walking and cycling distance of every other, and served by a web of local, medium and longer-distance cycle and pedestrian routes.

These would also link them to the new rail and road links that extend to the wider region.

A digital web is also integral to the VeloCity vision. Superfast broadband, local wireless mesh and 5G-ready platforms will facilitate start-ups and home working, stimulating the rural economy. The villages will be ‘smart’ – the ‘Internet of Things’ enabling sharing of services across clusters, such as waste management and consolidated logistics This system will allow resources to be managed intelligently. One of VeloCity’s five governing themes is ‘Light Touch Living’ – the principle of limiting resource use through passive design of new homes.

Local energy generation, battery storage systems and smart metering will underpin a dynamic local grid. Delivery through a community interest company

means residents can benefit from revenue generation and lower energy pricing.

Team member Judith Sykes, a director at Expedition Engineering, says: “We are seeing a revolution in the way we supply and manage energy, to a more local and more distributed approach. The location offers opportunities to directly link energy from solar and wind to local networks. Renewables can be integrated with other agricultural uses, increasing the productivity of the landscape.

Establishing a community company to manage energy generation creates a collective benefit for residents.”

Although the digital infrastructure will encourage on-demand mobility services, the team is not convinced that autonomous vehicles are a total answer. Sykes says: “The choice of ‘smart’ to describe transport solutions is interesting. In the context of increasing obesity and lack of activity among children, the smart choice is to get active.”

Instead, VeloCity focuses on removing

vehicles to create space for people – new homes will be free of parking, and villages will have car club schemes with electric vehicles. This shift of emphasis opens the way for denser development at 100 homes per hectare. It also helps to save the space at the centre of each village cluster for use a ‘big back garden’ – common land for the whole community, containing cycle routes run.

VeloCity’s answer to future-proofing technologies against change is a modular approach to infrastructure development and ensuring that services are laid in accessible corridors along cycling routes so they can be easily upgraded.

The team is also interested in how hyperlocal, hyper-connected development can stimulate local enterprise. The incremental growth model, it is envisaged, would give opportunities for local tech business, smaller housebuilders and associated supply chains to grow alongside the scheme itself.

Ross acknowledges that planning policy would likely work against a scheme that involves releasing land that is protected or in ‘unsustainable’ locations. But, says the team, technology makes such locations sustainable; and greater community access to shared land in ways that promote well-being more than offsets any losses.

With the right institutional support, it could also be done with minimal impact on existing communities. “If we are going to do something like this we are going to have to rethink the whole of planning,” she says. “It’s about place-making in the holistic sense of the word. It’s about community.” n Serena Ralston is a freelance journalist specialising in planning and the built environment

PEDELLE PUTS ITS FOOT TO THE FLOOR

The all-woman team behind the VeloCity proposal met – appropriately – while cycling together with PedElle, the women’s built environment charitable cycling club founded by Jennifer Ross.

This itself emerged from the annual cycle to MIPIM, on which Ross once found herself one of just three women among a hundred men. “We saw all the men getting so much out of it, in terms of networking and support networks,” she observes.

34

PedElle now organises an annual charity bike ride between European cities. cities “As we cycle across Europe we talk a lot about planning,” says Ross, adding: “We kind of

said to each other ‘Have you ever worked in an all-woman team’? And we said, ‘You know what? We haven’t’.”

The winning team comprises Jennifer Ross of Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design, Sarah Featherstone (Featherstone Young), Kay Hughes (Khaa), Petra Marko (Marko and Placemakers), Annalie Riches (Mikhail Riches) and Judith Sykes (Expedition Engineering).

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

33-34_Case Study__The Planner 34

19/03/2018 11:14

border archaeology

p35_PLN.APR18.indd 2

16/03/2018 11:40

LANDSCAPE

Nations & Regions focus { WHAT'S NEXT?

Common cause Since March 2017, our monthly Nations & Regions focus feature has shone a spotlight on what’s happening across the RTPI’s five nations and nine English regions. We’ve looked at the main planning themes in each region, rounded up the key projects and offered detailed insight into specific topics and schemes.

What have we learned? First, that the UK and Ireland are incredibly diverse in terms of geography, population density and land use. But in difference there are inescapable common themes: population growth and the need for more housing, the importance of expanding and upgrading physical and community infrastructure, and the challenges of planning for economic

growth. This last issue, especially, has conservation of natural and heritage come up repeatedly. assets.

We’ve learnt that some regions are Everywhere, too, there are good directing their resources into specific examples of overseeing important, highareas to stimulate growth. quality projects. But there’s The East of England also a constant struggle “EVERYWHERE and Wales, for example, against a lack of resources IS SEEKING provide heavy support in local authority planning THE RIGHT to renewable energy; the departments, which can BALANCE OF West Midlands is pushing hamper the power of DEVELOPMENT the Midlands Engine planning to bring positive AND strategy, much of which is change.

CONSERVATION” focused on the impending We’ll be revisiting arrival of HS2; Scotland the nations and regions is backing significant through 2018-19 (see regeneration schemes schedule below). We’ll in former industrial also be making one or two areas; everywhere is seeking the changes to the format of these pages. right balance of development and Watch this space.

MEMBERSHIP BY REGION

In January 2018 RTPI membership was as follows: 25,154 members 9,542 women and 15,612 men

Members by nation: International 1,420 members in 82 countries Scotland 2,130 members Wales 1,110 members Northern Ireland 690 members Ireland 325 members England 19,479 members in the following RTPI regions:

NATIONS & REGIONS FOCUS SCHEDULE 2018­19

2018 May East of England June Scotland July The North East August The North West September The South East October The West Midlands November Northern Ireland December Yorkshire

2019 January The South West February The East Midlands March Wales April Ireland May London

East of England – 2,090 East Midlands – 1,350 London – 2,865 North East – 855 North West – 2,275 South East – 3,949 South West – 2,675 West Midlands – 1,730 Yorkshire – 1,690

36

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

36-37_Nations__The Planner 36

19/03/2018 10:10

Insight: The role of the regions Sarah Woodford (SW) is the head of English regions for the Royal Town Planning Institute Q. What do regional groups do?

SW: Regions provide our members with opportunity to engage with the institute locally. They act as eyes and ears of what is happening and what’s important to our members where they are – and we can tailor specific activity to meet those member needs.

The focus is both on supporting existing members in their day-to-day jobs, but also looking beyond and communicating what planning is all about to those who don’t know.

Q. How are they connected to the RTPI centrally?

SW: We have a regional structure, made up of volunteer committees.

Regional management boards consist of 6-8 volunteers and are instrumental in devising the activity for the year. Each year they put together a business plan outlining priorities – these are a reflection of the institute’s own corporate objectives, translated to a local level.

There’s opportunity for regions to support national initiatives or put forward new ideas and projects.

Once the board of trustees has signed off the business plans, volunteers and coordinators deliver the activity. This is one of the most rewarding ways members can get involved with RTPI activities.

Q. What sort of activities are we talking about?

SW: All sorts. Regional CPD programmes are the backbone of regional activity, and we are always on the lookout for volunteers who might want to put together an event on a specific planning topic or sit on a panel. But we also have volunteers that just help us with registration on big events, or promote an event through social media.

Young planner groups are particularly active. They often need people who are happy to put on activity or networking sessions.

Young planners will go into schools and planning schools to talk about planning, and we look to our young planners to help with our L-APC sessions, too.

Q. What influence do regional groups have over the RTPI’s policy, campaigns, governance and general direction?

SW: Regional management ement boards each have a general eneral assembly representative tive on them and we encourage ourage regions to get involved d in nominating at election on time. It’s important that hat we have a good spread off people representing all corners ers of the institute.

There’s often opportunity unity to get involved nationally nally through consultationss – such as the forthcoming ing NPPF consultations – which will be facilitated ted working with our regional committees.

ADVERTISE IN NATIONS & REGIONS

Placing an advert or paid content alongside a Nations & Regions feature highlights your connection with a region or – if you’re recruiting – provides an informative and relevant context for your campaign.

We’re offering a full page for advertisements and other content, and we can style it to suit you. Please contact Gill Rock in our recruitment team to talk about your needs – email gill.rock@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6232

I M A G E | PA L H A N S E N

36-37_Nations__The Planner 37

Regional stories: “I’ve built a strong network of contacts” Kim Cooper, junior vice-chair of RTPI North West, is member of both the RTPI General Assembly and Education & Lifelong Learning Committee When I graduated I joined the young planners’ committee as a way to network with planners locally.

Through these connections I was offered a job with my current employer.

As a volunteer on the Regional Management Board I’ve taken a more strategic role in delivery of RTPI activities. My knowledge has improved as I’ve discussed topics I wouldn’t necessarily engage with in my day job. I’ve built a network of contacts and improved my management skills.

The General Assembly has given me an understanding of how the RTPI supports its members; The Education and Lifelong Learning Committee has seen me apply my knowledge of career development to help shape the RTPI’s work in attracting g and supporting pp g planners. p

Regional stories: Agent Plan-It In 2017, the RTPI commissioned Folder Media (the producers of the radio station Fun Kids) to co-create a 10-part radio series introducing planning and planners to their audience of 7-13 year olds.

Agent Plan-It was first broadcast in November to tie in with World Town Planning Day. RTPI South East helped fund the project and two volunteers – Leanne Buckley Thomson and Harriet Richardson – appeared in two videos on town planning. These will be available on the Fun Kids website shortly.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

37 19/03/2018 10:10

LANDSCAPE

DiF { D

DECISIONS IN FOCUS

Decisions in Focus is where we put the spotlight on some of the more significant planning appeals and court cases 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 HERITAGE

Historical links save ‘listed’ extension ( SUMMARY A 1960s extension to a Regency-era villa in Oxford that was included in its listing after being mistaken as original has been saved from demolition because of its association with “nationally important” figures. ( CASE DETAILS The appeal concerned Grove House, a grade II listed 19th century villa in the Iffley conservation area of south Oxford, and a round, classically designed extension to the house known as ‘the Rotunda’. The appellant sought permission to demolish the Rotunda and replace it with a new-build two-bedroom home.

Since it was built in 1832, Grove House has been owned or occupied by various nationally prominent figures, including former Mayor of Oxford Charles Sadler, and influential theologian John Henry Newman.

Following the Second World War, novelist Graham Greene purchased the house for his estranged wife, Vivien Greene, who was known for her collection of Victorian dolls’ houses. Greene commissioned

38

the Rotunda as a museum space for his wife to display her collections. Its ‘fauxGeorgian’ form was intended to reflect the design of the existing house, which is connected by a first floor-level bridge.

When the main house was grade II listed in 1972, the Rotunda was included in the listing after being erroneously identified as an “early 19th century coach-house”, despite its 1960s provenance.

Subsequent applications to have it delisted have failed, and Oxford City Council now considers it historically significant in its own right because of its association with “a number of nationally important people”. ( CONCLUSION Assessing the historical significance of the building, inspector Claire Searson noted that although its modern construction is more apparent close up, its erroneous listing is “case in point” of its convincing design. Although she considered the loss of the dolls’ house collections themselves in 1998 “regrettable”, she disagreed with the appellant’s argument that this rendered the building “an empty shell devoid of significance”. Neither was Searson persuaded by the proposed replacement building. Rejecting the appellant’s description

of it as a “contemporary reinterpretation of an idyllic garden house”, she called it “a meaningless replica with limited architectural quality” that would detract from the conservation area’s character.

Searson ruled that Mrs Greene’s association with the building is “indisputable”, and her work “revered on a national scale”. She concluded that the Rotunda’s special interest warranted a refusal of the appeal.

V I E W O N LI N E FO R F R E E Appeal Ref: APP/G3110/Y/17/3183923

TRAVELLER SITES

South Downs gypsy site wins a reprieve ( SUMMARY An inspector has granted temporary consent for a gypsy site in the South Downs National Park that was twice

blocked by former secretary of state Eric Pickles, following a “failure of policy” to support travellers. ( CASE DETAILS The appeal concerned a parcel of land near Nyewood, a hamlet in the South Downs National Park in West Sussex.

The appellant received permission to replace derelict stables on the site in 2008, having bought and moved onto the land previously.

After an enforcement notice was issued for the alleged “stationing of mobile homes and a caravan” on the site, the then-communities secretary Eric Pickles recovered the subsequent appeal in 2010. Ignoring his inspector’s recommendation of a temporary permission, Pickles refused the scheme because harm to the national park would be “unacceptable even for a temporary period”.

Although the High Court rejected the subsequent challenge to this decision, the

An inspector has permitted a traveller family to live in the South Downs National Park for eight years

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

38-41_DiF__The Planner 38

19/03/2018 10:11

Saiid Javid has upheld plans to build 142 homes on land leased to the University of Chester for use as sports pitches

judge expressed his sympathy for the appellant and urged the local authority to find sites for travellers “with much more vigour than it had done to date”.

In 2014, the appellant again sought to site his two caravans on the land, which went to appeal. That inspector also recommended a temporary permit, but Pickles again refused it on similar grounds.

The appellant then sought a smaller-scale permission for “a gypsy site for one family” – the subject of the present appeal. At the hearing, he argued that by twice recovering his previous appeals and disagreeing with the inspector’s recommendations on both occasions, “some form of bias or discrimination was exercised” by the communities secretary.

Inspector S J Papworth first assessed the proposal’s impact on the character of the appeal site, which he considered to be “isolated” in terms of the clarified NPPF paragraph 55.

He observed “notable and recent degradation of the site itself”, where horses had been allowed to enter protected woodland and damage trees, which the appellant said was due to the theft of his electric fencing.

The proposed use, Papworth noted, would be “materially more intensive” than at present, harming the landscape’s character.

He considered the site “less sensitive to change” than other parts of the national park, however, given that it does not display the “iconic open downland” characteristics the area is known for.

Papworth weighed this harm against the circumstances of the appellant and the background of the case. The local plan I M AG E S | G E T T Y / i STO C K

38-41_DiF__The Planner 39

covering the site, he noted, dates from 1999, with no saved gypsy and traveller policies and none adopted in the eight years since the first application was lodged, and no five-year supply of traveller sites, which meant, said the appellant, that his youngest child must travel “some distance” to regularly attend school. ( CONCLUSION Papworth agreed that the best interests of the appellant’s children “would be served by regular attendance at school and a stable home life”.

Although he called the lack of alternative sites “a failure of policy”, he referred to footnote 9 of NPPF paragraph 14, which states that the tilted balance does not apply in national parks, where development is restricted.

He ruled that the harm to the national park carried great weight. Although the personal circumstances of the appellant could not justify a permanent permission, he said a temporary permission of three years would be reasonable. In that period, the children would grow up, and the supply of sites should become more certain. He allowed the appeal.

V I E W O N LI N E FO R F R E E Appeal Ref: APP/ Y9507/W/17/3184039

HOUSING

Javid allows 142 homes on sports pitches ( SUMMARY Sajid Javid has green-lit plans for 142 homes on playing pitches leased to the University of Chester, after his predecessor Greg Clark’s 2016

decision to refuse permission mainly on flood risk grounds was quashed by the High Court. ( CASE DETAILS The appeal related to a parcel of land in west Chester, about a mile from the Welsh border, which is under lease to the University of Chester for use as sports pitches. Appellant Bark Street Investments Ltd sought permission to build 142 homes there in 2014.

Although originally narrowly backed by Cheshire West Council, the application was referred to the National Planning Casework Unit after Sport England objected to the loss of playing fields.

It was called in by former communities secretary Greg Clark, who cited flood risk concerns and loss of playing fields in his refusal.

That decision was quashed by the High Court, leading Clark’s successor, Javid, to redetermine the decision on the advice of his inspector, Phillip J G Ware.

Clark had ruled that although the site could be considered surplus to the university’s requirements, as the appellant had argued, it was still of value to the community of Chester as a whole, for the council’s policy to “promote healthy communities”.

But Javid noted that during the time since the application was lodged, the site was unmaintained and

had become overgrown. He agreed with Ware’s conclusion that there is now no prospect of the site returning to its lawful recreational use. The fact that the original sports mitigation package proposed by the appellant, which would involve the creation and improvement of sports pitches elsewhere, had been enhanced since Clark’s ruling added further weight to Javid’s decision.

The site sits within flood zone 3a and is classified as “more vulnerable”, prompting local objections on flood risk grounds. At the time of Clark’s decision, an alternative site had been available in flood zone 1 – where there is a low risk of flooding. This caused the scheme to fail the sequential test required of development proposed in flood zone 3, despite agreement between all parties that the scheme would be “safe from flooding for its lifetime”.

At the time of Javid’s decision, however, the alternative site was no longer available, and the sports mitigation plan had been “tailored” to the appeal site and could not be transferred.

Javid therefore considered that “matters had moved on” and the sequential test was now satisfied. ( CONCLUSION Javid weighed these factors in the context of the government’s aim to “provide

AP R IL 2018 / THE PLANNER

39

19/03/2018 10:11

LANDSCAPE

DiF { D a wide choice of high-quality homes”. Considering that the scheme now accorded with the development plan as a whole, he afforded significant weight to the provision of housing despite the council’s already satisfactory five-year housing land supply.

Satisfied that the scheme would not be at risk of flooding, and affording further weight to the proposed sports mitigation package, Javid allowed the appeal.

V I E W O N LI N E FO R F R E E Appeal Ref: APP/ A0665/V/15/3013622

HOUSING

Green light for Whitechapel high-rise scheme ( SUMMARY An inspector has approved the comprehensive redevelopment of land near the Royal London Hospital, East London, to include 343 residential and 168 specialist accommodation units across 12 buildings of up to 23 storeys. ( CASE DETAILS The appeal concerned an area of 1.27 hectares to the south of the Royal London Hospital. Buildings dating from its original early 19th century layout occupy part of the block, but much of the area was redeveloped after the Second World War to provide hospital facilities and accommodation.

The appellant sought permission to demolish several existing mid-century buildings, including six blocks of former nurses’ homes and a three-storey research laboratory, to make way for a

40

DECISIONS IN FOCUS mixed-use development of 12 buildings ranging from two to 23 storeys, with a maximum height of 94 metres.

The buildings would comprise 343 residential units – 57 designated affordable – plus 168 “specialist accommodation” units available to NHS and university staff or for shortterm occupation by hospital patients.

Tower Hamlets Borough Council refused permission, citing concerns over design quality, heritage assets, and the living conditions of neighbours and future occupants. After Mayor of London Sadiq Khan decided not to call in the application, it became the subject of an eight-day appeal inquiry.

Although he assessed the design of each of the 12 proposed buildings in turn, inspector Brendan Lyons agreed with the appellants that the scheme should be considered in full. Despite reservations about one of the 12 buildings, he found that the scheme’s design as a whole would lead to “considerable improvement” of the site.

He dismissed the council’s assertion that it is an infill site, which would require a “highly contextual approach”.

He said almost all of the site lies within the Whitechapel Vision Masterplan document, which seeks “planned High-rise blocks comprising 343 homes and NHS accommodation have been approved in East London

transformational change”, and is therefore “an opportunity for comprehensive redevelopment”.

The inquiry also covered potential harm to the area’s heritage assets – the site overlaps with two conservation areas and contains two 19th century burial grounds. The appellant said: “Developing London as a world city has necessarily involved the successful coexistence of heritage assets with major redevelopment.”

Lyons agreed, noting that although “there will inevitably be tension between the imperative for high-density development and the need to conserve heritage value”, the proposal would generally be able to coexist with the existing historic assets. The direct impact on historic fabric would be limited, and archaeological interests could be secured through full investigation and recording.

On living conditions, Lyons found that although there would be “significant reductions in sunlight levels” as a result of the proposal, this is “almost unavoidable in achieving high-density development in a confined urban setting”.

In this regard, he noted, the scheme’s effects would be comparable to other nearby developments recently approved by the council.

( CONCLUSION Lyons called the proposal “a striking intervention, comprising a variety of memorable buildings and spaces”. Concluding that it would comply with local and national policy, he allowed the appeal.

V I E W O N LI N E FO R F R E E Appeal Ref: APP/ E5900/W/17/3171437

HOUSING

Homes for space between Beatles’ childhood homes ( SUMMARY Plans for 160 homes in Allerton, Liverpool, can go ahead, after an inspector found that the benefits of addressing the area’s housing supply shortfall outweighed harm to the setting of an Alfred Waterhouse designed grade II* listed building. ( CASE DETAILS Allerton Priory is roughly equidistant from the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and close to both Strawberry Field and Eleanor Rigby’s gravesite. Built for John Grant Morris, a prominent Liverpudlian industrialist and later mayor of the city, it was designed in the ‘Modern Gothic’ style by Victorian architect Alfred Waterhouse.

Historic England considers it to be one of the best remaining examples of his domestic work. It was listed in 1966, and upgraded to grade II* in 1998.

The priory sits within a designated ‘green wedge’ between the areas of Calderstones and Woolton, separated from the nearest

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

38-41_DiF__The Planner 40

19/03/2018 10:11

He can work it out: An inspector has ruled that a housing scheme would not harm Allerton Priory – near the childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney

developed area by a long access road. Priory Lodge, also designed by Waterhouse and itself grade II listed, marks the entrance to the site from the main road, denoting the high status of the home’s original owner.

The appellant sought outline permission for up to 160 homes on land abutting the grounds of the priory.

Inspector Olivia Spencer noted that while the appeal site excluded the grounds of the lodge, the driveway and its formal gardens, it did form part of their setting. The proposal would introduce housing, a road and domestic gardens into an agricultural landscape, changing its character and causing “less than substantial” harm.

The proposal also required alterations to the original boundary wall of the priory, to create three access points. Spencer considered that although the wall is technically listed “by virtue of its affixation to the lodge”, it does not fall within the curtilage of the listed buildings so is not listed in its own right, although it should be considered a non-designated heritage asset. Despite the proposed openings, she noted, drivers and pedestrians would still pass “considerable stretches of unbroken wall”, so its significance would not be unduly harmed.

Some local people cited concerns over the loss of part of the “green wedge. Although she “understood the regret” I M AG E S | G E T T Y

38-41_DiF__The Planner 41

of those who had developed “a deep and affectionate relationship with the site”, she noted that improved public access as part of the scheme could bring net benefits to the green wedge. ( CONCLUSION After inspecting the area’s housing land supply, Spencer concluded that Liverpool City Council could prove only a 4.6year supply, with “the actual supply likely to be somewhere close to four years”. The tilted balance of NPPF paragraph 14 was engaged. Despite the great weight that must be afforded to the protection of heritage assets, she ruled, the benefits of housing provision carried most weight. The appeal was allowed.

V I E W O N LI N E FO R F R E E Appeal Ref: APP/ Z4310/W/16/3166010

HOUSING

Javid overrules neighbourhood plan at Bersted ( SUMMARY Communities secretary Sajid Javid has granted permission for 50 homes on land near Bognor Regis, West Sussex, overriding conflict with the Bersted neighbourhood plan because of the severe local housing shortfall. ( CASE DETAILS The appeal relates to a

rectangular parcel of land on the north-west edge of Bersted, on the outskirts of Bognor Regis. The site sits in open countryside as defined

by Arun District Council.

The application, lodged by the Church of England’s property management body, sought outline permission.

Javid called in the application for his own determination because of its conflict with Bersted’s Neighbourhood Plan (NP).

He agreed with inspector Kenneth Stone’s finding of a housing supply of 2.07 years in the area, noting that the current development plan had been “constraining development and not meeting local housing need”.

The written ministerial statement of December 2016, which says neighbourhood plans will not be considered out of date if the local authority can prove a housing land supply of three years or more, was not applicable, he said. And, since the NP was made, he noted, housing requirement in the district had more than doubled.

Javid ruled that if the housing shortfall were to be addressed, development would need to go beyond the boundaries set out in the NP, in open countryside.

Although the site also sits within a “strategic gap” defined in the NP, he noted, it amounts to less than 0.3 per cent of the total area of the gap. ( CONCLUSION Javid ruled that the proposal would make a significant contribution to addressing the area’s “severe housing shortage”. Deciding that no specific policies contained in the NPPF restricted the development, he allowed the appeal.

V I E W O N LI N E FO R F R E E Appeal Ref: APP/ C3810/V/17/3166900

HOUSING

Javid allows 504 homes in several West Sussex applications ( SUMMARY Communities secretary Sajid Javid has determined several housing applications to Mid Sussex District Council in light of its outdated local plan, granting permission for 504 homes and refusing 130. ( CASE DETAILS Javid issued five decision letters on 1st March relating to various housing applications under the jurisdiction of Mid Sussex District Council.

Decisions 1, 2 and 3 related to sites close to each other near the northern boundary of the High Weald area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB) east of Crawley.

Decisions 4 and 5 concerned locations farther south, between the High Weald and South Downs AONBs. There were common considerations underpinning all five of his decisions: that the Mid Sussex Local Plan 2004 (LP) is not consistent with the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework), that “great uncertainty remains” over the adoption of the emerging replacement development plan; and that the council cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land.

For full details of each of Javid’s five decisions, see The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0418-javid

AP R IL 2018 / THE PLANNER

41

19/03/2018 10:11

INSIGHT

LLegal landscape into the arrangement should have been taken at full council, not by a cabinet.

HARINGEY AND THE FUTURE OF HOUSING REGENERATION A failed challenge to the Haringey Development Vehicle has protected this regeneration model for now, but everything could change for the borough in May’s elections, says V Charles Ward On 8th February 2018 Justice Ouseley handed down judgment in the case of Gordon Peters v LB Haringey and Lendlease Europe Holdings Limited [2018] EWHC 192 (Admin).

It concerned a Momentumbacked challenge to the Labour council leader Claire Kober’s Haringey Development Vehicle (HDV). The outcome of that case may not yet be known, as the claimant has signified his intention to appeal. But what can be guaranteed is that it will affect all future housing regeneration projects.

The project involved a joint venture between Hackney and Lendlease to deliver 6,400 new homes in the borough, of which 40 per cent would be ‘affordable’. Hackney would provide the land and Lendlease would provide the money and the expertise. The scheme would be delivered through a special purpose limited liability partnership owned 50-50 between Hackney and Lendlease.

In terms of legal structure, the scheme was perhaps no different from the hundreds of successful housing regeneration schemes already delivered by other local

42

V Charles Ward authorities up and down the UK. In fact, it is arguably the only way that councils can regenerate run-down housing estates in a way which is not only affordable to the public purse but also guarantees (so far as is possible) that the buildings provided will be kept permanently available to meet long-term housing need.

It is not just about the money; it is the fact that any affordable housing which a council built and rented out directly could, within a few years, be lost through the right to buy.

But by developing through an intermediary non-public sector landlord, any new affordable housing provided would fall outside the Housing

Revenue Account and would not be subject to right to buy.

Yes, special arrangements would need to be put into place for those former local authority tenants rehoused in the new development who already had a ‘preserved right to buy’. And yes, there is a more modest ‘right to acquire’ for housing association tenants.

All that made the Haringey scheme different was its scale and the fact that it was the first to face direct legal challenge.

Leading that challenge was Gordon Peters, a Haringey resident, who was also chair of its Older Peoples Reference Group and a member of ‘Stop HDV’. His challenge was based on four technical grounds.

“THE SCHEME WAS PERHAPS NO DIFFERENT FROM THE HUNDREDS OF SUCCESSFUL HOUSING REGENERATION SCHEMES ALREADY DELIVERED

BY OTHER LOCAL AUTHORITIES”

n The Localism Act 2011 did not allow councils to trade through limited liability partnerships, only through registered companies. n There had been no consultation as required by the Local Government Act 1999 ‘Best Value’ duty. n The council had failed in its Equality Act 2010 duties. n The July 2017 decision to go

Ouseley rejected each of these challenges. The council was not ‘trading’ in its proposed joint venture with Lendlease. Its underlying purpose in entering into the arrangement was to comply with its social responsibilities.

Any ‘Best Value’ consultation would not have taken place at the point the contract was to be awarded but two years earlier at the beginning of the process.

As regards the Equality Duty, it was clear that this had been addressed throughout the decision-making process – and there was no reason to think that someone with a ‘protected characteristic’ would be directly concerned with the mechanics of the process by which the housing was delivered, only its outcome.

Finally, it was entirely appropriate that an operational decision to award a particular contract was taken at cabinet and not full council, as it did not involve formulation of a plan or strategy.

As far as the HDV is concerned, the final outcome of this litigation may be academic if, as is expected, a new Momentum-led administration kills off the project after 3 May’s London borough elections.

It will also be interesting to see what a new Haringey administration puts in place of the HDV to deliver affordable housing. Or will run-down estates just be left to decay?

The current system of publicprivate estate regeneration may be far from perfect, but it works. And for the time being it is the best we have.

V Charles Ward is a solicitor and legal associate of the RTPI. His book, Housing Regeneration: a Plan for Implementation, was published in February 2018 through Routledge.

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

42_Legal__The Planner 42

19/03/2018 11:22

LATEST POSTS FROM THEPLANNER.CO.UK/BLOGS

B LO G S A reminder to be reasonable: Another month, another judgment stressing the importance of why local authorities should demonstrate reasoned decision-making. Nicola Gooch looks at recent cases

LEG I S L AT I O N S H O R T S Planning isn’t rocket science, but do show your working before handing in your papers Nicola Gooch It isn’t exactly news that ‘reasons’ challenges against planning permissions have become fashionable of late – we had a Supreme Court decision highlighting the importance of reasoned decision making not long ago.1 That said, the trend for High Court decisions insisting that planning decisions are not only thought through, but are seen to be thought through is clearly continuing into 2018.

Recently we have seen two more court decisions upholding the need for reasoned decision-making. In isolation, both cases seem to make fairly obvious points.

In Shepway2, the planning committee granted consent for a fairly significant development in an area of outstanding natural beauty against the officer’s recommendation, but without clearly stating why.

The judge concluded that committee members could not rely on the planning officer's report to support their decision while simultaneously rejecting its conclusions. Clear and comprehensible reasons for the committee reaching an alternative decision should have been provided and, as they were not, the decision was unlawful.

In Maldon3 the facts were a little more unusual in that the decision to approve a reserved matters application was made by the council’s chief executive on the basis of a summary report that did not contain any of the supporting information that might be needed to come to a conclusion.

In particular the judgment notes that the CEO was not provided with: • The officer’s report or the member's update reporting on the application; • The application documents or the plans and drawings that she was being recommended to approve; or • Any summary or description of the proposals or the representations made in relation to them Unsurprisingly, the judge took the view that for a planning decision to be lawful, the decision-maker needs to have some familiarity with the proposed development, and quashed the decision as a result. Overturning the permission, she ruled that the committee had given inadequate reasons for its decision. Having rejected the planning officers’ views, councillors could not rely on his report as supporting their conclusions.

And the minutes of the meeting were by themselves insufficient to dispel the “substantial doubt” over the committee’s decision.The council was ordered to pay £22,750 in costs.

While none of this appears to be rocket science, more of these types of cases seem to be making their way through the courts.

Perhaps these two most recent cases can stand as a reminder to all of us of the need to show our working from time to time, and not just the jump straight to the answer.

Notes bit.ly/planner0418-DoverDC 2 bit.ly/planner0418-shepway 3 bit.ly/planner0418-maldon 1

Nicola Gooch is a senior associate – planning at Irwin Mitchell LLP

Surrey couple jailed under POCA laws An Egham couple have been jailed for a total of more than 12 years after failing to pay back over £1.4 million in criminal gains made through flouting the planning system.

Runnymede Borough Council had been pursuing husband and wife Daniel Beach and Linda Beach through the courts for several years because of unauthorised use of land at Padd Farm in Hurst Lane. In February, the couple were jailed for failing to comply with confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

Beach received seven-and-half years while his wife was jailed for five years. The length of the sentences relates to the sums of money under the POCA that the court had ruled each was responsible for paying. Earlier hearings revealed that, without permission, they used the land to store waste and freight containers and allowed vehicles to be broken up, repaired and restored along with other industrial activities. The council has recouped large sums of money, but the total owed was around £1.4m. After serving their time, the couple will have to pay the outstanding money, along with accrued interest.

Leader of the council Nick Prescot said: “This case is an example of how seriously Runnymede takes its responsibilities within the planning system.”

Government loses third air pollution battle In February environmental lawyers ClientEarth won a third court battle against the UK government over the country’s illegal and harmful levels of air pollution.

In a ruling handed down at the High Court in London, Judge Mr Justice Garnham declared the government’s failure to require action from 45 local authorities with illegal levels of air pollution in their area unlawful.

He ordered ministers to require local authorities to identify measures to tackle illegal levels of pollution in 33 towns and cities as soon as possible – as 12 of the 45 are projected to have legal levels by the end of 2018.

Council acts to raze green belt building Bath & North East Somerset Council has taken action under s.178 of the Town & Country Planning Act to demolish a large building that was built in green belt 10 years ago without planning permission.

In 2008 the landowner and the company responsible, AJP Growers, were served with an enforcement notice requiring razing of the two-storey building at Folly Lane, Stowey, and restoration of the land. The notice was appealed, but the appeal was dismissed in 2009, giving the landowner until 2010 to comply.

But the owner repeatedly failed to comply with the notice despite the council’s numerous bids to regularise the development. The council launched prosecution proceedings over non-compliance in July 2016. The landowner and AJP Growers were convicted of an offence under S.179 of the Town & Country Planning Act, 1990.

In 2017 councillors agreed on direct action to have the building demolished, but bats were found in the building, so an ecologist had to survey the site before a licence could be obtained from Natural England for demolition.

This work was due to start on 19 February this year.

Councillor Bob Goodman, cabinet member for development and neighbourhoods at the council, said: “Nationally, there are only a handful of these interventions each year mainly because people comply with enforcement notices before it gets to this stage.”

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 43_Legal__The Planner 43

43

19/03/2018 10:12

NEWS

RTPI {

RTPI news pages are edited

by Josh Rule at the RTPI, 41 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DL

Implementing a new vision for Ireland MARION CHALMERS MRTPI, CHAIR OF RTPI IRELAND, DISCUSSES THE NEW IRISH NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK How will growth outside Dublin be achieved?

The 16th of February was a significant day for planning in Ireland. That is when a new National Planning Framework (NPF) and National Development Plan (NDP) were published, setting out the government’s vision for the future of the country to 2040.

RTPI Ireland is delighted by the significance attached to these documents by the Irish Government. This was demonstrated by the fact that they were launched by the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, along with 18 cabinet ministers from across the government.

Varadkar puts planning centre stage in his introduction to the NPF where he says “we have a responsibility to plan for the changes that we face – to manage our future growth in a planned, productive and sustainable way”.

Given this, we are hopeful that the documents will be seen as corporate strategies across government to influence future decision-making and investment.

The NPF will guide the development of Ireland, taking into account a projected one million increase in population, the aim to create 660,000 additional jobs and a need for 550,000 more homes by 2040.

Of the 1 million extra people, 25 per cent

44

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

44-47_RTPI News__The Planner 44

is planned for Dublin with 25 per cent combined across the other four cities of Cork, Limerick, Galway, and Waterford.

The remaining 50 per cent of growth is planned to take place in key regional centres, towns, villages and rural areas, to be determined in the forthcoming regional plans – Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies.

Developing existing settlements The government appears to have learned from the preceding National Spatial Strategy, which spread investment and growth thinly across the country without the required investment or infrastructure.

A new, bolder prioritisation is a welcome move, though it will be interesting to see how growth outside Dublin will be achieved.

The NPF also has a helpful policy emphasis on renewing and developing existing settlements rather than continual expansion and sprawl of cities and towns out into the countryside, at the expense of town centres and smaller villages.

The target is for at least 40 per cent of all new housing to be delivered within the existing built up areas of cities, towns and villages on infill and/or brownfield sites.

It is welcomed that the NPF is published together with NDP as this outlines a €116 billion, 10-year national investment plan detailing key projects and how they will be funded. This should lead to implementation of the NPF being supported by the government’s investment strategy for public capital investment. This linking of vision to resources and eventual delivery is a major breakthrough in turning plans into reality and is the first time in Irish history that planning and investment have been linked. We particularly welcome the new €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and the establishment of a new national Regeneration and Development Agency to work with local authorities, public bodies and the business community to use publicly owned land as a catalyst to stimulate regeneration and wider investment.

Delivery of the NPF and the NDP will not only be in the hands of the government and there will be a need for agencies, local government and others to work together. The NPF, along with the NDP, will set the context for each of Ireland’s three regional assemblies to develop their Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies taking account of and coordinating local authority county and city development Plans.

There will be a need to ensure that these all align to provide a seamless ‘golden thread’ through national, regional and local levels.

There is much to commend in the documents, but their success will be judged by what they deliver.

However, we are hopeful that the political will of the government and its commitment to use planning as the catalyst for achieving its aspirations will provide a momentum to take a step change in the way Ireland develops over the next 20 years.

I M AG E | I STO C K

19/03/2018 10:13

Editorial E: rtpinews@rtpi.org.uk

RTPI (switchboard) T: 020 7929 9494

Registered charity no.

262865 Registered charity in Scotland SCO37841

3 POINT PLAN A planner explains how they would change Northern Ireland’s planning system

Judith Winters MSci MRTPI SENIOR PLANNER, ANTRIM & NEWTOWNABBEY BOROUGH COUNCIL, CHAIR OF RTPI NORTHERN IRELAND The Northern Ireland planning system was reshaped in 2015 when 11 super-councils were formed and given an exciting new responsibility – planning.

The new two-tiered planning system required each council to undertake responsibility for local development planning, development management and enforcement for its area, while the Department for Infrastructure assumed responsibility for deciding regionally significant applications, making policy and legislation, and providing an oversight and guidance role to the councils.

Almost three years on, the new planning system is generally working well, however, there is always potential to improve. Possible incentives to improve efficiency could be the deemed approval of local applications that are not determined within the statutory target.

The omission of the deemed application appeal in enforcement cases where permission has already been refused could help to speed up and detangle the complexity of the enforcement process.

Transparency could also be improved if planning case officers updated the online system weekly so the public can more accurately track the progress of their application.

COMMITTEE PRIORITIES: RTPI SOUTH EAST RTPI South East provides services for 3,900 members in the South East of England and champions planning locally.

Activities are volunteer-led and range from affordable CPD and networking events to working to inspire the next generation of planners and commissioning research into local planning issues.

Chair, Cian Cronin MRTPI, outlines current priorities: To promote the region’s 2018 theme of ‘Innovation in Planning’ and spread examples of progressive practice To make the region’s CPD events more interesting, enjoyable and engaging To hear from all parts of the profession and pay extra care to diversity and inclusion when organising events Planning in the South East is at the cutting edge of professional practice.

Interesting approaches are being developed by public and private sectors.

We want to share examples of innovation to ensure the profession moves ahead with confidence and enthusiasm. The culture of the profession also matters to us. The goal of delivering sustainable development is expressed through planners’ values and beliefs, and guides practice through shared assumptions and group norms. We want to contribute to developing a great planning culture by making our events fun and enjoyable, and ensuring that we hear from all areas of the profession.

1 Reduce delay by introducing meaningful consequences for non­ determination of planning applications

2 Remove deemed application ground from enforcement appeals if planning permission has been refused in the past 12 months

3 Improve customer involvement through a regularly updated and more transparent online system

POSITION POINTS

SOCIAL ISOLATION STRATEGY Kate Houghton MRTPI, Policy & Practice Officer The Scottish Government is consulting on a Social Isolation Strategy. It identifies a role for the planning system to support a physical environment where social interactions and strong communities can flourish.

But do we need more evidence on what elements of the built environment planners should be focusing on to tackle social isolation and loneliness? Do the policies already exist: prioritising high streets, reducing car dependency, providing community facilities? And is this about strengthening delivery, using evidence for social as well as economic and environmental benefit to support implementation?

The consultation runs until 27 April. Please contact RTPI Scotland if you would like to contribute to their response.

n More information: bit.ly/planner0418-isolation

INFRASTRUCTURE DECISION MAKING Daniel Slade, Research Officer The Institute for Government’s report, How to Transform Infrastructure Decision-making in the UK, describes how government can get the most from infrastructure investment.

Planners will be interested in its call to strengthen the National Infrastructure Commission, an independent body to give communities a real say in planning major projects, and for a national spatial infrastructure strategy. The RTPI has long argued for a more joined-up approach to infrastructure policy and welcomes the report’s overall emphasis on the value of strategic planning to all stages of infrastructure delivery.

n Read the report: bit.ly/planner0418-decision

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER 44-47_RTPI News__The Planner 45

45

19/03/2018 10:13

NEWS

RTPI { RT PINNI IN NAC TI ON PLA G AI D E: NPGLLAN ANNDI N G REFORM A N D LEG I S L ATI ON

Wide range of rewarding volunteering opportunities now available CHRIS PAGDIN MRTPI, PLANNING AID ENGLAND MANAGER Volunteering with Planning the submission we will make in Aid is often the highlight of my respect to this application”. working week, says Charlotte There is now a range of Rushmere MRTPI, from Dorset ways in which volunteers can County Council. She says it contribute to Planning Aid “reminds me that as a planner I England’s outreach, which can be popular, connected to the is focused on two main public and delivering a service workstreams: to those I trained to serve”. n PAE Direct: providing Charlotte is one of several planning advice and guidance Chartered Town Planners on a to the public in various forms, panel that, since January 2018, including on our website and via has been delivering the email email as well as delivering faceadvice service on a voluntary to-face workshops and training. basis. They respond to general These initial contacts sometimes planning enquiries from the lead to further casework public from the comfort of their support, where clients meet own home or workplace in an certain criteria, for instance, agreed weekly timeslot. to help a community group Not only do our volunteers respond to a planning issue or enjoy delivering the email advice achieve planning permission for and support to the community a local project. but it also has n PAE Support: high client working with the approval rating. regional volunteer task “AS A PLANNER For instance, I CAN BE POPULAR, groups on a proactive recent feedback approach to helping CONNECTED TO from a resident local communities in THE PUBLIC AND in the North need engage with the DELIVERING A East of England planning system.

SERVICE TO saying: “many THOSE I TRAINED If you would like to thanks for your TO SERVE” become a Planning prompt response Aid England volunteer which will be register at bit.ly/ very helpful to us planner0418-volunteer in determining

46

LOCATION, NOT JUST NUMBERS, CRITICAL TO BOOSTING HOUSING SUPPLY JAMES HARRIS, POLICY AND NETWORKS MANAGER The revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is not the first change to the planning system, nor will it be the last. Successive governments have tweaked, expanded and streamlined this system in pursuit of various goals – the most recent being the speedier delivery of housing.

But while this is an important issue the role of planning goes much further. It provides society with a democratic tool for shaping the settlement patterns and urban form – the location, density, quality and accessibility of development. This enables our villages, towns and cities to grow in a way that benefits the economy, society and environment. Too much deregulation risks creating sprawling, fragmented settlements. These are directly associated with congestion, air pollution, high infrastructure costs, poor health and rising greenhouse gas emissions – and present significant challenges for our ageing population.

So when changes are made to planning policy we need to monitor and understand their impact on settlement patterns and urban form. Unfortunately, while government and media closely track the volume of planning permissions, there’s little consistent reporting on these wider changes. In 2015, the RTPI set out to address this gap by mapping more than 165,000 planning permissions in 12 English city-regions, and analysing their proximity to major employment clusters and public transport.

To coincide with the NPPF consultation, we are now repeating this study with the latest data, showing how these spatial relationships have changed over time. The latest study is due to be released this spring and you can view our findings at the link below, along with in-depth research into why this all matters. bit.ly/planner0418-location

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

44-47_RTPI News__The Planner 46

19/03/2018 10:13

RTPI Y ACTIVIT E PIPELIN

Current RTPI work – what the Institute is doing and how you can help us CITY MAKING: THE WORK OF MANY HANDS: 16 APRIL 2018, LONDON To coincide with the Commonwealth Summit, the RTPI’s most recent Gold Medal winner, Sir Terry Farrell, will give the RTPI Commonwealth Summit Lecture, ‘City making: the work of many hands’. City-making is the biggest business of the 21st century and urban planning has a critical role to play.

As we face the huge challenges of population growth, climate change, food security and a crisis of affordability in our cities, Sir Terry will discuss the huge demand for the particular skill sets required, and in particular for creative, collaborative and proactive planning and joint leadership from all sectors.

Tickets are £15 including VAT and a networking drinks reception.

Registration starts at 6:30pm at the University College, London.

Get your tickets here: bit.ly/planner0418-farrell

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT OUR MONEY SAVING TRAINING MULTI BUY OPTION? Our multi-buy bundles cost less than purchasing the same number of individual tickets. Purchase as many places as you need (in batches of five) in advance and then book delegates on to training courses at a later date.

Once you have bought them you will receive a unique multi-buy code to access any of the RTPI Training courses across the UK. Booking delegates on courses is easy, as you only use this code to book online. There is no need for membership logon credentials or invoice requests. This code is valid until 31 December 2018, which works perfectly for planning your needs in advance.

RTPI SHORTS 2018 RTPI AWARDS FOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCE OPEN FOR ENTRIES Mega-regions in the USA have long been understood, in geography, as cities connected by their economies and infrastructure, but this way of conglomerating places is increasingly unable to reflect what is happening on the ground.

Instead, researchers analysed the daily work journeys of more than 130 million Americans over five years to better understand the changing economic interdependence between cities and surrounding areas.

This allowed them to produce a map of the US that defines mega-regions by commuting patterns.

Their work illustrated the value of big data such as commuting data in helping to understand how places really work, which can be highly useful for policymakers and planners to make strategic decisions, from infrastructure and transport investment to how boundaries should be drawn up for elections.

This groundbreaking research was one of last year’s winners at the RTPI Awards for Research Excellence.

Entries for this year’s awards are open and whether you are a senior academic, part of team of researchers, a consultancy or a student there is a category for you.

The prestigious RTPI Awards for Research Excellence recognise high-quality, impactful spatial planning research from RTPI accredited planning schools, and planning consultancies in the UK and internationally.

All RTPI-accredited planning schools staff and students are encouraged to submit entries, as well as planning consultancies for the Planning Consultancy category.

The submission deadline is 18 May. Find details of eligibility criteria and full application guidelines at: bit.ly/planner-418-awards

View our multi-buy prices for UK Training: bit.ly/planner0418-multibuy

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON WHO WILL WIN? The Awards for Planning Excellence ceremony on 24 May promises to be an exciting and unforgettable evening. It is also an exceptional chance to network with the best of the best in the planning profession.

Take your opportunity to be there when the winners are announced across 13 categories for teams, projects and individuals, and our coveted Silver Jubilee Cup is awarded to the entry considered the most outstanding from all the project category winners.

Awards entrants and their colleagues as well as RTPI members are welcome at Milton Court Hall in central London.

Tickets are selling fast, book now: bit.ly/planner1217-awards

THE PLANNING CONVENTION 2018: CHIEF PLANNERS CONFIRMED Do not miss the chance to ‘Ask the Nations’ and put your questions to Chief Planners across the UK and Ireland: Steve Quartermain, England Chief Planner; Neil Hemington, Wales Chief Planner; John McNairney, Scotland Chief Planner; Fiona McCandless, Northern Ireland Chief Planner; and Neil McNairney, Ireland Chief Planner.

The Chief Planners join expert speakers from around the world at this year’s Planning Convention on 21 June to address ‘Resilient planning for our future’.

Hear from key industry influencers, network, discuss, debate and find creative solutions to the profession’s most pressing problems. Other confirmed speakers include Richard Bacon MP, Nick Walkley, chief executive of Homes England; and Emma Langmaid, Prospero Planning.

More details and booking: bit.ly/planner0418-convention

RTPI TO TAKE LEAD ON NPPF CONSULTATION WITH MEMBERS The government has asked the RTPI to lead on the consultation among members in the overhaul of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the reform of developer contributions in England, launched by the prime minister at an event co-hosted by the Institute. The government said that maximising the use of land, strengthened protections for the green belt and a greater emphasis on converting planning permissions into homes are at the heart of new planning reforms to deliver the homes England needs.

The RTPI will respond in due course after conducting 11 round tables with members in each English region.

Dates for Member roundtables (TBC by regional coordinators) n RTPI South East – 11/4/18 n RTPI London – 16/4/18 n RTPI West Midlands – 17/4/18 n RTPI North West –18/4/18 n RTPI South West – 20/4/18 n RTPI North East – 23/4/18 n RTPI East Midlands – 25/4/18 n RTPI Yorkshire – 25/4/18 Members wishing to respond in writing should do so by 18 April to harry.burchill@rtpi.org.uk Details: bit.ly/planner0418-consult

AP R IL 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER 44-47_RTPI News__The Planner 47

47

19/03/2018 10:13

ADVERTISEMENTS

Recruitment {

Aylesbury Vale District Council is a forward thinking and commercially minded organisation. Our planning teams are busy working on a wide variety of projects including large scale developments that will stimulate the regeneration of the town centre, new retail and leisure developments, HS2 (with the largest length of track spanning Aylesbury Vale), East-West Rail, and the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway.

Aylesbury has also recently been awarded Garden Town status. This offers a unique chance to ensure that as the town grows, Aylesbury and the surrounding area continues to be the best possible place to live, work and visit. The ambition is simple – to create a truly desirable community in a well-planned, sustainable environment that makes us proud. Garden Town status allows us to better plan for the future, and helps us to access funding to build and improve our transport links and infrastructure.

Our planning teams have been shortlisted for various awards at the 2018 Planning Awards including Planning for the Natural Environment and Best Housing scheme (500 homes or more) for Kingsbrook, a new development of 2,450 homes, as well as Local Authority Planning Team of the Year. If you are a talented and ambitious individual who is keen to enhance their career, while helping to shape the future of Aylesbury Vale, then please get in touch If you are a talented and ambitious individual who is keen to enhance their careers while helping to shape the future of Aylesbury Vale, then please get in touch.

Principal Planner

Grade TE6 £44,424 to £47,592 We are currently recruiting for a Senior Planner to work in our high performing Major Development team. You will be an ambitious town planner with broad experience, a proven track record and looking to progress your career. You will be able to draw on your planning experience, knowledge of local and national legislation, and planning policy. You will have an excellent command of planning systems, be IT pro¿cient and possess excellent communication skills. We need planning of¿cers who will ¿t within our growing team, and who have experience dealing with both complex minor and major applications.

Planner

Grade TE4 £33,336 to £36,036 We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and committed Planner to join our Development Management Team. You will get involved in all aspects of the planning service, including responding to general planning enquiries, providing pre-application advice, determining planning applications and assisting with planning appeal work.

You will have relevant planning experience, and be eligible for or working towards membership of the RTPI. You will have experience of delegated and committee planning applications, be IT pro¿cient, highly organised, and an effective team worker. You will have strong communication skills and a thorough knowledge of planning processes and legislation.

Senior Planner

Grade TE5 £37,860 to £40,968 We are currently recruiting for a Senior Planner to work in our high performing Major Development team. You will be an ambitious town planner with broad experience, a proven track record and looking to progress your career. You will draw on your planning experience, knowledge of local and national legislation, and planning policy. You will have an excellent command of planning systems, be IT pro¿cient and possess excellent communication skills. We need planning of¿cers who will ¿t within our growing team, and who have experience dealing with both complex minor and major applications.

Bene¿ts to you Free staff car parking on site, smart modern of¿ces located close to bus and train stations, one relevant professional fee paid per year, Àexible working, 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), access to a pool car system and a generous pension scheme.

Well connected Trains - London Marylebone (67 mins) or Birmingham (90 mins) Bus Links to Oxford and Milton Keynes. Air Travel - Luton Airport (50 mins) Heathrow (60 mins) Gatwick (90 mins)

How to apply

If you are looking for a fresh challenge or maybe to re-locate to one of the most beautiful areas of the country, then this is for you! You can apply via our website - jobs.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk If you want to ¿nd out more about these exciting opportunities please call Hannah Bayliss on 01296 585271 (Mon-Fri 9.00am to 5.30pm) or email - hbayliss@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk

48

T H E P L AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

PLN RECR APR18.indd 48

S e ar ch t h e p l a nne r.co .uk/ jo bs for the best vacancies

19/03/2018 12:56

ADVERTISEMENTS To advertise please email: recruitment@theplanner.co.uk or call 020 7880 7665

Planning Opportunities UK wide locations As one of the world’s leading planning, engineering, environmental and design consultancies, Atkins offers unparalleled opportunities for talented individuals in search of a rewarding career. If you are a Planner with the drive and enthusiasm to embrace new challenges, here is your opportunity to play a key part in our future growth. In return we can offer you interesting, varied and technically demanding projects, a commitment to your professional development, and a competitive salary and benefits package.

To find out more about our opportunities please use the link below or contact sonali.gujare@atkinsglobal.com

Opportunities › › › › ›

Associate / Principal Planner (Birmingham) Principal Planner (Leeds/York) Senior / Principal Planner (Exeter) Senior Planners (Bristol, Warrington) Planning Assistants (London, Bristol, Warrington)

Sub Consultants http://www.atkinsglobal.com/careers/planning2018

We are also always looking to expand our ‘halo’ of Planning and Economic freelance consultants.

Group Leader Development Management Full time, permanent £45,759 up to £49,281 + Essential Car User Allowance

Planning and Growth opportunities Salary: £20,138 £48,636 pa Location: West Suffolk

Planning Support Of·cer

Salary: £18,483 £23,713 pa Location: Kent

Senior Planner

The Service requires a dynamic, motivated and organised planning professional.

Significant recent experience of managing a Service dealing with complex major development proposals and leading the Development Management Group is essential. Including the day to day management of the Development Management, Planning Enforcement and Building Control functions.

The role will involve the delivery of major development sites identified in our new local plan including three sustainable urban extensions, an extension to the existing Loughborough University Science & Enterprise Park and the Council’s regeneration priorities. The successful candidate will also be responsible for delivering transformational change to secure excellent customer service and new and more efficient business processes and will therefore make an important contribution to the Service Management Team.

You must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with a wide variety of people and work to tight deadlines with the minimum of supervision, exercising tact and diplomacy at all times. The role will require you to deal with a wide range of complex planning and regeneration issues and to develop creative solutions.

For more information and to apply online, please visit our website at: recruitment.charnwood.gov.uk For an informal discussion about the post please call Richard Bennett, Head of Planning and Regeneration on 01509 634763 Closing date: 8 April 2018 | Interview date: 20 April 2018

Salary: Upto £50,000 p.a Location: Eastleigh

theplanner.co.uk/jobs S ea rc h t h ep l a nn e r.co .u k / j o b s fo r t h e b e s t v a canci e s

PLN RECR APR18.indd 49

Charnwood Borough sits within the three cities of Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. One third of the 167,000 population live in the thriving university town of Loughborough, with most of the remaining two thirds within the small towns and villages of the Wolds, the Soar and Wreake Valleys, Charnwood Forest and on the edge of Leicester.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete Psychometric tests before the interview.

Please also note that, whilst this particular post is not affected, you should be aware that the service is currently going through a review.

AP R IL 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER

49

19/03/2018 12:56

INSIGHT

Plan B Application for Panning Permission.

Brown and Crunchy Panning Act 1990 1. Applicant name and Address Prue Leith i A big house in the country

2. Description of the proposal

Mary Berry’s +RW OHPRQ VRXIà p

3. Pre-application advice

4. Waste storage and collection

Watched an episode p off Great British Bake Off ff, read some stuff on the internet.

It all goes down the sink or in the compost. t

5. Materials

6. Foul sewage It’s a Mary y Berry recipe, so it’s probably all pprett e y foul.

Melted butter for greasing 2 lemons, juice and zest 2 free-range egg yolks, plus 4 free-range egg whites 6 rounded tbsp caster sugar, plus extra for the ramekins URXQGHG WVS FRUQĂ RXU URXQGHG WEVS SODLQ Ă RXU PO Ă R] GRXEOH FUHDP

PO Ă R] IXOO IDW PLON Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

$VVHVVPHQW RI ÀRRG ULVN I once left f the tapp on in the he kitchen e and went wen out for f a walk while I had d a wild rabbit and FUD\ÀVK S \À SLH LQ WKH RYHQ -RKQ H --RKQ ZDVQ ZDVQ¡W DW W DW DOO happy about eating dinner in galoshes!

8. Biodiversity an nd Ge Geological conservation Lemons. Eggs. Sugar. Flour. Come on, I’m not ot VROYLQJ J FOLPDWH FKDQJH KH J HUH H

hinery

ercial Processes and Mac mer mm 17. Industrial or Com

y hinery: Mach Scales 0ml 4 medium-sized ramekins (15 capacity) Fine grater Lemon squeezer Baking tray Large saucepan small bowl One large, one medium and one n spoo den Woo Hand whisk Large metal spoon Spatula or palette knife Electric hand mixer

Process:

PRYH HJJV 0HDVXUH LQJUHGLHQWV DQG UH from fridge.

Add a 2. Brush ramekins with butter. , coating small amount of sugar to each ge. sides and bottom. Chill in frid y ow outer grate the yell 3. Zest the lemons: g e the white skin, but be careful not to grat make the pith underneath (the pith will DOI DQG VRXIĂ pV ELWWHU &XW OHPRQV LQ K e and put juic to zest Add e. juic squeeze the to one side. a large 4. Separate eggs: put whites into p rate sepa a into s y yolk e the of two and bowl the to ar sug of tbsp 6 Add small bowl. small bowl.

IDQ 3UHKHDW WKH RYHQ WR ƒ& ƒ& )‌ assisted KDYH WR ZULWH DOO WKLV OO\ K /RRN GR , UHDOO\ NHW VFLHQFH GRZQ" ,W¡V D VRXIĂ p ² LW¡V QRW URF

18. Declaration

nying plans/ in this form and the accompa permission/consent as described I/we hereby apply for panning on. drawings and additional informati RSLQLRQV DUH WUXH DQG DFFXUDWH DQG DQ\ \ RXU NQRZOHGJH DQ\ IDFWV VWDWHG , ZH FRQÂżUP WKDW WR WKH EHVW RI P

KHP LQJ W

JLY RQ V I WKH SHUV JLYHQ DUH WKH JHQXLQH RSLQLRQV R Signed - Applicant:

50

h Prue Leiitth

T H E PL AN N E R \ A P R I L 2 0 1 8

50_Plan B_Month in Planning__The Planner 50

Speaking on Question Time on 8 March, restaurateur, broadcaster and one-time director of property company Places for People Prue Leith said: “Most planners don’t want to build houses; they want to stop houses being built.�

To which one social media wag responded: “No one ever asks me to go on Saturday Kitchen to explain to the chefs how a souÊ should really be made...â€?

n Cooking up a storm? Tweet us - @ThePlanner_RTPI 19/03/2018 15:38

LANDSCAPE

THE MONTH IN PLANNING The best and most interesting reads, websites, films and events that we’ve encountered this month WHAT WE'RE READING...

WHAT WE'RE BROWSING...

How to Build Houses and Save the Countryside Former CPRE CEO Shaun Spiers looks at the historic context, rural housing, environmental constraints and design, as well as how a refocused planning system could provide a way forward. Spiers argues that to drive house building on the scale needed, “government must strike a contract with civil society”.

The Bluesky National Tree Map This facility has been created using algorithms and image processing techniques in combination with the most up-to-date and detailed aerial photography and height data in the UK. (It’s currently available for England and Wales, with work underway to create coverage for Scotland.) bit.ly/planner0418-sky

WHERE WE'RE GOING...

Each month the RTPI runs a range of free or low-cost events up and down the UK. Here’s our pick for the next few weeks. See the full calendar here: www.rtpi.org.uk/events/events-calendar

WHAT WE'RE BROWSING...

Growing accustomed Custom Build Strategy focuses on news and insight from the custom homes sector: community self-build, off-site modular homes and CLT builds.to help boost alternative developments. bit.ly/planner0418-custom

Environmental Impact Assessments – NE 25 April 2018, Newcastle upon Tyne The seminar will explore current and new working practices within EIA in response to the new EIA Regulations and how these are affecting the submission of EIA applications. It will also include a detailed review of the changes to legislative requirements.

The conference will focus on making brownfield development a success. It will review how Brownfield Land Registers and permission in principle have progressed, remediation techniques and costs, links to viability and hear about some best practice examples, including city and town centre schemes. bit.ly/planner0418-brownfield

bit.ly/planner0418-EIA

Brownfield Land NW 16 May 2018, Manchester

Mineral Planning Conference 24 May 2018, London Organised with the Mineral Products Association, the event will examine key mineral planning issues in a range of presentations.

WHAT WE'RE PLANNING...

bit.ly/planner0418-mineral

May’s e edition profiles incoming RTPI chief executive Victoria Hills and interviews the execut speakers appearing at this summer’s RTPI speake planning convention. We’re also introducing planni new format regional focus articles. As our ne you’re welcome to tell us what you want ever, y report on. editorial@theplanner.co.uk us to re

AP R IL 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER 50_The month in planning__The Planner 51

51

19/03/2018 15:36

p52_PLN.APR18.indd 2

16/03/2018 11:39