The Planner - February 2021 by The Planner

FFEBRUARY E R U A R Y 22021 021 HOW HO H OW COVID 19 CO ID 19 H HA HAS AS A SH HIT IIT TP PL PLANNERS LAN NN NE N ER RS S/ // /p p.4 4•W WEI E YANG YANG TAKES TAKES UP UP PRESIDENCY// P RE EN Y / p p.9 9 • PLANNING PL P LA L AN NN NING FOR FO F OR O R HEALTH HE EA ALTH AND A D WELLBEING WE W EL LL LBE EIN NG G // // p.28 p 28 • NHS NH HEALTHY HEALTHY N NEW EW E W TO T TOWNS OW O WN W NS / // /p p. p3 p.32 .32 • C CASE ASE S STUDY: TUDY: T TOWER OWER HAML S / 4 • WILL WIL LL L THIRD THIRD R RU UN U NW WAY WA AY A YT AKE O FF? / /p 42 • HAMLETS // p.34 RUNWAY TAKE OFF? // p.42

T H E B U S I N EESS S M O N T H LLYY FFO O R P L A N N I N G P R O F ESS S IO O N A LLSS

1 Cover_February 2021_The Planner.indd 1

14/01/2021 17:27

RTPI Online Events 2021

NEW programme announced

View programme here

In a series of weekly webinars we help planners navigate the current crisis, keep up their CPD and explore the most discussed topics in the profession right now. The RTPI Online Events series is FREE to members. Non-member tickets cost ÂŁ25. We also offer in-depth CPD masterclasses, a National Events Series, awards, regional social events and bitesized training modules on RTPI Learn. Visit our website for more information.

#RTPIOnlineEvents

p02_PLN.FEB21.indd 2

06/01/2021 12:39

CONTENTS

FEBRU ARY

08 NEWS 4 The Planner Careers Survey 2020: how Covid-19 has affected planning 7 Application submissions rise in November 2020 8 RTPI calls for ‘bottomup’ approach to postCovid high street planning 8 Wei Yang inaugurated as president of the RTPI 10 Government aims to cut emissions by 230 million metric tonnes

11 Newsmakers: 10 top stories from The Planner online

28 OPINION

16 Louise BrookeSmith: 2021? It’s a walk in the park 18 Olafiyin Taiwo: Leadership in adversity is the key to building planning’s importance 18 Sarah Mann: Nomadism in the UK: You can’t travel if you’re never allowed to stop 19 Michael Chang: This pandemic reminds us of planning’s capacity to influence welbeing 19 Rob Shaw: Planning is the foundation for a low-carbon future

“WE NEED TO RECONCILE OURSELVES TO THE IDEA THAT ECONOMIC LAND VALUE SHOULD NOT BE THE ONLY MEASURE OF A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT’S VALUE”

FEATURES

INSIGHT

20 It’s been a stressful year for everyone – including planners, as Simon Wicks discovers

38 Cases & decisions: Development decisions, round-up and analysis

28 Mark Cope asks if it’s enough to assess health impacts of a project or is a strategic planning health focus also needed? 32 The NHS Healthy New Towns programme worked with 10 sites across England to look at how to develop healthier and connected communities 34 Case study: How Tower Hamlets’ infrastructure planning team’s won an RTPI Award in adversity

QUOTE UNQUOTE

“THE PROBLEMS WITH THESE PLANNING PROPOSALS RUN MUCH DEEPER THAN THE HOUSING ALGORITHM, WHICH ARE IN NEED OF A COMPLETE REBOOT” CRISPIN TRUMAN, CEO OF CPRE, ON HOW THE HOUSING ALGORITHM ANNOUNCEMENT COULD LEAD TO “A MUCH NEEDED DEBATE ABOUT HOW TO ENSURE THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT IN THE RIGHT PLACE ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY”

20 21

42 Legal Landscape: Opinions from the legal side of planning

44 RTPI round-up: News and interviews from the institute 50 What to read, what to watch and how to keep in touch

Make the most of The Planner – mouse over our links for more information

20 FE B R U AR Y 2 021 / THE PLA NNER

3 Contents_February 2021_The Planner.indd 3

14/01/2021 17:29

NEWS

Report { THE PLANNER CAREERS SURVEY 2020

By Simon Wicks

lmost a quarter of planners have lost earnings as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, with most losses concentrated in the private sector. The Planner’s annual Careers Survey found that 23 per cent of planners had lost between 1 and 100 per cent of their earnings since the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, with most of these losing up to 20 per cent. Close to half of respondents (45 per cent) said that heir jobs had changed as a result of Covid-19, and six in 10 said they had worked solely from home since the start of the pandemic. Forty-six per cent said that they now preferred this to working in an office. A similar number (43 per cent) reported that they were working longer hours since the first lockdown last March, and four in 10 planners said that they had become more productive. “It might take longer than when we were in the office to get some information, and there are endless Teams meetings. But this year I have delivered at least as much if not more than ever,” said one public sector planner from the south-west of England with more than 20 years’ experience.

1-10%

11-20%

76.99%

7.11%

21-30%

31-40%

41-50%

2.51%

1.26%

51-60%

61-70%

71-80%

0.84%

0.42%

81-90%

91-99%

100%

0.42%

Slightly more than 250 RTPI members responded to the 2020/21 Planner Jobs Careers Survey in November, which focused on planners’ workplace experience of the Covid-19 crisis. Fifty-eight per cent of respondents were from the public sector and 36 per cent from the private sector, the two largest groups. Fifty-eight per cent were women and 41 per cent men. The picture they provided was of a profession that adapted quickly to changes forced by the pandemic, with a rapid transition to remote working and a swift embrace of digital technology. We also got a picture of public sector bodies being able to ﬂex more than their private

1.67% sector counterparts to accommodate planners whose regular work was disrupted or halted by the pandemic. For example, 77 per cent of respondents overall did not experience a loss of income as a result of the pandemic. But fewer than 5 per cent of public sector planners reported a loss of income, compared with 50 per cent of private sector planners. The bulk of these losses were 20 per cent or under, indicating that the furlough scheme was employed more widely in the private than the public sector. Of the nine redundancies reported by respondents, eight occurred in the private sector.

Source: The Planner Careers Survey 2021

Lost earnings and longer hours, but technology saves the day: How Covid-19 has aﬀected planning

TH E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

4-6 News_31-Jan-2021_The Planner.indd 4

15/01/2021 11:08

“Working within the NHS my work in the beginning became focused on finding sites to extend capacity (such as the Nightingale hospitals) and test centres” – public sector planner, London The survey results intimate that the public sector was better able to flex more to offer greater job and income security under pressure from the pandemic.

“I started a new role within the same organisation on the first day of lockdown. Although I know all of the people I am working with, it has nonetheless been a challenge to make a positive impression when working away from the office” – public sector planner, East Midlands “I moved to a different consultancy due to the way my employer behaved during the Covid crisis – their poor management of people and extremely high-pressured environment with no consideration for the employees’ health and wellbeing. Now I have left I am a lot happier” – private sector planner, South West

45% 55%

I have worked solely from home since the first lockdown was announced

I have worked mainly from home since the first lockdown was announced

6% 29%

“Secondments to Covid support, secondments from policy to DM, virtual alternatives to site visits” – public sector planner, North West.

Around one in six respondents (16 per cent) reported a permanent change of job – either to a new position for the same employer or to an entirely new employer. For some this represented a promotion or a sideways move; for others an escape from an undesirable situation:

57%

Public sector planners were more likely to have experienced a change in the nature of their job – 47 per cent compared with 41 per cent of private sector planners. Although the greater part of these changes appeared to be changes in process (virtual site visits and meetings), public sector planners reported more movement between roles.

I have worked roughly half the time from home since the first lockdown was announced

The most universal change to employment conditions provoked by Covid-19 was the shift from office to homeworking. Fifty-eight per cent of respondents told us they had worked solely from home since the first lockdown in March 2020; another 29 per cent had worked mainly from home. When asked whether they preferred working from home, almost half (46 per cent) said they did, compared with just 30 per cent who said the opposite. Some 43 per cent said they would like to continue working from home all of the time (7 per cent) or as much as possible (36.5 per cent) once the crisis was over. A further 40 per cent said they would like to work from home occasionally. Whatever their answer, almost all respondents who commented expressed a desire for a mixed regime in the future; some of the week working from home, some working from the office. They identified a number of reasons why each was, or was not, beneficial.

I have worked mainly at my employer’s workplace since the first lockdown was announced

24%

PLAN UPFRONT

It has made no diﬀerence – I always work from home anyway

46%

30% Yes

No preference

“Office working is needed for team meetings and managing performance. Problem solving is easier when staff are met in person. Approx 75 per cent can be done at home, 25 per cent needs office working” – public sector planner, Wales “It’s made me appreciate how much I both enjoy my colleagues’ company and how much I value being able to talk things through face to face” – public sector planner, Yorkshire

FE B R U AR Y 2 021 / THE PLA NNER 4-6 News_31-Jan-2021_The Planner.indd 5

15/01/2021 11:09

NEWS

I work longer hours from home

39% 41%

I work fewer hours from home

52%

experiencing Covid-related stress at work. Of these, half also reported working longer hours – more than our baseline of 43 per cent. Intriguingly, this group was also slightly more likely to report working fewer hours at home. Respondents who reported increased stress were also more likely than our baseline to report decreased productivity (24 per cent, compared with 20 per cent baseline).

Working from home has had an impact on working hours and productivity, too. When asked about each of these, a signiﬁcant proportion of respondents said they worked longer hours (43 per cent) and were more productive (40 per cent). Our survey also hinted at a relationship between workplace stress, working hours and productivity. Fifty-three per cent of respondents reported

43%

Report {

It’s made no diﬀerence - I work the same number of hours

The Careers Survey revealed the extent to which the Covid-19 crisis is amplifying the influence of technology on the planning profession. Very high numbers reported using technology in new ways to support specific aspects of their jobs. It is likely that some elements of planning will have changed for good. Indeed, 78 per cent of respondents agreed that planning departments will need to adopt new technologies more quickly. "Perhaps it is no surprise planners have adapted well to online working, reflecting their skills and practical nature, and how the system itself is robust,” says Andrew Close, the RTPI’s head of careers, education and professional development. “It may be too early to say whether there will be a long-term change in working patterns but many professions will be looking at ways to take opportunity of future flexibilities with home and office working,.” n See pages 20-26 for analysis of Covid-19's impact on the wellbeing of planners and planning's role in supporting health.

20%

I feel I get more done when working from home

I feel I get less done when working from home

The Planner Jobs Careers Survey will be available in February. Watch our newsletters for details. Not subscribed? Sign up here bit.ly/ planner0221-subscriptions It makes no diﬀerence – my productivity remains the same

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

4-6 News_31-Jan-2021_The Planner.indd 6

14/01/2021 17:32

PLAN UPFRONT

Analysis { Application submissions rise in November 2020

Decline in the number of decisions granted by councils

Despite tiered and national lockdowns in place in England and Wales in November 2020, 81 more applications were submitted compared with October, according to Planning Portal’s latest Planning Market Insight Report.

311,800: The number of decisions granted by district-level planning authorities in England in the year ending September 2020. This is a decline of 12 per cent compared with the year ending September 2019.

The November 2020 headlines: 59,044 planning applications were submitted through the Planning Portal, a 32 per cent increase in submissions compared with the 44,677 submissions in November 2019 and a rise of 1 per cent when compared with October 2020.

In contrast with November 2019, householder applications are up by 51 per cent.

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

For the second time since March, when the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, full planning and associated consents are being submitted at a higher rate than 2019. This increase is similarly reﬂected in the number of outline applications submitted – 4 per cent more than in 2019.

In total, 398,600 planning applications were submitted to district councils in the year ending September 2020. This is 9 per cent lower than the number submitted a year earlier.

The North East reported a 44 per cent increase on the numbers seen in November 2019.

40 per cent more applications were submitted in November 2020 when compared with the same month in 2019.

832 ‘applications’ were submitted for prior approval for oﬃce to residential conversions in London and the South East between January and November 2020.

40,400 of those decisions granted were for residential development. Of these, 5,200 were for major developments, down 14 per cent on a year earlier, and 35,300 were for minor developments, down 11 per cent on the year ending September 2019.

In the North West there was a 37 per cent increase in applications submitted in November 2020 compared with a year earlier.

Read the full story on The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0221-submissions

Between July and September 2020, district-level planning authorities received 106,200 applications seeking planning permission.

They reported 90,300 decisions for applications from July to September, 12 per cent less than the 103,100 decisions made in that period a year earlier.

79,300: The number of decisions granted by districtlevel planning authorities from July to September.

Read the full story on The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0221-districtsubmissions

FEB R U AR Y 2 021 / THE PLA NNER 7 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 7

14/01/2021 15:50

NEWS

News { RTPI calls for ‘bottomup’ approach to post-Covid high street planning By Laura Edgar Covid-19 has and continues to speed up changes to high streets and town centres that were already happening in the UK, according to a report published by the RTPI. There is “unlikely” to be a return to past shopping habits, warns the institute. For this research project, nearly 4,000 comments posted under articles published on The Guardian website were examined using sentiment analysis and text-mining techniques. The results showed that commenters believe Covid19 is speeding up changes to high streets that were already happening before the pandemic took hold in the UK in March 2020. Many noted that the repurposing of existing buildings in town centres was inevitable and welcome, leaving city centres able to “take the blow”, adapt, and thrive again. Also, some suggested using Italian and French cities as “aspirational” city centre models, despite, the institute explained, many of these being reminiscent of more old-fashioned shopping destinations that are comprised primarily of independent retailers. For the RTPI, the research

Some respondents suggested using Italian and French cities as “aspirational” city centre models

highlights the “vital importance” of community engagement in the planning process; it could, the institute said, inform a more inclusive and ‘bottom-up’ approach post Covid-19. Report author Professor Aude Bicquelet-Lock, deputy head of policy and research at the institute, said: “The Covid-19 outbreak has come at a challenging time for many high streets and town centres already suﬀering from reduced footfall and has forced built environment experts and politicians alike to rethink the way we plan future towns and cities “However, the views of the public on the topic have largely remained absent from the debate. This is a signiﬁcant absence – especially in a context where the impact of placemaking on people’s health and wellbeing has been

widely acknowledged.” The institute, she continues, believes that communities have a vitally important role to play in making decisions about the future of the places where they live, work or play. “We know from our recent research with Grayling Engage [see this month’s

“THE VIEWS OF THE PUBLIC ON [HIGH STREETS] HAVE LARGELY REMAINED ABSENT FROM THE DEBATE. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT ABSENCE – ESPECIALLY IN A CONTEXT WHERE THE IMPACT OF PLACEMAKING ON PEOPLE’S HEALTH AND WELLBEING HAS BEEN WIDELY ACKNOWLEDGED”

page 46] that people are more interested and invested in their local communities than ever before. “As we recover from the pandemic, it is vital that we capitalise on this renewed interest to ensure that decisions are being taken that truly reﬂect the needs of local communities.” Bicquelet-Lock has presented her preliminary ﬁndings from the research to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee. The research will also inform the High Street Task Force Resource Library and the RTPI-chaired High Streets Task Force Professional Research and Data Group. Planning for PostCovid Cities can be found on the RTPI website: bit.ly/planner0221highstreetchanges

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

8-9 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 8

14/01/2021 15:51

PLAN UPFRONT

Wei Yang inaugurated as president of the RTPI Dr Wei Yang FRTPI has pledged to inform and update the public on the purpose of town planning in her year as president of the RTPI. The address was given at a virtual inauguration event due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic on 20 January. Yang moved to the UK from Beijing in 1999 to study her master’s degree at Sheffield university. Twenty-first century garden cities, she said, are her “abiding passion”. Her research on them has made her realise just how little the public knows about planning and how many misunderstandings there are about garden cities. “So, town planners – who were we? Who are we today? Who do we want to be tomorrow?” she asked. Answering this, Yang spoke about Ebenezer Howard and his book To-morrow: A Peaceful Path to Real Reform. Watching the way Covid-19 has ravaged people's lives she said, “I was constantly thinking how Howard’s vision is as relevant for us today as it was in his day, 120 years ago”. “During 2021, my presidential year, my first priority is to readdress the name of town planners and to inform and

update people on the real purpose of planning. Planning is about people. Planning is about health. Planning is about the wellbeing of our immediate environment. “The spirit of the planning profession is focused, at its heart, on service to the community. I believe compassion and selﬂessness are the moral foundations of our profession. Through my presidential year, in all that I do, I will further these qualities,” Yang concluded. After a year-long MSc in computer-aided environmental design and completing a PhD, Yang got her ﬁrst planning job as an urban designer with David Lock Associates in Milton Keynes, graduating to largescale project work and managing DLA’s role as a CABE enabler. In 2011, Yang set up Wei Yang & Partners. Yang takes over from Sue Manns FRTPI and will serve as president of the RTPI for one year. Read more on page 46. Watch the 2021 presidential inauguration ceremony here: bit.ly/planner0221-inauguration. Read The Planner’s interview with Wei Yang here: bit.ly/ Planner-0121-WeiYang

Prior approval requirements added to PDR for upward extensions Another prior approval condition has been added to the permitted development right (PDR) that allows upwards extensions to be added to residential and commercial properties without planning permission in England (MHCLG). The PDR was first introduced at the end of August last year. The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) (Amendment) (No. 4) Order 2020 requires a developer seeking prior approval under the PDR in relation to an existing building that is 18 metres or more in height “to provide a report from a chartered engineer or other competent professional confirming that the external wall construction of the existing building complies with paragraph B4(1) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 (S.I. 2010/2214) to the local planning authority”. This was set out in a letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to local planning authorities in England. It adds that the external walls of the building “shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another”. In the event of a report not being provided, local planning authorities “must refuse prior approval”. The amendment came into effect on 30 December last year. Read the full story here: bit.ly/planner0221-priorapproval

I M AG E S | A L A M Y / RT P I

8-9 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 9

FEB R U AR Y 2 021 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 15:51

NEWS

News { Latest Scottish planning policy initiatives revealed

Government aims to cut emissions by 230 million metric tonnes The government has outlined plans to transform the UK’s energy system from one based on fossil fuels to one that is “ﬁt for a zerocarbon economy”. This transformation forms one of several core elements in the government’s energy white paper, which also aims to create up to 220,000 British jobs. Plans include changing the ways in which homes are heated; how people travel; a doubling in the use of electricity; and the further harnessing of renewable energy supplies. They build on Prime Minister Boris

Johnson’s 10-point plan for a green recovery from Covid-19. The white paper also sets out how government plans over the next 10 years to cut emissions from industry, transport, and buildings by 230 million metric tonnes, – equivalent to taking 7.5 million petrol cars oﬀ the road. The government also wants to boost competition in the energy retail market to stop long-standing customers paying more than new ones. n Read the full story here: bit.ly/planner0221energywhitepaper

The government has just published a revised and finalised version of its Scottish Planning Policy incorporating proposed interim changes involving housing issues. A PDF of the document is available with the relevant changes to paragraphs 28, 29,30, 32, 33 and 125 of the original publication. This move is highlighted in a joint end-of-year letter from Scottish planning minister Kevin Stewart and the chief planner, John McNairney. Planning authorities have also been told that the full range of emergency changes made to planning legislation during 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic “have been, and remain, vital in enabling planning processes to continue”. Although these changes are temporary and will come to an end when the time is right, the Scottish Government is keen to learn from experience and to consider “if any best practice is emerging from current arrangements that could be adopted in the longer term”. Meanwhile, the letter restates earlier guidance and asks planning authorities to ensure they “exercise their discretion and allow for temporary breaches of planning control that are reasonable and support businesses”. n Read the letter here: bit.ly/planner0221Scotschiefplanner

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

10-11 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 10

14/01/2021 17:32

PLAN UPFRONT

Caerleon campus to be redeveloped Newport City Council has approved plans to redevelop the University of South Wales’s former Caerleon campus with housing. Housebuilder Redrow plans to convert a number of historic buildings on the campus into flats, as well as building new homes at the site. The main campus building, which is grade II-listed and featured in Netﬂix drama Sex Education, will be refurbished for conversion into 44 ﬂats. Conversions are also lined up for the TJ Webly, Ty Hywel and Felthorpe heritage buildings. Other buildings on the site are to be demolished to allow for the construction of 170 homes,

alongside open space, landscaping and infrastructure works. The scheme will provide 219 homes – fewer than an earlier proposal for 310 dwellings and significant commercial floor space. That 2018 scheme was refused for traffic, air quality and amenity reasons. Concerns remain over the development’s impact on air quality in Caerleon, which is breaching targets for nitrogen dioxide levels. But a report says air quality is “slowly improving”, and that the agreed fallback position for access to the site would have a similar impact on levels.

Go-ahead for major Dublin mixed-use project Dublin City Council has given its approval for the €475 million redevelopment of the former Dublin Institute of Technology’s Kevin Street Campus in the capital with a significant mixed-use scheme. Developer Westridge Real Estate lodged plans for the development of 53,110 square metres of office accommodation in two 11-storey blocks, and 299 build-to-rent flats across three buildings of up to 14 storeys.

I M A G E S | I S T O C K / PA /

ALAMY

10-11 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 11

The council approved the proposals after the amount of commercial floor space was trimmed and despite opposition from Labour Senator Ivana Bacik, An Taisce (Ireland’s National Trust) and local residents. The council has stipulated that developers must pay €3.9 million in planning contributions towards public infrastructure as well as an additional €1.5 million in respect of the Luas Cross City Scheme.

Thumbs up for major Derry housing project Derry City & Strabane District Council has given the green light for a residential-led mixed-use scheme that will, when built also provide 119 new homes. The site earmarked for development is to the west of Seán Dolan’s Gaelic Athletic Club grounds on Bligh’s Lane. Seán Dolan’s GAC and Radius Housing are behind the application. The scheme involves a mix of one and twobed flats, as well as two, three and four-bed homes. Under the plans, the existing clubhouse would also be extended and revamped to provide a new multi-use community building. New access to Bligh’s Lane would be provided, along with improvements to an existing car park and communal landscapes.

FEB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 17:33

NEWS

News { Deals reached for two Welsh regions and the Tay Cities region The UK and Welsh governments have signed the North Wales Growth Deal and agreed the heads of terms for a Mid Wales Growth Deal while ﬁnancial arrangements for investment in the Tay Cities region have also been agreed. North Wales Backed by £120 million from each government, work will now begin on the ﬁve programmes that make up the deal, led by the North Wales Economic Ambition Board. These consist of 14 projects to address low-carbon energy, innovation in high-value manufacturing, agri-food and tourism, digital connectivity and land and property. The main objectives are to create up to 4,200 jobs and support an uplift of £2 billion to £2.4 billion for the economy by 2036. Read the full story here: bit.ly/planner0221-northwales Mid Wales Developed from the Vision for Growing Mid Wales, the deal will see each government contribute £55 million. More detailed proposals can now be brought forward, which will be based on eight priority areas for intervention,

Northern Ireland planning stats published

including digital connectivity, applied research and innovation, energy and skills. The leaders of Ceredigion and Powys county councils, Ellen ap Gwynn and Rosemarie Harris, described the deal as a “signiﬁcant milestone” for Mid Wales, “showing the dedication and commitment to the region of all partners”. Tay Cities Deal The UK and Scottish governments will each invest £150 million to help to leverage another £400 million of investment from public and private partners to drive ﬁnancial backing and create more than 6,000 jobs. Fife Council co-leader David Ross, chair of the Tay Cities Region Deal Joint Committee, said: “The investment, and the 6,000 job opportunities across a range of industries that the deal will help to create, will be important in growing and sustaining a successful local and regional economy over the long term. It will also help address some of the more immediate issues facing the local and national economy in the wake of Covid-19 and Brexit and contribute to meeting the challenge of climate change." Read the full story on Mid Wales and Tay Cities: bit.ly/planner0221tayandmidwales

3,288: The number of planning applications submitted to councils in Northern Ireland in the second quarter of 2020/2021.

This is an increase of 42 per cent on the previous quarter and up 12 per cent on the previous quarter a year earlier.

were local and 33 major applications.

Councils decided 2,410 planning applications during the second quarter, an increase of one-third from the previous quarter but a decline of almost one-quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.

Read the full story here: bit.ly/planner0221-NIstats

Scottish biodiversity strategy shapes up Scottish environment secretary Roseanna Cunningham has unveiled plans to protect 30 per cent of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030. The proposals were published in a new statement of intent on biodiversity, setting out the Scottish Government’s priorities to tackle

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

12-13 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 12

biodiversity loss as part of a strategy to combat climate change and ecological decline. Currently, 37 per cent of Scotland’s marine environment is safeguarded, with 22.7 per cent of land protected for nature. Restoring peatland and woodland

I M AG E S | G E T T Y

creation form the core proposals, which will be supported by an additional £500 million of investment in Scotland’s natural economy. Read the full story here: bit.ly/plannero221-Scotsbiodiversity

Source: Northern Ireland Executive

14/01/2021 15:10

CATCH UP WITH THE PLANNER

N Newsmakers Belfast launches climate plan

Belfast’s ﬁrst climate plan has been published. It sets out a total of 30 transformational programmes designed to help the capital make the transition to an inclusive, zero-emissions, climate-resilient economy within a generation. bit.ly/planner0221Belfastzero

Projects in England seeking to protect landscapes and retain thousands of green jobs will receive a share of £40 million of government funding. The projects, part of the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, will see 800,000 trees planted and moorlands, wetlands and forest habitats restored. bit.ly/planner0221-greenprojects

Improving rail links in Midland and North a ‘priority’ Fast-track application submitted in Dublin

Global property investment ﬁrm Hines and Dutch pensions company APG have submitted fast-track proposals for the next phase of their redevelopment of the Player Wills site in Dublin, with 732 new homes and two new parks. bit.ly/planner0221-Dublinfast

More than 400 places added to heritage list Historic England has announced that 423 historic places were added to the National Heritage List during 2020, including a memorial that commemorates the nine lives lost during the fatal mission in 1901 of the Beauchamp Lifeboat in Norfolk. bit.ly/planner0221-423heritage

Survey: Housing for older people must be improved

8 Government pledges cash from high street fund Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has announced that up to £830 million from the Future High Streets Fund will be split between 72 areas in England. bit.ly/ planner0221-72fund

I M AG E S | I STO C K / S H U T T E RSTO C K / A L A M Y

Nine in 10 people believe that the government should improve and create more housing options for older people, indicate the results of a Later Life Ambitions (LLA) and ARCO survey. bit.ly/planner0221-laterliving

A planning application has been submitted for the £28 million redevelopment of the Agora Centre in Wolverton, Milton Keynes. It has been lodged with Milton Keynes Council by developer TOWN. bit.ly/ planner0221-agoracentre

The National Infrastructure Commission has said improving rail links between cities in the North and Midlands should be the top priority in a new approach that seeks to end stopstart investments in order to level up the UK. bit.ly/planner0221-railway

Plans to redevelop Agora Centre submitted

12-13 News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 13

Government announces cash for 68 green projects

9 10

Government revises calculation for housing need Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has announced that the proposed housing formula for England has been updated to focus on urban areas as the government seeks to ‘levelup’ the country and deliver 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s. bit.ly/planner02211housingformula

Wind farm off Norfolk coast gains approval Former energy secretary Alok Sharma has granted a development consent order for Ortsted Hornsea Project Three, an offshore wind farm comprising up to 231 turbines. The offshore wind farm will be located in the Southern North Sea. bit.ly/planner0221-HornseaThree

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 15:10

p14_PLN.FEB21.indd 2

06/01/2021 12:40

LEADER COMMENT

Event Hoping for healthier outcomes post-pandemic By the time you read this, the days should be visibly longer. Although not typically a cause for wild celebration, after this latest lockdown the visual manifestation of a change in the seasons will surely be welcomed with joy by most of us. Because, let’s face it, our current predicament – forced within our own four walls for all but the most essential activity, the dark and damp of winter outside – does not add up to the healthiest of working environments. Indeed, the anxiety and stress associated with lockdown working are among the issues we have all become more acutely aware of over these past 11 months. Yet planners, as with all professional service practitioners, have had to make do and adapt. The question, of course, is what happens next? As our annual Careers Survey reports demonstrate this month, planning

Martin Read has been affected by the pandemic in a variety of ways. Almost a quarter of planners have lost earnings, private sector workers being most likely to have suffered in this way; while close to half are working longer hours than they were prior to the imposition of the first lockdown last March. Issues of productivity, however, are more complex. Four in 10 planners report now producing more work remotely, while many now like or even prefer being

based from home. There is considerable enthusiasm for any future normality being one that incorporates far more flexibility of working location than had existed prior to Covid-19. OK, so these are themes that professionals of every stripe will have been musing over. And doubtless most principally officebased sectors of industry have reason to think their particular specialism might especially benefit from loosened rules on where its practitioners need to be based to perform optimally. Planning has its own reasons to embrace a world of permanently flexible working; post-pandemic planning could see closer connections to communities, while flexible working options could make planning a more appealing choice

“PLANNING HEALTHY PLACES COULD ATTRACT MORE YOUNG PEOPLE"

of career. Certainly, the planning of healthy places, with its newly raised profile, has the potential to pull in young people who want to be seen to be making a difference. Perhaps a fresh awareness of the purpose of planning will be one positive aspect to emerge from this surreal time in all of our lives. Finally, can I again alert you to the additional content you’ll find on most of our pages. Please keep an eye out for the web and video links we’ve placed alongside relevant content. In particular, more extensive versions of our news and feature content are just a mouse click away.

Make the most of The Planner – mouse over our links for more information

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

020 7880 6206 sales@theplanner.co.uk

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

R E C RU I T M E N T

Consultant editor Huw Morris Deputy editor Simon Wicks simon.wicks@theplanner.co.uk News editor Laura Edgar laura.edgar@theplanner.co.uk Section editor Matt Moody

Average net circulation 17,608 (January-December 2020) (A further 5,700 members receive the magazine in digital form)

ISSN 2053-7581

020 78806232 jobs@theplanner.co.uk PRODUCT ION Production director Jane Easterman Production manager Aysha Miah-Edwards PUBLISHING Publishing director Joanna Marsh

£120 – UK £175 – Overseas To subscribe, call 01580 883844 or email subs@redactive.co.uk – alternatively, you can subscribe online at subs.theplanner. co.uk/subscribe

RT P I C O N TA C T S

© The Planner is published on behalf of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) by Redactive Publishing Ltd (RPL), 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL 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.

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.

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 15 leader_February 2021_The Planner.indd 15

15/01/2021 10:20

LO U I S E B R O O K E S M I T H O B E

O Opinion

2021? It’s a walk in the park Don’t you just love it when something comes along that is a real surprise, or you find something that you had been looking for but had given up hope of finding? Then it’s there, staring you in the face, like the last edge piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Lockdown, isolation, furlough, remote working – all mean that we are still balancing time in front of the screen with the odd visit to the office. Or should that be the visit to the odd office, given that you can’t tell who might be there and you may end up spending the day with someone playing it absolutely by the book? We have all had to follow the letter of the law in terms of ‘hands, face, space’ and I’m sure our respective quiet Christmases and New Years are all but distant memories of high frivolity watching Skyfall for the millionth time and going to bed early with a cocoa. But it’s nearly spring – hoorah! At least the nights are getting marginally shorter (if you measure things in milliseconds) and the vaccine is coming to a village hall near you very soon, or so the government keeps telling us. In the meantime, we can be grateful for little things, while getting to grips with a Brexit economy and trying to be upbeat about the Covid-19 recession. There are things to look forward to, with little surprises around every corner. Remember when

you went for one of your government-advised daily walks and came across a tiny pocket park in an area you rarely visit? Or when that cycle route you mapped out had some really good downhill bits and a pop-up coffee stop had miraculously appeared in a lay-by? Like finding odd things in coat pockets. A roll of poo bags that you’d completely forgotten about since handing the early morning pooch exercise over to the other half, because that fits in better with your Zoom regime. Or the slight embarrassment of thinking it was a tissue in your bag when it was actually a mix of sweet wrappers and spare tampons. Good job you’re not in the face-to-face meetings now, eh? Surprises come in all shapes and sizes. A social

T H E P L AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

16 LBS column_February 2021_The Planner.indd 16

“THE VACCINE IS COMING TO A VILLAGE HALL NEAR YOU VERY SOON, OR SO THE GOVERNMENT KEEPS TELLING US” media message from someone who actually did read your seasonal greetings and is following up with a ‘Hi, how are you?’. A nomination for staff member of the month award. Perhaps, as we get to grips with the world according to Brexit, we might indeed hear the phrase ‘Surprise surprise’, and not find Cilla turning in her grave. Who knows, all those webinars and endless pontifications by worthy panellists since 2016 could actually make sense, and we all cry out, “Oh so that’s what

it all means”? Sarcasm and politics aside, we have no alternative other than to accept that democracy, of a sort, has had its day and we have to make the best of it. In my mind that means looking forward, not back. It means seeing the good in things when trying to make sense of the thousands of regulations that some poor civil servant spent most of the back half of 2020 cutting and pasting to get the Brexit deal done by midnight (Europe time). It means not being put oﬀ by the red tape that might accompany our foreign travel when the rest of the world eventually reopens its doors to the Brits. Let’s look forward to supporting those airlines and ferries when they start up their propellers again. Let’s dream of the summer of 2021 when we will be able to take holidays in the sun – remembering the plethora of new paperwork and pet passport if you want to take your dog with you. And all the poo bags in your old coat pocket.

Dr Louise Brooke-Smith is a development and strategic planning consultant and a built environment non-executive director I L L U S T R AT I O N | Z A R A P I C K E N

14/01/2021 15:13

Quote unquote I M AG E S | J E ST ICO & W H I L E S / H S 2 / I STO C K

FROM THE RTPI AND THE WEB

“I’m not saying everything has to be retained about them, but it would be good if some of the original design elements and aesthetic were still in evidence” PHOTOGRAPHER SIMON PHIPPS, WHOSE BOOK BRUTAL NORTH HAS SURVEYED THE SURVIVING BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

“Local conversations that simply ‘ask about housing’ can reduce stress and worry and help improve people’s housing situation before it escalates into homelessness” MAGGIE BRÜNJES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF HOMELESS NETWORK SCOTLAND, ONE OF THE 31 ORGANISATIONS IN THE ‘EVERYONE HOME COLLECTIVE’ THAT IS URGING PEOPLE IN COMMUNITIES AND THOSE RUNNING LOCAL SERVICES TO PREVENT E IN 2021 AND BE EYOND HOMELESSNESS CLOSER TO HOME BEYOND

“The environment bill states that air quality is a priority, but this must be backed up with concrete policies and actions to ensure cleaner air in our cities and a healthier outdoor workforce” MIKE ROBINSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE BRITISH SAFETY COUNCIL, CALLS FOR UK LAW TO MATCH WHO AIR POLLUTION LIMITS FOLLOWING THE RULING BY SOUTHWARK CORONER’S COURT THAT AIR POLLUTION MADE A MATERIAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEATH OF ELLA KISSI DEBRAH

“The mix of linked buildings, together with integral and adjacent open spaces, provides a ﬂuidity within the development which will be essential in a post-Covid world” DAVID JONES OF AXIS PLANNING ON PROPOSALS FOR ‘THE ISLAND QUARTER’, A ‘COHESIVE USE’ SCHEME IN NOTTINGHAM COMPRISING HOTELS, CO WORKING SPACE, APARTMENTS, GREEN PUBLIC REALM AND LEISURE FACILITIES

“The problems with these planning proposals run much deeper than the housing algorithm, which are in need of a complete reboot, not just an update” CRISPIN TRUMAN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF CPRE, ON HOW THE LATEST HOUSING ALGORITHM ANNOUNCEMENT COULD LEAD TO “A MUCH NEEDED DEBATE ABOUT HOW TO ENSURE THE RIGHT DEVELOPMENT IN THE RIGHT PLACE ACROSS THE WHOLE COUNTRY”

“The sment makes clear the “The assess assessment case for increasing budgets above and beyond the NIC baseline to ensure maximum beneﬁt is realised through completion of HS2 in full, along with complementary schemes including Midlands Engine Rail and Northern Powerhouse Rail” A HIGH SPEED RAIL GROUP SPOKESPERSON COMMENTING ON THE PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION’S RAIL NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR THE MIDLANDS AND THE NORTH

“We hope government will take the opportunity to really focus their planning reforms on placemaking, rather than housebuilding” PETER HOGG, LONDON CITY EXECUTIVE AT ARCADIS, RESPONDS TO THE UK GOVERNMENT’S REVISION OF PLANS TO CREATE A FORMULA FOR LOCATING NEW HOMES

FE B R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 17 Quote Unquote_February 2021_The Planner.indd 17

14/01/2021 15:14

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

O Opinion

Olaﬁyin Taiwo MRTPI is chair of the young planners network at the Commonwealth Association of Planners

Leadership in adversity is the key to building planning’s importance now

The global pandemic continues to disrupt all sectors, industries and communities. Discussions on building sustainable and resilient cities are emerging in public policy. Planning is critical to building cities that balance economic, social and environmental objectives, and should play a more prominent role. Despite the pandemic’s brutal consequences, transformational opportunities continue to emerge. For example, the lockdown presents opportunities for reflection on career trajectory and professional contributions as planners. The commitment of planners to serving their communities has remained unwavering; developing leadership capacity is pivotal to prolonging this dedication. Effective leadership development requires an intentional approach. It is good practice to have a career development vision and consider how it aligns with the demands of the times. There are unknowns outside of our control, but having defined objectives can help regain control for strategic work rather than reactive firefighting. First, identifying systems needed to achieve the vision is

as important as setting goals. Second, commitment to solving problems through innovative approaches and digital technology is a key leadership skill. Whilst planning is critical to recovery, planning in isolation will be detrimental to communities and the environment. Stakeholder engagement that involves different segments of society and cuts across disciplines is inevitable. Because of the pandemic, digital technology has revolutionised how partnerships are developed. Third, build support networks that cut across sectors and disciplines, using organisations such as Women in Transport, Women in Planning, BAME Planners Network. Voluntary opportunities that exist within professional associations also provide opportunities to improve leadership skills. Regardless of commitment, issues that threaten mental health and self-confidence can escalate when your work or environment does not align with your core values. There will always be a place for you to demonstrate your abilities. You have a responsibility to find the place. Be bold, creative and courageous – take action!

“COMMITMENT TO SOLVING PROBLEMS THROUGH INNOVATIVE APPROACHES AND DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS A KEY LEADERSHIP SKILL REQUIRED IN THIS NEW ERA”

2 BLOG

BLOG

Sarah Mann is director of Friends, Families and Travellers, a national charity that works on behalf of all Gypsies, Roma and Travellers

Nomadism in the UK: You can’t travel if you’re never allowed to stop

In December 2020 Lisa Smith, a Romany woman from Leicestershire, challenged the government in court over the refusal of her planning application and the planning definition of ‘Traveller’. The planning definition of Gypsies and Travellers changed in 2015 so that those who have ceased travelling for work (even if due to a disability, longterm illness or old age) cannot get planing permission for pitches on their own land, and will not have their accommodation needs assessed or met. Members of Lisa’s family with severe disabilities could not travel for work and, thanks to the new definition, were refused planning permission on a private site. The decision had a devastating effect on their ability to care for each other and to continue their traditional way of life. For anyone to be excluded from being defined as a ‘Traveller’ on the basis of having a disability or being elderly is nothing short of discrimination. The judgment is due shortly. Smith’s case is another symptom of a planning system largely failing nomadic people, even though Gypsies and Travellers have been travelling the UK for work and leisure for over 500 years. There are more

than 3,000 Gypsy and Traveller households living on unauthorised encampments – many because it is such a struggle to get planning permission for their land. During the pandemic we have been inundated with phone calls from people struggling to access even basics like water. The 2015 planning deﬁnition of ‘Traveller’ makes it even easier for councils to explain away the lack of places for them. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission found that for 20 councils, the assessed need for more Gypsy and Traveller pitches had dropped by almost 80 per cent from pre-2015 levels. Solving the problems faced by Gypsy and Traveller communities requires an improved planning system that considers and responds to the needs of nomadic groups. At a bare minimum, the planning deﬁnition of a Traveller should include all Gypsies and Travellers who need a pitch to live on. But for now, being a Gypsy or Traveller looking for somewhere to stop is a relentless game of catch-22 – you have to keep moving to keep your Traveller status, but there is nowhere you are allowed to stop. Everybody needs a place to live.

“SOLVING THE PROBLEMS FACED BY GYPSY AND TRAVELLER COMMUNITIES REQUIRES AN IMPROVED PLANNING SYSTEM”

T H E P L AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

18-19 Blogs_February 2021_The Planner.indd 18

14/01/2021 15:14

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 BLOG

Michael Chang is Public Health England’s programme manager for planning and health and visiting fellow at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Urban Environments at the University of the West of England

Pandemic reminds us of planning’s capacity to inﬂuence wellbeing

Covid-19 has shown that public health issues do not happen in isolation from the wider societal and environmental context, in what The Lancet characterised as a ‘syndemic’. Public Health England’s research has highlighted inequalities in the burden of Covid-19 illness falling hardest on those who are obese and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic groups. Another Covid-19 report highlighted the health and productivity gap in the Northern Powerhouse attributable to restricted opportunities to be healthy in childhood, because of lowerquality nutrition, poor air quality and substandard housing. The pandemic has made planners reﬂect that what they do fundamentally aﬀects people’s health and wellbeing. It has accelerated a simmering evolution where the practice of integrating health considerations into spatial planning is becoming institutionalised in national and local authorities We now need to use the evidence we already have to shape decisions in plan-making and development management in the best interest of people’s physical and mental wellbeing. There is no one solution to tackle such complex syndemic

4 BLOG

issues. But there is a realisation that planners (across all sectors and roles in the system) and public health professionals must better understand each other’s priorities, vested interests and responsibilities. The PHE Healthy Places programme, with its wealth of resources, is supporting local actions even as PHE prepares to transition to a new entity. To see meaningful reductions in physical and mental health risk factors associated with how places are planned, planners and public health professionals now need to consider how to get research into practice: 1. Activate ‘proportional universalism’, whereby the health needs of the whole population are addressed through strategic policies while adopting targeted localised policies at a scale proportional to areas with speciﬁc needs. 2. Better translate evidence into concrete decisions on health in plan-making and development management processes, and monitor the outcomes. 3. Maximise use of local powers to drive change including increasing the coverage of health impact assessments. 4. Upskill the professional workforce through improved CPD training on key competencies needed to achieve a healthier society.

“PLANNERS AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS MUST BETTER UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER’S PRIORITIES”

Rob Shaw is managing director of Third Revolution Projects, a town planning and sustainability consultancy

Planning is the foundation for a low-carbon future

The 2020s will be deﬁned by rapid replacement of fossil fuels. While electric vehicles (EVs) will drive the transport system, the main uncertainty is the sources of heat for homes, businesses, and industry. The answers will determine whether nuclear and hydrogen have a role. The UK has transitioned well to renewables. Coal-free weeks are common; lower installation costs mean wind and solar account for 37 per cent of energy supply. EV numbers are rising and carbon emissions have fallen 43 per cent since 1990. But achieving net-zero demands more. The energy white paper, Powering our Net Zero Future, says little about planning’s role. But the transition could transform places, land uses and economies. White paper modelling expects 15-120GW of new solar and 15-60GW of onshore wind by 2050. Ground-mounted solar could require 200,000 hectares. Conﬂict with priorities such as housing is likely. The paper proposes removing utilities’ monopoly on delivering power networks, and forward-thinking developers are looking to co-locate homes, industry and renewables to exploit cheap renewable power. Land allocations and proposed

zoning are an opportunity to formalise this and supplement proposals for low-carbon industrial clusters. Plans for improving energy in buildings remain vague but do commit to dramatic growth in electric heat pumps. The role for hydrogen and district heating depends largely on how successful this is: new buildings will be served by heat pumps, but hydrogen or heat networks will be needed if energy performance of existing stock is not improved. The white paper recommits to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. Homes England is already grappling with accommodating charging alongside active travel infrastructure in new development, without perpetuating congestion. It also commits to a decision on a new large nuclear plant by 2024, but its relevance is questionable in a decentralised system with cheap renewables. Planning’s fundamental role is this: 21st century infrastructure will drive economic growth and is completely diﬀerent to that of the 20th. Spatial planning is the means to exploit ever-cheaper renewable power, resolve land use conﬂicts in towns and country, and avoid repeating past mistakes in integrating new technologies.

“SPATIAL PLANNING IS THE MEANS TO EXPLOITING EVER CHEAPER RENEWABLE POWER”

FE B R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 18-19 Blogs_February 2021_The Planner.indd 19

14/01/2021 15:14

H E A LT H A N D W E L L B EI N G

Health and wellbeing have been dominant public concerns over the past year. Our careers survey revealed that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a private concern, too, with many planners admitting to struggling with their own wellbeing, as well as the challenge of using their skills to improve the outlook for public health...

20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 20

14/01/2021 15:21

H E A LT H A N D W E L L B EI N G

WELL IT’S BEEN A STRESSFUL YEAR FOR EVERYONE – INCLUDING PLANNERS, AS SIMON WICKS DISCOVERED

ur Planner Jobs Careers Survey revealed that personal wellbeing has been a signiﬁcant factor in the workplace experience of RTPI members since the onset of the ﬁrst lockdown in March 2020. More than half of respondents (53 per cent) said they had experienced emotional stress at work as a result of Covid-19 and almost as many (49 per cent) that they struggle to focus on work as a result of Covid. Sixty per cent agreed with the statement that they had struggled with motivation. About one in eight (12 per cent) said they had sought help with their wellbeing. Even though three-quarters of our respondents said their employer had provided them with a means of wellbeing support (such as a counselling helpline), just 61 per cent said their employer had

I M AG E | I STO C K

20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 21

been supportive of their wellbeing during the Covid-19 crisis. That means four in 10 planners’ employers had not. “Offering them a bit of counselling isn’t the same as creating the right conditions for them to work in,” says Karen Plum, director of research and development with Advanced Workplace Associates. Plum argues that employers need to tailor their working relationships and management styles to remote working environments. In particular, she says, organisations need to move away from ‘observational’ working cultures towards outcome-focused cultures in which staff are trusted to deliver. “This is more about the relationships and the way work is done inside the organisation. It’s not a five-minute fix. But if we’re not going to get better at work after we’ve been through a pandemic, then I don’t know what is going to help us,” she remarks.

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 15:22

H E A LT H A N D W E L L B EI N G

Mental health and work – what you said “Motivation is aﬀected by the isolation of working from home. Virtual meetings are no substitute for physically working alongside colleagues.” – public sector planner, South West

“I was seconded to call extremely vulnerable people for three weeks non-stop in the first lockdown. This was rewarding but it did also take its toll on my own wellbeing.” – public sector planner, South West “The first lockdown was extremely difficult. I was at a critical point of a project, but had the pressure of homeschooling three children. It was an impossible situation to be in, and I felt my employer could have done more to help those with caring responsibilities.” – private sector planner, North West “I’m scared to go into the office in case I catch Covid and bring it home to my family” – private sector planner, Yorkshire “I am extremely lucky that I live in an area where I can get outside easily and that home circumstances mean that homeworking does not create any stresses at home. However, winter in the north of Scotland may make it a very different experience.” – public sector planner, Scotland

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 22

I have experienced emotional stress at work as a result of the Covid crisis

My work performance has been a ected by stress or anxiety created by the Covid crisis

I have taken time o work because of stress/ anxiety during the Covid crisis

It was possible to make some connections between stress, longer working hours and lower productivity, but these were hardly clinching. We also observed, when delving more deeply into the results, that private sector planners were considerably more likely to report stress than public sector planners – 55 per cent compared with 46 per cent. This would tally with the findings reported on pages 4-6 of less financial and job security in the private sector under pressure of pandemic. Beyond this, we found that, within the public sector, development management planners were significantly more likely to report stress than policy planners (52 per cent compared with 41 per cent). This would likely reflect the relative impact on each of these roles of Covid-19. Perhaps the most striking finding,

I have sought support with my wellbeing as a result of work-related stress during the Covid crisis

I have found it diﬃcult to focus on work during the Covid crisis

60%

49%

12%

40%

“My employer took advantage of the crisis and the pressure to perform was higher than ever. The company did not seem concerned about the employees’ wellbeing. I was expected to work longer hours and was not even given a thank you.” – private sector planner, South West

53%

“Particularly in the beginning I found it very overwhelming and I struggled to ﬁnd purpose in what I was doing sitting in the spare bedroom looking at site plans on a small laptop screen while my partner (who is a doctor) was out on the front line” – public sector planner, London

I have found it diﬃcult to stay motivated at work during the Covid crisis

however, was that women were much more likely than men to report having experienced emotional stress at work as a result of Covid-19 – 53 per cent, compared with 42 per cent. It was unclear from the survey results why this should be. Women were slightly more likely to work in the public sector, where the reported stress level was lower. Here, though, they were slightly more likely to work in development management (higher stress) than policy (lower stress).Yet men reported a greater increase in childcare and home education tasks than women (28 per cent compared with 25 per cent), another potential source of additional stress. Overall, the data oﬀered no clear explanation for the discrepancy between reported stress levels of women and men. A number of commentators observed that they found the ﬁrst I M AG E | I STO C K

14/01/2021 15:22

H E A LT H A N DX XWXEXLXL XB XEIX N G

17% 16% 11%

My attitude towards work has improved during the Covid crisis

lockdown the most stressful period, but much of their anxiety lifted when they got into a working routine. Plum observes that our brains expend more energy on “things we have no frame of reference for” and the kinds of change that we collectively went through in spring 2020 are demanding or fatiguing in their own right, even without the added anxiety around disease. “That whole balancing act of trying to keep everything on the road during this period, whether they put it down to work-related stress or stresses from other parts of their life, I think it’s very diﬃcult to disentangle,” she stresses. “So I wonder whether some of the reporting of a higher level of stress is just that there’s a higher level of stress overall.”

My work performance has improved during the Covid crisis

I feel happier at work as a result of the Covid crisis

I am concerned that my job may be under threat because of the Covid crisis

14%

27%

My employer has been supportive of my wellbeing during the Covid crisis

15%

61%

56%

I have found it easier to remain motivated at work during the Covid crisis

Wellbeing in the workplace What does the survey tell us about how well employers have supported staff through Covid-19? Three-quarters of our respondents said that their employer provided some kind of support mechanism, such as a staff helpline. However, just 60 per cent said they felt they have been supported by their employer – a sharp difference. Comments left by respondents give us more insight into how individual planners were feeling in themselves, what factors were affecting their sense of wellbeing and how they felt about their employers (see left, Mental health and work). More than 70 per cent of respondents said they felt they had maintained a good work/life balance all (17 per cent) or most (56 per cent) of the time during the

Yes, always

No, not at all

Most of the time

Some of the time

Covid-19 crisis so far. This means more than a quarter of planners had not. That’s a significant proportion of planners struggling to keep their work and life in a healthy balance. What can they – and their employers – be doing to achieve better balance? “There are things that you can do to help your brain out [with] the things that it needs to perform well,” says Plum. “Like, not surprisingly, sleep, exercise, good nutrition, and a lack of distractions She continues: “These are small things, but if you can give your brain its best chance, given that it’s working under a lot more stress and has a lot more things to worry about, then you are kind of redressing the balance, if only a little.” As for employers, Plum observes that some of her clients have used the interruption to “reinvent the way they approached work and the workplace”. “If you don’t need everybody to schlep into the office every day, your recruitment portfolio changes and you can recruit people from different geographies, that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to attract. “They were almost sort of setting Covid on one side and saying: ‘What do we want to be? And how are we going to get there? And what do people need in order to support them?’ .” That could mean a comprehensive change in workplace culture. “[If] there is a demand for people to be able to work more flexibly to have more choice and more autonomy, then we need them to have the right skills. And we need the managers to have the right skills, so that they’re managing by outcome and consciously developing trust.” n Read the Advanced Workplace Associates Managing the Virtual Workforce report.

FE B R U AR Y 2 0 2 1 / THE PLA NNER 20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 23

23 14/01/2021 15:22

The planning system will be tasked with delivering specific public health outcomes relating to disease prevention and mitigation

The planning and design of public spaces will change to reflect concerns about health and wellbeing

The planning and design of housing will change to reflect the need for healthy living spaces

Planners will be given greater powers to resist development that increases exposure to air, noise or light pollution

The planning and design of transport infrastructure will shift away from an emphasis on travel by private car towards active travel and eﬃcient public transport

The planning system will be tasked with accelerating the installation of green infrastructure

45%

44%

29%

16%

67%

70%

37%

H E A LT H A N D W E L L B EI N G

Local planning will become a more important tool for delivering national health and/ or environmental outcomes

HIGHWAY TO HEALTH PLANNERS ARE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL OF PLANNING TO DELIVER BETTER PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES, SIMON WICKS REPORTS – BUT SCEPTICAL ABOUT WHETHER THE POLITICAL WILL EXISTS TO ENABLE THIS

T 24

here has been no end of discussion about what the Covid-19 pandemic has revealed about the relationship between the built environment and public health – much already covered in The Planner. With our survey, we wanted to get a sense of the extent to which this has filtered into the consciousness of planners and whether planners feel the planning system can respond to calls for

the built environment to support better public health outcomes. The good news is that planners seem well aware of their potential to deliver better health. Slightly more than half said that the way they think about planning had changed as a result of the Covid-19 crisis; our respondents’ comments cited the need for more spacious homes, better access to green space, a stronger focus on health, reimagined town centres,

T H E P L AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

I M AG E S | G E T T Y / I STO C K

20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 24

14/01/2021 15:22

virtual working, and so on. “Health and wellbeing needs to be higher up the agenda for planners,” insisted one public sector planner from the South East. “[There] needs to be greater consideration of the quality of the environments we are expecting people to live in. It must not just be about maximising numbers of houses and profits.” A private sector planner from the North West said: “Covid has changed the way everyone moves and uses spaces. There will be less demand for office space which will see change in our town and city centres. Where we live will change, as we can live farther away from the office.” Wellbeing was uppermost in our respondents’ minds. Seventy per cent agreed that planning and design of public spaces will change to reflect concerns about health and wellbeing; 67 per cent that planning and design of housing will change to reflect the need for healthy living spaces. “What we need to appreciate is that things were being done before

Covid,” says Michael Chang MRTPI, Public Health England’s (PHE) programme manager for planning and health. “It’s not like everything needs to change. “What Covid-19 has really highlighted is things like inequality. PHE published a couple of reports in summer and autumn looking at impacts of Covid on people who are obese and BAME people, on living conditions and people’s access to green space. It’s about being aware of who you are planning for.” Although there was majority support for planning to refocus on public health goals, commenters were sceptical about whether this could be achieved in the current political and economic environment (see right, Planning and public health – what you said).

Planning and public health – what you said “I am dubious as to whether the pandemic will change longterm national approaches to planning and placemaking – I think there will be a strong push to return to ‘business as usual’ once the pandemic dies down” – public sector planner, London “Planning is important but it is clearly not the only important factor. Reform to a number of areas including tax, land markets, rental sector, building control, transport, etc. will also be required.” – public sector planner, South West “Strategic planning is more of a long-term opportunity whereas the government will want a short-term response to kickstart the economy. Government funding is a major lever to incentivise economic activity but local government has very little money available to do what it thinks is right for their communities at the local level.” – private sector planner, South West

Yes

55%

“If you’re just looking at economic recovery then planning might not be too important, but if you’re talking about building better places for people to live, work, play, access nature and the environment then it absolutely has a fundamental part to play” – public sector planner, North West

45%

100% F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 25

14/01/2021 15:22

H E A LT H A N D W E L L B EI N G

“I fear that there will be less democratic accountability and an overwhelming use of permitted development to meet the 300,000 housing requirement which could contradict the desire of designing better-quality housing,” a public sector planner from the North West told us. “Planning has become so politicised in a party-political sense, that its aims as a profession rarely seem to fit neatly with the wants and needs of an increasingly individualistic and fragmented society,” wrote an academic planner, also from the North West. Chang relates the planning system’s ability to deliver to leadership, training and practicality rather more than politics. “The government might just say there’s enough scope in the NPPF for developers to do what they need to do,” he says. “The NPPF is quite strong on some of these issues.” He continues: “Some of these things might not need to have regulatory changes. You might just take a strong stance as a head of planning. “It comes down to practicalities. People know exactly what they need to do around space standards and air quality from an evidence perspective. They know what they have to do around good-quality housing, environment and active travel. It’s all there in local plans. What’s missing is how to translate that on to the ground.” Health impact assessments have the scope to “really focus people’s minds around inequalities in public health”. Planners also need training on specifics. “How do we use section 106 and CIL to promote health? How do we ensure planning conditions are met?” In particular, planners – who understand the system – need to work more closely with health professionals, who have the best grasp of the evidence required to inform planning for health. “We need to get down to details,” Chang concludes. Simon Wicks is deputy editor of The Planner

The Planner Jobs Careers Survey will be available in February. Watch our newsletters for details. Not subscribed? Sign up at bit.ly/ planner0221-subscriptions

Planning and public health: Q&A with Aude Bicquelet-Lock Prof Aude Bicquelet-Lock (AB-L) is the RTPI’s deputy head of policy and research and author of the RTPI research paper Enabling Healthy Placemaking in July 2020

What can planning do to support public health goals/ outcomes? AB-L: For decades, planners have been working to improve health and wellbeing; making the case for – among other things – active travel and neighbourhood design that promote physical activity, enhance social connections and strengthen mental health. They have also long argued for compact neighbourhoods with local facilities and public transport accessibility, allowing car-free access to jobs and wider services. The successful implementation of health principles in planning decisions relies heavily on public engagement and the active involvement of stakeholders in the process of decision-making. In a post-Covid 19 context – where radically new forms of neighbourhood designs and settlement patterns are likely to be desired by experts – it will be even more crucial to listen to the voices of communities who have experienced the direct impacts and consequences of one of the worst public health crises of recent years.

How does planning need to change to achieve this? AB-L: The RTPI’s recent report Enabling Healthy Placemaking highlights seven ways to enable planners to lead the way in creating healthy and sustainable communities: Move the debate forward. Putting principles of healthy placemaking into practice has become critical – and will become even more critical in a post-Covid-19 context. Make collaboration work. Greater levels of cooperation between public

health, social care and planning professionals are essential. Formalise health principles in planning decisions. Our study suggests that by incorporating health needs and impacts into the conceptualisation, design and planning of projects, policymakers, planners and built environment professionals are able to influence the development of sustainable communities. Equip planners with the right skills. Leadership, innovation, collaboration and negotiation were deemed essential to overcome barriers and oppositions. Resource planning adequately. Investing in planning is crucial to ensure delivery of healthy, sustainable places and inclusive communities. Engage the public in planning decisions. People thrive in places that fulﬁl their needs and that they have had the ability to shape. Shape the future. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented solutions. Participants in our study were keen to highlight the need for planners to be ‘visionaries’ in order to address the convergence of challenges around public health, climate emergency and economic recovery.

What is the RTPI doing to support this change, if anything? AB-L: The Enabling Healthy Placemaking report adds weight to the RTPI’s Plan the World We Need campaign which calls on governments across the UK and Ireland to capitalise on the expertise of planners to achieve a sustainable, resilient and inclusive recovery from Covid-19. Following the publication of the report, the RTPI announced that it intended to create a ‘Health Evidence Repository’ as well as publish practice notes describing key skills and delivery strategies necessary to implement healthy placemaking principles.

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

20-26 Careers feature_February 2021_The Planner.indd 26

14/01/2021 17:25

p27_PLN.FEB21.indd 2

08/01/2021 15:53

19 YRS People in the least deprived areas of England enjoy 19 more years of good health than those in the most deprived

2.7X The proportion of Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population aged 85+ in 2018 was 2.7 times greater than in 1971

16.6% Dementia was the most common cause of death in women in England in 2017, and the second most common among men (8.9%) and rising

34.3% More than a third of those aged 10-11 years in England were overweight or obese in 2017/18

4.9M The number of people with diabetes in England is expected to rise to 4.9 million by 2035, compared with 3.9m in 2017

4.5M The number of homes in England that failed to meet the Decent Homes Standard in 2019, including 25% of private-rented sector homes

28-36K Air pollution is estimated to cause 28-36,000 deaths in the UK each year. It is worse in areas of high deprivation

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

28-31 Healthy Outlook_February 2021_The Planner.indd 28

14/01/2021 15:25

H E A LT H I M P A C T A S S E S S M E N T S

A HEALTHY OUTLOOK IN THE WAKE OF THE RTPI’S CALL FOR MANDATORY HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENTS IN DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS, MARK COPE ASKS WHETHER IT’S ENOUGH TO ASSESS HEALTH IMPACTS OF THE PROJECT OR IS A STRATEGIC PLANNING HEALTH FOCUS ALSO NEEDED?

Source: Health Proﬁle for England 2019, Public Health England

e find ourselves in the worst global updated in 2019 to reflect this, advising that “a health health pandemic for over a century. impact assessment is a useful tool where there are As a novel virus spreads rapidly expected to be significant impacts”. through the population, there has Local development plans require planning been a deep shock to our normal applications to address health impacts on individuals ‘healthy’ way of life. Yet, according to the last Health where there is a policy in place – for example, air quality Profile for England in September 2019, health and or noise impact assessments. Some local policies also wellbeing outcomes have been declining for decades. require wider community impacts, such as open space Among other things, the profile relates that: there assessment or affordable housing proposals, to be is an ageing population; age-related disability has addressed in planning applications. increased; dementia has become However, outside of EIA there is the leading cause of death; mental no national requirement for HIA to “LAND USE PLANNING health problems have become more bring these assessments together PROVIDES AN common; obesity is increasing; and to consider health outcomes at OPPORTUNITY TO obesity in children is increasing; the community scale. EIA currently INFLUENCE THE diabetes is increasing; and only applies to around one in 1,300 SOCIAL, ECONOMIC improvements in life expectancy, planning applications, and HIA is only AND ENVIRONMENTAL which had been steadily growing a planning application requirement FACTORS in the 20th century, slowed down in around 30 per cent of local RESPONSIBLE FOR markedly in the previous decade. development plans. NEARLY HALF OF ALL These trends paint a bleak picture. In Enabling Healthy Placemaking VARIATION IN HEALTH Yet there is a substantial body of in July 2020, the RTPI called for OUTCOMES“ scientific literature linking decisions the use of HIA to be formalised we make as planners and designers (through legal requirements with health and wellbeing outcomes. or policy frameworks) in the Health impact assessment (HIA) conceptualisation, design and has become an established tool to planning phases of development predict consequences on health projects “as an important step towards outcomes to better inform decisions the implementation of healthy So as planners and designers, why are we not routinely placemaking outcomes in planning decisions”. using the evidence and tools available to us? But what is the relationship between placemaking and health and why does it matter? In 2010, the Marmot Review into health inequalities Assessing impacts in England highlighted that social, economic and In the consolidation of the Town and Country Planning environmental factors are the single key influence on (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2017, health inequality. Their unequal distribution, the review ‘Human Health’ was included as an environmental found, can account for 40 to 50 per cent of variation in impact assessment (EIA) topic. The NPPF guidance on health outcomes between places. promoting ‘healthy and safe communities’ was also

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 28-31 Healthy Outlook_February 2021_The Planner.indd 29

14/01/2021 15:26

Determinants of health

HIA guidance In October 2020 Public Health England published a guide to using health impact assessments in both spatial planning (ie, local plans) and in individual proposals. Download Health Impact Assessment in Spatial Planning: A Guide for Local Authority Public Health and Planning Teams bit.ly/planner0221-hia

The NPPF in 2012 set out that local development plans should deliver net gains in social, economic and environmental objectives to contribute to sustainable development. Planning thus provides us with an opportunity to positively influence health. New development projects in the UK can’t proceed without planning approval. However, we live on an island where developable land is at a premium. The commercial reality of development is as much about increasing land value as it is about sustainable land use planning for people. For planning to be an opportunity to influence health and wellbeing, we need to reconcile ourselves to the idea that economic land value should not be the only measure of a development project’s value. The Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission report Living with Beauty, recommends that the planning system should provide a measure of quality in terms of “wellbeing, public health, nature recovery and beauty”. Such measures, where designed to provide safe, healthy and attractive places to live, work and enjoy, can influence the wider value that new developments bring to an urban area.

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

28-31 Healthy Outlook_February 2021_The Planner.indd 30

To understand what inﬂuence planning and design can have on health and wellbeing, we need to think in terms of the ‘determinants of health’, the range of interacting factors that shape health and wellbeing in a population. The relationship between determinants of health and urban land use planning was conceptually modelled in 2006 by Hugh Barton and Marcus Grant in their A Health Map for the Local Human Habitat (below). Their model provides a framework that puts the health and wellbeing of people at the heart of planning. When thinking about how the health map relates to urban land use planning, we need to recognise that a social gradient exists, whereby people who are more disadvantaged have lower life expectancy and lower disability-free life expectancy than the more advantaged. On average, people from the most deprived areas of England will have almost 20 fewer years of life expectancy and healthy life expectancy than those in the most advantaged areas. The Index of Multiple Deprivation reveals that, spatially, concentrations of deprivation exist in the large urban conurbations, former industrialised areas, coastal towns and parts of East London. But it is important to note that pockets of deprivation surrounded Barton and Grant’s Health Map for the Local Human Habitat

by less deprived places exist in every region of England – even aﬄuent areas. Because health inequalities are spread unevenly, this places a burden on public health services locally. By understanding the social needs of the local population, appropriate measures can be designed into new development projects, so as not to create or exacerbate health inequalities. Relating back to Barton and Grant’s model, by maximising the value of the built environment through land use planning, we can inﬂuence people’s ability to be active, the local economy, the community, people’s lifestyles and ultimately their health and wellbeing.

A healthy ecosystem Within the built environment the principal determinants of health are often factors that influence the quality of urban areas, including housing stock and affordability, accessibility to local services, availability of open space and building design and functionality. These determine how well people are able to live their lives and can influence the health and wellbeing outcomes of whole neighbourhoods. Our health and wellbeing also rely on the condition of the natural environment – the global ecosystem and climate, but also the ecological resources, processes and sinks needed to maintain a healthy environment. The availability of ecosystem services such as clean air, a stable climate and access to nature have an important influence on health

I M AG E | I STO C K

14/01/2021 15:26

Clean air, a stable climate and access to nature have an important inﬂuence on health

interconnections of people, animals and habitats at a range of scales, the UN is calling for a ‘one health approach’ to prevent pandemics. It is not possible to assess all possible health impact pathways. Nevertheless, by using tools such as HIA to frame a study, and using the findings to mitigate likely effects, we can go some way to influence health and wellbeing outcomes.

Strategic influence While assessment of impacts at the planning application stage is a safeguard against inappropriate development, this alone cannot address long-term and wellbeing “WE NEED TO declines in health outcomes. RECONCILE and wellbeing Design influences OURSELVES outcomes. Similarly, on the natural TO THE IDEA the planning white environment, THAT ECONOMIC paper proposal to where focused LAND VALUE fast-track consent on improving SHOULD NOT of “beautiful health and BE THE ONLY buildings” with wellbeing, relate MEASURE OF A pre-prepared design to the protection DEVELOPMENT codes cannot and provision of PROJECT’S alone address ecosystem services. VALUE” the complex For example, interactions of reducing reliance humans with the on motor cars to built and natural protect air quality environment. can be influenced Spatial land by providing for use planning can influence active travel or electric car charging. the social, economic and Ecosystem services also influence environmental factors disease regulation. Around 75 per responsible for nearly half of cent of pathogenic diseases originate variation in health outcomes. But from wildlife, including Covid-19. there needs to be an approach Reports of human infections posing pandemic potential have increased – to reducing health inequalities based on the now substantial in particular, avian influenza viruses body of evidence for influencing – with some scientists now calling health and wellbeing outcomes. this a “a pandemic era”. Given the complex Over the past century a interconnections of different combination of population growth influences on health and and land use changes has resulted wellbeing at scales from the in large-scale fragmentation and global to the local, focusing only encroachment into habitats. This has on HIA in individual projects reduced natural ecosystem integrity, alone will not be enough. A brought human activities into closer wider strategic planning HIA contact with wild animals, and focus is therefore needed. created greater opportunities for pathogens to spill over from animals to people. n Mark Cope is an associate at Climate change exacerbates these Hoare Lea LLP, specialising in EIA issues. Recognising the complex and HIA

Conflicts in sustainable building design and functionality At the building scale there are often a number of conflicts between different elements of design and functionality. For example, the size of glazing to let in natural light; the need for natural ventilation to prevent overheating – particularly in the context of climate change; and the impact of external noise sources such as road traffic. Design measures focused on improving health and wellbeing outcomes could include reorientating the building to give a better aspect, setting the façade back from the road and the creation of open spaces for outside use.

State of play Only 30 per cent of local authorities in England have made health impact assessment mandatory on certain kinds of planning application. Doncaster, for example, has the following requirement: “Where developments fall into areas of high deprivation, where major development is planned or at oﬃcer discretion there will be a necessity to complete a health impact assessment (HIA).” Planning Practice Guidance states that: “It is helpful if the Director of Public Health is consulted on any planning applications (including at the pre-application stage) that are likely to have a signiﬁcant impact on the health and wellbeing of the local population or particular groups within it.” The PPG also stresses that planmaking bodies “will need to” discuss emerging strategies early with the likes of NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups while maintaining an awareness of the potential impacts of development on health infrastructure.

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 2 1 / THE PLA NNER 28-31 Healthy Outlook_February 2021_The Planner.indd 31

31 14/01/2021 15:27

CASE STUDY

CLOSER LOOK: NHS HEALTHY NEW TOWNS THE NHS HEALTHY NEW TOWNS PROGRAMME WORKED WITH 10 DEMONSTRATOR SITES ACROSS ENGLAND TO LOOK AT WAYS IN WHICH THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW PLACES ‘COULD CREATE HEALTHIER AND CONNECTED COMMUNITIES WITH INTEGRATED AND HIGHQUALITY SERVICES’

NHS England launched the Healthy New Towns programme in 2015 to explore how development of new places could provide an opportunity to create healthier and connected communities with integrated and high-quality health services. A hundred sites applied, from which 10 ‘demonstrator sites’ sites were chosen in March 2016.

The 10 demonstrator sites were: Barking Riverside, London; Barton, Ba Oxfordshire; Bicester, Oxfordshire; Ox Cranbrook, Cranbrook Devon; Darlington, County Durham; Ebbsfl Ebbs eet Garden City, Kent; Halton Lea, Runc Runcorn; Northstowe, Cambridgeshire; Whitehill & Bordon, Hampshire; and Whyndyke Garden Gard Village, Lancashire. These ranged from 900 homes to 15,000 homes, with each site having differing forms of health needs, levels of in income and inequalities. Click the image to w watch a video about Ebbsfleet.

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

32-33 Vis case study_February 2021_The Planner.indd 32

14/01/2021 16:00

CASE STUDY

Working with the built environment sector to improve health and wellbeing is part of the NHS Long Term plan. An NHSsupported quality standard for healthy neighbourhoods is being developed with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and Homes England, to further incentivise building health and wellbeing into developments and tackling inequalities.

The programme has worked with government to inﬂuence policy in housing, planning and health; it has fed into revisions to both the NPPF and National Planning Practice Guidance, and into a new cross-government network to share expertise and embed healthy placemaking across policy areas. In 2018, the programme also led to the launch of a network of housing developers which committed to prioritise health and wellbeing in their development sites..

Sir Malcolm Grant, chairman of NHS England in 2016, said when discussing the initiative that behavioural change remained a signiﬁcant challenge. “We’re not really very good at behavioural psychology. We know a lot about nudge, but actually changing the behaviours of a population that would improve their health is still quite an obstacle.”

The demonstrator sites were supported to create local programme teams and build partnerships, governance structures, delivery plans and interventions to drive forward healthy placemaking, with the aim of planning and designing a healthier built environment; enabling strong, connected communities; and creating new ways of providing integrated health and care services. I M A G E S | E B B S F L E E T D E V E L O P M E N T C O R P O R AT I O N / B A R K I N G R I V E R S I D E / S H U T T E R S T O C K / H E A LT H Y B I C E S T E R / A L A M Y

32-33 Vis case study_February 2021_The Planner.indd 33

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 16:00

CASE STUDY: RTPI AWARDS

The team moved beyond a ‘one-sizeﬁts-all approach’ to reach Tower Hamlets’ densely populated and diverse community

AN UNSEEN INFLUENCE AT THE START OF 2020, TOWER HAMLETS’ INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING TEAM WAS SHORTLISTED FOR AN RTPI AWARD, BUT BY THE TIME IT WAS ANNOUNCED AS THE WINNER, THE COVID19 PANDEMIC HAD CHANGED THE WORLD. MATT MOODY ASKS MANAGER MATTHEW PULLEN ABOUT HOW THE TEAM HAS ADAPTED

Award: RTPI Planning Excellence Award for Local Authority Planning Team of the Year Authority: London Borough of Tower Hamlets Council

Of all 32 London boroughs, Tower Hamlets will see the most significant increase in population and jobs over the next two decades. The council’s infrastructure planning service has risen to the challenge, leading the way in what is still a relatively new field within local authorities. function – obviously we’d much rather Last year it scooped the local authorbe out there on the ground speaking to ity planning team of the year award at people, but we’ve been able to function the 2020 RTPI Awards in April, winning and carry on.” praise from judges for its “inclusive and The team won praise from the awards innovative” work. By then, however, the judges for its borough-wide consultation Covid-19 pandemic had descended, asking residents what they thought the and the team was dealing with a new council should spend its Local Infraset of challenges. structure Fund money on (see In Focus, “It has been challenging for everyone, right). The awards submission explains particularly in highthat the team sought to density areas like the Isle move beyond a “one-sizeof Dogs,” says Matthew “I THINK WHAT THE fits-all approach” in order Pullen, who manages to reach the borough’s PANDEMIC HAS the infrastructure planDONE HAS BROUGHT “densely populated and ning team. “As a team diverse community”. MORE ATTENTION we’re fortunate in a way It achieved this through TO THESE ISSUES because we’re predomAND GIVEN THEM A a ‘piggy-back’ technique, inantly a desk-based BIGGER EMPHASIS” whereby officers co-par-

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

34-37 case Study_February 2021_The Planner.indd 34

14/01/2021 15:52

CASE STUDY: RTPI AWARDS

I N FO C U S : TOW E R HAMLETS LOCAL I N F R A S T RU C T U R E FUND Tower Hamlets recognises the importance of delivering both strategic infrastructure that makes places function and also neighbourhood-level infrastructure that creates great places to live and work, writes Matthew Pullen. The council’s Local Infrastructure Fund uses about £6 million a year of CIL, that is spent following extensive engagement with local people, encouraging them to guide priorities for infrastructure and suggest local projects. To ensure that real lasting change happens, the council considers the deliverability and social value of potential projects, prioritising initiatives that maximise multiple social, environmental and economic beneﬁts. Reﬂecting local priorities, upcoming ventures for delivery include a wide range of public realm greening, gardening, accessibility and quality improvements as well as public safety, youth outreach and community centre initiatives.

ticipated in existing community events and activities including jumble sales, over-50s luncheon clubs, and afterschool clubs. This work yielded more than 1,000 suggestions from residents for how and where infrastructure could improve the borough. The team was fortunate, Pullen says, in that the bulk of the public consultation work was done at the end of 2019, whereas 2020’s focus areas, as it turned out, were more suited to pandemic working conditions. “We’re renewing our planning obligations supplementary planning document (SPD) at the moment,” he says, “and that’s the kind of consultation that mainly interests developers, so is easier to do virtually. We did ensure opportunities

for residents to engage wherever possible using both online and paper based approaches. By the time we want to do something more expansive involving public workshops and collaboration, hopefully restrictions will have eased.” Other projects have been more heavily impacted by the pandemic, however. For example, as part of a joint project with the Greater London Authority (GLA)’s Infrastructure Delivery Coordination Team, Pullen and his colleagues have been working on a pilot scheme to better coordinate street construction work. “We wanted to ﬁnd a way to bring public sector leadership into dealing with the impacts of construction,” he says. Beyond just enforcement, the team

I M A G E S | K N I G H T A R C H I T E C T S F O R L B T O W E R H A M L E T S, T R A N S P O R T F O R L O N D O N, L B T O W E R H A M L E T S

34-37 case Study_February 2021_The Planner.indd 35

was looking for a “proactive solution” to minimise the disruption and delay that can arise when multiple sites are being developed at the same time. More coordination could, for example, reduce the number of times a road needs to be dug up for utility works, lowering both disruption and costs. “For that to really work, we need to be out on the ground, speaking with developers, contractors, local people, experiencing where the problems are. It’s not something you can do so easily from your desk, so we are keen to get back to the borough and make progress.” Partnerships play an important part in the team’s work. One example is an ongoing project to create a development viability digital toolkit for local authorities, in collaboration with the Connected Places Catapult and the GLA. The project’s aim, according to the awards submission, is to “enhance data availability for local authorities, improve scrutiny of viability appraisals, and provide a simpliﬁed approach for developers and

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 15:52

CASE STUDY: RTPI AWARDS

“FOR THAT TO REALLY WORK, WE NEED TO BE OUT ON THE GROUND, SPEAKING WITH DEVELOPERS, CONTRACTORS, LOCAL PEOPLE, EXPERIENCING WHERE THE PROBLEMS ARE”

enhanced information transparency for the public”. “In order to deal with viability in-house, you need good data,” says Pullen. “There’s plenty of it, but it’s contained within individual viability assessments that have come in over the past five or 10 years. So instead of half-heartedly dumping it in a spreadsheet, we wanted to come up with a user-friendly and resilient tool that would allow us to compare trends in things like build costs and profit margins. We were looking to engage some consultants and the people at Catapult, and then we discovered that they were in the early stages of a similar idea at Southwark. So we clubbed together to work on the initiative collaboratively... but obviously other things have demanded attention this year!” The team is also working on a number of other tools and digital solutions. In partnership with the London Boroughs of Greenwich and Newham, it developed a late payment interest calculator which is now widely used across the city. It is also involved in the GLA’s London Underground Asset Register (LUAR), a collaboration between 21 organisations and five other local authorities to create a digital map of underground pipes and cables, which planners hope will reduce the £1.2 billion annual cost to the UK economy of accidental damage to underground pipes. Technologies like these enable the team to plan in ways that “simply wouldn’t be possible” otherwise, says Pullen.

MONEY MATTERS Notwithstanding the economic challenges of the pandemic, the infra-

Tower Hamlets is somewhere that people want to build, says Pullen

structure planning team is in a strong position in terms of resources, Pullen explains. “Tower Hamlets is a location where developers want to build, with a market that appears to be more resilient to shorter-term economic pressures than other locations. This aﬀords us some comfort regarding the income that comes from development, supporting our eﬀorts to plan for and coordinate infrastructure and the impacts of development.” Many of the planning priorities that have come to the forefront over the last year were already part of the plan. “What we are broadly trying to achieve

is an urban environment where people can live comfortably that supports their physical and mental health, and initiatives like greening streets and planting trees, improving cycling infrastructure, diverting traﬃc away from schools – these were already part of the plan before this year. I think what the pandemic has done has brought more attention to these issues and given them a bigger emphasis. It’s been a redoubling of eﬀorts more than a change of focus for us, I would say.” Looking to the future, Pullen is taking a cautious approach to the govern-

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

34-37 case Study_February 2021_The Planner.indd 36

14/01/2021 15:52

CASE STUDY: RTPI AWARDS

IN FOCUS: UTILITIES PA R T N E R S H I P Tower Hamlets has been working in partnership with the GLA and utility companies to revolutionise the way that utilities are planned for and delivered to support residential and commercial growth, writes Matthew Pullen. By establishing a shared vision, supported by new mapping and data systems, and an agreement to conﬁdentially share information, the partnership is setting out plans to deliver innovative utility provision. The partnership recognises both the need for bespoke locally focused solutions for Tower Hamlets and the role this can have in achieving local and global ambitions regarding climate change and long-term sustainability. Partners hope that this work may assist in developing a template for other authorities and utility companies to use in the future.

“WHAT WE ARE BROADLY TRYING TO ACHIEVE IS AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHERE PEOPLE CAN LIVE COMFORTABLY THAT SUPPORTS THEIR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH”

ment’s proposed planning reforms. “What I liked about the planning white paper was that it put a proper focus on infrastructure – it deﬁnitely wasn’t an afterthought,” he says. “But the suggestions are so high-level at this stage that it’s diﬃcult to think about how to prepare for them. We expect there are con-

I M A G E S | K N I G H T A R C H I T E C T S F O R L B T O W E R H A M L E T S, T R A N S P O R T F O R L O N D O N, L B T O W E R H A M L E T S

34-37 case Study_February 2021_The Planner.indd 37

siderable changes yet to come before these reforms come in, so we don’t want to overreact too soon.” One thing he would like to see improved is the community infrastructure levy (CIL). “On a technical level, I think CIL could be simplified considerably. It has become a bit of a legal minefield. The regulations have changed a few times and there are still parts that are difficult to interpret. It is essential however, that any new levy approach remains set at a local level to ensure it can best provide for the infrastructure required to support growth while not inhibiting development from coming ahead and that is going to be at very different levels across the country.” More specifically frustrating, he adds, is the requirement for funding to be spent within the year it is received. “It’s hard to plan effectively with that limit in place, and it inhibits consistent resourcing. A three-year rolling cap would smooth out that process. It’s a simple thing.” n Matt Moody is section editor for The Planner

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 15:53

LANDSCAPE

C&D { C

CASES &DECISIONS

A N A LY S E D B Y M A T T M O O D Y / A P P E A L S @ T H E P L A N N E R . C O . U K

Scrapyard can become UK’s largest EV charging station Plans to make an electric vehicle charging station at a scrapyard in the Cotswolds one of the biggest such facilities in Europe can go ahead, after an inspector found that the scheme aligned with government objectives. The appeal concerned a scrapyard in the Cotswold AONB, roughly in between Cheltenham and Oxford. The appellant planned to redevelop the site to create an electric car service station with up to 102 charging points. The facility would not only be “larger than any existing or planned charging facility in the UK”, but also “one of the largest in Europe”. Referring to the government’s 2018 ‘road to zero strategy’, inspector Paul Singleton found “little doubt” that the government “expects electric vehicles to be at the forefront of its planned transition to zero-emissions transport”. The same paper states that the transition would require a charging infrastructure network that is “easy to use... aﬀordable, eﬃcient and reliable”. Although it envisages that most vehicle-charging will take place at home, it also notes the importance of “range anxiety” for drivers considering an electric vehicle purchase, and sets out objectives for increasing

the provision of public charging points. Against the backdrop of the prime minister’s ambition for the UK to have “one of the best and most comprehensive charging networks in the world”, Singleton noted, the current provision in the south-west of the country was at “a very low level”. Although there was no policy requirement for the appellant to demonstrate the viability of or need for a charging station, he said, there was little doubt that “signiﬁcant need” did exist. The inspector noted that the proportion of rapid chargers had increased to around 60 per cent of the total to be provided since the application was lodged in 2018. Rapid chargers can provide a car with 80 per cent of its battery capacity in around half an hour – as opposed to ‘slow chargers’, which take at least four hours – but require more power. The council was concerned about the capacity of the area’s electricity network to power the rapid chargers. Singleton was not convinced, agreeing with the appellant that the government was likely to expect energy companies to carry out infrastructure improvements to support its zero-emissions objective, and that the appeal scheme’s phased construction over a number of years would

allow them time to do so if necessary. Singleton acknowledged the council’s concern that drivers using the slow chargers might try to walk to nearby attractions along unsafe routes while waiting for their cars to recharge. For this reason he agreed that a condition limiting the use of the car park for charging purposes should be applied. Although he acknowledged the concerns of nearby residents about increasing numbers of tourists visiting their “very picturesque villages”, the inspector was not persuaded that the charging station would become a destination in its own right. In the planning balance, Singleton noted that the scheme would support the transition to zero emissions,

LOCATION: Lower Slaughter AUTHORITY: Cotswold District Council

INSPECTOR: Paul Singleton PROCEDURE: Inquiry DECISION: Allowed REFERENCE: APP/ F1610/W/20/3248674

enhance the scenic beauty of the AONB, support the Cotswolds economy, and reduce pollution in the area. Finding no signiﬁcant harm to weigh against these beneﬁts, he allowed the appeal.

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

38-41 C and D_February 2021_The Planner.indd 38

14/01/2021 15:54

These are just a few of the 40 or so appeal reports that we post each month on our website: www.theplanner.co.uk/decisions

Exception made for awardwinning dog keepers An inspector has granted a personal permission allowing a Holbeach couple to keep up to 10 dogs at their home contrary to case law, citing the appellant’s wife’s success at Crufts and other dog shows.

Displaced shooting club’s relocation plans denied

I M AG E S |

ISTOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK

A historic shooting club in Maidenhead that was forced to vacate its home of 50 years to make way for a new school has had its relocation plans refused by an inspector, who cited harm to green belt openness. The appeal concerned Maidenhead Target Shooting Club, one of the UK’s oldest small-bore rifle shooting clubs. Since 1967, the club had been based at Braywick Park in south Maidenhead, but in 2019, the council terminated the club’s lease to make way for a new school at the site. The club then planned to relocate to another site three kilometres away. The council refused, citing conflict with green belt policy. At the subsequent hearing the appellant argued that the scheme would be a facility for outdoor sport, allowed under NPPF green belt rules. Inspector Nick Davies was satisfied that the facilities proposed would be appropriate for sporting uses. However, facilities for outdoor sport are only allowed in the green belt if they preserve its openness. Bearing in mind that the site was previously undeveloped, Davies was concerned that the cumulative volume of the buildings proposed would have a “substantial spatial impact”. In the planning balance, Davies noted that while the council had been unable to suggest any alternative sites when it approved plans to build a school at the LOCATION: Maidenhead club’s original site, there had been no statutory AUTHORITY: Windsor & Maidenhead requirement for it to do so. Borough Council Since then, the club had made a “concerted effort” INSPECTOR: Nick Davies to find a new home, investigating 26 sites, but PROCEDURE: Hearing had been unsuccessful. Davies agreed that the DECISION: Dismissed sporting and community benefits of replicating the REFERENCE: APP/ previous facility carried T0355/W/20/3251178 considerable weight, but concluded that these were not enough to outweigh the green belt harm he had identified.

The appeal concerned a semi-detached home in Holbeach, south Lincolnshire. In August, the council issued an enforcement notice alleging the keeping of 13 dogs at the property. It argued that according to case law and subsequent appeals, only the keeping of six or fewer dogs can be incidental to a residential use. The appellant and his wife explained that they did not operate a commercial enterprise, but had been involved in dog showing as a hobby for more than 35 years, and had won awards at Crufts and other European shows. Inspector Elizabeth Pleasant was not persuaded, commenting that although the dogs had “only ever been bred, kept and shown as a hobby”, the activities at the property had still gone beyond what would normally be considered “incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling house”. However, she noted, the existing use had been “ongoing for many years”, with no indication that it had caused the council concern. As a founding member of the Tibetan Mastiﬀ Club of

LOCATION: Holbeach AUTHORITY: South Holland District Council

INSPECTOR: Elizabeth Pleasant PROCEDURE: Written submissions DECISION: Allowed REFERENCE: APP/ A2525/W/20/3258203

Great Britain, the appellant’s wife “clearly has an aﬃnity for the breed”, the inspector noted,. It was “highly probable” that this level of expertise had contributed to the absence of noise complaints in the past. Pleasant noted that the owners were “scaling down” their operation, and planned only to keep their remaining dogs “as part of the family” for the rest of their lives. She was satisﬁed that subject to a condition limiting the number of dogs at the property to 10, there would be no nuisance to neighbours.

FEBRUARY 2021 / THE PLANNER 38-41 C and D_February 2021_The Planner.indd 39

14/01/2021 15:54

LANDSCAPE

C&D { C National Design Guide conﬂict condemns 300-home scheme

LOCATION: Northampton AUTHORITY: South Northamptonshire District Council INSPECTOR: John Woolcock PROCEDURE: Inquiry DECISION: Dismissed REFERENCE: APP/ Z2830/W/20/3251622

Developer Manor Oak Homes sought permission to build 300 homes on agricultural land at the south edge of the Northampton urban area, next to the M1 motorway. The council refused permission against the advice of its oﬃcers. At the inquiry, the appellant referred to a document published by the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation in 2000, which sets out a maximum walking distance of 2,000 metres between

Canal yard regeneration plan offers public benefits Plans by a specialist developer to redevelop a ‘neglected’ canal yard near Stockport and convert its listed warehouse into a community hub can go ahead despite the loss of some historic fabric. The appeal concerned a former canal yard in Marple, near Stockport. The site comprised a strip of waterfront land and a listed canal warehouse, adjacent to the confluence of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest canals. The appellant, H20 Urban – a partnership between the Canal & River Trust and the development company Bloc, which specialises in waterfront development – sought permission to redevelop the site. The scheme involved

the conversion of the listed warehouse to create a mixeduse facility oﬀering a café, heritage display, community space and gift shop, as well

homes and services. Inspector Woolcock was not persuaded, referring to the National Design Guide, published by the government in 2019, which describes “walking distance” as no more than a 10-minute walk, or a radius of 800 metres. In terms of bus services, the inspector agreed with bus operator Stagecoach’s questioning of whether the 300 homes proposed would “generate the 200 fare-paying passengers per day... necessary to make the

service commercially viable”. Drawing his ﬁndings on sustainability together, Woolcock’s judgement was that the development would have “poor connectivity with the Northampton urban area”, and that the appellant had understated future residents’ reliance on cars and the harm this would cause. In the planning balance, the inspector noted that the appeal site did not form part of the development area deﬁned in the council’s joint core strategy.

as the construction of seven new waterside homes and a waterway service station. Inspector Gareth W Thomas’s decision turned on the scheme’s heritage impacts. In terms of the warehouse works, Thomas said the council’s reasoning appeared “slightly opaque”, given that it had already granted listed building consent – an “important material consideration”. The proposed development would “enhance the character” of the conservation area, he found, but would cause the loss of some sections of stone walling, which a 2008 heritage assessment had indicated should be “retained and incorporated” into any redevelopment. However, the proposal would provide seven new homes in a sustainable

LOCATION: Marple

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

Plans for 300 homes south of Northampton have been rejected by an inspector, who cited the development’s ‘poor connectivity’ and conﬂict with the government’s 2019 National Design Guide.

AUTHORITY: Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council INSPECTOR: Gareth W Thomas PROCEDURE: Written submissions DECISION: Allowed REFERENCE: APP/ C4235/W/20/3252201

location, noted the inspector, along with a “much-needed community resource” in the converted warehouse and modern facilities for the operation of the canal. It would also preserve a listed building that was “showing signs of deterioration”.

T H E P L AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

38-41 C and D_February 2021_The Planner.indd 40

14/01/2021 15:54

DECISIONS DIGEST{

SUBSCRIBE to our appeals digest:

https://subs.theplanner. co.uk/register

Student halls refused at site allocated for housing

Wind energy deferred policy defer nonexistent to nonexist plan

Plans for a seven-storey block of 182 student bedrooms on land in Reading already allocated for regular R housing have been blocked because h the inspector ruled in favour of the “pressing need” for aﬀordable housing. bit.ly/planner0221-digs

An inspector has approved plans for two ‘micro turbines’ at a business park near Worcester, orcester, after discovering ring that the local plan n had “created a lacuna” cuna” by deferring renewable ewable energy policy y to a neighbourhood od plan that did not yet exist. bit.ly/planner0221-wind r0221-wind

Council failed to inform all parties of enforcement action An inspector has quashed Barnet Borough Council’s enforcement action against the subdivision of a terraced property in Hendon because it had relied on “the likelihood of one party informing another” about the action. bit.ly/ planner0221-hendon

Hotel conversion rsion would cause unacceptablee job losses

180home scheme would help to fill ‘planled lacuna’ An inspector has granted outline permission for 180 homes in the Amber Valley, ruling that the scheme’s impact on traﬃc in the area would not reach the NPPF threshold of “severe” required for withholding permission. bit.ly/planner0221-traﬃc

An inspector has rejected plans to convert a 12-bedroom hotel in a small Yorkshire village into self-catered holiday accommodation, citing unacceptable job losses and harm to the community. bit.ly/planner0221-hotel

Cohousing scheme would C hharm Polish war camp

‘Very limited’ capacity justifies green belt SEN facility

A not-for-proﬁt cohousing project at a h post-war military camp p iin Staﬀordshire that would have involved the w conversion of some of the c ssite’s historic buildings has been rejected by h an inspector. bit.ly/ a y planner0221-pow p p

An inspector has approved plans for the expansion of a special needs school in Surrey that clashed with green belt rules, citing the “very limited” oﬀering in the area that had left some children out of school. bit.ly/planner0221-sen

Boundarystraddling hhotel extension escapes enforcement

Family at fishery restaurant wouldd cause green belt harm

RC AP EM PE EN AL T S

E UR IS LE

NE SI BU

UN MM

Y IT

L LE

GA CO

RO VI EN

GR MO DE

E NC NA FI

WE HEA LL LT BE H & IN G

E SC ND LA

Plans to open up the use of a ﬁshery’s private restaurant to anglers’ family members would be unenforceable and would render the business inappropriate in the green belt, an inspector has ruled. bit.ly/planner0221-angler

DE PE VE RM LO IT PM TE EN D T

G IN

GE RI

GN SI DE

An inspector has quashed enforcement action against a hotel extension scheme that crossed into another t council’s jurisdiction, ruling that upholding the notice would cause unacceptable uncertainty. bit.ly/planner0221-enforce

FEBRUARY 2021 / THE PLANNER 38-41 C and D_February 2021_The Planner.indd 41

14/01/2021 15:55

LANDSCAPE

LLegal landscape OPINION

Heathrow’s Supreme Court victory does not clear third runway for take-off Heathrow may have cleared a legal hurdle that was blocking the path to a third runway, but others remain, say Eleanor Reeves and Kathryn Hampton A third runway at Heathrow greenhouse gas emissions by airport has been controversial 2050. In November 2016, the since the idea was first aired. government ratified the Paris The government’s support agreement, which enshrined for the new runway was a stronger international set out in the 2018 Airports commitment to mitigating National Policy Statement climate change and aims to (ANPS), which sets out achieve net-zero greenhouse the national policy that gas emissions from 2050. governs the construction of However, it was not until a third runway a year after the at Heathrow. adoption of the It is significant ANPS that the “THE COURT because any government UNANIMOUSLY application for CONCLUDED THAT passed development legislation to THE ANPS WAS consent for the LAWFUL, BUT THE replace the runway will 80 per cent JOURNEY TO A be considered target with a THIRD RUNWAY against this net-zero target, HAS ONLY JUST policy. announcing BEGUN” Campaigners that the UK was challenged the the first major lawfulness of economy in the the ANPS and world to do so. initially won in The legal the Court of Appeal, but the challenge to the ANPS was decision was overturned by pursued by the Mayor of the Supreme Court on 16 London, five local authorities December 2020. The Supreme and several environmental Court’s judgment means that groups. Having lost their Heathrow Airport will be able case in the High Court, the to apply for a development claimants won on appeal on consent order (DCO) for the one ground relating to climate third runway, with the support change. of a lawful ANPS. On this point, the Court The ANPS became national of Appeal said that the policy in June 2018. At that ANPS should have taken the time, the Climate Change Act government’s commitment 2008 set a target of an 80 to the Paris agreement into per cent reduction in 1990 account, not just the targets

under the Climate Change Act 2008. As a result, the ANPS was unlawful and of no legal eﬀect. Heathrow Airport Ltd appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court allowed Heathrow’s appeal. It was satisﬁed that the Secretary of State for Transport acted rationally and in compliance with his legal obligations. The secretary of state’s report accompanying the ANPS referenced the UK’s obligations under domestic and international law and the Supreme Court said he did not need to go into more detail. The court unanimously concluded that the ANPS was lawful, but the journey to a third runway has only just begun. Decision-makers will have to take the current (net-zero) climate change targets into account when determining the DCO and campaigners are threatening to take the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, so watch this space. Things are certainly moving at pace. Since the Supreme Court hearing, the government has announced its commitment to meeting interim net-zero emissions targets, including a 68 per cent net reduction in emissions by 2030, and in

partnership with Italy, the UK is hosting the next climate change conference (COP26) in November 2021. Hot on the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling, another campaign group has urged the secretary of state to review the ANPS in line with the 2030 and 2050 targets. Pressure remains on decision-makers when approving major projects in line with these overarching climate targets. They will certainly need to keep abreast of their various legal duties and requirements, and could be in for a bumpy ride. Eleanor Reeves is partner and Kathryn Hampton is senior expertise lawyer with Ashurst LLP

In brief Heathrow Airport won an appeal against a ruling making a proposed third runway unlawful on environmental grounds The new ruling found the government’s disputed ANPS was lawful, opening the way for a third runway But Heathrow will now have to contend with even stiffer climate commitments that have been made since its initial proposal

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

42-43 Legal_February 2021_The Planner.indd 42

14/01/2021 15:55

EVENTS

CASES

LEGISLATION

NEWS

ANALYSIS

NEWS Supreme Court overturns Court of Appeal ruling over third Heathrow runway The Supreme Court has overturned a Court of Appeal ruling that the Airports National Policy Statement (ANPS) was unlawful, meaning that a development consent order (DCO) can now be sought for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. It follows the conclusion arrived at in February 2020, by Judges Lord Justice Lindblom, Lord Justice Singh and Lord Justice Haddon-Cave, that “the ANPS was not produced as the law requires, and indeed as Parliament has expressly provided”. The ANPS sets the planning policy framework the airport will use to bring forth the planning application. But the judges had said the statutory regime for formulating a national policy statement, which Parliament put in place in the Planning Act 2008, “was not fully complied with”. Chris Grayling, transport secretary when the ANPS was approved in June 2018, should, they said, have taken into account the Paris agreement “in the preparation of the ANPS and an explanation given as to how it was taken into account, but it was not”. The judges considered this to be “legally fatal to the ANPS in its present form” and that it was necessary to grant a reform. The challenge was brought by campaigners, including Friends of the Earth Ltd (FoE) and Plan B Earth. The government did not challenge the Court of Appeal decision, but Heathrow Airport Ltd did. In October 2020, a two-day appeal hearing was held before a panel of ﬁve Supreme Court justices. They heard the challenge bought by Heathrow Airport Ltd against the Court of Appeal verdict. The Supreme Court rejected Plan B Earth’s argument that the reasons in the ANPS needed to refer to the Paris agreement targets in order to comply with section 5(8) of the Planning Act 2008. Friends of the Earth’s contention, that Grayling breached this duty on the ground that he failed to have proper regard to the Paris agreement when designating the ANPS, was dismissed. The judges noted that it is “clear” from both the appraisal of sustainability and the ANPS “that the applicant for a DCO would have to address the environmental rules and policies which were current when its application would be determined”.

Coroner cites air pollution’s role in death of six-year old girl A coroner has ruled that air pollution was in part the cause for the death of a nine-year-old girl who suffered from severe asthma. Ella Kissi-Debrah died in February 2013 as a result of acute respiratory failure, severe asthma and air pollution exposure, concluded inner South London coroner Philip Barlow. She was exposed to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter (PM) pollution that were far in excess of World Health Organization guidelines, he found. Traffic emissions were the principal source of the pollution. Barlow decided that the failure to reduce pollution levels to legal limits possibly contributed to Kissi-Debrah’s death. This, he said, had been compounded by a failure to provide the child’s mother with the information that air pollution can exacerbate asthma. During Kissi-Debrah’s life, nitrogen dioxide emissions across Lewisham, where Kissi-Debrah lived, exceeded legal limits – both European Union and national levels. Particulate matter levels were above the World Health Organization guidelines, said Barlow, who found that air pollution both induced and exacerbated Kissi-Debrah’s particular form of severe asthma. All of Kissi-Debrah’s life had been lived in “close proximity” to roads that are highly polluted, said Barlow, adding: “I have no difficulty in concluding that her personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide and PM was very high.” Kissi-Debrah’s mother, Rosamund, fought to have her daughter’s death examined by a second coroner. The ruling is the first of its kind in the UK.

LEGAL BRIEFS High Court compromise over Barbican experimental traﬃc order A High Court judge has allowed a legal challenge to the introduction of an experimental traﬃc order (ETO) in the City of London, but has refused to quash the ETO, says Local Government Lawyer. bit.ly/planner0221-Barbican

Environment Agency considers legal action over peat slide Legal action may be taken if any organisation is found responsible for a peat slide that sent thousands of tonnes of trees, bog and vegetation slipping into rivers in east Donegal and west Tyrone, The Irish News reports. bit.ly/planner0221-peat

One more time… Mark Child of Dentons considers a Court of Appeal ruling on plans for housing in Snowdonia and what it means for sites with multiple planning permissions. bit.ly/planner0221-snowdonia

Bellway hit with £600,000 ﬁne over damage to bat breeding site A housebuilder has been ordered to pay the largest ﬁne issued by a court for a wildlife crime, after pleading guilty to destroying a bat breeding site in South London, Local Government Lawyer reports. bit.ly/planner0221-bat

Future of town centres This webinar, hosted by RTPI South East on 4 March, will focus on the regeneration and reimagining of high streets in Britain, including a case law update. bit.ly/planner0221-highstreet

Planning condition secure funding for pop-up LGBT venue A property developer has promised to pay £100,000 to fund a ‘pop-up LGBT+ bar’ to give Londoners an inclusive place to meet during the redevelopment of gay nightclub The Joiners Arms, The Guardian reports. bit.ly/planner0221-gaybar

Judge considers 18th century law to resolve bridleway row A High Court judge has had to consult legislation from 1797 in a dispute over a bridle road in Somerset, Local Government Lawyer reports. bit.ly/planner0221-bridle

FE B R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 42-43 Legal_February 2021_The Planner.indd 43

14/01/2021 15:56

NEWS RTPI news pages are edited by Will Finch at the RTPI, 41 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DL

RTPI membership reaches new heights despite Covid challenges and lack of resourcing The RTPI has entered the new year in a position of strength with a record number of members and apprentices. Despite a challenging 2020, the total number of RTPI members has reached 26,000 for the first time, including continued growth in the ‘pipeline’ categories of Student and Affiliate. There has also been an excellent take-up of the new Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship, with more than 200 apprentices currently studying at 10 universities across England. Encouragingly, 65 per cent are female, more than 80 per cent are employed in the public sector, and more than half come from families where neither parent has a degree. However, amid the positive news of membership and apprenticeship numbers, the RTPI continues to hear from local authority planners, particularly in England, who feel that they are working with one hand behind their backs, unable to do their jobs fully because of a lack of resourcing. A recent RTPI survey found that over 60 per cent of members felt they were sufficiently skilled to deliver on the government’s ambitions for design and placemaking, but were unable to do so because they were too busy delivering wider planning priorities. RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills said: “We are delighted that membership of the RTPI has grown in 2020, despite the difficulties we have all faced. Planners around the country are taking the important step

in their careers of seeking to achieve Chartered status, the hallmark of professional expertise and integrity. “Employers and members of the public know that planners with MRTPI after their name are those who have seriously invested in their own professional development and adhere to a code of conduct specifying high standards of professional ethics. “We are also extremely pleased that the new planning apprenticeship is realising our ambition to broaden the talent pool of young people entering the profession. As the country starts to recover from the pandemic and mitigate the effects of climate change and Brexit, we need talent now like never before – our Plan the World We Need campaign highlights the vital importance of having expert planners if we are to succeed in tackling these challenges. “However, we are painfully aware that planning authorities across the country are under-resourced. Despite the best efforts of planners themselves, unless there is sufficient investment from government we risk failure in achieving government and society’s goals of creating greener, more inclusive and economically resilient places with sufficient well-designed homes and buildings located in vibrant places. “This is why we have asked for £500 million for planning authorities over the next three years. Planners are ready, willing and certainly able to deliver – just think how much the profession could achieve with sufficient resources.”

RTPI MEMBERSHIP IN NUMBERS How RTPI membership has grown since 2014

26,115

25,154

22,885

2014

2018

2021

2.1% The increase in total number of RTPI members in 2020

n Total RTPI membership includes both Chartered members and members in all other classes

15,124 Total number of Chartered members, the ﬁrst time the 15,000 mark has been reached

6.2% The increase in 2020 in number of members in the vital 'pipeline' classes (Student, Licentiate, Affiliate and Associate)

n All ﬁgures were correct at 1 January 2021

T H E P L AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

44-47 RTPI News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 44

14/01/2021 15:56

Editorial E: rtpinews@rtpi.org.uk

RTPI (switchboard) T: 020 7929 9494

Registered charity no. 262865 Registered charity in Scotland SCO37841

MY VIEW ON…

S A I N T H E LE N A I S L A N D

Working on a small island with little contact with the outside world, planner Ismail Mohammed must cope with some unusual challenges Saint Helena is a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic Ocean, and is described as one of the most remote places in the world, being 1,200 miles west of the closest land mass of the Angolan coast. Although the island’s planning system is based on the UK system, it works very diﬀerently in practice. As much of the island is an environmental oasis, there is considerable resistance to development and the challenge is to strike the right balance between economic growth and environmental protection. Any development will have some effect on the natural environment, and the expectation from the environmental lobby is that there should be a full EIA undertaken to

assess the impact of all developments. Being so small and remote, there is real knowledge shortage on the island in this area, making such assessments particularly difficult. There are currently several major development projects in the pipeline, including the landing of fibre-optic [Above] Jamestown, capital of Saint Helena island cables and the development of wind turbines. Getting these developments through n Ismail Mohammed MRTPI is Head the planning process has been of Planning and Building and Chief challenging, but has been achieved Planning Oﬃcer for the Saint Helena through a close working relationship Government. He previously worked for with both international agencies and Buckinghamshire County Council. local people. bit.ly/planner0221-sthelena

POSITION POINTS

PLANNING REFORM RTPI CHIEF EXECUTIVE VICTORIA HILLS The RTPI welcomes the government’s announcement that it will be setting out decisions on a proposed way forward for reform to the planning system in the spring, before preparing for possible legislation in autumn. As the largest body to represent the planning profession, we will continue to work constructively with government. One area that we will be looking at particularly closely is the so-called housing algorithm. Despite revisions to the formula to encourage more homes to be built on brownﬁeld urban sites in the West Midlands and northern England, we still have concerns that a purely targetbased approach to housing is too narrow an approach. Relying on a spreadsheet as a foundation for housing policy risks sidelining wider priorities. Housing development needs to be considered as part of a national strategy for green economic growth taking into account transport, infrastructure, health, jobs and the transition to net-zero.

PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS RICHARD BLYTH, RTPI HEAD OF POLICY The government’s recent consultation on a new permitted development right for Class E to C3 conversions is a big move because the newly-created Class E is so wide-ranging. It is also an odd move because the need to rescue town centres is greater than ever and this risks filling high streets with dead frontages. This new PDR could also lead to councils being unable to plan for economic recovery if any building permitted in order to generate jobs can simply become an unsuitable home. The founders of our planning system would be appalled if they knew we were using it to house people on industrial estates. The use of permitted development is not a simple solution to resource shortages. Rather than more PDRs, we need sufficient funding for the planning system to ensure it can operate effectively and efficiently. The planning system is not a design system – limiting its application to the appearance of a building rather than its use limits the system’s ability to deliver real outcomes for people. I M AG E S | RT P I

44-47 RTPI News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 45

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

14/01/2021 15:57

NEWS

People ‘more interested and invested’ in local communities than ever before, report ﬁnds

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

44-47 RTPI News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 46

n Innovative new RTPI research has

brought the views of the public to the forefront of the debate on the future of the UK’s high streets and town centres. The research used sentiment analysis and text-mining techniques to look at almost 4,000 comments posted under articles published on the Guardian website. It found that many commenters believe that Covid-19 is speeding up changes to the high streets that were already happening before the pandemic and that there is unlikely to be a return to the 'old normal' in terms of shopping habits. Report author Prof Aude Bicquelet-Lock said: “The views of the public have largely remained absent from the debate about how we should plan future towns and cities. This is a significant absence — especially in a context where the impact of placemaking on people’s health and wellbeing has been widely acknowledged.”

Outgoing RTPI President Sue Manns FRTPI has announced the joint recipients of the President’s Award for 2020 – Charlotte Morphet MRTPI and Alison Mackay MRTPI of Women in Planning, Helen Fadipe MRTPI of the BAME Planners Network and Jennifer Offord MRTPI, Atefeh Motamedi AssocRTPI, Keeley Mitchell, Layla Vidal-Martin MRTPI and Sarah Zengeya of the Neurodiversity in Planning Network. Sue made the announcement as part of her valedictory speech, broadcast on the RTPI’s YouTube channel in January prior to the inauguration of Dr Wei Yang FRTPI as President for 2021. Wei is Chair of award-winning master planning firm Wei Yang & Partners. n For more on Wei Yang’s inauguration speech, see page 9

RTPI LIBRARY SERIES The RTPI has welcomed a new editorial board for the RTPI Library Series, published in partnership with Routledge. The RTPI Library Series features 44 titles from globally renowned authors on all aspects of spatial planning theory and practice from a comparative and international perspective. The new members of the editorial board (pictured l-r) are: o Chair: Prof Mark Tewdwr Jones PhD FRTPI (Professor of Cities and Regions at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London) o Prof Akira Drake Rodriguez MPA PhD (Assistant Professor, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania) o Dr Belinda Yuen PhD MRTPI (Professorial Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Singapore University of Technology and Design) n For more information on the RTPI Library Series, visit bit.ly/planner0221-library

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

The need for more community involvement as the UK’s places and services adapt to a post-pandemic world has been highlighted in a new report from the RTPI and consultation and engagement practice Grayling Engage. More than half of the general public surveyed agreed that not only do decisions need to made about changes to local places, spaces and services over the coming years – but also that they want to be involved in these decisions. The RTPI’s Sue Manns FRTPI said: “It is vital that we capitalise on the renewed interest of communities in shaping the way places recover from the pandemic. Local knowledge, which has been key in responding to the crisis, must be at the centre of a place-based approach to local decision-making. “Planners should be resourced and ready to respond with inclusive and innovative ways of engaging people across society in shaping their future places.” Rikki Butler, Head of Grayling Engage and co-author of the report, said: “Given how much local areas and services will need to adapt after the pandemic, harnessing this interest will be essential to ensuring the decisions that are being taken truly reﬂect the needs of local communities.” The UK-wide research involved both the general public and industry professionals working across planning, property, infrastructure and health. Action to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change was the biggest priority for the public, with almost half saying that they would like to get involved in decision-making. This was closely followed by the creation of more communal areas and green spaces, which have provided a haven for many families during the recent Covid lockdowns.

Sue Manns announces 2020 President’s Award

I M AG E S | RT P I

14/01/2021 15:57

G PLANNIN AHEAD MEMBER NEWS

Key dates for 2021 Look out for the announcement of the ﬁnalists for the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2021. Many thanks to all the people and teams FEB who submitted entries this year despite the challenging circumstances. The 2021 Awards will recognise the most outstanding projects, teams and people in these categories: n Young Planner of the Year (sponsored by Places for People) n Planning Heroes in a Pandemic n Small Planning Consultancy of the Year (sponsored by Optimis Consulting) n Planning Consultancy of the Year (sponsored by Downey Planning & Architecture) n Planning Authority Team of the Year n In-house Planning Team of the Year n Plan Making Practice n Heritage and Culture n Natural Environment n Health and Wellbeing n Planning to Deliver Homes – large schemes (50 or more homes) n Planning to Deliver Homes – small schemes (up to 50 homes) n Planning for a Successful Economy – sponsored by headline sponsor AECOM n Tech within Planning Practice n International Award for Planning Excellence

Be among the ﬁrst to know the identity of this year's ﬁnalists by following us @RTPIPlanners

29 APR

Following the success of YouTube-hosted 2020 RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence, don’t miss this year’s ceremony. As well as the winners of all 15 categories, we’ll be announcing the winner of the prestigious Silver Jubilee Cup, awarded to the project judged best overall.

NEW FELLOW MILES PRICE The RTPI is delighted to announce that Miles Price, a planner at British Land, has been elected to Fellowship of the Institute. Chartered Fellow is the highest professional membership grade offered by the RTPI and is only awarded to Chartered members who have made a major personal contribution to the planning profession for the benefit of the public. Miles has been recognised for his work over two decades as Planning Director at British Land, and for volunteering on the RTPI’s Education and Lifelong Learning Committee. Miles said: “Over the last 20 years I’ve had the privilege of working on a range of diverse projects with amazing consultant teams and planning officers all over the UK. I will continue to lead on innovation within planning and in making a positive difference in the communities where I work. “We have a key role as planners in shaping our great country’s social, physical, economic and environmental future, and as a Fellow of the RTPI I look forward to continuing to play my part.” As well as his work for British Land, Miles has been part of the Mayor of London’s Roads Task Force; the Sustrans London Advisory Panel and various Department for Transport policy review panels. Under the provisions of the RTPI’s Royal Charter, Miles is now entitled to use the designatory letters FRTPI.

IN MEMORIAM It is with regret that we announce the deaths of the following members. We offer our sincere condolences to their families and colleagues.

Subscribe now at bit.ly/planner0221-videos

The RTPI’s programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) masterclasses has moved online for the foreseeable future. New for 2021, each masterclass will include a half day webinar during which you can interact with an expert trainer and other learners, plus an additional three months of guided learning on RTPI Learn. New topics for 2021 include How to Succeed In your New Job – a series for newly qualiﬁed planners covering plan making, development management and planning enforcement n For details, visit bit.ly/planner0221-training

Scotland Alan Seath Alex MacGregor John Foster Kenneth Baillie North West Alan Thornley Brian Robson West Midlands Colin Cardinal

John Garside Niall McChesney London John Mathieson Joseph Wardell Yorkshire John Owen South East Keith Briars

East of England Roger Woodford Walter Paterson East Midlands Roy Day North East William McEwan

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 44-47 RTPI News_February 2021_The Planner.indd 47

14/01/2021 17:26

Reach out to our audience of membership professionals Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never been a more important time to reassure the planning community that their skills are in need.

The Plannerr job board board offers offfers you an opportunity it to t attract tt t the th attention tt ti of a guaranteed, dedicated audience of membership professionals, and reassure them that you are still looking to recruit. Whether you have vacancies now, or will be looking to recruit at a later time, remind our readers what sets your organisation apart, and let them know your plans. You might also consider advertising in The Planner magazine, and ensure you are seen by the professionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top-calibre candidates and kept at the forefront of their minds. Show them that you are here, your brand is strong, and your organisation needs them.

For more information and rates, contact us now on: T: 020 7880 6232 E: jobs@theplanner.co.uk p48-49_PLN.Jan21.indd 48

06/01/2021 12:32

Throughout the pandemic, organisations are still actively and successfully recruiting for planning professionals. Here is a selection of the most recent opportunities from a few of those organisations working with The Planner to recruit the best quality candidates in the marketplace.

Planning Assistant

Salary: £23,080 – £25,481 pa pro rata Fixed term contract until November 2021 Location: Warwick

Director of Heritage Salary: £60,682 £70,413 pa Location: Edinburgh

Planning Of cer/Senior Planning Of cer and Principal Planning Of cer Salary: Grade 7 Grade 9

Planning Of cer

Salary: £33,585 £34,557 pa (this salary includes the current marker supplement of £3,000 pa) Location: En eld

Senior Planner Salary: £30,000 £40,000 commensurate with quali cations and experience

To a dve r ti s e pl ease em ai l : t he pl a n n e r jobs@redact ive. co. uk or ca l l 0 2 0 7 880 623 2

p48-49_PLN.Jan21.indd 49

Planning Enforcement Of cer Salary: Grade 6 i.e. £27,041 to £29,577 pa Location: Nottinghamshire

theplanner.co.uk/jobs 06/01/2021 12:32

Activities

Click where you see this icon

THE MONTH IN PLANNING

Mouse around for more details As the sun sets on a truly extraordinary year, one obvious shift is in how readers consume our content. We always publish standalone online reports and stories as each month progresses, so this month, as well as other useful links, we’re showcasing examples of our exclusively online content from recent weeks. Click on each story to read more.

What’s caught our eye Saving our Night Skies – Reducing Light Pollution This RTPI North West webinar focuses on the value of dark skies and the growing awareness of the impacts of light pollution on wildlife and people. It oﬀers detail on how planners and other design professionals can start to address the growing problem of light pollution. bit.ly/planner0221-darkskies

Local Plans and Climate Change: RTPI South West webinar This webinar, produced by RTPI South West, focuses on how to embed climate change into local plans, looking at current legislation and policy and using local case studies (Devon Carbon Plan, Great Cambridgeshire’s local plan) to explain more about what is already happening. bit.ly/planner0221-southwest

Lessons from the Healthy New Towns Programme (12/2019) How can we create places that promote health and d wellbeing? This webinar, which is hosted by Clare Allcock of Kaleidoscope Health and Care, features insights from those who took part in NHS England’s Healthy hy New Towns programme. bit.ly/planner0221-wellbeing

Covid-19 Support for RTPI members With wellbeing emerging as a signiﬁcant concern in the Planner Jobs Careers Survey, we asked the RTPI to detail its Covid-19 support. The Coronavirus Hub includes modules on adapting to working from home, managing teams and workload, as well as policy updates from government. It also has an RTPI Learn module on managing stress, anxiousness and anxiety. The RTPI Trust can support those members experiencing ﬁnancial hardship. bit.ly/planner0221-Hub-WFH bit.ly/planner0221-Hub-Stress bit.ly/planner0221-RTPITrust

Integrating housing and health: joining up care The King’s Fund, working to improve health and care in England, considers how bringing together health care and housing can ensure that those living with w t long-term conditions receive rece the right support and treatment, regardless of ethnicity, gender or social eth circumstances. circ bit.ly/planner0221-kings bit.

T H E PL AN N E R \ F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 1

50-51 Activities_February 2021_The Planner.indd 50

14/01/2021 15:58

LANDSCAPE

Britain’s B it i ’ Greatest G t t Bridges B A well-researched and visually satisfactory series of programmes on how Britain’s best-known bridges came into being. Journalist Rob Bell recounts the story of the design, construction and controversy of bridges from the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Tower Bridge, the Forth Rail Bridge, the Tyne Bridge and others. bit.ly/planner0221-bridges

Boom Cities: Architect Planners and the Politics cs of Radical Urban Renewal in 1960s Britain Architectural and urban historian Otto Saumarez Smith is the author of Boom Cities, described as a study about town planning, welfare and the politics of aﬄuence in mid-20th century Britain Paperback : 208 pages ISBN-10 : 0198865198 – ‘an essential reference source’, according to ISBN-13 : 978-0198865193 Prof Simon Gunn of the University of Leicester.

Foundations: How the Built Environment Made Twentieth-Century Britain A history of 20th-century Britain as told through the rise, fall, and reinvention of six types of urban space: the industrial estate, shopping precinct, council estate, private ﬂats, shopping mall, and suburban oﬃce park. Sam Wetherell shows how these spaces transformed our politics, economy, y, and society, forging ng a mid-century developmental state and the rise of neoliberalism after 1980. SBNs: Hardcover : 272 pages ISBN-10 : 0691193754 ISBN-13 : 978-0691193755

Space For Farming by y Pammy Riggs “Farming is under siege, food misunderstood and mistakenly oﬀered as a loss-leader for fancy goods unnecessary for man’s survival on this planet. That is what is ultimately at stake here.” That’s an interesting premise for an intriguing book on a topic likely to have a high proﬁle in 2021. SBNs: Paperback: 978-1-9163876-0-7 Hardback: 978-1-9163876-1-4 Kindle: 978-1-9163876-2-1

The City of To-morrow and Its Planning In this 1929 classic, architect Le Corbusier considers the planning g cities, articulating the ideas he would put to work in his city planning schemes for Algiers, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Barcelona, Geneva, Stockholm and Antwerp. Paperback : 301 pages Great pictures, too – the skyscrapers jar with ISBN-10 : 0486253325 the images of biplanes ﬂying past them. ISBN-13 : 978-0486253329

of of

What we’re planning Our March 2021 edition sees us focusing on issues of diversity, both within the profession itself and in terms of the places we help to deliver. In particular, we’ll be looking at how we should be designing buildings to cater for neurodiversity and looking at the latest statistics. We’ll also have a Q&A with the Planning inspectorate concerning local plans. Contact us at any time via editorial@ theplanner.co.uk (or DM @ThePlanner_RTPI)

F EB R U AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER 50-51 Activities_February 2021_The Planner.indd 51

14/01/2021 15:58

Book today rtpi.org.uk/training training@rtpi.org.uk + 44 (0)20 7929 8400 @RTPIPlanners #RTPICPD

View our brand new 2021 list of online masterclasses: rtpi.org.uk/training

Boost your CPD with interactive online masterclasses High-quality expert training for planning professionals p52_PLN.FEB21.indd 2

40+ courses: • 8 new courses • Brand new How to succeed in your new job series for recently qualiﬁed planners

06/01/2021 12:39

The Planner - February 2021

Articles inside

Wei Yang inaugurated

Louise Brooke

Application

The Planner Careers