The Planner - January 2021 by The Planner

JANUARY 2021 LICHFIELD LECTURE IN FOCUS// p.6 • CARRY ON PLANNING, SAYS CHIEF PLANNER// p.7 • SELF BUILD GUIDANCE ESSENTIAL // p.16 • BATTLING COASTAL CHANGE // p.24 • GREEN SPACE VALUED // p.30 • PLANNING EXCELLENCE ON YOUTUBE// p.44 •

T H E B U S I N ES S M O N T H LY FO R P L A N N I N G P R O F ES S IO N A LS

NEW RTPI PRESIDENT WEI YANG ON THE HARMONY BEHIND GOOD PLANNING

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Training calendar January – June 2021

Boost your CPD with our online masterclasses We provide high-quality training for all professionals in the planning environment. Our online courses offer a fully blended learning experience with sequenced activities before, during and after a half-day live training session. Led by an expert trainer each masterclass is aligned to the RTPI Core CPD Framework to prioritise your learning and to fulfil your annual CPD requirement.

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

Day

Time

Planning and community engagement

13:30-16:30

Planning for non-planners

13:30-16:30

Implementing the new planning framework in Scotland

13:30-16:30

Development viability and ﬁnance - an introduction

13:30-16:30

CIL and S106 update

NEW for 2021

13:30-16:30

PlanTech for planners

NEW for 2021

13:30-16:30

NEW for 2021

13:30-16:30

Housing delivery

13:30-16:30

Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA)

13:30-16:30

Communication and negotiation skills

13:30-16:30

Planning and good design

13:30-16:30

Appeals and inquiries

13:30-16:30

Sustainability Appraisals

13:30-16:30

Planning for public health and wellbeing

13:30-16:30

Heritage and conservation: making better places

13:30-16:30

Planning and community engagement

13:30-16:30

Development viability and planmaking - advanced

13:30-16:30

Climate change and how to implement carbon net zero locally

NEW for 2021

13:30-16:30

An introduction to development management – how to succeed in your new job

NEW for 2021

13:30-16:30

Online masterclasses January

February

March An introduction to plan making – how to succeed in your new job

April

May

Implementing the new planning framework in Northern Ireland

NEW for 2021

June

@RTPIPlanners #RTPICPD

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CONTENTS

JANU ARY

08 NEWS 4 RTPI Young Planners’ Conference 6 Lichfield Lecture: Planners can lead the way in transforming public health 7 Keep calm and carry on planning, says England’s chief planner 8 Infrastructure levy will bring in ‘at least as much money’ as current system 10 Rail and bus options proposed to curb M4 congestion 11 Newsmakers: 10 top stories from The Planner online

20 21

“THE FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROFESSION IS TO CREATE A BALANCED SYSTEM FOR PEOPLE, NATURE AND SOCIETY TO COEXIST IN HARMONY”

OPINION 14 Louise BrookeSmith: virtuosity or good intentions?

16 Adele Shaw: Cutting VAT for adaptation is a better route to net-zero than building anew 16 Bryony Harrington: Why custom and selfbuild planning guidance is essential 17 Georgia Corr: Food for thought – planning for on-demand food deliveries 17 Jane Dann: Local design codes – a new application for coding?

15 QUOTE UNQUOTE

“WE WANT A PLANNING SYSTEM WHERE YOU, AS PLANNERS, ARE UPLIFTING STRATEGIC DESIGNERS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES RATHER THAN… RETROACTIVE TACTICIANS” HOUSING MINISTER CHRISTOPHER PINCHER, INTRODUCING THE PLANNING PORTAL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

COV E R I M AG E | R I C H A R D G L E E D

FEATURES

INSIGHT

20 RTPI president Wei Yang believes that planning, at its heart, is planning about co compassion. Martin Read rep reports

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

24 Clima Climate change is having a corrosive impact on our co coastlines. Dr Tim Poate an and Andrew Austen explain w why it’s down to planners to hold the line 28 Case study: How turning tto the cloud is transforming Anglesey’s transform planning service 30 Carol Caroline Vexler examines the health and examine economic benefits green economi space can bring us

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

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NEWS

Report { RTPI YOUNG PLANNERS’ CONFERENCE

How to be a leader By Laura Edgar

seeking a promotion and starting a What is a leader and how can you new role. be one? Three young planners “I think when left to think about considered this in a session at the my career development alone, the RTPI’s Young Planners’ Virtual lack of self-confidence I think comes Conference 2020. in again, and I’ve too often focused Attending her final Young Planners’ on addressing my weaknesses, but Conference, Lucy Seymour-Bowdery my mentors have also helped me to MRTPI, team leader, developer recognise and build on the strengths contributions at the Ministry of that I have.” Housing, Communities and Local Tom Carpen, infrastructure Government (MHCLG) cited an Audrey and energy planning associate at Hepburn quote (see right). It sums up, Barton Willmore and currently on she said, how she has felt in the early secondment to the years of her career. MHCLG’s national “And to be honest, I “EXPERIENCE IS THE still do sometimes, BEST TEACHER, BUT NO infrastructure team, believes trusting even now.” ONE SAYS IT MUST BE young people and Seymour-Bowdery YOUR OWN PERSONAL people early in has since realised that EXPERIENCE” their career with it was this that held OLAFIYIN TAIWO responsibility and her back rather than leadership is “essential her ability. It turns out if we’re going to that leaders are not handle complexity”. necessarily extroverts. Explaining what he The main quality for means by complexity, Seymour-Bowdery in he said: “It is clearly a very an inspirational leader is being your challenging time at the moment and “authentic self”. it’s certainly not business as usual. “I think with authenticity comes The top three examples for me are the empathy in others, and the ability for pandemic, climate change, and our people to connect with you, which I exit from the European Union – these think also links really well to inclusive really are shaping how we live, where leadership,” she told the audience. we live and how we invest in places, Mentoring, she emphasised, is in terms of economic investment, important – having one and being social and environmental. For me one. It’s a “more personal form that’s the context that planning is of leadership and I feel that I’ve working within, and there are others benefited greatly from both having as well.” a mentor and also being a mentor Collaboration is key to addressing myself”. Having a mentor was such challenges. “I always think of a valuable for Seymour-Bowdery when

I lack selfconfidence. I don't know whether I shall ever get it. Perhaps it is better to be unsure of your self, as I am. But it is very tiring. Audrey Hepburn

peloton as a good analogy for how you can think about leadership because you can play a different role in that peloton at any time. There will be different skills that are required, but you can really find your way through and do it really effectively in that way. So it’s always worth bearing in mind who’s in your peloton when you’re taking on a complex problem, whose peloton are you in, and who can you support. That’s something that certainly I’ll always come back to, and it’s very difficult to go it alone.” For Olafiyin Taiwo MRTPI, convener at the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) Young Planners Network, leadership is about influence and the different opportunities to influence, whether that is in the workplace, within professional bodies

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PLAN UPFRONT

The young planner leadership checklist Be your authentic self Have a mentor and be a mentor Collaboration – know who’s in your peloton, your team, and how you can support it. Also, planning in isolation will be detrimental. Instead collaborate across sectors and borders. Vision Commitment

or in local communities. This year, the network launched Headway – a mentoring programme targeted at young planners in the early stages of their careers. Its purpose is to support them and address the capacity gap in planning within the Commonwealth. There were barriers that needed facing as they went about the programme, including diﬀerent planning systems and diﬀerent time zones. Work included running and judging an essay competition, which received 24 entries from 11 countries. The programme, and other work done this year, has been a success because, Taiwo explained, of the leadership qualities of young planners. These are: n Vision – setting clear-cut objectives. n Commitment – “These young leaders

I M AG E | A L A M Y

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have been committed to ensuring that they participate in all meetings regardless of the time of the day in their own country. And that has contributed to a lot of achievements.” n Collaboration – This is “very critical because these present-day challenges cut across borders, cut across sectors, cut across disciplines, and whilst planning is critical to resolving these challenges, planning in isolation will be detrimental to all communities and environment”. Concluding, Taiwo reiterated the importance of having vision, this time for one’s career and, while noting the cliché, highlighted that you are the leader of your own career – “start creating the opportunity within

“MY MENTORS HAVE ALSO HELPED ME TO RECOGNISE AND BUILD ON THE STRENGTHS THAT I HAVE” LUCY SEYMOURBOWDERY

yourself to lead”. Experience, she added, “is the best teacher, but no one says it must be your own personal experience”. “It is sometimes very costly to learn from personal experiences when there are others who are willing to share their experiences and provide support so you don’t fall into the same errors they made,” she concluded.

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NEWS

Analysis { RTPI NATHANIEL LICHFIELD LECTURE 2020

Lichfield Lecture: Planners can lead the way in transforming public health By Simon Wicks More than any other event in living memory, perhaps, Covid-19 has reminded us of the relationship between health and the homes and neighbourhoods we inhabit. This is by no means a new relationship, however, as Professor Georgia Butina Watson (right) explained in the 2020 RTPI Nathaniel Lichfield Lecture. In ‘Health and Placemaking’, the research director of urban design at Oxford Brookes University observed that human settlements globally faced “common issues” predating Covid-19. High rates of obesity, hypertension and respiratory complaints could be linked to our lifestyles and the way we have shaped our living environments around them. If poorly planned living environments generate poor health, can well planned places promote good health? Yes, Butina Watson insisted, pointing out positive benefits to good ‘placemaking’ that include cognitive improvements, improved community engagement and more physical exercise. “As planners and urban designers we have tried to tackle this issue at all kinds

of morphological levels, s, from citywide down to individual idual houses and neighbourhoods,” she explained, outlining how ow diﬀerent neighbourhoods ods were embedding good health into their overall design. sign. Utrecht in the e Netherlands, for example, was as underpinning ng growth with h streets that were pollution-free and people-friendly. “They are turning grey infrastructure into green spaces and corridors, but also engaging residents to say what they want to see in their city and asking how health and planning can be combined,” she reported. In South Islington, London, streetscape improvement was being evaluated in terms of health outcomes, with striking results. Here, Butina Watson explained, green chains connecting estates with streets and open spaces, combined with traﬃc calming, had made the streets more attractive, safer and less polluted. Residents had previously reported high levels of anxiety and car use. Now, they said they felt safer on the streets, spent more time outside, with neighbours and

“WE NEED TO LEARN TO WORK MORE CLOSELY ACROSS PROFESSIONS”

were more active. Children were even performing better at school. The Healthy Towns Programme, where a variety of healthy planning tools were being used, was also providing planners with a bank of useful data and approaches to planning. “Compact and connected urban forms”, active travel infrastructure, space for play, “wayﬁnding” and homes designed with health in mind, were emerging as features of

healthy environments. Such interventions built “stronger and more diverse communities”, which were also safer, more healthy, more economically active and more connected with nature. In a post-pandemic world, beset also by climate change, the need to create healthy places had become more urgent. Planners, she contended, needed to play their part, but “strong leadership is required from experts and politicians. We need to learn to work more closely across professions”. We needed to rethink our values, Butina Watson concluded. “Diﬀerent models of developing cities should not only be based on economic value but the value should also be on life support.”

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PLAN UPFRONT

Yes, change is coming – but for now, keep calm and carry on planning, c entreats England’s e chief planner c By Huw Morris and Martin Read Joa Joanna Averley found herself tre treading a careful path at the rec recent Town and Country Pla Planning Association annual con conference. The recently appointed MHCLG chief app planner sought to convince pla delegates of the gamedel changing importance of the cha reforms that the planning ref white paper promises, while wh convincing local authorities con not to step back from existing planning activity. pla Indeed, Averley’s message was very much that local authorities must not stall on preparing their plans and should continue to be active while the government considers the many white paper responses. Averley described the government as now “moving into the next level of detail in terms of describing, deﬁning and designing the reform package and diﬀerent elements of it”. “We then move into a legislative process, which will take upwards of a year, and then we’ll be into implementation. I can’t give a precise timetable – that will be announced in due course.” However, local authorities should not delay their plans while all this is progressing. “Don’t stop planning," said Averley. “Don’t stall your local plan preparation. Continue to I M A G E | PA

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replicate and duplicate things that are already stated elsewhere in national policy”, she added. Asked about the digital agenda, Averley focused on the value of data consistency over data presentation. “We sometimes struggle to access good data and make it not just visually interesting but informative. I think we’re moving fast in that space.” The ability, for example, to be proactive in both the interrogate the Greater preparation of your plans and Manchester spatial your consenting processes. framework’s GIS layers is It’s important we all do that.” “only just the start. Digital The chief planner added planning is also about making that a key aim of the white sure the data paper is to that supplies us have “local “DON’T STOP with all this plans that are PLANNING, DON’T intelligence is less weighty STALL YOUR LOCAL in terms of PLAN PREPARATION” consistently collected and paper, but available, with a more front end meaningful in suitable for its terms of audience.” content and Housing minister intent”. Plans needed to be Christopher Pincher told the “more visually engaging” and conference that the white “more map-based”. paper had received 44,000 Local plans should be responses, “so we have our “more engaging documents, work cut out to identify the partly because the content is key themes, and to look at the much more focused and granular detail with which reﬁned to the local context, we’ve been provided”. but partly that they don’t

Thangam Debbonaire spoke of a white paper that “fundamentally misdiagnoses” the causes of housing delivery problems

Significant reforms will need major cultural change across the planning sector. “Parliament can’t just legislate and say make it so,” he added. “We need to engender a cultural and systemic shift in the way that we do planning. Getting it right, getting your input and driving that cultural and systemic change are crucial to making sure that the practical effects of the legislative changes we envisage can be implemented quickly.” Also speaking was Thangam Debbonaire, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing and spokesman on homelessness, who voiced Labour’s concerns about the white paper’s intent. “We oppose this attempt to prevent local people from formally objecting to inappropriate developments in their neighbourhood," said Debbonaire. “This white paper fundamentally misdiagnoses the reason that too few homes are being built and proposes no real measures to force developers to use unimplemented permissions. What’s more, “homes should be net-zero now, not built to standards which mean they will need expensive retrofitting in future. They should be powered by renewable energy wherever possible. They should be well insulated, safe and secure. Proposals on beauty are all well and good, added Debbonaire, “but missing out those other qualities seems to me to be missing the urgent challenges of climate change and a broken housing system, and the urgent need to address both through every aspect of our housing policy.”

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NEWS

News { A ROUNDUP FROM THE PLANNING PORTAL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2020

Proposed infrastructure levy will bring in ‘at least as much money’ as current system By Laura Edgar England’s chief planner Joanna Averley has insisted that the infrastructure levy proposed in the planning white paper will bring in at least the same amount of money for local authorities to allocate to aﬀordable housing. She noted that everybody recognises that the current system for developer contributions “can be quite a barrier” for small and mediumsized enterprises to get involved in the planning system, and that it “does take a lot of time to negotiate and see through”. Planning for the Future, the government’s white paper, proposes reforming the community infrastructure levy (CIL) so that it is charged as a ﬁxed proportion of the development value above a threshold, with a mandatory nationally set rate or rates. The current system of

planning obligations would be abolished, with section 106 consolidated under a reformed ‘infrastructure levy’. Averley said the proposed levy has not been designed yet, and that the government hasn’t got a formula. Yet although this detail is yet to be worked through, it will “bring at least as much money into the system as it does now to local governments to allocate to aﬀordable housing, infrastructure and other local requirements”. It is “very much” about a smarter taxation system that’s related to local constraints, she added. It will have “an element of prescription that is set nationally, so that the negotiations are much more straightforward and there’s more certainty in the system”. See The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0121-Averley

Zonal planning in England would introduce a ‘cultural change’, says Hills By Laura Edgar Moving to a zonal planning system and front-loading community engagement will be a cultural change for England’s planning system, said RTPI chief executive Victoria Hills. The government’s planning white paper sets out three types of zone, or area: growth, renewal and protect. “Let’s make no bones about this; it is a major change – moving from a discretionary to a regulatory system. It’s not just a technical change, it’s also a cultural change,” explained Hills. She envisaged little change under growth zones in terms of the masterplanning and upfront engagement for big urban extensions – “this happens already”. But clarity is needed on what falls under ‘protect’. “If you take a high street, it may have two or three diﬀerent things going on – part of it could be protect, part of it could be growth and part of it could be renewal and it’s just not clear how you would deal with all of those within a zoning or areas-based planning system.” Renewal provides the biggest shake-up. “You have your engagement upstream through a local plan or renewal zones, which is likely to be the lion’s share of England’s developable land anyway. And you don’t do any engagement on matters downstream. That is a really big cultural change more than anything else, because, let’s face it, since we’ve had a town and country planning system communities have been involved in the detail of what’s going on in their street.” The proposals suggest that all engagement needs to be done at the start of the planning process. “We’re all for having really heavy upstream engagement, but we are a bit cautious about what that means for the downstream because that is a change from a communities system that we have at the moment.” See The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0121-zoning

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PLAN UPFRONT

Can biodiversity net gain meet the needs of people and the environment? By Simon Wicks Experts from the ﬁelds of conservation, development and logistics considered ‘biodiversity net gain – what where and how?’

What were the key messages? Simon Marsh, head of nature protection at the RSPB, said: “On the one hand, it’s really important to give people access to green space, particularly in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, we want to make sure we’re delivering our strategic ecological objectives. If all net gain is delivered on site, that becomes harder to do because you’re not necessarily contributing to local nature recovery strategies.” Julia Baker, biodiversity technical specialist with construction ﬁrm Balfour Beatty, argued instead that human

wellbeing should be front and centre in any assessment of how best to achieve biodiversity net gain from development. This was a glaring omission from the regulations as they currently stand. “The people side of things is not a niceto-have, it’s essential. If you think purely in a biodiversity bubble, it doesn’t work in terms of sustainable development,” she insisted.

Simon Cox, head of project management and UK sustainability officer at logistics property developer Prologis, made the point that biodiversity was often misunderstood. For example, many brownfield sites were considerably more biodiverse than greenfield ones. He observed that developers should “do our bit but there are limits to what we can achieve meaningfully within a development site. It varies, depending what you start with. The other aspect of this is around how you keep this mitigation area working and how it’s managed correctly in the long term”. Session chair Stephanie Wray, director at RSK Biocensus, highlighted that the white paper had made little mention of biodiversity and much of “landscape” and “beauty”. “There’s a real danger in mistaking landscape for biodiversity,” she cautioned. “I think biodiversity is the lens to look at sustainability. If you look outward from there, that’s when you see the whole picture.” Read the full report on The Planner website. bit.ly/planner0121-BNG

Digital is good for planning, but not for its own sake By Simon Wicks A more comprehensively digitised planning service could be more transparent, accessible and democratic – but only if it is employed in ways that can genuinely improve the service. In her keynote presentation, Alison Broderick celebrated the possibilities that digital technology could offer planning, but cautioned against pursuing “digital for digital’s sake”. Taking Planning for the Future as her starting point, the Savills associate noted that it was insistent in its push for greater use of technology, mentioning digital or digitisation 53 times. It was ironic, then, that it should be “a fairly clunky 84-page pdf”. But this illustrated the problem. Too much of the data of planning remained bound up in unsearchable, often unreadable and certainly inaccessible documents. Their sheer wordiness and the absence of even

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machine readability in many cases rendered them inaccessible to the public, who most need to know about what planning is doing. “We don’t want to just do digital versions of paper documents” where data is “locked up in pdfs and forms”, said Broderick. “There needs to be a complete mindset change, rather than ‘we’ve always done it this way, now we’re going to do it the same way online’.” The possibilities are clear: digital technology could make planning more eﬀective, more accessible and more democratic. But there are challenges, too, Broderick warned. She cautioned against employing ‘digital for digital’s sake’. Information must be used eﬀectively and digital technology only utilised where it can improve the service. Read the full report on The Planner website: bit.ly/plannero121-digital

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NEWS

News { Rail and bus options proposed Major housing scheme approved for to curb M4 congestion Ebbw Vale again

The South East Wales Transport Commission has proposed a comprehensive and coordinated public transport alternative to the M4 in its ﬁnal recommendations on how to cut congestion on the route without building a new relief road around Newport. The commission’s main proposal is for what it calls a “network of alternatives” designed to give people and businesses new transport options that do not use the motorway – or indeed a car. This centres on improving rail provision between Cardiﬀ, Newport and Bristol by upgrading the existing four tracks of the

South Wales Main Line, so that these tracks can be used flexibly by more trains. For the first time this would allow for local commuting services to run frequently without disrupting express rail services. The commission, chaired by Lord Burns, also suggested an ambitious rail station building programme, which would add six new stations between Cardiff and the River Severn. The rail backbone would be supported by new rapid bus and cycle corridors across the region, especially within Newport. Many of the recommendations can be delivered through upgrades to the existing rail and road network.

A major housing development of 250 new dwellings in Ebbw Vale has been backed by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council – for the second time. Located on land once occupied by two reservoirs (now ﬁlled in) at Rhyd y Blew, the development had been approved in principle in July 2014, subject to a section 106 agreement that was never completed. That application remains undetermined. The 5.9-hectare site is part of an area in the local development plan known as the Ebbw Vale Northern Corridor, which is allocated for around 800 new homes. The original expectation was that the developer would contribute over £1.6 million for education provision, although this was reduced to £625,000 because of concern that the larger amount would make the scheme unviable. The agreement also required a provision of 10 per cent aﬀordable housing in the form of social rented housing.

Local authorities cite Covid-19 catastrophe for park services Parks and green spaces are on the brink of losing 87 per cent of their income because of Covid-19. Although most parks remained open during the first lockdown, their sources of income – cafés, sports pitches and visitor attractions – were forced to close, according to the Local Government Association (LGA). Many council park services also face higher costs such as enhanced cleaning, personal protective equipment and signage. The LGA expects a loss of income owing to the need to employ more staff or reduce visitor numbers to comply with social distancing guidelines. The pandemic has also led to the temporary cessation of volunteering and the loss of in-kind volunteer contribution to parks services. One local authority, Leeds City Council, is predicted to lose £8.8 million on an annual income budget of £16.6 million – a forecast loss of 53 per cent. LGA culture, tourism and sport board chair Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said: “It is easy to forget that parks are more than green space and contain a wealth of income generators, many of which have been impacted by the coronavirus and will continue to feel the effects for years to come… It is crucial that the government ensures our beautiful parks receive investment for preservation and enhancement.”

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CATCH UP WITH THE PLANNER

N Newsmakers NPF4 position statement published The Scottish Government has published a lengthy position statement on the fourth National Planning Framework. The 45-page document sets out the issues that will need to be addressed when preparing NPF4, with a particular focus on net-zero emissions, resilient communities, a wellbeing economy and better, greener places. However, the paper stresses that it is not “in itself, a document setting out policy”. bit.ly/planner0121-NPF4

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1,200-home Dundrum development shapes up Proposals for a new neighbourhood of 1,200 new homes in the southern Dublin suburb of Dundrum are taking shape. The Land Development Agency is behind plans to establish the scheme in the grounds of the Dundrum Central Mental Hospital, which is being moved. bit.ly/planner0121-Dundrum

Chancellor pledges £100bn infrastructure spending to kick-start UK economy Chancellor Rishi Sunak has promised £100 billion of capital expenditure on infrastructure in 2021. His Spending Review also commits a £4 billion ‘levelling-up fund’ to spend on local infrastructure, a new National infrastructure Strategy and a UK infrastructure bank. bit.ly/planner0121-Sunak

Consultation on Welsh transport strategy closes this month The Welsh Government has launched a strategy for consultation that lays the groundwork for a new transport policy. With transport currently responsible for 17 per cent of the country’s carbon emissions, the strategy sets out new and stretching ﬁve-year priorities to tackle carbon emissions as it seeks to meet decarbonisation targets. The consultation closes on 25 January. bit.ly/planner0121-strategy

Endgame in sight for Knock Iveagh burial site turbine Permission sought for reservoir in Hampshire A planning application for the creation of a reservoir has been submitted to Havant Borough Council and East B Hampshire District Council. Portsmouth Water, in H hi Di t i tC collaboration with Southern Water, wants to build Havant Thicket Reservoir to safeguard water resources in the South East. bit.ly/planner0121-reservoir

Scotland’s digital planning strategy unveiled The Scottish Government has published an ambitious digital strategy for planning designed to transform how it is delivered and shaped, committing £35 million over the next ﬁve years to achieve this goal. Ministers insisted that this programme would make it easier for planners to work together and for members of the public to get involved in creating and shaping their places. bit.ly/planner0121-scotsdigital

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Design champions on board for major infrastructure schemes

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Northern Powerhouse Rail routes unveiled

I M A G E S | I S T O C K / S H U T T E R S T O C K / A L A M Y / H M T R E A S U RY

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All major infrastructure projects will have a design champion at board level by the end of next year, the government has announced. The National Infrastructure Strategy said design champions would be at the project, programme or organisational level and would be supported where appropriate by design panels. The move had been recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission. bit.ly/planner0121-NIS

Watchdog reveals scale of Covid-19 impact on rail industry

9 Transport for the North has unveiled its preferred plans for a railway network to transform the region’s economy. Its initial route plan – a combination of new lines and major upgrades to existing routes – has been submitted to the government as the oﬃcial recommendation for Northern Powerhouse Rail endorsed by elected mayors, council and business leaders. bit.ly/planner0121-NPrail

The seven-year planning saga surrounding a wind turbine erected next to a scheduled ancient monument in County Down is ﬁnally heading towards its conclusion. The turbine was put up near a 5,000-year-old Neolithic burial site at Knock Iveagh outside Rathfriland. bit.ly/planner0121-turbine

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a catastrophic collapse in the number of rail passengers, forcing the government to bail out the industry with £1.7 billion up to June. Figures released by the National Audit Office in its overview of DfT spending in 2020 reveal that rail passenger numbers fell from 97 per cent of their normal lives in the first week of March to 5 per cent by the end of that month, when the first lockdown was fully in force. bit.ly/planner0121-railindustry

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01/12/2020 10:08

LEADER COMMENT

Event A need for very appealing references? When I met her to discuss 2021, the incoming RTPI president Wei Yang (see interview, page 18) spoke about planning’s need to better communicate with the general public. Her concern was that planning professionals, when invited to talk on radio and television, can too easily be pigeonholed as remote and distant technocrats should they rely on the internal language of the profession. The argument can be summarised thus: Say the three magic words ‘permitted development rights’ and perhaps say goodbye to a fair chunk of the listening audience. What’s needed is to avoid this unjust caricature of the kind of people planners are, especially when we all know how profoundly the work of the profession aﬀects the lives of the very people who can harbour such an inaccurate impression.

Martin Read That is, of course, if they harbour any impression at all: Yang makes the point that whenever a taxi driver asks her what she does for a living, they’re rarely aware of planning and its work. It’s fair to say that none of the above is new. So perhaps what’s needed are links to topical debates in order to bring the work of planning to life. For example, you may be aware of football’s Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR). Its introduction has forced a discussion about the merits

of injecting absolutes into a previously more organic decision-making process. Should the referee miss an infringement, those poring over evidence immediately intervene. Such has been its adverse impact that fans who for decades had questioned the referee having exclusive adjudication over on-field affairs are wondering whether that was such a bad state of affairs after all. It’s a stretch for sure, but hidden in all of this is the germ of a conversation between a planner and the public about planning, development management, and the application of rules and regulations. OK, perhaps it might not expand to cover their wider living environment, but for some such a conversation might just forge a relatable link to the work of planners. And

“PERHAPS WHAT’S NEEDED IS TO LINK TO TOPICAL DEBATES”

perhaps such tangential connections can indeed have a place in popularising the planning profession. Finally, my now traditional entreaty for you to make the most of the many links to additional content you’ll ﬁnd on most of our pages. When you click from spread to spread, those links glow to alert you to their presence, so do please keep an eye out for them as you read on. We’ll see you next month as we examine themes emerging from our Covidﬂavoured careers survey. And of course, after such a tumultuous 2020, all here on The Planner wish you a happier new year in 2021.

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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.

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J ANU AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

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08/12/2020 17:18

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

O Opinion

Virtuosity or Good Intentions? It’s that time of year when all those virtuous ideas and grand plans come to the surface. The promises to see people more, keep in touch and not wait till next year’s Christmas card run – or should that read, not wait till next December’s email sent with an update of what little Johnny and Jessica have been doing, and a festive motif. Will we put into practice all those wellmeaning sentiments? Only when you can’t do something, or are stopped from doing it, do you realise how much you miss things. Getting last-minute theatre tickets, seeing friends on a whim, joining a local evening class. None of these has been possible in recent months. So when the vaccine is distributed to all, and the ‘R’ number is kicked into touch and we can mix freely, go where we want to, see who we want, will we behave diﬀerently? Will 2021 be the year to enact our good intentions? I was reminded of this when a few weeks back I’d had enough of all the zoom and team calls, the virtual seminars and the conferences that kept regurgitating the same subjects. They all seemed to merge into one, with every professional on a platform, or from a desk in their spare bedroom, talking about how Covid-19 has escalated change, how we will all be so much better oﬀ because of improved digital systems that have come to the fore and how we will embrace a ‘blended working practice’. On top of that, I felt I

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had been served a mega feast of ‘sliced and diced’ planning regimes which had dissected all the tribulations of the current UK system and how the white paper would ‘change our world’. This was all served with side orders of ‘How green can our buildings be?’ ‘How analytics can be a planner’s friend?’ and a splash of ‘What can we do to save our high streets?’. We all know that whatever the state of the white paper when it progresses, might not introduce anything fundamentally new – just another set of tweaks to the existing system. And before anyone calls me disingenuous, I’m not belittling the calls for healthier places, beautiful designs, sustainable travel and eﬀective open space. I just got a bit tired of the earnest chat. I am assuming that 2021 will be an improvement on the hell that was 2020 – and

“WE HAVE TO FIND WAYS OF PROGRESSING ALONG A CLEANER, GREENER, COMMUNITY ORIENTATED PATH” on that supposition, I’d like to see 2021 benefit from all those very worthy aspirations and we put them into practice. Yes, I know that the economy is shot to pieces, funding for anything is going to be constrained for a lifetime and we are going to have to pay back considerably more than we think for the government’s bailouts during 2020. I’m told that the Marshall Plan will fade into insignificance when we eventually count the cost of Covid-19. But even so, we have to find ways of progressing along a cleaner, greener, community-orientated path.

Less talk, more action. All those well-meaning seminars, all the conferences with speakers repeating the same messages need to move to the next level and start to put policy and good words into real deeds. In a way, 2021 could be our restart. I’m hoping that such a move isn’t entirely dependent on the government’s emerging planning revisions. If it was, we could be in for a long and disappointing outcome. Politics is the one thing we can be sure will screw it up. No, the move along a cleaner, greener path that will enhance communities and commerce alike, has to come from the heart. It has to be a route that we want to take. A bit like all those virtuous New Year resolutions and plans to eat more healthily, be more active, spend quality time with our friends and family. If we can use 2021 as a real new start to put into practice the things we know we should be doing, then what a year it will be. And if our politicians follow the same line with any virtuosity, then even better. Happy New Year, everyone!

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

08/12/2020 09:07

Quote unquote FROM THE RTPI AND THE WEB

“We want a planning p g system y m where you, as planners, are uplifting strategic designers of local communities communities rather than retroﬁtting, retroactive tacticians” CHRISTOPHER PINCHER MP,, HOUSING MINISTER,, INTRODUCING THE PLANNING PORTAL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

“We work across the landscape and we do change things, which means we can change things for the better” “Diﬀerent “Diﬀ erent models of developing cities should not only be based on economic value but the value should also be on life support”

JULIA BAKER, BIODIVERSITY TECHNICAL SPECIALIST WITH BALFOUR BEATTY, STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN DURING THE PLANNING PORTAL’S VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

GEORGIA BUTINA WATSON, DELIVERING THE 2020 RTPI NATHANIEL LICHFIELD LECTURE

”The pand pandemic demi de mic ic has ha h as put pu ut a alit lit ity an ity and nd spotlight on how equ equality design of spaces is aﬀecting people’s lives - exactly the kind of thinking that led to the foundation of this profession” INCOMING RTPI PRESIDENT WEI YANG ON THE PARALLELS BETWEEN 2020 AND THE BIRTH OF TOWN PLANNING.

“The secretary of state has repelled the vandals at the city gate. Norwich has been spared the most monstrous carbuncle that ever threatened to deface an English cathedral city”

“There needs to be a complete mindset change, rather than ‘we’ve always done it this way, now we’re going to do it the same way online’” ALISON BRODERICK, ASSOCIATE WITH SAVILLS, ON PLANNING’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION.

MARCUS BINNEY, EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT OF SAVE BRITAIN’S HERITAGE, ON ROBERT JENRICK’S DECISION TO REFUSE A 20 STOREY TOWER IN NORWICH

“It seems ambitious to the point of being deluded” MIKE KIELY, PLANNING OFFICERS SOCIETY CHAIR, OFFERS HIS THOUGHTS ON THE WHITE PAPER REQUIREMENT THAT LOCAL PLANS SHOULD BE DELIVERED IN 30 MONTHS.

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08/12/2020 09:08

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

O Opinion

1 BLOG

Adele Shaw is deputy head, environmental assessment in the planning, consents and advice service at Historic Environment Scotland (HES)

Cutting VAT for adaptation is a better route to net-zero than building anew

As we emerge from a global pandemic, in the midst of a climate crisis, thoughts turn to how the principles of a just transition to net-zero carbon can deliver a green recovery. Crucial to this will be the adaptation of existing buildings. Proper maintenance of existing assets is often a better option than building new. Buildings contribute to global warming over their whole lives: when we build, maintain, use and demolish them. Traditional buildings give our places their character, making them attractive places to live and work. This contributes to our wellbeing. Keeping them in use or finding sustainable new uses for vacant buildings means we can continue to benefit from them. Scotland’s planning system needs to reflect this. The policy framework to be set out in the fourth national planning framework should prioritise the adaptation of existing buildings. Other changes are also needed. The UK’s value-added tax (VAT) system is complex. VAT is levied at zero rate for new construction, promoting new-build. Repair, maintenance and refurbishment of existing buildings attracts 20 per cent VAT. The tax is payable at 5 per cent for certain works,

including installation of energy efficiency products, refurbishing long-empty homes, and the residential conversion of some property types. The government’s emphasis on reaching net-zero provides a chance to revisit how to provide parity for the use and adaptation of our building stock. Adopting a reduced rate for all maintenance works to existing buildings would streamline the tax regime. Potential increases in such projects could make up the shortfall from any change in VAT rates. An increased need for skilled construction jobs would result from the emphasis on proper upkeep of our building stock. Equalising VAT levels would support our government’s carbon reduction and sustainability targets and show that the historic environment is a route, rather than a barrier, to net-zero. Provision of more homes that are fuel-efficient during their life cycle is vital for achieving net-zero, as well as the wellbeing agenda. The current system works against the need to prioritise the upkeep of our historic buildings and puts a burden on those who want to upgrade and adapt them. This runs against wider priorities for ensuring resource efficiency and sustainability.

“BUILDINGS CONTRIBUTE TO GLOBAL WARMING OVER THEIR WHOLE LIVES: WHEN WE BUILD, MAINTAIN, USE AND DEMOLISH THEM”

2 BLOG

Bryony Harrington is the head of the Right to Build Task Force

Why custom and self-build planning guidance is essential

The UK has the lowest-known levels of custom and self-build homes in the developed world. Growth of custom and selfbuild has been a government objective since 2011 and The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 was passed to support it. In 2019, the government agreed to fund the Right to Build Task Force to advise councils on planning and delivery, self-build housing is still far from mainstream. Why, given its benefits? For consumers, choice in design and layout creates homes that meet occupiers’ needs, that work for all communities and, means homes offering lower running costs, with better energy performance and air quality. Wider benefits include increased spend within local economies and routes to work for small and medium-sized builders, reduced churn in communities, and potential for better placemaking. Government ambition was to double self-builds by 2020, but despite the Right to Build Task Force working overtime, with some authorities making great progress and a marked increase in the percentage of local plans containing custom and selfbuild supportive policies, there has still been no significant increase in opportunities.

This is partly because the statutory duties didn’t take force until 30 October 2019. Even so, some councils have still not taken action. Problems include lack of awareness, constraints to joining registers, retrospective removal of entries, over-counting of permissions, an absence of delivery and lack of integration into strategic plans. For the required number of plots to meet demand, more than the current one in eight people need to know that the registers exist! Some 30 per cent of authorities now have a local connection test. These are supposed to be an exception, allowed only in response to a ‘recognised local issue’ and are hard to justify in most areas where there’s no such restriction on purchasing a new-build. To address all these matters, the task force has published the ﬁrst chapters of Custom and Self Build Planning Guidance. This will bring consistency to practice on the main issues identiﬁed through our work with councils. The government will soon review the ‘Right to Build’ legislation and the Ministry for Housing is funding a workshop for each planning authority in England. For more details, see www.righttobuild.org.uk

“THIRTY PER CENT OF AUTHORITIES NOW HAVE A LOCAL CONNECTION TEST. THESE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE AN EXCEPTION”

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08/12/2020 09:08

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

Georgia Corr is a transport planner with the London Borough of Ealing

Food for thought: Planning for ondemand food deliveries

London, like most global cities, has seen an unprecedented increase in the past five years of on-demand food delivery services. The British Takeaway Campaign’s 2017 Takeaway Economy Report predicted that the UK’s market would continue its growth trajectory, rising to £11.2 billion by 2021. How these deliveries are fulfilled in London is under-reported and poorly understood. The only study quantifying how these journeys were being made was conducted by Transport for London in 2007. It highlighted that powered two-wheelers (P2Ws) accounted for 92 per cent of journeys. But since 2013 a new business model of food delivery has emerged where companies build their own logistic networks through supplying their own riders. I conducted research as an MSc transport planning student, for which I was awarded the Transport Planning Society’s 2019 annual bursary. For my paper, Food for Thought, I conducted online surveys and semi-structured interviews with on-demand food delivery riders in London to learn what influences their choice of vehicle. Most journeys were by P2Ws (52 per cent), followed by bicycles at 35 per cent. A range of factors influenced

4 BLOG

Jane Dann is managing director of Tibbalds Planning and Urban Design

Local design codes – a new application for coding?

their choice, from prevailing transport norms, to the rider’s employment status and the travel benefits they have, or lack access to, down to factors such as the affordability and range of vehicles. The study suggests that Deliveroo has been actively prioritising motors over muscles since July 2019, with the introduction of ‘vehicle priority’ – a new consideration that Deliveroo’s algorithm FRANK takes into account when allocating shifts. This deems motorised transport – cars and P2Ws – more efficient than bicycles. As a consequence, 18 per cent of riders who cycled were considering switching to a moped. Yet, because of their small stature and the minimal road space they take up, the environmental impact of P2Ws often goes unnoticed. My research, presented at the Transport Planning Day conference on 16 November 2020, recommends a range of remedies, from prioritising cycle parking over carriageway P2W parking space outside takeaway hotspots to reviewing the use class of establishments, along with a range of actions that planners could take to promote more sustainable transport choices. Read more about Georgia’s research at: bit.ly/planner0121-takeaway

“DELIVEROO HAS BEEN ACTIVELY PRIORITISING MOTORS OVER MUSCLES SINCE JULY 2019”

The 2020 planning white paper proposes a new system of local plans based on zoning – categorising land for ‘growth’, ‘renewal’ or as ‘protected’. It also raises the profile of design guides or codes to set clear expectations for design quality, beauty and sustainability. How will these two aspects work together to result in better places? National planning policy has supported the use of design codes since 2006. And the 2020 Place Alliance Housing Audit confirmed their benefits in practice, finding them “the most effective means to positively influence design quality”. The white paper states that design codes should start from the National Design Guide and the forthcoming National Model Design Code, but be prepared locally and reflect local character and community engagement. For larger developments in growth areas, it envisages that design codes will be prepared along with a masterplan, broadly as now. In renewal areas, suitable for smallerscale developments, a new type of local design coding may govern the appropriate form and nature of change. In both types of area, to secure design quality as well as providing more certainty,

design codes will need to be: o Based on a shared vision for a place. This will be as important for renewal areas – where sites may not be identified in advance – as for growth areas, where masterplans and codes will define and deliver a sitespecific vision. o Supported by a robust characterisation that identifies local character and defines the components that are important to it, with a focus on spatial character as well as the details of a place. o Prepared with communities, with input from technical stakeholders on matters such as highways, drainage, arboriculture and ecology. o Clear, precise and unambiguous. The white paper also identifies design coding to enable a fast-track for beauty, both for large developments in growth areas and in renewal areas, where certain proposals that comply with ‘pattern book’ requirements may fall within permitted development. o Created with the right balance of prescription and flexibility so they provide more certainty without stifling development or creative design… Design parameters will need careful formulation to make sure they retain and enhance local distinctiveness.

“DESIGN CODES WILL NEED TO BE CREATED WITH THE RIGHT BALANCE OF PRESCRIPTION AND FLEXIBILITY”

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08/12/2020 09:09

INTERVIEW: WEI YANG

The

long

view

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08/12/2020 16:09

INTERVIEW: WEI YANG

WEI YANG TAKES ON THE RTPI PRESIDENCY WITH A RALLYING CRY: OUR FOUNDING PRINCIPLES SHOULD INFORM OUR FUTURE AMBITIONS. MARTIN READ REPORTS.

compassion, and garden cities are about compassion and selflessness through design,” Yang explains. The names of inspirations who emerged from the garden city movement roll off her tongue: Ebenezer Howard, Raymond Unwin, Richard Barry Parker, FJ Osborn. Then there are the industrial philanthropists behind the transformative developments at places such as New Lanark, Port Sunlight and Bournville. Their “selflessness” is something we would do well to mind today. “Take Howard: he could have been a billionaire developer but instead chose to have his freedom. I was particularly touched by one of his comments, that he ‘refused to be paralysed by the want of money’.” She continues: “We could all have decided to work in development, but instead we’ve chosen town planning because there are more important issues to deal with; different conversations to have and PANDEMIC broader roles to play.”

t its heart, planning is about compassion” says the RTPI’s incoming 2021 president, Wei Yang. The need for such a quality has become intensely apparent in a year that has exposed where we have gone wrong with our living environments but also how the essential virtues of planning can show us how to do it right. “The pandemic has put a spotlight on how equality and design of spaces is aﬀecting people’s lives – exactly the kind of thinking that led to the foundation of this profession,” she tells me, adding: “The fundamental objective of the profession is to create a balanced system for people, nature and society to coexist in harmony.” As she takes oﬃce, Yang speaks of using her term to champion “a revival of spirit” amongst planners and “a genuine modernisation” of the profession – though one informed by those virtues on which the profession was founded more than a century ago.

First principles

Pictures taken in the grounds of Cliveden House, Berkshire, by kind permission of The National Trust

“THE HAS PUT A SPOTLIGHT ON HOW EQUALITY AND DESIGN OF SPACES IS AFFECTING PEOPLE’S LIVES”

Beijing-born Yang was educated in town planning in the UK and has practised here since settling in 1999. She was, she says, attracted to the UK by the rugged natural beauty of the Peak District. Nature, it seems, is deeply embedded in her way of experiencing the world. We are speaking, at Yang’s behest, amid the arboreal abundance of the National Trust’s Cliveden House in Buckinghamshire, and her recurrent theme throughout our conversation is the garden city principles which have shaped her thinking profoundly. A fresh approach to the garden city concept could broaden planning’s public appeal, she argues. But, while being modern, it must also rekindle the spirit of the profession’s founders. “Through my garden city and new towns research [Yang self-funded this research in 2011] I have become familiar with the lives of the pioneers in our profession,” she says. “I somehow feel I know them in person, and I am deeply touched by their spirit and determination.” As she elaborates, that word ‘compassion’ crops up again. “At its root, planning is about

I M AG E |

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RICHARD GLEED

A natural balance

In 2014, her firm Wei Yang & Partners (WYP) led a consortium that entered a proposal to the Wolfson Economics Prize on the theme of ‘Delivering an economically viable garden city’. Their plan was to produce an ‘arc’ of new garden cities stretching from Southampton to Felixstowe, via Oxford and Cambridge. This 21st century reimagining retained fundamental principles such as locally controlled development corporations, with planning and compulsory purchase powers; and joint ventures with master developers to deliver the development at no public cost. Yang can point, too, to her firm’s work on China’s Historic Yellow River Development Strategy as an illustration of her garden city-minded approach to planning. It was both high profile (the project was featured on China Central television, the nation’s equivalent to the BBC) and novel. “I am really proud of this project as we used 21st century garden city approaches to remarry the town and country in China. We brought hope and prosperity to poor rural communities.”

J ANU AR Y 2 0 21 / THE PLA NNER

18/12/2020 12:06

INTERVIEW: WEI YANG

The land through Suining County in Jiangsu Province, Eastern China, had been abandoned for 800 years. As masterplanner, WYP proposed a strategy that would develop it while balancing growth arising from a ruralurban population migration with measures to protect biodiversity and mitigate climate change. The project has been held up as an exemplar of how to manage the integration of rural and urban development, leading to high-level requests.. “I gave direct advice to the Chinese Ministry of Natural Resources (the Ministry in charge of planning, land and all natural resources in the country),” Yang explains, highlighting the areas she addressed: a strategic and long-term urban-rural integrated approach to consider a whole territory as one ecological entity; urban design and place-making to be embedded in the whole plan-making process; an emphasis on the public service purpose of planning; and strengthening public engagement. We are still talking, in more contemporary language perhaps, about principles that drove the garden city movement. Yang conﬁdes her frustration that they are too often the exception in planning and development, not the rule. Planning is, above all, a discipline for knitting together communities and not just locations. “I’d really like to have a major exhibition about social reform and the history of town planning,” she admits. “I have a friend who lives in Welywn who keeps

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telling me how it’s not only buildings, it’s the community, a place called home. That’s what we want to create, what we always set out to do. “So I want to celebrate the achievement of all that planners have done for more than a century. I think we should be proud of that.”

Communication breakdown

“I WANT TO CELEBRATE THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ALL THAT PLANNERS HAVE DONE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY”

Planners, however, are not so good at blowing their own trumpet. “People who live in garden cities love them, and that strong sense of community comes through. But that isn’t well communicated,” Yang explains. She has been known to describe planners as “the doctors of cities and towns” and insists that they should be seen to have the same kind of status as healthcare professionals. Too few people trust planners or count planning as an essential public service, she laments. Planning can learn from other walks of life. “[Politicians] are very good at explaining things. And journalists, too: your profession is also very good at communicating.” Planners are in “the business of protecting the public interest”, and need to make that clear as they do their jobs.

But there is a riddle here. “If our code of conduct is to protect public interest, why is it the public don’t know us? There’s something wrong with that.” She goes on: “We’ve disconnected from them. They don’t know who we are. Quite often when a taxi driver asks me what I do, they’ve never heard of a town planner.” The growing influence of technology on the ways we design and use space seems to be amplifying this disconnection. For example, Yang relates her shock at finding herself the only town planner in a room full of economists, politicians and technology providers at conferences promoting smart cities. There is a danger that planners, who should be in any discussion about the uses of technology in relation to public spaces, are missing the boat as others shape – and benefit from – the living environments of the future. Planners can bring a particular human perspective to the discussion – a public interest one, if you will – that can guide the use of technology and data towards actually serving the spatial and social needs of citizens. “Everybody knows data is powerful, but what’s important is to formulate the right questions to get the right data in the first place. It all depends on how you design the questions, and I think planners need to be involved in that.” I M AG E S |

RICHARD GLEED

08/12/2020 16:10

INTERVIEW: WEI YANG

CURRICULUM VITAE Born: Beijing Educated: Xi’an University, University of Sheﬃeld Career highlights

2004 Joins David Lock Associates

2005 PhD from Sheﬃeld University School of Architecture

2009 Member of the Editorial Advisory Panel of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Urban Design and Planning

2011 Yang, of course, did her PhD in research. “I know how the way you design a question can lead what the answers are. “A lot of innovation and investment goes into innovation and technology. But I don’t think we’ll have adequate investment into applied social science innovation, which I think is very important for us. It’s a huge gap.” “For example, technology has changed a lot of our world but people can, although digitally connected, find there are too many choices and that they are out of control of a lot of things. And for some, there’s a huge feeling of potential loss; they just don’t feel they can do better than their parents or grandparents. “It’s all very much related to planning, and it’s why we shouldn’t have the questions designed for us. For example, smart city decisions can be very responsive to the data supplied.” Questioning car movements around a school, for instance, could initially suggest a need for more parking spaces; whereas if the questioning centres on allowing children to walk safely to school, “you can see how it could lead to some very different answers”. Forcing themselves into questioning design in this way offers a strong opportunity for planners to bridge the

Founds Wei Yang & Partners in London

2011 Initiates self-funded research on ‘The 21st Century Garden City’

2013 Seconded by the Foreign Oﬃce as British principal planning expert to advise the Chinese Ministry of Housing & UrbanRural Development (MoHURD) on sustainable urbanisation

2013 to 2016 Co-chair of the UK-China Eco-Cities & Green Building Group

2014 Elected as World Cities Summit Young Leader by Singapore

2017 Fellow of Academy of Social Sciences (AcSS)

2018 Fellow of the RTPI

2019 Appointed board member of the British Library

2021

Speaking in volumes Wei Yang has used time in lockdown to co-author a book, Humanistic: Pure Land and Garden Cities with her friend, the Venerable Ru Chang, director of the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Taiwan. Written for a general audience, the book draws parallels between the garden city movement and the philosophies of Buddhism, both of which speak of being founded on the values of compassion and selflessness. It’s aimed initially at an Asian market, where Buddhism is widely practised – but also where the founding principles of town planning are perhaps less understood. “Modern town planning was invented in the West, so in Asia and other developing countries it’s still seen as a technical rather than human profession,” says Yang. Some people in Asia believe the perfect city is an American one, undervaluing the cultural component. China has largely moved on in this regard, but Yang hopes the book will help other nations put garden city principles at the heart of future development. This sense of balance will be amplified in the book’s presentation: a reader opening it from one side will read about Buddhism; from the other, garden cities. Income generated will be donated to the Fo Guang Shan Foundation’s Education Scholarship Fund for children from poor families in Taiwan, where the book will be first published this summer. “We have this idea that we’ll select a children’s education foundation in each country where the book is being published,” Yang explains.

Becomes RTPI president

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08/12/2020 16:10

INTERVIEW: WEI YANG

Forces that may be in tension can come into a kind of balance in place. For example the forces of tech, politics, business and public health. In planning terms it may be a question of scale: the macro of plans; the micro of places. “In plan making you have to ﬁnd a socioeconomic mechanism, while in placemaking you have to design at a scale suitable to the local context, either natural or built.” The job of planners is to be alert to the presence of these forces and the tensions between them, and to see how to bring them together in places where people can live well. “So planning is creative both in the placemaking and the plan making side,” Yang observes. And at the heart of all of this, says Yang, are the people who experience the end results. “Today we know much more about how to design human-scale spaces, and people can easily see planning as resulting in something physical, but it’s the softer, social aspect of what we do that we shouldn’t forget,” she cautions. She recalls a passage from Dugald MacFadyen’s 1933 biography of the pioneering planner Sir Ebenezer Howard (Sir Ebenezer Howard and the Town Planning Movement), which explains “why I say the foundation of the garden city is selﬂessness”. In it, MacFadyen quotes Howard’s response to Edward Bellamy’s 1887 utopian novel Looking Backward. The day after reading it, as he “went up” from Stamford Hill to the City of London, Howard recalled: “I realised, as never before, the splendid possibilities of a new civilisation based on service to the community and not on self-interest, at present the dominant motive. Then I determined to take such a part as I could, however small it might be, in helping to bring a new civilisation into being.” In the present, asks Yang, “If Howard’s ‘small’ part created the garden city movement in the past, what would stop our profession from regaining that leadership role now? “There is an old Chinese saying, ‘Never forget why you started, and your mission can be accomplished’. That’s why I think that reminding us of where we came from is very important.” n Martin Read is editor of The Planner

Read an extended version of this interview here: bit.ly/Planner-0121-WeiYang

“Drawing is in the genes of my family,” says Wei Yang, whose own interest in drawing and design was encouraged both by her mother, an engineer and university professor, and her uncle, the famous painter Ting Shao Kuang. For her first degree in urban planning, building, transportation, landscape and industrial design, as well as the theory of town and country planning, she studied at Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology. Keen to broaden her horizons, Yang wanted to learn from other countries about the more human-scale public realm and urban design she felt China needed. First choice Rome was out because foreign students were unable to study there for master’s degrees. Her next consideration was the USA, where she had relatives, but when a TV programme promoting British universities was broadcast, Yang was hooked. “I went to the British Consul and saw rows of brochures from every university in the UK. I’ve always been keen on the rural life and nature, so pictures of the Peak District attracted me. I applied to Sheffield University in 1999.” The Steel City’s residents were unfailingly welcoming. “People from South Yorkshire are so friendly,” says Yang. “In an early university project I met a couple, John and Sheila Holt, while conducting a simulation project for Sheffield Cathedral. They invited me to dinner, and have since become lifetime friends. They helped me to understand English society. Today they’re like my parents in England. We still visit each other every year. Sheffield is my hometown in England.” After a year-long MSc in computeraided environmental design, Yang embarked on a PhD, during which she

conducted 1,000 street interviews. “I was working on an EU-funded research project [Rediscovering the Urban Realm and Open Spaces] about urban comfort – wind, light, thermal, etc – where I was tasked to consider both the positive and negative elements of soundscapes,” she says. “So I interviewed people about what they were doing while recording the sound level. Before I was quite shy, but after that I was OK!” And Yang’s PhD studies also allowed her to visit Rome after all. “I went as a visiting scholar of American Academy in Rome, studying Rome’s public squares, particularly the fountains in Rome. I simulated sound maps of squares in Rome for my thesis, An Aesthetic Approach to the Soundscape of Urban Public Spaces. So my dream of studying in Rome was kind of fulfilled.” After working as a CAD technician and then a technical assistant while studying, Yang got her first planning job as an urban designer with David Lock Associates in Milton Keynes, graduating to large-scale project work and managing DLA’s role as a CABE enabler. In 2011 Yang set up Wei Yang & Partners, which has since carved out an international reputation as a multidisciplinary practice encompassing planning, urban design, masterplanning and architecture. The firm’s projects, which tend to focus on large-scale regeneration and low-carbon masterplanning, have included: East London Tech City; Jinjiang Dream Town in Fujiang; Hogwood garden Village in Wokingham; and Golou Smart City in Xuzhou. Meanwhile, Yang herself has become a fellow of the RTPI, as well as the Academy of Social Sciences, a trustee of the Landscape Institute, a board member of the British Library and, now, president of the RTPI.

RICHARD GLEED

The macro of plans, the micro of places

From Beijing to Sheffield via Rome

I M AG E |

understanding gap between themselves and the general public, she explains.

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C O A S TA L C H A N G E

HOLD THE LINE 24

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C O A S TA L C H A N G E

CLIMATE CHANGE IS HAVING A CORROSIVE IMPACT ON OUR COASTLINES – AND THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE BY THEM. AS DR TIM POATE AND ANDREW AUSTEN EXPLAIN, IT’S DOWN TO PLANNERS TO HOLD THE LINE. BUT HOW?

I M AG E | G E T T Y

n the winter of 2013/14, storms battered the South West coast, causing extensive damage to homes and businesses. A landslide at Dawlish left the main rail line in and out of Devon hanging over a void, unusable. For months, an entire region of England was almost inaccessible by rail. In Torcross, waves washed away shingle covering defensive pilings protecting buildings on the promenade. A year later, a sea wall collapsed. In 2018, part of the A379 coastal road that passes through Torcross crumbled under a barrage from further storms (see case study pages 28-29). What’s happening in Devon is a story repeated around the UK and all over the world as sea levels rise, storms increase in severity and frequency, ﬂoods intensify and the sea encroaches more persistently on our homes and settlements. The pressure on our coastal communities is growing – from both people and nature. It’s estimated that more than 5.2 million homes and properties in England are at risk

from ﬂooding and coastal erosion, unless something is done about it now. But what?

Coastal management Currently our coastline is managed by local authorities. In the 1990s the first Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) assessed the risks to people and property from erosion and flooding along sections of coastline. SMPs offered a big picture view of coastal change and its effects over timescales ranging from the immediate (0-20 years) to the medium term (20-50 years) to more distant horizons (50-100 years). Each time horizon was accompanied by a recommended approach to managing anticipated risk. This would follow one of four different levels of intervention: n Hold the line: Maintain or upgrade protection provided by existing defences or natural coastline. n Advance the line: Build coastal defences seawards of the existing defence line where significant land reclamation is considered. n Managed realignment: Realign the

‘natural’ coastline, either seaward or landward, to create a sustainable shoreline. n No active intervention: No investment in providing or maintaining defences or natural coastline. The potential impacts on local authority resources are considerable. All bar the policy of ‘no active intervention’ might involve substantial works over a long period – even just to maintain the status quo. Councils will have to raise – and keep on raising – the funding required.

A new tool for planners In 2010, local authorities were given a new planning tool. Councils were authorised to identify an area at risk from the processes of coastal change, designate it as Coastal Change Management Area (CCMA) and exert greater control over development. CCMAs were even included within the National Planning Policy Framework. The stage should have been set for a uniform approach to reducing the impacts of coastal

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C O A S TA L C H A N G E

Mapping CCMAs Shoreline management plans provide a baseline from which to start defining CCMAs, but rarely incorporate projections of future sea-level rise. Yet in the UK we have a wealth of coastal monitoring data, of increasing spatial accuracy. Aerial LiDAR produces detailed 3D laser scans of landscapes which enable us to accurately see shoreline change over time. When defining CCMAs, we split the coast into three types: cliffs; gravel and sandy beaches; estuaries. Change to cliffs and beaches is mainly driven by wave and tide processes that cause erosion and move sediment, altering the shape of coastlines. Tidal processes govern change in estuaries. Change is gradual, and flooding the main concern here. For all types of coastline we apply the latest climate change science, assessed in the UK Climate Projections 2018 provided by the UK Meteorological Office.

Cliffs The first step for cliffs is to define accurately the current coastline position using aerial LiDAR and aerial photography. The second is to compare current and historic LiDAR imagery to measure change. We can then calculate the retreat rate under historic changes in sea level. This allows us to predict future positions.

Beaches Beaches erode and accrete significantly from year to year and decade to decade, making it difficult to use historic positions to predict future response. We use a specific equation to simulate how the beach profile may respond to future sea-level rise. For areas

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with existing sea defences predicting future retreat is more complex and poorly understood than where there is space for the shoreline to move landward.

Estuaries Here we are interested in the level of flooding that may occur under future sea-level rise. We can use the most recent LiDAR data to create a digital elevation map of the estuary, from which we can extract an elevation contour that reflects the 1:200 year water level, as defined by UKCP18 coastal extreme sea levels. This is the elevation expected to be flooded once every 200 years and provides the inland boundary for areas likely to experience inundation during extreme surges.

Line Buffers Projecting a future shoreline position onto a map has many levels of uncertainty. The manner in which the uncertainty is represented can vary – however, the suggested approach is through a single ‘line buffer’, which provides an ‘uncertainty region’ to reflect that beaches, in particular soft cliffs, can retreat intermittently, making accurate retreat predictions difficult (Figure 1b). Furthermore, future sea-level rise predictions are governed by wider climate change impacts, which result from global emissions. It is difficult to be certain which emissions scenario may be the most likely. Use of projections from a high emission scenario is recommended for defining a CCMA to enable planning on a precautionary basis. The Line Buffer also allows for landward migration of coastal paths.

change on communities. Unfortunately, no advice for defining CCMAs was included in the Planning Practice Guidance, nor what level of coastal change might be significant enough to warrant designation. Neither is there advice for implementing CCMAs, or even a duty on coastal authorities to assess their areas and determine whether a CCMA designation is appropriate. It has been left to individual local authorities around England to determine whether, and how, to pursue the CCMA approach to protecting their coastline. As a result, there is considerable variation around England, even down to how CCMAs are depicted in policy documents. University of Plymouth research found that, out of 84 coastal authorities, only 10 have fully implemented and adopted a CCMA; a further 19 have one planned. The research, funded through the National Environmental Research Council and the South West Partnership for Environmental and Economic Prosperity project, found that more than half of the coastal authorities make no reference to a CCMA in their planning policies. We also found that a range of different approaches and scales have been used to secure coastal protection. These include a narrow 10-metre buffer along the coastline (Newquay), around a single bay (Porlock Weir, Exmoor) or along the whole coastline (Torbay). Do these variations matter? Arguably, yes, as a lack of consistency in implementation of CCMAs means that coastline management itself is inconsistent, and thus its impacts are difficult to measure. The railway line at Dawlish, brought down by severe storms in February 2014.

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C O A S TA L C H A N G E

I M AG E S | G E T T Y

Despite sea defences, coastal erosion of the cliﬀ face threatens homes at Happisburgh near Great Yarmouth.

In an ideal world, policies within a development plan would enable control of the types of uses and new buildings constructed along the designated coast that may be at risk from coastal erosion or flooding in the future. Councils would consider strategic and key infrastructure and the connectivity of transport routes that may need to be relocated in the future. It is not sensible, or even possible, to defend our entire coastline. We need to planning authorities “A LACK OF plan for changes that seawith confidence in CONSISTENCY IN level rise will bring so that the implementation IMPLEMENTATION future generations do not of CCMAs. We believe OF CCMAS MEANS end up paying for coastal our work has provided THAT COASTLINE planning mistakes that that. The challenge MANAGEMENT failed to anticipate change. then becomes ITSELF IS Working with North implementation. INCONSISTENT” Devon, Torridge and East Once identified, a Devon Councils, our project CCMA needs to be has attempted to address included within the why CCMA uptake has been local development so slow. We have also been plan and development developing a scientifically must adhere to policy robust approach to defining CCMA areas restrictions. These may range from no that should give coastal authorities the development to restricting commercial tools and confidence to take on the task permissions so a business can only of protecting their coastlines. operate for a number of years. We’ve found that a principal barrier For example, Exmoor National Park’s to adopting a CCMA is the complexity of plan includes a CCMA at Porlock Weir defining which sections of coast are likely that forbids permanent residential to see significant change in the next 100 development. However, some changes years. The potential restrictions on what of use may be permitted if they are a development is acceptable within CCMA less vulnerable and water-compatible areas rightly means greater scrutiny will tourism, retail, leisure or business be placed on how these areas are defined. development that requires a coastal A robust, consistent and clear method location and provides community benefit. is required that can withstand challenges Key infrastructure may also be permitted; during examination and provide equally, adaptation to existing buildings to improve flood resilience. Where new development is not accepted, there may be opportunities to create green infrastructure, natural capital or ater-compatible uses within a CCMA. By establishing a robust methodology that uses readily available data, we anticipate that more local planning authorities will be willing and able to identify and designate CCMAs in future. n Dr Tim Poate is senior coastal researcher at the University of Plymouth and Andrew Austen is lead officer, planning policy, at North Devon Council

UK coastal erosion n 17.3 per cent of the UK

coast is suﬀering erosion. n In England and Wales

28 per cent is experiencing erosion greater than 0.1 metres a year. n Climate change impacts, including sea-level rise and storm patterns, are expected to accelerate erosion trends. n The Environment Agency estimates that about 700 properties in England are vulnerable to coastal erosion over the next 20 years – 2,000 more may become vulnerable over the next 50 years. n The Committee for Climate Change, in its 2018 report Managing the Coast in a Changing Climate, stated that between 2005 and 2014 more than 15,000 new buildings were built in coastal areas at significant risk of coastal flooding and/ or erosion. n Under current trends this figure could be 27,000 new properties by 2022. n Housebuilding targets in the next five years could see up to 90,000 homes built in areas of significant annual flood risk from all sources of flooding, including coastal.

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CASE STUDY

CLOSER LOOK: SEA ENCROACHMENT AT SLAPTON SANDS THE A379 BETWEEN TORCROSS AND STRETE IN SOUTH DEVON IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF A LOCATION WHERE A COASTAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT AREA DESIGNATION COULD PROVIDE CLEAR GUIDANCE ON VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE EXPOSED TO STORM DAMAGE AND SEA LEVEL RISE

For 2.2 miles from Torcross to Strete in south Devon, the A379 runs north along the top of a gravel barrier separating the English Channel from Slapton Ley, the largest natural lake in the South West. Sitting above a highly mobile shingle barrier beach, the road passes through a Site of Special ScientiďŹ c Interest and a National Nature Reserve and within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

This stretch of coast is particularly vulnerable pa to the impacts of storms. In 2001, a section of road was washed away aw and a 300-metre stretch was wa moved 20 metres farther from fro the sea before reopening. reopening In winter 2013/14 storms cau caused extensive damage to homes hom and businesses in Torcross.

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CASE STUDY

An emergency request by Devon County Council to the Department of Transport released £2.5m of funding to ‘retreat’ the road along a 700 metre stretch. The works were able to beneﬁt from proactive planning permission and environmental mitigation which had been previously carried out. The A379 re-opened in October 2018.

Various coastal defences have been constructed over the past 100 years, mostly next to Torcross cross promenade and often ften in response to specifi cific incidents. These have ave included a concrete te seawall above sheet piling, rock revetment, block lock armour work and periodic beach recycling. ng. The road on its own does oes not qualify for flood funding, unding, and its sensitive environnvironmental features limit mit the engineering structures ures that can be used to o provide sea defences.

Nevertheless, the road is still under threat from coastal movement and the beach could move 25-40 metres landward by 2100, as modelling

Slapton Sands Beach Management Plan Background

What are the objectives of the Beach Management Plan?

The ‘Slapton Line’ and A379 road are suffering from lowering beach levels and storm damage. This along with recent emergency repair works has reinforced their importance to the local community. Sea level rise predictions and increased storminess will only continue to increase the vulnerability of the Line and its associated infrastructure to damage. It is therefore vital that we consider now what feasible protective measures could be taken, before it is too late.

z To review and better understand the coastal processes which contribute to change along the coastline.

z To present a monitoring and intervention plan to sustain the A379 for the next 20 years.

z To assess the performance of the existing coastal defences.

z To develop and implement more sustainable longer-term solutions with consideration of the current ‘Shoreline Management Plan’.

z 7R DVVHVV WKH ORFDO HFRQRPLF EHQHÀW RI IXWXUH management options.

z To consider long term changes to both funding and local policy.

z To appraise each short listed option against technical, z To consider the impact of any management solution on the Slapton Line which is in a National Nature economic, environmental and social criteria and 5HVHUYH DQG 6LWH RI 6SHFLDO 6FLHQWLÀF ,QWHUHVW 666, identify the preferred management approach.

The Slapton Line Partnership (SLP) has appointed specialist consulting engineers CH2M to develop a detailed plan, known as a Beach Management Plan (BMP).

Who is the Slapton Line Partnership? The SLP was formed in 2001 in response to a closure of the coastal road between the Slapton turn and Strete Gate caused by storm damage and which lasted three months. The purposes of the Slapton Line Partnership are to:

1. Promote a co-ordinated policy for managing coastal change in and around Slapton Sands;

3. To promote a range of adaptation activities and projects in anticipation of future change;

2. Ensure that appropriate contingency plans and preparations are maintained for responding to erosion events;

4. To promote public awareness and community engagement in the coastal management and adaptation process.

of long-term sea level rise by Timothy Poate, senior coastal researcher at the University of Plymouth, and his colleagues shown. has sh Poate was involved in Poa creating a beach management creati plan, which includes a recommendation to create a recom Coastal Change Management Coast Area. “Slapton is a great case study of where a CCMA is needed, because of the vital neede infrastructure [the A379], infras threat to housing and the the th evidence of the impacts of evide coastal change,” he says. coasta

Please contact us with comments - email: enquiries@slaptonline.org or tel: 07891 927 128

In March 2018, Storm Emma, a once in 50 years event, caused signiﬁcant damage to the A379. Several hundred metres of road collapsed under pressure from heavy rain and powerful seas. I M AG E S | A L A M Y / G E T T Y / S H U T T E RSTO C K

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N AT U R A L C A P I TA L

E H T

C F

E S A

R O

A P S 30

E C

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A GROWING BODY OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT GREEN SPACE HAS TANGIBLE HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS. ECONOMIST CAROLINE VEXLER EXPLAINS WHY NOW IS THE TIME FOR PLANNERS TO FOCUS ON THE CASE FOR GREEN SPACE

spaces, as they may face financial he Covid-19 pandemic barriers to other forms of recreation has forced people globally and physical exercise. to re-examine their Moreover, the pandemic has limited relationship with the the safety and feasibility of using natural environment. public transportation, potentially The ability to go outdoors, spend creating further barriers to accessing time in nature or go for a run is public spaces. something many in the UK have taken for granted. Londoners have been particularly spoiled for choice, Green assets with nearly 10,000 parks and formal A wide body of academic literature gardens freely accessible to the public. demonstrates that visiting green Yet in spring and summer 2020, spaces has important benefits for local authorities, faced with difficult health and wellbeing (see box – Three choices and limited information, reasons to go green). chose to close some of London’s most These health and wellbeing benefits historic and popular are widely understood, parks becauase of health but less often is the “STUDIES HAVE and safety concerns. case made that SHOWN, TOO, THAT These closures can have both the private and IMPROVEMENTS TO public sector benefit significant wellbeing PUBLIC SPACES implications, particularly from investing in IN TOWN CENTRES and maintaining for vulnerable CAN INCREASE populations. green spaces. COMMERCIAL Public health experts NHS England spends TRADING BY UP TO more than £100 billion now recognise that 40 PER CENT” outdoor spaces can be each year treating safe for recreation with mental illnesses, proper social distancing, representing nearly making investment 14 per cent of the and maintenance of public health budget. parks for safety more Although green spaces important than ever. are no replacement for healthcare However, the role these spaces services and treatments, the evidence now play in facilitating health and linking green spaces to mental health social cohesion has highlighted stark suggests that better access could play a disparities in access across the UK. role in reducing this burden. Research from Public Health England Moreover, green space can form part has found that people living in the of mental healthcare treatment. most deprived areas of the UK also Green social prescribing practices, have the least access to green spaces. where GPs refer patients to nonThese populations are also more clinical services for nature-based likely to benefit from access to green activities, are on the rise in the UK.

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N AT U R A L C A P I TA L

Planning for green space Invest and Prosper identifies a number of powers and duties that planning authorities have that can play a significant role in supporting planning for green spaces and protecting the natural environment. Planning authorities are responsible for protecting national parks and gardens, existing green infrastructure and ecological assets, and the green belt. In Wales, planning authorities are required to produce up-to-date inventories and maps of existing green infrastructure and identify opportunities for growth. In Scotland, The Planning Bill 2019 makes open space strategies a statutory requirement. In 2018-19, planning authorities in England agreed to £157 million of developer contributions towards preserving open space and the natural environment. Local planning authorities take a leading role in protecting biodiversity through biodiversity impact requirements in planning policy. All four UK national planning policies recognise that planning authorities have a statutory duty to conserve biodiversity and prevent adverse effects of development on biodiversity. Local planning authorities are responsible for enhancing and maintaining the historic environment. As of 2016, the UK had 31 cultural, natural and mixed World Heritage Sites and England had approximately 19,854 scheduled monuments, 377,587 listed buildings and more than 46 registered battlefields.

“THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PLANNERS TO REFRAME THE TREATMENT OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN PLANNING”

In October 2020, a £4.3 million pilot scheme was announced to support deprived communities and areas hit hardest by Covid-19 to scale green prescribing programmes. Research by Natural England suggests that these programmes can deliver significant value for money, up to £2 billion in savings for the NHS. Green space access can also help to reduce the burden of physical inactivity, which is estimated to be responsible for one in six deaths in the UK. According to Public Health England, people in the most deprived decile are nearly twice as likely to be physically inactive (less than 30 minutes of exercise a week) as people in the least deprived decile. Investing in green space amenities can lure visitors and enable physical activities, increasing the health benefits. Public spaces with facilities such as walking or cycling routes, bike racks, parking lots, paved trails, and water fountains have higher levels of physical activity. Research undertaken by Vivid Economics shows that other amenities such as toilets, playgrounds and picnic areas encourage these visitors to spend longer outdoors. In addition to public health savings, green spaces provide economic value to developers and businesses that locate in proximity. High-quality green spaces can attract people and businesses, providing amenities and infrastructure and increasing the value of local real estate. Eighty-five per cent of US residents identify proximity to public spaces as

a key factor in deciding where to live; in the UK, Oﬃce for National Statistics data shows that residents are willing to pay up to 1.7 per cent more to buy property within 200 metres of a large green space. The amenities, recreational opportunities and aesthetic quality of green spaces can also attract businesses and inward investment to communities. Public spaces can catalyse economic activity by facilitating links between businesses and the public, increasing footfall near commercial areas. They can connect recreational visitors to retail businesses, stimulating expenditure. Studies have also shown that improvements to public spaces in town centres can increase commercial trading by up to 40 per cent. The role of green spaces connecting people to businesses may be increasingly important in post-Covid economic recovery. High-quality parks and public squares can also become tourist destinations, bringing in economic opportunities and local revenues for retail and hospitality industries. London’s Royal Parks, for example, attract 77 million visitors a year and brought in £50 million in income in 2018-2019, not including the value provided to local shops and restaurants.

Planning for green access Planning system regulations are designed to protect or reduce harm to the natural environment, but do

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N AT U R A L C A P I TA L

not treat green space as critical health and economic infrastructure. The RTPI’s recently published Invest and Prosper (see box, right) report shows that the planning system can ensure good access to services and infrastructure which are critical for people’s health and the longterm sustainability of towns and cities. The planning system is particularly important for providing access to affordable housing, active transport infrastructure and public services. However, requirements within planning frameworks are focused on conserving the natural environment, rather than promoting green space accessibility. With increased national focus on the role of parks in fostering safe social interactions, providing an outlet for recreation during lockdown and spaces for exercise, there is a great opportunity for planners to reframe the treatment of the natural environment in planning. Urban planning can maximise the potential health and economic benefits of green space through strategic placement which prioritises improving access for new and existing residents. This is stated as a key aim of the UK government’s recently published planning white paper, as well as planning frameworks in all four nations. Work conducted by Vivid Economics for the National Trust suggests that ensuring access to green space in the most deprived neighbourhoods in Great Britain would increase physical health and mental wellbeing to a value of £78 million annually. The report found that adding 156 new green spaces across various urban locations – an additional 312 hectares in total – was sufficient to provide a reasonable standard of access to 150,000 residents living in the most deprived areas in Great Britain.

Caroline Vexler is co-author of Invest and Prosper: A Business Case for Investing in Planning, commissioned and published by the RTPI in October er 2020. Download the report from the RTPI website: bit.ly/planner1220-investprosper

Moreover, doing so results in additional physical health and mental wellbeing benefits valued at £28 million and £49 million, respectively, on an annual basis. Elevating access to this standard across the UK would likely result in significantly more health benefits. For example, previous estimates by Natural England have suggested that extending good levels of green space access to the entire population of England could result in savings to the

Three reasons to go green Beneﬁts of regular, easy access to green spaces include: n Spending 120 minutes a week in green spaces is shown to increase life satisfaction and measures of subjective wellbeing n Children living in greener areas have a lower risk of psychiatric disorders later in life n Those using green space for physical activity have a decreased risk of all-cause mortality and a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases. Sources: University of Exeter; Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences; World Health Organisation

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NHS of £2.1 billion annually through improved physical health outcomes alone. Similarly, improving the quality of existing green spaces with additional facilities can attract higher visitation and unlock greater health and economic benefits. Higher-quality parks that offer a variety of facilities typically attract more annual visits than parks that do not. For example, a recent survey conducted in the city of Leeds found that 24 per cent of respondents reported lack of facilities as the primary reason why they did not visit their nearest park the most often. Significantly increasing the number of facilities in medium-to-large-sized green spaces, including public toilets, children’s play areas, and café-like amenities, could increase annual visits to green spaces in Great Britain by as much as 67 per cent. An increase in green space visits of this magnitude would support substantial additional benefits to mental wellbeing and physical health – about £10 billion in total a year, according to research by Vivid and Barton Willmore. Analysis for the recently published RPTI report Invest and Prosper finds that a well-planned green space in a deprived area can deliver up to 500 per cent more value than a poorly planned green space. Green spaces in the UK already provide more than £16 billion a year in value to UK residents, with further benefits to the public and the private sector. As the UK enters a period of rebuilding the economy post-Covid and planning system priorities are shifting, planners have the opportunity to make green spaces central to recovery and create places that support the health and wellbeing of generations to come. n Caroline Vexler is a senior economist at Vivid Economics, supporting cities and local authorities in the UK and globally to use natural capital accounting tools for strategic green infrastructure planning. She was part of the team that developed the Greenkeeper Tool.

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Tech { L A N D S C A P E

P35 TECH P36 REGIONAL P38 DECISIONS P42 LEGAL P 5 0 W H AT ' S O N

HOW TURNING TO THE CLOUD IS TRANSFORMING ANGLESEY’S PLANNING SERVICE A CLOUDBASED PLANNING AND BUILDING CONTROL SERVICE HAS TRANSFORMED THE WAY THAT ANGLESEY’S PLANNERS GO ABOUT THEIR WORK – AND ENABLED THE PLANNING SERVICE TO CONTINUE UNINTERRUPTED DURING THE COVID PANDEMIC, AS ELENA WHITE EXPLAINS We wanted to find models that would modernise the way we delivered our planning and economic development services as part of the Isle of Anglesey County Council’s five-year plan, introduced in 2017. This vision includes using technology to transform the way planning and building control services are delivered to ensure cost and time efficiencies, as well as delivering valuable services that improve the quality of life for residents. Using a mixture of paper-based

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processes and inflexible legacy systems to manage planning and building control applications often leaves planning officers facing time-consuming processes and disjointed systems. It can also become increasingly difficult to manage information and generate reports. Based on our own experience, we realised that our data needed to be centralised and made more accessible, not only to our council employees and planning officers but also residents. To help us build and deliver a new

planning and building control portal, we turned to Arcus Global and its planning, building control and public portal applications. The result – Arcus Place – Planning and Building Control applications – is a scalable cloud solution built in partnership with Anglesey’s planning services. Crucially, it integrates with our existing document management system, Salesforce, and it improves the experience of managing and interacting with the planning service for both internal and external stakeholders.

Building better services in the cloud Previously, the council used some paperbased processes alongside a planning system that was hosted on-site. Managing information and generating reports was becoming increasingly diﬃcult for the team as the old system had periods of

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TTech { L A N D S C A P E planning and build control applications, meet deadlines, comply with legislation, and make the appropriate information available to citizens and statutory bodies. It also means that our planning and building control teams are using much less paper than before, as all documents relating to planning and building applications are available through an integration between the cloud-based applications and Salesforce.

Working remotely

Arcus Global partnered with Anglesey’s planning services to build the cloud solution

downtime when the network was impacted or upgrades were being carried out. It also didn’t support users working remotely. Aside from having a modern look and feel, the new system has advantages for both planning and building control oﬃcers as well as members of the public. It means that: n Upgrades now take minutes to complete instead of hours and the council hasn’t experienced any downtime since going live. n The team at Anglesey can now easily generate reports and share them. n The planning team can work collaboratively online, with multiple people logged in at the same time. n It enables remote working, so the building control team are able to work on site and upload photos to the platform in real time. Colleagues can more easily record and process all applications, notiﬁcations and enquiries received by the building control service. n There is a single source of data, which allows users to view the history of a site or a case, along with the relevant contact history. n Before going live with the public

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portal too, the council consulted on new planning applications by post. This meant printing out plans and all related documents. Now, using the public portal, responses are submitted electronically. This not only saves Anglesey Council a considerable amount of money on printing and postage costs but it also speeds up the process and consultees are able to give immediate feedback. n The public portal, rolled out after the internal system was set up, enables residents to view key information relating to planning applications. This was designed to be bilingual, making it easy to navigate for both our Welsh and Englishspeaking users. n Via the public portal, members of the public can respond to consultations and make payments electronically. Ultimately, the platform enables local authorities to assess and manage

The feedback from the island’s residents on the new public portal has been very positive. Our local members and consultees are happy to have a system in place that is easy to use. Our employees are also now able to work remotely, whether from home, remote offices or on-site. This has benefited not only our development management planners, but also our joint planning policy unit, which handles all planning policy enquiries relating to the Isle of Anglesey and Gwynedd. The switch to a cloud-based application means that the planning team no longer has to sift through paper files to find information; planners can now drill into a single source of data stored electronically and generate reports easily. For example, searches for planning applications, building control enforcements or land searches associated with a particular email address have become simple and saved us days in generating reports. In some instances, it just wasn’t previously possible to get the information we needed. The restrictions to our daily work and travel have been a fantastic test for the system. At the time of writing (December 2020), the entire council had been working from home for close to six months and our planning, building and public platforms were working perfectly – showing our employees they can carry on as normal without being in the office. It just goes to show what a difference being cloud-based makes. n Elena White is business systems manager at Isle of Anglesey County Council I M AG E | I STO C K

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Visualisations for a positive outcome

NPA

Visuals

Contact Chris Hale to discuss the preparation of high quality visualisations, including YHULÍ¤HG YLHZV DQG SKRWRPRQWDJHV WR VXSSRUW \RXU GHYHORSPHQW SURSRVDOV â&#x20AC;¢ Architecture â&#x20AC;¢ Landscapes

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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

Jenrick rejects £271m Norwich regeneration project A controversial plan to redevelop a shopping centre in Norwich, strongly opposed by heritage campaigners for its proposed 20-storey tower, has been refused permission by the housing secretary against the advice of his inspector. The decision concerned Anglia Square, a shopping centre in Norwich city centre that opened in 1970. Developer Weston Homes sought permission for a comprehensive redevelopment of the site that included a landmark 20-storey tower and other blocks of up to 12 storeys to provide 1,250 new homes as well as a cinema, hotel and commercial space. The council voted to approve the scheme in 2018, citing its economic benefits. However, in light of fierce opposition to the decision that included more than 700 objections and representations from various heritage groups, the application was called in by housing secretary Robert Jenrick. Following a 15-day inquiry, inspector David Prentis recommended the scheme for approval, having found that the comprehensive regeneration of the site “an important strategic objective”, and its associated benefits carried decisive weight.

EXPERT COMMENT Bob Weston, chairman and CEO of Weston Homes said:

( “We intend to fight Robert Jenrick’s undemocratic and commercially unjustified decision in the High Court and seek to get his ruling overturned.

( “The secretary of state has gone

against local democracy and the recommendations of a public inquiry, choosing to side with the NIMBY brigade who would rather see Norwich city centre die than support a future for the city’s economy.

( “How does our prime minister, who

is very vocal that housebuilders need to ‘build, build, build’ in order to hit the government’s housing delivery target of 300,000 homes, justify this anti urban renewal and antihousebuilder decision?”

In his decision letter, Jenrick agreed with his inspector’s finding that the developer’s offer of only 10 per cent affordable housing was the maximum amount that could viably be achieved. He also agreed that the reduction in retail floor space compared with the existing shopping centre would be “offset by improvements to the quality of that space”, and the “enhanced leisure offer”. In terms of design, Jenrick quoted the advice of Design South East, the design review panel that had advised Historic England on the scheme. The panel’s advice

stated that the proposed blocks could be considered low-rise “only in comparison to the tower”, and were “not just tall, but also very deep and wide” and would “create monoliths that are out of scale with the fine grain of the surrounding historic urban fabric”. The tower, Jenrick found – contrary to his inspector – did not “demonstrate the exceptional quality” required of a gateway site by local policy, and was also excessively large. He also disagreed with the inspector’s finding that the scheme’s benefits outweighed its heritage impact, given the “range and number of assets affected”. In the planning balance, Jenrick acknowledged the scheme’s significant economic benefits and

LOCATION: Norwich AUTHORITY: Norwich City Council INSPECTOR: David Prentis PROCEDURE: Calledin decision DECISION: Dismissed REFERENCE: APP/ G2625/V/19/3225505

contribution towards meeting the area’s housing needs. Overall, however, he concluded that these beneﬁts were not enough to outbalance the heritage harm he had identiﬁed. On this basis he refused permission.

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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

Housing supply dispensation kept despite missed deadline A ministerial statement cutting the housing supply required of Oxfordshire authorities to three years to help them deliver the county’s joint spatial plan remains in eﬀect despite missing the deadline for its submission.

Landlord’s plan to curtail pub’s live music is approved

I M AG E S | I STO C K

An inspector has approved plans for the residential conversion of a South London pub’s upper floors that will force the business to curtail its live music offering, ruling that the pub’s ‘unique character’ would be ‘altered... but not lost’. The appeal concerned The White Hart, a listed pub and music venue with hotel rooms above. It holds a late licence and runs DJ sessions until 3am at weekends. In April 2018, landlord Wellington Pub Company sought permission to convert the building’s upper floors into four flats. A petition with contending that the scheme would render the pub unviable because it would be forced to close earlier and live music would be prohibited gained. The appellant suggested carrying out upgrades to the floorboards between the ground and first floors and using a noise limiter. However, to achieve acceptable noise levels, live acoustic music (with no drums) and background music played from speakers would be allowed only until 11pm. Late-night DJ events, which contribute half of bar takings, would not be allowed at all. The appeal turned on whether these proposals would place “an undue burden on the pub”. Inspector Tom GilbertWooldridge acknowledged that the reduction in live music would cause a “change of character”, noting that night-time venues are already under threat “not least due to LOCATION: New Cross the impact of Covid-19”. The pub could open AUTHORITY: Lewisham Borough Council until 3am, the inspector noted, and could continue INSPECTOR: Tom GilbertWooldridge to play music “to a certain level and time”. PROCEDURE: Inquiry Its “unique and intrinsic character” would be DECISION: Allowed “altered... but not lost”, he decided, and “the safe REFERENCE: APP/ and inclusive space that it C5690/W/19/3241119 provides could continue”. However, he concluded that the restrictions proposed were “not unreasonable”.

The appeal concerned an outline application by O&H Homes to build 93 homes in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, which had been unpopular with the county, district and parish councils. Noting that the site had not been allowed for housing and fell outside the village’s existing builtup area, inspector Darren Hendley found the scheme ran contrary to the local development plan. He referred to the written ministerial statement issued in September 2018 by thenhousing secretary James Brokenshire, which stated that to provide short-term ﬂexibility to Oxfordshire authorities in delivering the Oxfordshire joint statutory spatial plan (JSP), the tilted balance at NPPF paragraph 11(d) will only apply if an authority’s housing land supply falls below three years. The appellant contended that the three-year dispensation no longer applied as the Oxfordshire councils had missed the deadline for submitting the JSP for examination. Hendley disagreed, noting that the

LOCATION: Sutton Courtenay AUTHORITY: Vale of White Horse District Council

INSPECTOR: Darren Hendley PROCEDURE: Inquiry DECISION: Dismissed REFERENCE: APP/ V3120/W/20/3247391

WMS clearly called for the secretary of state to keep the dispensation “under review”. The secretary of state had not indicated a change of position, the inspector noted, and it was beyond his powers to “take a different stance”. The dispensation remained in force, and the council only needed to show a supply of three or more years. Hendley found that a supply greater than three years could be proved, so full weight was afforded to the scheme’s conflict with the development plan, and the appeal was dismissed.

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C&D { C Pandemic highlights students’ altered living conditions

The appeal concerned a cluster of purpose-built student accommodation buildings in central Portsmouth, standing at between eight and 25 storeys tall – one of which won the Carbuncle Cup award for ugliest building of 2017. The appellant sought to add a new 10-storey block oﬀering 59 more student rooms. Inspector Katie Peerless was critical of the building’s design. It would be “perceived as an afterthought”, she commented, bearing “little

LOCATION: Portsmouth AUTHORITY: Portsmouth City Council INSPECTOR: Katie Peerless PROCEDURE: Written submissions DECISION: Dismissed REFERENCE: APP/ Z1775/W/20/3244807

Jenrick rejects Eddie Stobart national distribution centre The housing secretary has refused plans for a ‘very large’ distribution centre in Warrington that would have created 730 new jobs, citing unacceptable harm to the green belt and a dearth of ‘very special circumstances’. The appeal concerned the major logistics and haulage business Eddie Stobart. In July 2018, it applied for permission to build a national distribution centre, standing at 18 metres high with an internal ﬂoor space of 56,000 square metres, on green belt land opposite its headquarters in Warrington. The council approved the application despite receiving 1,100 objections. But the decision was then called in by housing secretary Robert Jenrick for his determination.

During a three-day inquiry, inspector David Wildsmith heard arguments informed by the “seismic change” brought

relation” to its neighbours. This “might not matter if the new building were to display some form of special architectural quality that clearly distinguished it from the others" she said, "but, to my mind, it would not”. The council was also concerned that the scheme would block sunlight from rooms in one of the existing nearby buildings. The appellant argued that student lodgings’ sunlight standards “should be relaxed” because students “use their rooms in a

diﬀerent way” from occupants of regular housing. But Peerless observed that “current experience from the Covid-19 pandemic has shown that students may be forced to live and learn in diﬀerent ways”, with virtual tuition and periods of isolation in halls now commonplace. In dismissing the appeal, Peerless noted that it would be “unwise to assume that students would only use their rooms for sleeping”, and that their outlook was of less importance.

about by the Covid-19 pandemic. He recommended the application for refusal, having decided that “very special circumstances” did not exist to justify the scheme’s green belt harm. Jenrick agreed that the appeal site made a strong contribution to the green belt’s purpose of safeguarding the countryside from encroachment. The “very large building” proposed, on the other hand, while of “high design quality”, would have “an appreciable adverse visual impact on openness”. The appeal site would be “dramatically transformed from a relatively ﬂat, open, undeveloped area” into one of “intensive development”. Jenrick acknowledged that the scheme would generate up to 730 new jobs and add £18 million

LOCATION: Warrington

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

An inspector has refused plans for a ‘bland’ 10-storey block of student ﬂats in Portsmouth, citing pandemicinduced changes to student life in rejecting the developer’s call for sunlight standards to be relaxed.

AUTHORITY: Warrington Borough Council

INSPECTOR: David Wildsmith PROCEDURE: Calledin decision DECISION: Dismissed REFERENCE: APP/ M0655/V/20/3253083

to the economy. In the planning balance, however, the minister ruled that the scheme’s “very significant” economic benefits did not amount to the “very special circumstances” necessary to justify the harm to the green belt he had identified.

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DECISIONS DIGEST{

SUBSCRIBE to our appeals digest:

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

Wind energy policy deferred to nonexistent plan an An inspector has approved plans for two micro ro turbines at a business park near Worcester, after discovering that the local plan had “created a lacuna” by deferring renewable energy policy to a neighbourhood plan that did not yet exist. bit.ly/planner0121-wind

‘Retrofitted’ mitigation justifies dark sky home An inspector has approved plans for a metal-clad home within in the buffer zone of the South h Downs International Dark Sky Reserve, noting that the e mitigation measures proposed sed were still likely to be effective ve despite being retrofitted to the design. bit.ly/planner0121-darksky

Housing allocation exceeded by a factor of 10 An inspector has approved plans for 170 homes on the edge of a village east of Norwich, despite acknowledging that her decision would mean a total of 475 homes could be built in an area the council had allocated for only 50. bit.ly/planner0121-brundall

Paragraph 79 home refused despite design panel support Plans submitted under NPPF paragraph 79 for a carbonnegative home in the Cornwall AONB have been rejected by an inspector, who “formed diﬀerent conclusions” from the design review panel that had supported the scheme. bit.ly/planner0121-cornish

Norfolk scrape could cause more harm than good An inspector was unconvinced by the possible environmental beneﬁts of a ‘scrape’ – a shallow depression that seasonally holds water – that was created without consent in the Norfolk Coast AONB, calling it “somewhat alien”. bit.ly/planner0121-scrape

Topfloor medical use excluded from residential conversion

Cycle space requirement for HMO halved

The top floor of a six-storey office block in Purley cannot be converted to flats despite the rest of the building’s conversion under permitted development rules because it was last used as a dialysis clinic under use class D1, an inspector has ruled. bit.ly/planner0121-flats

Plans to convert 10 self-contained ﬂats in Ealing into a single eight-bedroom HMO need only provide four cycle parking spaces, an inspector has ruled, half the number the council had demanded when subjecting its approval to conditions. bit.ly/planner0121-cycle

Closed pub cannot be converted

Mu Museum improvements do not justify ancient woodland loss ju

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Pl Plans for a new visitor centre at the National Museum of Flight in th East Lothian have been rejected Ea despite the scheme’s various de public beneﬁts, after a reporter pu decided that the loss of 299 trees de at the site was unacceptable. bit.ly/planner0121-woodland bi

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A listed pub in Essex, that closed just over a year after being acquired, cannot be converted into a home following an inspector’s ruling fo that the appellant’s evidence “'fell far short” of justifying the conversion despite her “commitment and sacriﬁce”. bit.ly/planner0121-pub

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08/12/2020 10:07

LANDSCAPE

LLegal landscape OPINION

Use class changes should be good for our health, but barriers remain Are changes to the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 truly an opportunity for developers, retailers and professional service providers in a post-Covid world? Philippa Plumtree-Varley considers the likely impact on the health and fitness sector In September the government unexplored. “As such, the introduced changes to the gym should be considered a use classes order intended key element of placemaking to enable repurposing of in new office and residential buildings in town centres. As developments,” it concluded. a result (pending a judicial But the ability for gym and review), a building can be leisure outlets to operate used flexibly, centrally has having different been hampered. uses at different Operators such as “THE UK’S GYM times of the day The Gym Group MARKET HAS or several uses have been vocal POTENTIAL TO concurrently. about excessive REVITALISE The UK’s delays and costs UNDERUSED physical activity in securing SPACES, DRIVE sector contributes planning FOOTFALL, an estimated £7.7 permissions, INCREASE billion annually change-of-use HOUSE PRICES to the economy. consents and AND HEIGHTEN Studies have discharging COMMERCIAL shown that, when conditions. RENTS” considering Indeed, one of service priorities, the sector’s key consumers place representative gyms and leisure organisations, centres ahead of ukactive, has non-essential offerings such been lobbying for legislative as shops and cinemas. and policy changes – as its Meet Me at the Bar, a chief executive Huw Edwards 2019 paper by Colliers asks: “How can it be easier International, found that to open a chicken shop than the UK’s gym market had a fitness facility, when the potential to revitalise government wants to address underused spaces, secure obesity and improve the long-term income, drive nation’s health?” footfall, increase house The key problem now may prices and heighten be timing. Operators are likely commercial rents. While to be struggling anyway – out-of-town growth had been with users either reluctant considerable, town centre to return post-lockdown potential remained largely because of hygiene concerns

or having found greater flexibility online. Localised coronavirus restrictions may continue to affect fitness facilities, too. Continued uncertainty may limit the ability for operators to capitalise immediately on the reforms. Rental levels may continue to work against widespread expansion into town centres. Retail rent is often inflated compared with what leisure and fitness operators are used to, or prepared to pay. Landlords already struggling with empty units will need to be reasonable. High business rates, inadequate VAT relief, expensive car parking and increased homeworking could also undermine benefits arising from these changes. Some former retail premises are harder to adapt for use by fitness operators because of structural support columns, for instance. But larger retail units and redundant offices above shops could all be used. ‘Boutique’ and ‘studio’ gym offerings are also ideal for high streets – such as cycle/ spin workshops. Evidence of their likely success is clear in the figures alone. For example, BodyStreet involves working out with electro muscle stimulation technology and

operates from a studio size averaging 800 square feet. The company has more than 300 outlets globally and an annual turnover of £44 million. Convenience, good transport links, accessibility and the ability to integrate health and fitness into daily life tasks are some of the advantages operators could benefit from with a move into town centres. The use class changes will not act as a ‘silver bullet’ for the sector, but will go some way to aiding operators, while offering revitalisation opportunities – not just for failing high streets, empty real estate units and burgeoning office developments, but also the wellbeing of the nation. Philippa Plumtree-Varley is principal legal officer, development team leader at Leeds City Council

In brief Use class changes could a make the high street more attractive to health and fitness operators Research suggest their presence could help to revitalise town centres But the planning system presents obstacles – as do Covid restrictions and inflexible landlords

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08/12/2020 09:12

EVENTS

CASES

LEGISLATION

NEWS

NEWS Southwark Council succeeds in case against landlord A landlord has been ordered to pay the full criminal benefit figure, and given a proceeds of crime confiscation order of £259,475, for developing and renting out five “sub-standard” flats above commercial premises on the Old Kent Road, in Southwark, London. Shafait Ali of Deptford, London, appeared before the Inner London Crown Court in November 2020 for sentence and confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The court was informed that Ali had pleaded guilty in June 2018 to two offences of failing to comply with a planning enforcement notice. The notice required Ali to stop using properties on 719-725 Old Kent Road as three self-contained flats and two non-self-contained flats, as well as the permanent removal of all fittings installed to facilitate the unauthorised conversion. At the hearing, Ali was also sentenced to a fine and ordered to pay costs amounting to £23,400.59. He has three months to pay the confiscation order or face two-and-half years in prison.

Campaigners to appeal against PDR ruling The campaign group that unsuccessfully applied for a judicial review of government changes to permitted development rights has pledged to appeal against the High Court’s ruling. Under government changes announced in June, a detached building used for offices or industry can be demolished and replaced with flats within the same footprint up to two storeys higher to a maximum height of 18 metres. New storeys above an existing house can be added without planning permission and other amendments introduced a commercial, business and service use class with buildings or land removed from development control. Rights: Community: Action put forward three arguments, including that there had been no environmental assessment of the statutory instruments, breaching Article 3 of the EU Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive. The High Court ruled that the statutory instruments grant planning permission for certain defined development but do not set a framework for future development consents. The secretary of state had due regard to the public sector equality duty by producing equality impact assessments for each statutory instrument and he had not failed to “conscientiously consider” the Clifford Report and the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission report, the court ruled. “Our client is disappointed that the court has turned down its application for judicial review,” said Leigh Day solicitor Tom Short, who represents the group. “Although the court recognised the very significant environment impact that these changes will have, it has reached a conclusion on the technical requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive that puts these changes outside the scope of the kind of plans or programmes that require assessments. “Our client is firmly of the view that the directive does apply and will seek permission to appeal that ground.” Claire Dutch, partner and co-head of planning and environment at law firm Ashurst, said developers relying on the new PDRs “will breathe a sigh of relief” at the ruling. You can read the full story on The Planner website: bit.ly/ planner0121-RCA

ANALYSIS

LEGAL BRIEFS Elephant and Castle demolition appeal can go ahead The Court of Appeal has given campaigners permission to appeal the decision to approve demolition of Elephant and Castle shopping centre, just as demolition preparations begin. bit.ly/planner0121-elephant

Landowner accused of hypocrisy over spaceport legal challenge Scotland’s richest man, Anders Povlsen, has been accused of hypocrisy for bringing legal action against plans for a spaceport near land that he owns in Sutherland, before investing in a rival rocket launch facility on the Shetland Islands. bit.ly/planner0121-spaceport

New High Court challenge over Sperrin Mountains gold mine A campaigner who lives close to the site of a proposed gold mine in County Tyrone has brought a High Court challenge citing health and environmental concerns. bit.ly/planner0121-gold

Online CPD – Appeals and inquiries Looking ahead to 2021, this three-hour interactive webinar – to be held on 21st April – will deal with public inquiries and appeals, with a ‘golden thread’ of inclusivity and climate action. bit.ly/planner0121-appeals

E = C3 Planning lawyer Simon Ricketts considers the new E use class, and the new permitted development rights to accompany it that are expected to be introduced in the summer. bit.ly/planner0121-euc

Consultation on change to rural planning laws Land solicitor Zoe Irving considers the Scottish government’s consultation on proposed changes to planning law intended to boost rural business. bit.ly/planner0121-rural

What role do landlords play in the high street of the future? Julian Joseph argues that improvement of landlord-tenant relationships can provide a ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ for high streets recovering from the pandemic. bit.ly/planner0121-highstreet

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

Planning excellence in English regions celebrated on YouTube The positive impacts of planners and planning on local areas have been celebrated during a week-long series of online events. For the ﬁrst time this year, ceremonies for the RTPI’s Awards for Planning Excellence in the English Regions were hosted on YouTube. Eight of the RTPI’s English regions took part, rewarding submissions including a new transport hub for rail, tram and bus services in Wolverhampton and a pioneering low-carbon housing development in the heart of Leeds. The next generation of planners were also celebrated – regional Young Planners of the Year included North West winner Rebecca Dewey MRTPI, Associate Director at WSP, who has. volunteered for the RTPI since 2014. RTPI President Sue Manns FRTPI said: “We had an amazing set of entries to the Regional awards this year. My thanks go to all the judges. The winners they selected are among the most inspiring I’ve seen to date, and I’ve been in planning for as long as these awards have been running!” n Watch all the regional awards ceremonies at . bit.ly/planner0121-regionalawards

[RIGHT] Winning projects at the RTPI’s Regional Awards for Planning Excellence Top: Climate Innovation District, Leeds (submitted by Citu), Centre: Campbell Wharf, Milton Keynes (Bidwells) Bottom: Wolverhampton Interchange (City of Wolverhampton Council and Ion Development)

[ABOVE] Young Planners of the Year [top l-r] Daniel Wilson (West Midlands), Daniel Young (South East), [bottom l-r] Laura McCombe (East Midlands), Rebecca Dewey (North West)

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I M AG E S | RT P I

08/12/2020 09:13

Editorial E: rtpinews@rtpi.org.uk

RTPI (switchboard) T: 020 7929 9494

Registered charity no. 262865 Registered charity in Scotland SCO37841

MY VIEW ON… THE FUTURE OF PLANNING Growing up in Milton Keynes gave Senior Planner Suzi Green a positive impression of the eﬀect of planning on the built environment Entering the Young Planner of the Year category at the South East Regional Awards allowed me to reﬂect on my achievements in my role as well as my involvement in Women in Planning and outreach work with local schools. Planning to me means the creation of place. I come from Milton Keynes, which is a planned town. Everything here has been really well thought out and considered, which has led to me having a really positive perception of the planning process and what planning can achieve. We have amazing linear parks, we have ecological corridors for wildlife and some very controversial roundabouts! Planning has literally shaped my entire life and my perceptions of the built form. Looking to the future, I see planning

planning is quite outdated in many of its processes and there is so much to learn in terms of how we present information about urban design and the visual aspect of schemes. We need to do engagement a lot better and use digital tools as a means of improving the public’s perception of planning. We also have a long way to go in terms of using data to provide evidence.

The Peace Pagoda temple at sunrise in Willen Park, Milton Keynes

as a means of making changes that have a positive impact on the environment and as a solution to economic deprivation through investment in areas. One of the big things we’ll see is the digitisation of planning –

n Suzi Green is a Senior Planner at Bidwells in Milton Keynes. Follow her on Twitter @SuziGreenMK o Suzi was shortlisted for Young Planner of the Year at the recent RTPI South East Regional Awards ceremony. Hear from other shortlisted entries, including eventual winner Daniel Young, at bit.ly/planner0121-southeast

POSITION POINTS

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE RICHARD BLYTH, RTPI HEAD OF POLICY The RTPI has published a report on best practice for strategic planning for climate resilience across city regions. Research was undertaken by RTPI staff working with the Liverpool City Region and constituent councils during 2019 and incorporates studies of good practice by planning schools at the Universities of Liverpool and Manchester. Among the main findings are that climate policy should be set at a strategic scale because natural processes do not follow administrative boundaries and that strength in infrastructure planning comes from a joined-up approach. It is also important to retain a degree of autonomy for local authorities, which would allow a bespoke response to localised risk. It is hoped that the analysis and evidence base put together as part of the work will help combined authorities and other strategic planning bodies think more holistically about climate resilience and prompt them to consider climate vulnerability and risk beyond flooding in their plans. To read the report in full, visit bit.ly/planner0121-resilience

OFFICE FOR INVESTMENT VICTORIA HILLS, RTPI CHIEF EXECUTIVE The government has outlined its intention to establish an Oﬃce for Investment to attract high-value foreign investment for infrastructure projects. The RTPI welcomes any initiative that will seek to improve the join-up between public and private sectors and government departments to ensure the right conditions for international investment, but we have some concerns that the new Oﬃce for Investment will struggle to create the right investment opportunities without good local and strategic plans. Planning is not a barrier to investment, rather a facilitator. In the RTPI’s response to the planning white paper, we called for Green Growth Boards to deliver joined-up strategies for climate action, infrastructure, housing provision, health and nature recovery. Our Plan the World We Need campaign calls for a robust, proactive planning system to help create the place-based solutions to ensure a sustainable, resilient and inclusive postCovid recovery, attractive to inward investors. See www.rtpi.org.uk/plantheworldweneed

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NEWS

Multidisciplinary approach is key to good planning, says England Chief Planner Planning should be seen as a creative, multidisciplinary exercise involving architecture, placemaking, urban design, landscaping and ecology, the newly appointed Chief Planner for England has said. Joanna Averley (right) was giving an inspirational keynote speech to planners in the ﬁrst 10 years of their careers at the recent RTPI Young Planners Conference. More than 400 delegates registered to take part in the free event, held online for the ﬁrst time. More than 90 per cent of those registered attended at least one session. Averley said: “Don’t see planning as purely a procedural process, but see it as an exercise that actually changes outcomes for real people, in real time, and in real places. “A spatial plan is about designing entire places within a landscape. The design of a house is architecture – but in between that is a complete mêlée of how design and placemaking and thinking should all be considered as a sort of continuum. “The architect doesn’t start where the planner stops – the architect and planner have actually got the same objectives in mind and that multidisciplinary way of thinking is something that

I believe this country is really good at.” Other sessions during the event looked at the theme of ‘New Decade, New Leaders’, including a discussion on the critical leadership role planners have to play in creating visionary places for people. A second plenary session focused on how good design can be achieved. A range of breakout sessions looked at topics including the town planning job market, the move to digital planning committees, public speaking and the role of the Young Planner in transformative CPD. n Watch Joanna’s speech in full, plus other highlights from the Young Planners’ Conference 2020, at bit.ly/planner0121-averley

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN LONDON A digital platform that maps out infrastructure requirements across London would reduce delays to housing development and help in planning the city’s net-zero and economic recovery, says the RTPI. In a new report with the Greater London Authority (GLA), the RTPI found that local authorities do not have the tools to eﬀectively plan for energy, water and digital needs. This leads to numerous challenges when attempting to coordinate investment in utilities, such as unexpected costs and long lead times, which translate into unnecessary disruption and delays to housing delivery. The report also calls for clariﬁcation on the role of planning in delivering national infrastructure objectives and stable funding for infrastructure planning and coordination. RTPI Policy and Networks Manager James

Harris said: “The scale and pace of growth in London puts enormous pressure on utility infrastructure, especially in Opportunity Areas designated for major growth. “The GLA and a number of London boroughs have already found innovative ways to overcome these barriers, and we need to scale this up. Our joint recommendations would not only support London, but help city regions across England as they plan for sustainable growth and net-zero.” The GLA and RTPI have also produced a handbook describing how local planning and development management can help to coordinate utility infrastructure.

RTPI AND PUBLIC PRACTICE WORK TOGETHER The RTPI has become an oﬃcial partner of Public Practice, the not-for-proﬁt social enterprise that works to increase and diversify the built environment expertise working in local government. The pact underlines both organisations’ aims to build additional public planning capacity, broaden the diversity of talent joining the profession, and move towards a new, proactive role for planning. RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills said: “We are thrilled to announce our support for Public Practice and greatly look forward to working together to help build capacity in local authority planning teams. “Our two organisations are deeply committed to increasing the diversity of the profession as well as ensuring that planners are equipped to fully play their role in creating resilient, sustainable, connected, inclusive and vibrant places that deliver on the government’s ambitions. “We look forward to welcoming many of Public Practice’s associates as members of the Royal Town Planning Institute and adding our support to enhancing their professional development.” n For more information

n You can read Planning for Critical Infrastructure in London in full at bit.ly/planner0121-london

visit publicpractice.org.uk

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G PLANNIN AHEAD MEMBER NEWS

New 2021 online events programme

With social distancing guidelines set to continue for the foreseeable future, we’re delighted to announce the launch of RTPI Online Events 2021, a series of cutting-edge webinars about planning. RTPI Online Events 2021, which will replace our current regional and national events programmes, will run for the ﬁrst six months of the year. The new programme will take a look at the most pressing topics in our profession right now, including climate change, diversity, design, health, regeneration, infrastructure and digital planning. The programme will address the key questions planners need to ask to successfully tackle the challenges brought about by Covid-19 at local, national and international levels. We hope that by bringing all our webinars under one roof, we’ll keep you better connected and more up-to-date than ever before – wherever you’re based. RTPI Online Events 2021 is FREE for members. Non-member tickets cost £25. n Explore the programme at bit.ly/planner0121-online n For the latest updates, follow @RTPIPlanners and tweet using #RTPIOnlineEvents For a ‘deep dive’ into speciﬁc planning topics to support you on your CPD journey, take a look at our RTPI Training masterclass programme at bit.ly/planner0121-cpd Members can access free bite-sized modules on a range of planning topics on our relaunched online training site RTPI Learn, now with more content than ever before plus a fresh new design. Free modules available on the site cover subjects including Climate Tools for Planners, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Town Planning for Mental Health, Neurological and Spectrum Conditions. RTPI members can now log into the site using their membership number and password in the same way they do to the RTPI website and The Planner. n More information at bit.ly/planner0121-rtpilearn

MEMBER NEWS

RTPI CYMRU YOUNG PLANNER OF THE YEAR Emmeline Reynish MRTPI (below), a town planner at Arup and chair of Young Planners Cymru, has been named as Welsh Young Planner of the Year 2020. The announcement was made during a YouTube Premiere showcasing the winners of this year’s RTPI Cymru Awards for Planning Excellence. The judges highlighted Emmeline’s ‘strong commitment’ to the profession and said that her enthusiasm would help the RTPI meet current and future challenges in a sustainable and inclusive way. RTPI Cymru Chair Simon Power MRTPI said: “Emmeline is an extremely enthusiastic young planner with a passion for promoting town planning in Wales. She has a good understanding of the future challenges that face planners and will act as a role model to other young planners by encouraging collaboration with other sectors and increasing diversity in the profession." Kate Coventry, a planner at LRM Planning in Cardiﬀ, was also commended in the Young Planner of the Year category. Simon Power said: “Both ﬁnalists are a credit to the RTPI and will help inspire other young planners to not only become more involved but to challenge more experienced planners who are perhaps more restricted by conventional approaches to a quickly changing environment." n Watch the RTPI Cymru Awards 2020 in full at bit.ly/planner0121-cymru

In 2021, we’ll also be delivering a number of full-day conferences and national webinars plus an extensive range of regional social events. n For full details of all the RTPI’s events for 2021 visit bit.ly/planner0121-events2021

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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.

Senior Planning Of·cer

Development Strategy Manager

Salary: £35,745 £40,876 Location: Ryedale House, Malton

Salary: £40,876 £43,857 Location: Rugby

Town Planners Pegasus Group are looking for talented Town Planners to join our incredible teams in Birmingham, Cirencester and Newcastle

Planning Inspectors Salary: Competitive Location: Jersey

Senior Planner Salary: Competitive Location: Dublin

Senior Planning Of·cer Research

Salary: Grade I (SCP 28 – 32) £32,234 £35,745 pa Location: Staffordshire

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

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theplanner.co.uk/jobs 03/12/2020 17:20 10:18 07/12/2020

Recruitment {

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISEMENTS To advertise please email: theplannerjobs@redactive.co.uk or call 020 7880 6232

POSITIONS: Planning Officer/Senior Planning Officer and Principal Planning Officer GRADE & SALARY: 7 (£25,481 - £28,672) / 8 (£29,577 - £33,782) & 9 (£34,728 - £38,890) QUALIFICATIONS: Town Planner (either with or working towards MRTPI), Principal Planning Officer will have MRTPI status. CONTRACT: 37 hours a week permanent (applications for part-time roles will be considered) LOCATION: Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire A range of exciting opportunities are available to join our expanding Planning team. Based in the beautiful county of Pembrokeshire, adjacent to the world famous Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, we wish to appoint three professionally qualified Town Planners/Senior Planners, as well as a Principal Planning Officer, that will lead our team of Enforcement officers. The positions are based in our Development Management team. The three Planning Officer/Senior Planner roles offer a career grade position and successful candidates will be appointed to either role depending on experience and RTPI membership. The roles will involve determining planning applications and providing statutory pre-application advice on a range of planning proposals, as well as assisting with enforcement investigations. The Principal Planning Officer role involves managing a team of Enforcement officers as well as undertaking the processing of a wide range of planning applications including large-scale proposals. The role will also exercise delegated power to determine designated categories of applications. The successful candidate will have RTPI membership and be able to demonstrate extensive professional experience. Pembrokeshire as an Authority anticipates receiving a range of major applications in the near future, linked to the Authority’s own regeneration plans and Council house building programme, as well as its position as an emerging centre for renewable energy linked to the Swansea Bay City Deal. As well as offering the opportunity to live, work and play in a beautiful part of the country the other benefits of the posts include: a contributory local authority Pension Scheme; 25 days annual leave (going up to 30 after 5 years’ service); Annual Leave purchase scheme; Occupational Sick pay (dependent on length of service); Flexible working and smarter working opportunities; with consideration being given to a relocation package for eligible candidates. www.visitpembrokeshire.com For further information please contact: Rachel Elliott, Area Team Leader on 01437 775357 or rachel.elliott@pembrokeshire.gov.uk Closing date for applications: 31st January 2021 For full information on this opportunity, and to apply online, please visit www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk or e-mail recruit@pembrokeshire.gov.uk Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and will not be treated less favourably than applications submitted in English. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.

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

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07/12/2020 17:20

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 Walking Britain’s Lost Railways, Channel 5 Regional awards for planning excellence The RTPI’s Regional Awards for Planning Excellence celebrate outstanding projects that demonstrate the power of planning across the RTPI’s regions. Videos for each region are all up on the RTPI YouTube channel now, each lasting roughly 30 minutes. Collect the set! bit.ly/planner0121-thertpi

Young Planners' Conference 2020: Joanna Averley Keynote An opportunity to hear the newly appointed MHCLG chief planner expound on how planning should be seen as a creative, multidisciplinary exercise involving architecture, placemaking, urban design, landscaping and ecology. bit.ly/planner0121-averley

‘Great leaders don’t tell you what to do - they show you how it’s done’ Planners have a critical role to play in creating visionary sionary places, and here speakers reﬂect on the skills required. Sue Mannss chairs, with Tom Carpen (Barton Willmore), Lucy y Seymour-Bowdery (MHCLG) and Olaﬁyin Taiwo (Commonwealth Association of Planners Young Planners Network). bit.ly/planner0121-leaders

The reasons why defunct railways were originally planned and ultimately closed will always be fascinating to many. This Channel 5 series sees Rob Bell discovering the lines that unlocked the coastline of North Devon. bit.ly/planner0121-lost

Book: The alternative guide to the London Boroughs Thirty-three writers – architects, activists, and Londoners – present 33 essays about famous and unheralded buildings, streets, u and neighbourhoods across a London’s 33 boroughs L celebrating the ‘landscapes c which make it special’. w bit.ly/planner0121-altguide b

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LANDSCAPE

Sophie S hi Howe H on B BBC Woman’s Hour Sophie Howe, future generations commissioner for Wales, appears on this BBC Woman’s Hour episode focused on young women and environmental activism. (She appears at the 18-minute mark to explain what she does and the intentions behind her role.) bit.ly/planner0121-howe

Academic Paper: Local people’s experience of street vitality in new noncentral residential areas This paper reports on research exploring the concept of vitality in noncentral residential areas, using Madrid and Edinburgh as case studies. bit.ly/planner0121-streets

Cool routes mapping app for Melbourne, Australia Here’s a digital wayfinding tool that tells visitors how to undertake cool journeys through Melbourne on hot days. Developed using spatial analysis and heat data, the tool adjusts routes based on the time of day selected for travel, analysing shadowing, tree canopy, surface materials and sun location to determine the most shaded and thermally comfortable path. Neat! bit.ly/planner0121melbourne

I M AG E S | I STO C K

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Academic paper: Sustainable Urbanism The emergence of the sustainable development concept at the end of the 1980s triggered the intensiﬁcation of the environmental sustainability discourse in urban design and planning. This thesis explores the planning processes underlying three new neighbourhood developments in Sweden and Germany broadly regarded as exemplary green developments. bit.ly/planner0121-urban

Academic Paper: ‘Reanimating a Comatose Goddess’ – reconﬁguring Central Cape Town A private/public partnership has improved Cape Town’s downtown district’s state and image. Private investment is helping to reconﬁgure the business district into a post-modern space of high-end production, service and consumption. This paper explains how this is being achieved.. bit.ly/planner0121capetown

What we’re planning It’s the start of a new year that could see substantial changes in the profession and wider society. We’ve tried to capture your thoughts on these with our 2020/21 Planner Jobs Careers Survey. February’s issue will focus on the survey results and the issues they raise around work and wellbeing in the age of Covid. We’ll also consider how health impact assessments could inﬂuence planning. Feel free to contact us on editorial@ theplanner.co.uk (or DM us @ThePlanner_RTPI).

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08/12/2020 09:23

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

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The Planner - January 2021

Articles inside

Lichfield Lecture

RTPI Young Planners