JUNE 2018 THE 2018 RTPI AWARD WINNERS // p.6 • THE DEVOLUTION DEALS LOOKING TOWARDS A POST BREXIT AGE // p.18 • ALL ABOARD WITH RAILWAY STATION REGENERATION SCHEMES // p.26 • SCOTTISH PLANNING IN FOCUS // p.34
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
GET BACK HOW LIVERPOOL IS REDISCOVERING ITS DOCK CITY HERITAGE IN ONE OF BRITAIN’S BIGGEST PLANNING PROJECTS
COVER__The Planner 1
18/05/2018 17:08
Boost your career High quality expert training across the UK @RTPIPlanners RoyalTownPlanningInstitute Royal Town Planning Institute @RTPIPlanners
p02_PLN.JUNE18.indd 2
Book today rtpi.org.uk/training +44(0)20 929 8400 training@rtpi.org.uk
18/05/2018 10:07
PLANNER 08 12
CONTENTS
THE
JU NE
20 18
“THE ROLE OF YOUTH IN THE FUTURE IS ALWAYS A STRONG FOCUS FOR THE COMMONWEALTH, GIVEN THAT 60 PER CENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH'S 2.4 BILLION POPULATION IS AGED UNDER 30”
NEWS
4 Stromness regeneration plan wins top RTPI award 4 Waste project ruling plunges NI planning into crisis 6 Is leadership continuity undermining government rhetoric on housing?
7 Raynsford calls for a people-centred planning system 8 Permitted development rights – all loss and no gain? 10 Climate change guide for planners launched
15
OPINION
14 Chris Shepley: Class Q of permitted development rights – a new everyday story of country folk 16 Dean Clifford: Planning must keep up with an ageing population 16 Ann MacSween: The tourism poser in Scotland’s Highlands and Islands 17 Shona Glenn: History can help us capture the value of land 17 Marco Picardi: Why it’s time for London to host a car-free day
IMAGE | SIMON WICKS
“THE PLANNING SYSTEM IS SO BROKEN THAT I’M NOT SURE THERE ARE ANY QUICK SOLUTIONS” LINDA HAYSEY OF EAST HERTS COUNCIL HOLDS NOTHING BACK AT THE RAYNSFORD REVIEW INTERIM REPORT LAUNCH
COV E R | PL A N I T
03_Contents__The Planner 3
31 Tech landscape: Planit.ie, masterplanner of the Liverpool Waters scheme, is incorporating protected views to build on the city’s World Heritage Status
18 The first devolution deals were aimed at large cities. Now other areas are seeking similar deals. By David Blackman 22 Simon Wicks traces the long and winding road towards the revival of Liverpool’s dockside 26 Land at rail stations is often well located for regeneration – but it isn’t always an easy task, finds Mark Smulian 34 Nations & Regions: Scotland
QUOTE UNQUOTE
INSIGHT
FEATURES
18
14
38 Cases & decisions: Development decisions, round-up and analysis 42 Legal Landscape: Opinions, blogs and news from the legal side of planning 44 RTPI round-up: News and interviews from the institute 50 Plan B: A surprisingly critical element to protecting Liverpool’s Unesco World Heritage status
26 J U NE 2 01 8 / THE PLA NNER
3
21/05/2018 10:37
NEWS
ort { PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT
Permitted development rights –all loss and no gain? By Laura Edgar
require full planning permission, the report notes that residential units were of a higher quality with better space standards. According to the RICS report, local authorities lost £4.1 million because of reduced planning fees and face potential losses of £10.8 million. They also lost out on 1,667 affordable housing units. A study by the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) cites the same issues, describing it as being “on such a scale as to be in effect a shadow planning system, with no opportunity to secure decent quality housing or contribution for education or even basic children’s play space”.
the LGA, said: “Not having to go through the planning process is denying local residents the chance to have their say and voice any concerns, and stopping councils from checking whether or not a development meets certain housing standards, or whether a proportion is affordable.”
The government extended permitted development (PD) rights in 2015 to create more housing. This followed previous extensions made in 2005, 2010 and 2013. The legislation allows for offices to be converted to housing units without the need for an application to go through the Unintended consequences full planning process. The RTPI has consistently warned of the The 2017 Autumn Budget announced “unintended consequences” of PD. government plans to consult on Although the converted homes “count as extending PD rights to allow commercial a small (but significant) proportion” of buildings to be demolished and replaced the overall completions over the past with homes. seven years, the evidence provided is “a Further to this, changes that came into stark but necessary warning of the force in April mean that up to five impact of PD rights on affordable houses can be created from existing housing and housing quality”, said “THE PROVISION OF HOUSING THROUGH agricultural buildings on a farm, Harry Burchill MRTPI, planning PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT CURTAILS rather than the previous maximum policy officer at the institute. THE ABILITY OF A PLANNING SYSTEM TO of three, through PD. Citing the RTPI’s updated location ENSURE [WELLBEING]” Bypassing the full planning of development research, he – HARRY BURCHILL process also means that local explained that properly planned authorities miss out on Community housing in sustainable locations Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and “has enormous benefits for people’s Section 106 contributions, and the well-being, but the provision of APSE, alongside the Town and Country quality of the housing is often poor. housing through PD curtails the ability of Planning Association (TCPA), which a planning system to ensure such wrote the report, has called on the benefits”. What the research says government to reverse the central Ian Graves, legal director in the Recent research by the Royal Institution imposition of PD and give powers back planning team at law firm Shakespeare of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) suggests to local authorities to reflect local Martineau, told The Planner that, that office-to-residential conversions circumstances. Further to this, it says PD unfortunately, local authorities do not under PD rights produced a higher rights should not be extended to allow have a huge range of tools at their number of poor-quality homes than commercial buildings to be demolished disposal to control the quality and those subject to the full process. and replaced with homes. configuration of office-to-residential Assessing the Impacts of Extending In January 2018 the Local Government conversions under PD. Permitted Development Rights to OfficeAssociation (LGA) said PD rights are He explained that Article 4 Directions to-Residential Change of Use in “detrimental” to local communities and are “the only options” for local England considers five local authorities should be scrapped. Its analysis suggests authorities to remove PD rights from a with high rates of PD projects – Camden, that, since 2015, 30,575 housing units defined area and control the Croydon, Leeds, Leicester, and Reading. have been converted from offices to flats development there. This would require Visits to 568 buildings revealed in England without going through the all applications to go through the full inconsistencies in quality – only 30 per full planning system, with a “potential planning system. cent of units delivered through PD met loss” of 7,644 affordable homes. “Their use is growing across the national space standards. Martin Tett, housing spokesman for country, particularly following changes In Glasgow, though, where conversions
4
T H E P L AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
04-05_News__The Planner 4
21/05/2018 10:38
PLAN UPFRONT
Concerns have been expressed over the quality of some office-toresidential conversions
surrounding the conversion of residential properties to houses in multiple occupation and they can be applied to office-to-residential conversions.” But Katherine Evans MRTPI, partner and head of planning at law firm TLT, noted that in the RICS research Camden Council cites problems in financing the officers it needs to deal with prior approval applications and the cost of consultation for the imposition of Article 4 Directions. “This issue could be eased with a fee for prior approval that was higher than the current fee but still lower than the fee for a full planning permission.” Regarding Article 4 Directions, she said that “the principle of consultation, the fact that planning as an activity is supposed to be transparent and carried out in the public domain should not be set to one side just because it is costly”.
“ENCOURAGING NEW RESIDENTS INTO TOWN CENTRES … BREATHES LIFE INTO SPACES THAT HAVE SAT DERELICT OR UNDERUSED FOR MANY YEARS” – JASON LOWES
Where CIL can be levied, explained Evans, the schemes that can demonstrate six months’ occupation in the 36-month period running up to the grant of planning permission, “will avoid making all or probably a substantial part of the CIL that would otherwise have been due”. “Amending the CIL regulations so that office-to-residential conversions that are undertaken through the prior approval route are unable to utilise this option might be an appropriate way forward, especially in London.”
Striking a balance Jason Lowes MRTPI, partner in the planning team at Rapleys, told The Planner that an assumption that PD schemes “are causing something akin to a like-for-like loss of homes developed via the traditional planning process seems a little misguided”. For him, this line of thought risks undermining the advantages that PD can offer, including “encouraging new residents into town centres and breathing life into spaces that have sat derelict or underused for many years”. I M AG E | A L A M Y
04-05_News__The Planner 5
Evans said a balance should be struck so that jobs are not lost through conversions. “If obsolete office accommodation that would never have been re-let has been reused as residential property that ought to be welcomed, but the loss of cheaper employment space that might assist start-ups and small businesses generally could be a problem in areas where residential values are high.” Graves agreed. There must be a balance that “ensures development is suited to the needs of the local area, whether that be for more housing or to retain office space”, he said. READ MORE n Assessing the Impacts of Extending Permitted Development Rights to Office-to-Residential Change of Use in England (pdf): bit.ly/planner0618-RICS n Delivering Affordable Homes in a Changing World (pdf): bit.ly/planner0618-tcpa n The Location of Development: bit.ly/planner0618-rtpi
J U NE 2 01 8 / THE PLA NNER
5
21/05/2018 10:39
NEWS
lysis {
Orkney Islands Council’s planners have a 10-year plan to regenerate Stromness
RTPI AWARDS FOR PLANNING EXCELLENCE
Stromness regeneration plan wins top RTPI award By Laura Edgar The regeneration of Stromness has won the RTPI’s Silver Jubilee Cup at the 2018 Awards for Planning Excellence. Judges chose the project from across the 13 RTPI Award category winners. At a ceremony at Milton Court, The Barbican, Stromness Regeneration, submitted by Orkney Islands Council, was pronounced winner in the Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy category, before being announced as the recipient of the Silver Jubilee Cup. Planners at Orkney Islands Council led a whole-of-council task force to implement a 10-year plan that aimed to transform the declining town following the community warning that Stromness was being ‘left behind’. The council’s planners used a ‘blankpage approach’ to establish the community’s key priorities, from which a draft plan was drawn up. Community events, meetings and surveys, and wellattended community workshops then shaped this. The local planners included the community’s views into a plan-led
6
TH E P L AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
06-07_News__The Planner 6
approach that was subject to further public consultation before being approved. This was guided by an Urban Design Framework, which aimed to ensure that all new projects and buildings would complement the town and be of high quality and good design. The plan has resulted in 12 major projects that have been implemented across the town over the past 10 years, including new and upgraded public spaces, new shops and businesses, and a new primary school. The library was moved to a new site in the centre of the town and rebuilt at the community’s request – to ensure that it was accessible to everyone. European funding enabled the
“STROMNESS’S REMARKABLE ‘PLACEBASED’ APPROACH COULD BE USED AS A BLUEPRINT TO REVIVE DECLINING TOWNS ACROSS THE COUNTRY” – NICK RAYNSFORD
building of new fishing pier and planners worked to make sure it fitted in with the community’s original vision for the town. The council has now begun working on a new international research facility and infrastructure for tidal and wave energy generation. Nick Raynsford, former planning and housing minister and chair of the judging panel, said: “Stromness has been regenerated over the past 10 years through a comprehensive, plan-led strategy, spearheaded by the council’s planners. The dramatic before-and-after photographs show just how dramatic the transformation has been. This remarkable ‘place-based’ approach could be used as a blueprint to revive declining towns across the country.” John Acres MRTPI, president of the RTPI, added: “Congratulations to all the winners and commended entries. This year’s awards have been a true celebration of planners’ passion for creating prosperous places and vibrant communities. Planners and planning make an important contribution to society and these awards highlight outstanding examples of what can be achieved with vision, leadership and expertise.”
THE WINNERS Excellence in Plan Making Practice Winner: Towards a Stamford Hill Plan Submitted by: London Borough of Hackney Commended: West of England Partnership Submitted by: West of England Joint Spatial Plan Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy Winner: Stromness Regeneration Submitted by: Orkney Islands Council Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing Winner: Seaham Harbour Marina – Water Sports Activity Centre Submitted by: Durham County Council Excellence in Planning for Heritage and Culture Winner: Stanton Moor Principles Submitted by: Peak District National Park Authority
I M AG E S | OR K N E Y I S L A N D S COU N C I L / I STO C K
21/05/2018 10:39
PLAN UPFRONT
Waste project ruling plunges NI planning into crisis Commended: Depot, Lewes Community Screen Submitted by: South Downs National Park Authority & Burrell Foley Fischer Architects and Urban Designers Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment Winner: Caeau Mynydd Mawr SPG and March Fritillary Project Submitted by: Carmarthenshire County Council Excellence in Planning to Deliver Homes – large schemes Winner: Nelson Project Submitted by: Plymouth City Council Commended: Bourne Estate Regeneration Submitted by: Tibbalds and London Borough of Camden Excellence in Planning to Deliver Homes – small schemes Winner: Enfield Small Sites Submitted by: HTA Design LLP International Award for Planning Excellence Winner: Economic and Urban Multi-site Development Project Submitted by: INTA In-house Planning Team of the Year Winner: National Grid Commended: HTA Design LLP Local Authority Planning Team of the Year Winner: Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Commended: Teignbridge District Council Small Planning Consultancy of the Year Winner: Situ8 Planning Consultancy Commended: NTR Planning Urban Imprint Ltd Planning Consultancy of the Year Winner: Deloitte Real Estate Commended: Indigo Planning Young Planner of the Yearr Winner: Heather Claridge (right), Glasgow City Council Commended: Charlotte Morphet, London Borough of Waltham Forest
Belfast High Court has ruled that senior civil servant Peter May had no power to approve Arc21’s major waste management scheme, at Mallusk, County Antrim. The Department for Infrastructure (DfI) granted planning consent for the £240 million project last September. But in a judicial review ruling, Mrs Justice Keegan said that despite the absence of a working assembly and minister the decision still should be made by a minister and not civil servants. All Stormont departments will be affected, said Michael Gordon, head of consultancy Turley’s office in Belfast. He told The Planner that the judgment “has fundamental ramifications for all government departments in Northern Ireland, including planning”. Gordon said the ruling effectively removed the ability of the DfI to make planning decisions in the absence of a minister, regardless of pressing public interest need. “The judgment puts all applications currently before the
department into a state of limbo,” he said. Roisin Willmott FRTPI, RTPI director for Northern Ireland, said: “If the lack of political leadership continues and senior civil servants are unable to make decisions which have been carefully balanced on agreed policy, then a new protocol needs to be agreed to allow for investment to continue in the absence of a minister.” The DfI intends to appeal the High Court judgment in relation to the planning application for the Arc21 waste facility. n To read more, please visit The Planner website: bit.ly/planner0618-mallusk
Welsh draft National Development Framework published Consultat Consultation has begun on the first draft of the W Welsh Government’s National Development Framework (NDF). Develo The plan outlines a 20-year land use framework. f In its final form the document will underpin the country’s doc strategic and local development plans. str The NDF highlights 12 policy elements and their attendant objectives. These include: housing; transport; city regions & growth deals; economic principles and regeneration; climate change, decarbonisation and energy; the Welsh language; and digital infrastructure. The draft identifies the spatial issues and the strategic direction of the NDF policies in terms of placemaking and Wales’s regions. It also echoes themes identified in the recently published 10th edition of Planning Policy Wales. RTPI Cymru director Roisin Willmott FRTPI said: “An NDF for Wales could be a powerful tool to guide strategic land use development and the provision of
infrastructure in an integrated, sustainable and economically viable manner. “The NDF should set the framework for decision-making on major spatial planning policy and infrastructure at the national level. The content of the NDF needs to be strategic in nature, setting the context for taking difficult national decisions at a much earlier stage than is currently the case. “It should inform long-term investment goals and identify the strategic development consequences of major infrastructure, and the infrastructure consequences of strategic development [and] lead on integrating major investment decisions and support strategic and local development planning across Wales.” n The National Development Framework: Issues, Options and Preferred Option consultation can be read at: bit.ly/planner0618-framework
J U NE 2 018 / THE PLA NNER
06-07_News__The Planner 7
7
21/05/2018 17:21
NEWS
Analysis { LEADERSHIP CONTINUITY
Is leadership continuity undermining government rhetoric on housing? By Laura Edgar
Housing secretary James Brokenshire
At the end of April, James Brokenshire was appointed housing secretary, as Sajid Javid became the new home secretary, following the resignation of Amber Rudd. Brokenshire is the fourth secretary at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) (formerly the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) I have written about in the nearly four years I have been reporting for The Planner. In those four years there have been four housing ministers. In total under the Conservative government, in power since 2010, there have been four department secretaries and seven ministers. That would seem quite a lot.
Leadership changes a concern? Housing has become a key focus for the government, what with a housing white paper published in 2017, a target to deliver
300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, renaming the department MHCLG, and the launch of the revised NPPF, which aims to help developers build more properties. But do the changes in leadership undermine the rhetoric? In the hours after Brokenshire’s appointment, Russell Pedley, director at Assael Architecture, said the whole point of the department name change “was to highlight the major issues we have within the housing market”. He said moving Javid suggests “other departments take priority over housing”. To fix the broken housing market, “we need consistent leadership at the top”. For Johnny Caddick, managing director at Moda, “the lack of ministerial continuity should worry the entire sector”. He hopes Brokenshire can “buck the trend” and provide stability to the
VICTORIA HILLS, RTPI CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ON THE HOUSING SECRETARY “With the revised NPPF consultation now closed, it is a brilliant time for James to come on board and we look forward to working with him in a collaborative way. Supporting the acceleration of all kinds of housing is a key priority. Our members stand ready to support the MHCLG and Homes England to realise the ambitions of the revised NPPF.”
8
TH E P L AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
08-09_news__The Planner 8
government’s approach to housing and “see through the much-needed reforms”.
On the other hand The Planner asked the County Councils Network whether the turnover in leadership was a concern. Philip Atkins, spokesman on housing, infrastructure and planning, said that “irrespective of changes in personnel in MHCLG”, the government has been clear about its commitment to solving the housing crisis. He highlighted that both the prime minister and the chancellor have made “high-profile” policy announcements “backed by reform agenda that looks to accelerate development delivery”. Atkins added that the reforms could go further; in particular that strategic planning should be rewritten into the planning system. Matthew Spry MRTPI, senior director at Lichfields, said the secretary of state position has actually been quite stable. Eric Pickles led for five years before Greg Clark, who was minister of state, took over in 2015. “So there was arguably six years of continuity at the top of the department pursuing a Cameron/Osborne-led agenda.” Javid “can be said to have made his mark shaping a post-referendum policy direction for housing and planning as reflected in the white paper”. Spry said the turnaround of ministers does have “the potential” to undermine government rhetoric on housing, “but only if a change heralds perceived uncertainty over policy and commitment”. “If each new minister is clear early on about their priorities and these are aligned with their predecessor, and – crucially – seen to reflect an agenda at the top of government, then one need not be too concerned.” Gerald Sweeney, director, planning at WYG, echoed Spry’s thoughts. “I feel that the number of individuals reflects the enormity of the task and the need for the government to appoint capable individuals to this position whilst having to fill roles elsewhere,” he explained. A cause for concern would be someone coming into the role trying to make a name for themselves, he said, but they are experienced. The changes, for Sweeney, don’t reflect a change in the seriousness of the housing shortage, “but it does not help to speed the process”. I M A G E S | PA / G E T T Y
21/05/2018 10:40
PLAN UPFRONT
N fi
MHCLG SECRETARIES: Eric Pickles (appointed when David Cameron won): 12 May 201011 May 2015 Greg Clark (following 2015 general election): 11 May 201514 July 2015 Sajid Javid (a direct swap with Clark): 14 July 201530 April 2018 James Brokenshire: 30 April? HOUSING MINISTERS: Grant Shapps: 13 May 20104 September 2012 Mark Prisk: 4 September 20127 October 2013 Kris Hopkins: 7 October 201315 July 2014 Brandon Lewis: 15 July16 July 2016 Gavin Barwell: 17 July 20169 June 2017 Alok Sharma: 14 June 20179 January 2018 Dominic Raab: 9 January 2018?
Raynsford calls for a peoplecentred planning system Former housing minister Nick Raynsford has said deregulation is leading to poorquality outcomes for people as he publishes the interim findings for his review of the planning system. The review was established last summer to answer a variety of questions, including whether there is too much planning or too little, and to outline a new planning system that could “command the confidence of the public and help deliver the development the nation needs”, he writes in the executive summary. The planning system is at a “historically low ebb”, and because of deregulation, it is “less effective than at any time in the postwar era”. Raynsford cites permitted development as being a particular issue preventing the
delivery of affordable housing (see pages 4 and 5 for more on this). He said the legal framework underpinning the planning system has become “more complex and confused”, with “fragmented legislation shaping different aspects of local and national planning and little coordination between the two”. The interim report calls for a people-centred planning system that delivers coordination and certainty to developers and communities. John Acres MRTPI, president at the RTPI, said: “The report rightly recognises that planners in England are working in a less than optimal system – too complex, underfunded and struggling with economic forces outside its control.” The interim report can be found here: bit.ly/planner0618-raynsford
17 homes in Yorkshire Dales green-lit
Eight homes will be affordable
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s planning committee has approved full planning permission for 17 homes in West Witton in Richmondshire. The development is the largest to be granted
planning permission in the Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2014. The homes will be located next to the Old School Close at the west side of the village. Nine of the homes will be available for sale on the
open market, with the remaining eight designated as affordable housing. Six of the affordable housing units will be sold for 70 per cent of their market value. The other two will be rental properties retained by the developer
Swale Valley Construction and managed in conjunction with Richmondshire District Council. Robert Heseltine, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority member champion for development management, said: “Our message to developers is simple: if you bring forward high-quality schemes for the sites allocated in the local plan, we will approve them. Half of the homes in this development will be affordable and for local people. That is good news. “As an authority, we wish to help local young men and women, and hopefully their families, stay put in the Dales.”
J U NE 2 018 / THE PLA NNER
08-09_news__The Planner 9
9
21/05/2018 10:40
NEWS
News { Climate change guide for planners launched
Communities need ‘stronger voice’, say Holyrood MPs
The RTPI and the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) have produced a guide to help planners and politicians tackle climate change through the strategic use of policy and legislation. The current iteration of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) contains policies on climate change but, say the organisations, delivery on the ground “remains slow”. This, they explain, is largely because of a lack of practical advice and support for local councils on how to secure a radical reduction in carbon emissions. The government has been “weak” on adaptation to climate change, particularly when it comes to addressing heat waves and rising sea levels. Victoria Hills MRTPI, chief executive at the RTPI, said: “Planners have a leading role in joining up the dots, from housing and transport to flood risk mitigation and energy, to ensure that communities benefit from a holistic approach to tackling climate change. The guidelines will be a valuable resource and should prompt more concerted actions.” Hugh Ellis, director of policy at the TCPA, added: ‘Climate change is remaking our society and the impacts will be severe and lasting. The opportunities for action could also be transformational in harnessing new energy and engineering technologies to make our communities safe over the long term.”
The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee has called for the Planning (Scotland) Bill to provide ‘greater certainty’ to communities and developers. The bill should encourage more “more meaningful” engagement on planning applications, local place plans and local development plans. Stage 1 Report on the Planning (Scotland) Bill was compiled after the committee had received written views, attended community events, and held a conference, committee meetings and an online survey of young people. The committee says it recognises that the bill has the “potential” to improve the planning process but “the role of communities and the Parliament needs to be strengthened”. To help to achieve this it recommends that the purpose of planning should be included in the bill. It “should reflect the ambition to create high-quality places, to protect and enhance the environment, to meet human rights to housing, health and livelihoods, to create economic prosperity and to meet Scotland’s climate change goals and international obligations”. Fraser Carlin MRTPI, convenor of RTPI Scotland, welcomed the move. “This approach, explicitly working in the public interest, will help us to move away from a system that generates confrontation and results in poorer outcomes for Scotland.” n Read more on The Planner website: bit.ly/planner-0618-holyrood
Irish housing minister spells out planning priorities Irish housing minister Eoghan Murphy has published the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government’s strategy until 2020, which includes a priority to enhance online planning services. Other priorities include establishing the Office of the Planning Regulator and the development of new urban regeneration initiatives. This blueprint commits the administration to make progress on implementing the new National Planning Framework as the state’s strategic plan. This will be complemented by new regional spatial and economic strategies. On the urban renewal front measures are promised in relation to reuse of existing vacant buildings and derelict sites. A review of the planning system, focusing
10
T H E PL AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
10-11_News_Opini__The Planner 10
particularly on forecasting, planning and the delivery of residential development is also pledged. In addition, “consideration of opportunities to further streamline the planning system, where appropriate “will be pursued”. Also in prospect is the finalisation of long-promised wind energy development guidelines. The department will also legislate for the extension of Cork City and implement the agreed structural solution for Galway City and County. By the end of 2020, the department aims to have developed Ireland’s first Marine Spatial Plan, the first national framework for the sustainable development of the state’s coastal waters . n Statement of Strategy 2017-2020 can be found on the Irish Government website (pdf): bit.ly/planner0618-murphy I M AG E S | A L A M Y / G E T T Y
21/05/2018 14:09
LEADER COMMENT
Opinion onn No denying Raynsford’s ambitious goals – The appointment of a new football club manager used to represent a substantial and literally game-changing decision. The incoming coach would bring in a fresh credo and modernised ways of working, the intent being that they would remain in post for years to come. These days, managers tend to be hired to oversee a brief but vital performance spike before being discarded just as quickly for someone offering another such quick fix. And so it continues. This theme of a dilution of impact came to me as I considered the, ahem, political football of the English planning system. Or at least the interim report of the Raynsford Review of planning in England, which speaks of the common features of previous reviews being their focus on “key aspects of planning procedure” without being “reviews of the system in
Martin Read the round”. With 1969’s Skeffington Report cited as an honourable exception, reviews since 1947 have sought primarily to “speed up the system”, says the report, producing in the main “highly procedural responses to fixing the system”. My brain briefly saw this as the planning equivalent of the appointment of a Marco Silva or a Javier Gracia when what you actually need is a Sir Alex Ferguson. And if you’re vaguely interested in football but still can’t
quite place those first two gentlemen, that’s the point; reviews have tended to focus on specific performance shortfalls but fail to address the wider issues. The complaint, then, is of reforms being introduced to wider systems that have yet to properly bed down. But it’s just one of many concerns about the current way of things. Indeed, Nick Raynsford introduces the report by talking of the “extensive and troubling evidence of the scale of disenchantment with the planning system”. To what extent this is the result of previous reviews being
“REVIEWS SINCE 1947 HAVE SOUGHT PRIMARILY TO ‘SPEED UP THE SYSTEM’, PRODUCING IN THE MAIN ‘HIGHLY PROCEDURAL RESPONSES TO FIXING THE SYSTEM’”
sticking-plaster fixes with unintentionally negative consequences for the overall system is a matter for conjecture, but you have to wonder how fresh external factors such as technological change can do anything other than add yet more procedural complexity. At its House of Lords launch, response from report task force members and other invitees ranged from a lament that the system was indeed entirely broken to a call for any fresh systemic change to be approached with extreme caution. One reason for confidence in the final outcome of this particular review is the sheer breadth of the project being undertaken here. There’s a comforting comprehensiveness to this interim report and the review’s acceptance that any recommendations should now come only once further work around nine core ‘propositions’ is conducted. Let us hope that the final version is as frank in tone and bold in proposal.
CONTACTS Redactive Publishing Ltd Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London, E1 8BL, 020 7880 6200
Sub-editor Deborah Shrewsbury Picture editor Claire Echavarry Designer Craig Bowyer
EDITORIAL
A D V E RT I S I N G & M A R K E T I N G
Tel: 020 7324 2736 editorial@theplanner.co.uk
Display sales Gemma Davies – 020 7880 7614 gemma.davies@redactive.co.uk
Editor Martin Read martin.read@theplanner.co.uk
Recruitment sales Gill Rock – 020 7880 6232 gill.rock@redactive.co.uk
Consultant editor Huw Morris
PRODUCT ION
Deputy editor Simon Wicks simon.wicks@theplanner.co.uk
Production director Jane Easterman
News editor Laura Edgar laura.edgar@theplanner.co.uk Content development executive Matt Moody
ISSN 2053-7581 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Production manager Aysha Miah-Edwards PUBLISHING Publishing director Joanna Marsh
£120 – UK £175 – Overseas Average net circulation 18,373 (January-December 2016) (A further 5,700 members receive the magazine in digital form) © The Planner is published on behalf of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) by Redactive Publishing Ltd (RPL), 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL This magazine aims to include a broad range of opinion about planning issues and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the RTPI nor should such opinions be relied upon as statements of fact. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format, including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet, or in any other format in whole or in part in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While all due care is taken in writing and producing this magazine, neither RTPI nor RPL accept any liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. Printed by PCP Ltd.
RT P I C O N TA C T S Membership membership@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9462 Education education@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9451 Planning Aid England advice@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk 41 Botolph Lane London EC3R 8DL Media enquiries Rebecca Hildreth rebecca.hildreth@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9477 The Planner is produced using paper that is elemental chlorine free and is sourced from sustainable managed forest.
J U NE 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER
10-11_News_Opini__The Planner 11
11
21/05/2018 17:07
INTERVIEW: DY CURRIE
DY CURRIE CV
2008 Represents the state of Queensland in the Planning Institute of Australia
2011 Becomes president of the Planning Institute of Australia
2014 Becomes president of the Commonwealth Association of Planners
2015 Becomes director of planning & environment for the City of Gold Coast. Also serves as an expert panel member at UN Habitat III
A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP DY CURRIE ARRIVED AT THE PLANNER’S LONDON HEADQUARTERS ON THE LAST DAY OF A WHIRLWIND TRIP TO THE UK FOR THE COMMONWEALTH HEADS OF GOVERNMENT MEETING (CHOGM). HERE SHE DISCUSSES THE EVENT AND THE UNIQUE WAY IN WHICH PLANNING CAN INFLUENCE COMMONWEALTH POLICY “This is my third CHOGM”, explains Dy Currie, chief planner for the city of Brisbane in Australia. “Perth, Malta – and now London. Malta preceded the UN Habitat III in Quito, and it, too, was a purposeful event – but this one in London had its own distinct energy. It was really positive, engaging and friendly.” Currie enthuses about the how the Commonwealth, through CHOGM, allows a unique opportunity for planning to directly influence decision-making. “We had a collective 53 leaders signing off on
12
“MANY PEOPLE STILL DON’T UNDERSTAND THAT CITY PLANNING IS A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF CREATING JOBS AND GROWTH FOR PEOPLE”
a series of actions last week. That’s a third of the planet’s population. If we can influence that, it’s putting us on the right path, isn’t it? Where else do you get an ability to have your say beyond your level of government without it becoming a more complicated process? To have these fora where you get to actually speak to government? ” Currie was present in her other role of president of the Commonwealth Association of Planners. She became involved with CAP when serving as president of the Australian Planning Institute. For her, CHOGM is always an interesting exercise and in London she attended each of the individual CHOGM forums – business, women’s, youth – with the latter two “particularly strong”. “The role of youth in the future is always a strong focus for the Commonwealth, given that 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s 2.4 billion population is aged under 30,” she explains. It’s an extraordinary figure. But what wider role can planning play in the Commonwealth’s offering to this 21st century world? City and urban development is key, says Currie.
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
12-13_Dy Currie__The Planner 12
21/05/2018 10:41
INTERVIEW: DY CURRIE
“When you look at where the bulk of economic activity occurs, it’s in cities. Many people still don’t understand that city planning is a fundamental part of creating jobs and growth for people, of inclusive cities for people that also have beautiful design and are great spaces. That’s what planning does.” Currie also believes the Commonwealth’s value is in adding further substance to global initiatives. “Behind each of the UN’s sustainable development goals is a series of targets, all of which are voluntary in terms of measurement and reporting,” she says. “It’s a classic case of what you measure being what you achieve. So, if we’ve got these UN targets for creating good societies, and we’re building them into the decisions we make at every level, then we’ve got to be helping ourselves. “A beautiful example of what CAP is doing is the Rapid Urbanisation Toolkit, developed with the Prince’s Foundation, which covers the basic principles of good planning that can be used in every community, even those lacking planning or other technical resources.” Currie has also been working with CAP on the development of a new association for planners in the South Pacific. “Considering their population and the effect on them of climate change and disaster resilience, the small island states are a particular issue for the Commonwealth. There are some great planning people there, but they could use somebody to lean on. We hope they will form an association because they’re
DY CURRIE’S ROLE IN BRISBANE
Your ‘day job’ is as chief planner for the city of Brisbane – what can you tell us about it? It’s just such a lovely place to live; amazing green spaces, superb public transport. Most other Australian capital cities are comprised a series of city councils, but Brisbane is by far the largest single local government area in Australia. Queensland has its own planning legislation, and then we have a regional plan which suggests the city is growing by about 1,300 people a month. We don’t have a lot of greenfield, so it’s an infill situation. We’re going to go through a significant scale change, and that’s a conversation we’re having now with the community.
conversation. You need to explain the challenges we collectively face, and the consequences of our decisions. I’m good at doing that with a few hundred people in a room, but with a million or more? We have to rethink how we do that. What’s the secret to Brisbane’s highly regarded public transport system? Running a good public transport system is hard, given that it is dependent to some degree on density. In Brisbane’s case, the city itself has stepped into the process and funds the ferries and some of the bus systems. We’ve just started work on building a new metro system.
What will be the key to success? Community engagement. I don’t think you can have an agreed vision if there’s anybody who hasn’t been involved in the
Your biggest challenge? Working out how to help the city grow while maintaining its rolling hills, good suburbs and strong communities, and doing so while continuing the discussion with residents about the fact that the city is changing and growing.
dealing with the increasing complexity and sudden impact of storms and rapid urbanisation. In some cases they’ll be resettling people because of climate change, so creating new communities and settlements is where the work we’re doing with the Prince’s Foundation comes in. “Jamaica’s prime minister of spoke of climate change as an existential threat,
and those words are repeated in the 2018 CHOGM communiqué. The other figure in it is the potential for 100 million people to be pushed into poverty by climate change by 2030 if there isn’t urgent action to mitigate its effects. These are staggering figures, but they are also common interests – and under the banner of being a Commonwealth family, they bring us together to look for solutions.”
CAP SURVEY IDENTIFIES INTERNATIONAL PLANNER SHORTFALLS
Figures presented at CHOGM from a survey of CAP member organisations suggest a ‘critical lack’ of planning capacity in a number of Commonwealth countries – just as many Commonwealth nations face ‘rapid’ urbanisation. CAP’s members comprise national planning associations from 28 countries in the Commonwealth, including the RTPI, and it represents more than 40,000 planners. The survey, the first such undertaken of the Commonwealth planning profession, sought to assess the state of the profession across the Commonwealth and its capacity to help
deliver the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development and New Urban Agenda targets. Findings • There is “a significant shortage” of planners in some of the countries most affected by rapid urbanisation and climate change’. • A third of respondents didn’t think planning legislation in their country was either wholly or partially fit for purpose. • 64 per cent felt there was a lack of recognition of the value of planning in achieving inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable communities.
• The overall gender split for qualified planners was 62 per cent male to 38 per cent female. • Bangladesh is by far the country with the fewest planners per head of population, with one planner for every 650,000 people. The UK has the most. • Malta, Mauritius, Namibia and Trinidad and Tobago are the Commonwealth countries with the fewest planning schools. Preliminary findings can be found on the CAP website. A full report will be published in the coming months. bit.ly/planner0618-commonwealth
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
12-13_Dy Currie__The Planner 13
13
21/05/2018 10:41
CHRIS SHEPLEY
O Opinion Class Q of permitted development rights – a new everyday story of country folk “Arrr,” said Jethro Trescothick, leaning on the bar of the Jolly Roger, Penpal’s finest cider emporium. “Give us a pint of your foulest scrumpy and an award-winning pasty, Trefusis.” He settled himself in the snug, alongside Demelza Penhaligon. “I see old Jago down on Pennysillin Farm is wanting to build a new barn,” he said. “Not surprising I suppose ’cos he’s converted all his old barns into houses.” She contemplated her Stargazy Pie. The fish, which protruded miserably from the delicacy, reminded her of one of the more prominent Cabinet ministers – she couldn’t remember which. She observed that local farmers spoke of little else but Class Q of the permitted development rights (‘agricultural buildings to dwellinghouses’), and that down at St Gwithian’s the vicar read a prayer in thanks for the amended clauses every Wednesday afternoon. Fierce debates raged in the farming community about the meaning of “a site which was not used solely for an agricultural use as part of an established agricultural unit on 20th March 2013 or, in the case of a building which was in use before that date but was not in use on that date, when it was last in use, or in the case of a site which was brought into use after 20 March 2013, for a period of at least 10 years before the date development under Class Q begins”. Jago had been abroad, in Plymouth, on 20 March 2013, but apparently that was not a problem.
14
The recent increase to five allowable new houses on each farm had led to a frenzy of activity down narrow country lanes. “There’s so much traffic now, m’dear, that I can hardly get the clotted cream away from the mine,” said Demelza. “There seems to be a 4x4 on every bend. I was stuck on that narrow bit by Pennanink an hour the other day, blocked by a flock of delivery vans from John Lewis. Morwenna was knocked off her bike Tuesday, down Newlyn way. Proper job!” They hadn’t noticed the man in the Barbour jacket reading The Times in the corner, but now Jolyon came over and joined them. “I say! I heard you talking, and I thought this column was suffering from an overdose of Cornish stereotypes so I’d better come over and redress the balance, so to speak, what!”
“THEN THEY GOES AN’ MAKES AN EXCEPTION FOR REUSING REDUNDANT OR DISUSED BUILDINGS” He explained that he was from Surrey; he’d bought one of farmer Jago’s dwellinghouses as a second home, and he was down for the jolly old weekend. Nice little place, good view of the wind farm, very nice chap from Oxfordshire next door. But it was an awful long way away from anything. He’d had to drive seven miles to the pub, the nearest shop was another 20 minutes, and he’d had to go to Truro for an avocado. “Eyup,” said Barry, a passing planner from Yorkshire. “I’m
a Northern stereotype to improve t’regional balance of this column.” “Th’art quite reet about all this drivin’ around. ’Appen that’s why t’new draft revised NPPF says planners should avoid t’development of isolated homes in t’ countryside. Tha’ll have read paragraph 81 of t’revisions? Planners ’ave always seen this as sheer bloody common sense. We’re a bit mithered about all this climate change that they ’ave now, what with t’Arctic meltin’. Stop folks ’urtlin’ around in cars all t’ time an’ polluting t’place. Put ’ouses near to other things, I say, so as people can engage Shanks’s pony to get to t’pub, reet? Then they goes an’ makes an exception for reusing redundant or disused buildings. But old Jago’s barn was full of ’ay last time I saw it! They’re just faffin’ about – don’t know whether they’re comin’ or goin’.” The Jolly Roger fell quiet as they contemplated the future of the planet, pessimistically. “Anyone like some more scrumpy?” asked Trefusis.
Chris Shepley is the principal of Chris Shepley Planning and former Chief Planning Inspector
T H E P L AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
14-15_Shepley_qu__The Planner 14
21/05/2018 09:25
Quote unquote FROM THE RTPI AND THE WEB “There are only so many times you can hear the latest housing minister declare we have a broken housing market and keep faith that they understand the scale of the problem”
“This is a complex, multifaceted subject which generates conundrums, problems and challenges much more readily than solutions”
SAM MITCHELL, CEO OF HOUSESIMPLE. COM, ON EMPTY HOMES IN ENGLAND
NICK RAYNSFORD INTRODUCES THE INTERIM RAYNSFORD REVIEW OF PLANNING IN ENGLAND WITH A NOD TO THE CHALLENGES INVOLVED
“One well would have to be drilled and fracked every day for 15 years to replace just half of our gas imports”
“We cannot allow the intricacies of Brexit to divert us from the humanitarian crisis unfolding on our own streets”
ROSE DICKINSON, CAMPAIGNER FOR FRIENDS OF THE EARTH
ANDY BURNHAM, MAYOR OF GREATER MANCHES TER, CALLS FOR A HOUSING BILL TO ADDRESS THE HOUSING SHORTAGE AND HOMELESSNESS
“We’ve got 53 leaders signing off on a series of actions. That’s a third of the planet’s population. If we can influence that, it’s putting us on the right path, isn’t it?” DY CURRIE, PRESIDENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH ASSO CIATION OF PLANNERS, ON THE VALUE OF USING CHOGM TO BOOST PLANNING’S REACH
“Liverpool's always been an easier place to sell abroad. It’s easier to sell Liverpool in Hamburg than in St Albans”
“The planning system is so broken that I’m not sure there are any quick solutions” LINDA HAYSEY OF EAST HERTS COUNCIL HOLDS NOTHING BACK AT THE RAYNSFORD REVIEW INTERIM REPORT LAUNCH
PETE SWIFT, MD OF PLANIT.IE, MASTERPLANNER FOR LIVERPOOL WATERS
I M AG E S | I STO C K / S H U T T E RSTO C K
14-15_Shepley_qu__The Planner 15
J U NE 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER
15
21/05/2018 09:26
B E S T O F T H E B LO G S
O Opinion
1
Dean Clifford is co-founder of Great Marlborough Estates
Planning must keep up with an ageing population
Data from AgeUK shows that the numbe number of people aged over 60 will increase from 15 million to 20 million by 2030. This is paralleled with a greater willingness to stay in the city rather than retreat to the traditional haunts in the Home Counties, and a greater understanding of old-age loneliness. It is clear that we need later living schemes. But the stumbling block to providing these has been an insensitive planning system. Currently, such schemes walk a fine line between planning use classes; the result being that neither use class (C2 or C3) truly captures the essence of the building. While this is a problem with later living, it hints at the wider issue of static planning policy, unable to be as fluid as the working and living models being created within it. To recap the issues here: later living schemes are residential developments focused on the older demographic, providing sheltered housing with on-site care provision. These buildings may provide greater accessibility, communal opportunities and design focusing on health and mental well-being. While it is not a large sector in the UK at the moment, it is in the US, where 12 per cent of over-65s live in such purpose-built communities.
Dr Ann MacSween is head of casework in the heritage directorate for Historic Environment Scotland
The tourism poser in Scotland’s Highlands and Islands
The public sector used to provide a large portion of such housing, but the private sector is now starting to enter the fray. With this come the issues of classifications. It is unclear whether such schemes should be classified as C2 (residential accommodation and care to people in need – e.g. hospitals, schools and training centres) or as C3 (referring to different types of dwelling houses, but not houses in multiple occupation). But what is the relevance of this? Different use classes will have different requirements. Thus, by classifying extra care as C3, developers will have to provide affordable housing and must locate the housing in areas of general need. These additional provisions do not fit the purpose of extra care and can affect viability, meaning that extra care housing does not come about at all. With the problem identified, the answer is straightforward. We could either designate such housing better in the local and regional plans or move extra care into its own distinctive class in the sui generis category of development. An ageing population is choosing to stay in the city. We must make sure that planning policy is used to gear development to match our needs, rather than hinder us.
“WHILE THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH LATER LIVING, IT HINTS AT THE WIDER ISSUE OF STATIC PLANNING POLICY, UNABLE TO BE AS FLUID AS THE WORKING AND LIVING MODELS BEING CREATED WITHIN IT”
16
2 BLOG
BLOG
L In The Living Mountain, written 19 in the 1940s, Nan Shepherd wrote this about the need to balance the promotion of attractions with the physical impact of visitors: “A restaurant hums on the heights and between it and the summit Carn Gorm grows scruffy, the very heather tatty from the scrape of boots (too many boots, too much commotion, but then how much uplift for how many hearts).” The tension, picked up here, is between keeping sites pristine – perhaps by restricting visitors – and the desire to encourage visitors to share and enjoy our heritage and through that to improve the economy of rural communities. This is a dilemma that has continued. Scotland’s visitor numbers have risen sharply in recent years. In the first nine months of 2017, overseas visitors increased by 15 per cent and domestic visitors by 8.5 per cent. Part of this is attributed to the promotion of initiatives such as the North Coast 500 driving route, which attracted 29,000 additional tourists to the Highlands in the year following its 2015 launch. The nature of visits is changing too; many tourists heading to an area to see the same few must-see sites, often promoted by social media. The use of a place as a film, TV or advertising location is an additional interest. Glencoe, for
example, which featured in the Outlander drama, recorded a 53 per cent increase in visitor centre numbers since the series began. While an increase in tourist numbers is much welcomed for the boost to local economies, there are challenges in incorporating the influx of visitors to some areas. Suggestions to deal with congestion on the Isle of Skye have included the use of park-and-ride services to cut the number of cars on single track roads, encouraging off-season visits, and applying tourist taxes. We must also address how to conserve the appeal of the places that attract visitors to Scotland in the first place. Often part of the draw is lack of development, the tranquillity and a sense of remoteness. Maintaining the special qualities of sites needs to be balanced with the economic driver of tourism as one of Scotland’s main industries, and also with the needs of visitors. There are some quick-fix infrastructure solutions that can address parking congestion, or a lack of toilet facilities. Less easy is identifying how best to accommodate significant increases in visitors while maintaining the essence of what they have come to experience. Cross-sectoral working around sustainable tourism issues is essential in reaching good outcomes for both visitors and residents.
“WHILE AN INCREASE IN TOURIST NUMBERS IS MUCH WELCOMED …THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN INCORPORATING THE INFLUX”
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
16-17_Blog__The Planner 16
21/05/2018 09:27
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
Shona Glenn is head of policy and research – land for the Scottish Land Commission
History can help us capture the value of land
Since development de rights were nationa nationalised in 1947, a debate about how to capture the uplift in land value associated with planning permission for the public benefit has waxed and waned. Despite several attempts, the issue has never been satisfactorily resolved. The shortage of affordable housing now afflicting parts of the UK means that this debate is well and truly back in the ascendant – but in looking for solutions it is important that we learn from the past. To help us to do this the Scottish Land Commission has been working with Heriot-Watt University, looking at previous attempts to capture land value in the UK. A key conclusion from this work is that previous bids failed largely owing to the absence of political consensus. With politicians of all persuasions talking up land value capture, this may now be easier to achieve than in the past. But to secure widespread support perhaps we should be asking a different question. Instead of asking how we capture the value of land (from someone else) maybe we should be asking how we deliver sustainable communities in places that people want to live and at prices they can afford, because that’s something everyone can get behind. That is why the next phase of our work will focus on exploring different models for
4 BLOG
BLOG
Marco Picardi MRTPI is an urban planner at Mott MacDonald and co-founder of London Car Free Day
Why it’s time for London to host a car-free day
funding enabling infrastructure. Much of the recent debate about land value capture has centred on compulsory purchase and compensation. The ability of public authorities to acquire land at or near existing use value has underpinned some of the more successful attempts to capture land value both in the UK (new towns) and elsewhere in Europe. Many commentators believe that relatively simple changes to compensation rules could make all the difference today. Our investigations so far suggest that the solution is probably more complicated. This could be part of the answer in parts of the UK, but this is no silver bullet. In many parts of the UK, market demand for housing is low, so there isn’t much value to capture. Finding answers that work for these areas will be a key component of our work on land for housing and development over the next few years – and will be vital if we are to make the most of Scotland’s land. Making this work will require public authorities to take a more active approach to placemaking than has been the norm for many years. But it must be properly resourced. Previous schemes to capture land value that have been under-resourced have failed. • Shona will be co-presenting a land value capture masterclass at the RTPI Convention 2018: bit.ly/planner0618-convention
“PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS HAVE FAILED LARGELY OWING TO THE ABSENCE OF POLITICAL CONSENSUS”
In a para parallel universe, a heavily trafficke cked junction in the heart of centra central London’s financial district is relieved of private vehicles. The results are astounding: fewer road casualties, improved air quality, faster bus journeys, and support from the business community. But this isn’t fiction; these were the benefits of the first eight months of the City of London’s Bank Junction improvement experiment, a scheme that has restricted private vehicular access between 7am and 7pm. While 1970s carcentric traffic engineering is being rolled back with the removal of guardrails and gyratories, road congestion keeps rising and emissions have not been reduced. London’s air quality continues to break EU emissions standards, and contributes to thousands of deaths each year. Support to make the City of London’s experiment permanent can be interpreted as evidence of what the complex systems researcher Stuart Kauffman called the ‘Adjacent Possible’, when ideas that are a step from what exists are achieved by reframing the existing. In the same way that Tube strikes have been found to change commuter journeys in the long term, as people reconsider entrenched behaviours when they are forced to do something different, the 150 City firms backing the Bank scheme show us that experiencing streets devoid of
traffic enables us to rethink them. Surely it’s time for London to hold a car-free day to help us learn what we want our streets to be? Such days occur all over the planet; some London boroughs host them. In Paris and Madrid car-free days have helped form strategies to pedestrianise parts of both cities and improve public realm. A London-wide car-free day would build on falling car ownership and the growth of active travel, as well as the Mayor’s Healthy Streets agenda and the impending Ultra Low Emissions Zone. Londoners could enjoy activities that are usually unthinkable – and it could flag up public realm and green infrastructure improvements that fulfil local needs and aid the city’s overall health, happiness, and travel choices. They could be transformational in the parts of London that the commuter-focused cycle superhighways have overlooked. The Notting Hill Carnival, the London Marathon, and royal jubilees see cars removed from swathes of the road network. But why does it require a special event? By early May, 8,000 people had signed a petition to the mayor calling for the first London Car Free Day to be held on World Car Free Day on 22 September. Now it’s up to him and Transport for London to decide if car-free streets should remain only in a parallel universe. • Follow London Car Free Day on Twitter: @carfreedayLDN
“IN PARIS AND MADRID, CARFREE DAYS HAVE HELPED FORM STRATEGIES TO PEDESTRIANISE PARTS OF BOTH CITIES”
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
16-17_Blog__The Planner 17
17
21/05/2018 09:27
D E V O LU T I O N D E A LS
THE REAL
DEAL
18
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
18-21_feature 1__The Planner 18
21/05/2018 14:52
“YOU CAN USE THE PLUSES OF THE WIDER REGION TO COUNTERBALANCE SOME OF THE NEGATIVE HISTORIC PERCEPTIONS ABOUT DUNDEE”
THE FIRST DEVOLUTION DEALS WERE AIMED MOSTLY AT LARGE CONURBATIONS IN THE UK, OFTEN THOSE IN POSTINDUSTRIALISED AREAS WHICH WERE LANGUISHING ECONOMICALLY. NOW OTHER AREAS, LOOKING TO A POSTBREXIT AGE, ARE SETTLING SIMILAR REGENERATION DEALS WITH THE GOVERNMENT. BY DAVID BLACKMAN City deals were first dreamt up under the coalition government. The idea is that cities and their surrounding area gain certain powers and freedoms in return for funding. As these deals evolve, they are reaching into new corners of the UK, some of which are far removed from the kind of gritty urban areas where the idea was first rolled out. Two of the latest devolution deals, which will be under the spotlight at the RTPI Convention on 21 June, are being developed in the rural and semi-rural areas of Mid Wales and Tayside. The Planner explores how this notion is being rolled out in these two very contrasting parts of Scotland and Wales.
A slice of Dundee ‘Jute, jam and journalism’ famously built the fortunes of Dundee. Now the only one of the three left in Tayside’s biggest city is journalism. And The Beano, the most renowned product of the city’s most famous media company, DC Thomson, only sells a reported 8,000 copies a week. The legacy of this economic change means that unemployment rates reach as high as 8 per cent in parts of Dundee, which compares with 1 per cent in Perth, just 20 miles away. The four authorities that make up the Tayside
I M AG E | G E T T Y
18-21_feature 1__The Planner 19
region, which stretches across from North Fife to rural Angus, have decided that it makes sense to work together to secure its economic future. For the past two years, David Littlejohn (pictured) has been seconded from his day job as head of planning at Perth and Kinross council to head the Tay Cities Deal partnership. Both Dundee and Perth, which have populations of around 150,000 and 60,000 respectively, are relative minnows, he acknowledges. “Even in a Scotland, let alone a world or UK context, these are minuscule areas.” The aim of the growth deal is to increase the region’s critical mass as a unit of economic development. “You can use the pluses of the wider region to counterbalance some of the negative historic perceptions about Dundee,” says Littlejohn. The deal will seek to capitalise on the autumn 2018 opening of the Victoria and Albert’s Dundee branch, the museum’s first outside of London. This project builds on more than two decades of work to regenerate the Dundee waterfront under the stewardship of the council’s long-standing director of city development,
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
19
21/05/2018 14:52
D E V O LU T I O N D E A LS
Mike Galloway. “Now we have that stunning building and there are buildings going up all around it,” says Littlejohn. However, the city deal growth strategy, which is expected to be signed off this month (June), will focus on skills development and infrastructure rather than physical development projects. “Things are starting to turn, but there was a sense that the region needs to deliver more higher value, knowledge-based jobs,” says Littlejohn. And the region has some important assets. Dundee University has strengths in medical technology and drug research. The city is also the home of the James Hutton Institute, which is carrying out world-leading crop research. And Dundee’s Abertay University is at the centre of one of the UK’s leading computer games hubs, which spawned the company that invented global gaming sensation Minecraft. Meanwhile, booming Perth is set to grow by a third, thanks to the plans already in the pipeline for thousands of new homes in the city. “The region has some of the highest quality of life indicators, so it’s great place for young couples; it’s about telling the story better,” says Littlejohn. The city deal is designed to better join up its four constituent authorities’ approaches to strategic planning, transport and economic development. “The city deal is the glue that has brought this joint working together,” says Littlejohn. In addition, the deal is set to deliver around £1 billion worth of investment, about a third of which will be provided by the UK and Scottish governments, with the balance coming from Tayside’s businesses and universities. The deal will provide about a third of the funding for the construction of a new Tay crossing on Perth’s northern fringe, which is designed to help to unlock the development of thousands of planned new homes. Other key ‘asks’ in the city deal document include accelerating the electrification of the rail lines connecting Edinburgh with Perth and Dundee as well as the route linking the two Tayside cities. Also on the agenda are new roads to ease congestion in Dundee and a dualling of the A9 beyond Perth. And while the growth deal concept may have originally been an urban concept, it has relevance for a semi-rural area like Tayside, says Littlejohn. “It’s urban-based but recognises that cities don’t have walls round them.” 20
Dundee Waterfront
“MID WALES HAS A VERY DIFFERENT SET OF CHALLENGES FROM ITS NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURS”
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
18-21_feature 1__The Planner 20
21/05/2018 14:52
D E V O LU T I O N D E A LS
‘Cinderella’ area wins the ball
Historic clock tower in Machynlleth, Powys, Wales
Powys has been ‘a Cinderella area’
It should be hard to overlook Powys, given that it covers most of Mid Wales. But this does tend to happen, admits Rosemarie Harris (pictured), executive leader of Powys County Council. “We’re a bit of Cinderella area. We’ve been this bit in the middle that no one quite understands,” she says. Although it’s by far Wales’s largest county, the population of Powys is tiny, numbering just 132,000. The county’s largest settlement, Newtown, only houses about 12,000 people. But work has recently begun on a growth deal, covering Powys and the neighbouring coastal county of Ceredigion, which aims to put Mid Wales on the economic development map. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond invited the area’s local authorities to draw up proposals for a Mid Wales Growth Strategy in last autumn’s Budget. When complete, it will be the fourth and last growth deal to be developed in Wales. Deals have already been signed for the Cardiff and Swansea city regions. And work is advanced on a similar deal for North Wales. Mid Wales’s two unitary authorities had to “push hard” to get a deal, says Harris: “There was a chance we would be left out.” The two authorities have received money from the Welsh government to carry out a growth deal feasibility study. The partnership recently updated Lord Bourne, the growth deal’s lead minister from the UK government, on its progress at a meeting in Aberystwyth. Mid Wales has a very different set of challenges from its northern and southern neighbours, says Harris: “We know we will be different to other city deals.” Harris says the Mid Wales deal will focus on infrastructure before it looks at physical development projects. She says that while the area’s roads are “fairly good”, 135-mile long Powys contains only two miles of dual carriageway and its broadband infrastructure leaves much to be desired. A pressing headache for Mid Wales is the looming withdrawal of the safety net that the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy provides for its rural-based economy. The uncertainty is “very much a concern”, says Harris, despite the UK government’s offer to maintain payments at existing levels until 2020. And although the region has low unemployment, both its skills base and real wages are “very low”, she says. I M AG E S | G E T T Y / A L A M Y
18-21_feature 1__The Planner 21
Keeping young people in the area is a challenge that Mid Wales shares with other rural and semi-rural areas like Tayside. However, while it may be sparsely populated, Harris points to Mid Wales’s economic assets, such as its abundant sources of low-carbon energy. The area has been a centre of renewable energy innovation since 1973 when the Centre for Alternative Technology was established at Machynlleth. That legacy is being brought up to date in Llandrindod Wells, which is home to a hydrogen car development project, while Mid Wales’s vast rural hinterland offers scope for energy crops. The same natural assets underpin the region’s tourism economy, which is a strong point for both for Ceredigion and Powys, she says: “They have sea; we have mountains.” Events offer another avenue to luring visitors. Powys already hosts Europe’s biggest agricultural exhibition at the Royal Welsh Show, while the Hay Book Fair is world-renowned in literary circles. Harris says: “We would like to have bigger or more events because we can accommodate them.” And although Mid Wales may seem remote, Harris says the sheer size of the region means that it borders the parts of England covered by the Midlands Engine and Northern Powerhouse as well as the Welsh growth deal areas. One plus point for Mid Wales is that unlike Cardiff, which is attempting to lasso together a dozen different local authorities, the partnership is bringing together two councils with closely aligned characteristics and interests. It’s still early days for the Mid Wales partnership’s thinking, although investment seems a bigger priority than planning powers, says Harris. It will be the Mid Wales growth partnership’s challenge to come up with a proposition that policymakers can’t ignore. n David Blackman is a freelance journalist specialising in planning and politics RTPI CONVENTION
David Littlejohn and Rosemarie Harris will be presenting on ‘Maximising the value of devolution deals through planning’ at the RTPI Convention in London on 21 June. The Convention theme is ‘Resilient planning for our future’: bit.ly/planner0418-convention J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
21
21/05/2018 14:52
“EFFECTIVELY YOU’RE DEVELOPING A SCHEME, WHICH IS AS BIG AS A SMALL TOWN OVER THE NEXT 2030 YEARS ALONGSIDE AN EXISTING CITY”
The Royal Liver Building at the southern end of Liverpool Waters in the heyday of the docks
THE LONG AND
WINDING ROAD 22
T H E P L AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
22-25_feature 2___The Planner 22
I M AG E | G E T T Y
21/05/2018 14:54
D O C K R E G E N E R AT I O N
LIVERPOOL WATERS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REGENERATION SCHEMES IN THE UK. IT'S ALSO IN THE MIDDLE OF A WORLD HERITAGE SITE. SIMON WICKS FOLLOWS THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD TOWARDS A REVIVAL OF LIVERPOOL’S DOCKSIDE – AND THE CITY ITSELF
On May 27 1981, Liverpool Football Club beat Real Madrid 1-0 to lift the European Cup for the third time. Five weeks later, on 4 July, an eight-day riot blew up in Toxteth, south-east of the city centre. In 1981 Liverpool was, in the words of several people I interviewed for this feature, a city “on its knees”. Its fortunes were the very inverse of its football team’s – but not of the docks on which its wealth and glory were built. Historically, as the docks rise, so does the city. And as they fall… There was a sweet spot around 1965 when Bill Shankly’s Liverpool FC lifted the FA Cup, the Beatles released Rubber Soul and a still busy port employed 140,000 Liverpudlians. In truth, though, the decline set in at the end of World War II, with new port technology and a slide in manufacturing. Between 1971 and 1981, 10,000 people left the city and the population fell from its pre-war peak of 846,000 to just 510,000. It continued to fall. “Liverpool was built for a population of a million,” opines Peter Jones, the city planner charged with overseeing the Liverpool Waters dock regeneration. In 1981, the disparity between the city’s past and present was stark. Then chancellor Geoffrey Howe urged Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to allow its “managed decline”. Unemployment soared to 17 per cent. Toxteth burned.
Here comes the sun The strands of a city’s economy and its social life are many and tightly entwined. They knot, they fray, they don’t unpick easily for repair. Regeneration is always going to be slow and complex. The story of Liverpool in the 1980s is almost too well-known – Militant tendency, poverty, Hillsborough. Landmark events have inscribed themselves into the city’s consciousness. The intervention of environment secretary of Michael Heseltine and the belief he showed in Liverpool’s capacity to regenerate itself is one. It restarted – as it had started in 1715 – with the docks. The renewal of Albert Dock began in 1983. Prince’s Dock has been redeveloped progressively since the 1990s. The last quarter-century has seen new and striking buildings on the dockside beside the city, in the shadow of its famous Three Graces. “But the game changer in terms of what people experience when coming to Liverpool has been Liverpool ONE [a 42-acre open-air retail complex opened in 2008],” says Jones. “That’s made a
massive difference, reconnecting the city centre with the waterfront… It has rejuvenated Liverpool.” In 2004, swathes of the city centre and docks were given Unesco World Heritage Status for Liverpool’s remarkable contribution to maritime and mercantile culture. The protected area includes the 60-hectare, two-kilometre strip known as Liverpool Waters that slots between the Royal Liver Building to the south and a modern dock complex to the north. It incorporates multiple docks and dozens of structures that are exemplars of their period and function. But, Prince’s Dock aside, Liverpool Waters is largely derelict. What’s more, much of the site sits within Kirkdale, one of the poorest wards in the UK. The proposed redevelopment aims for a new gateway to the city, with offices, shops, homes, a park, a new cruise terminal, road improvements and more. And it’s bang in the middle of a World Heritage Site. “Effectively you’re developing a scheme, which is as big as a small town over the next 20 to 30 years alongside an existing city,” observes Paul Grover, associate director of the lead planning consultancy Arup. Grover was with the scheme's original planning consultant WYG when the planning application was submitted in 2011. “Why can’t Liverpool look outwards and put itself back out on the world map? Looking at Liverpool’s history it [Unesco] recognises the World Heritage Site because at the peak of British Empire it reflected global dominance, a new way of doing things, and was completely outward looking. How do you try and get your head around 60 hectares?” How indeed? The whole site is surprisingly covered by a single outline planning application, arguably the largest ever submitted in the UK. The officer’s report recommending consent runs to 512 pages. The decision notice itself is 43 pages. There are five parts to the way the "process-driven" permission is structured. These include: n overall development quantum and parameters n time limits n information to be submitted prior to reserved matters approval n details to be provided with reserved matters applications n compliance conditions Much of the actual detail of the plan itself is contained in dozens of supporting documents, from heritage assessments to planning and J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
22-25_feature 2___The Planner 23
23
21/05/2018 14:54
D O C K R E G E N E R AT I O N
How Liverpool Waters might look in the 2040s
regeneration statements. Quality control is overseen by three committees, for design, heritage and to ensure coordination between the various parties. It’s complicated. “This is probably stretching what the planning system is intending to do and what permission should do, and it's quite unique in that respect,” says Jones.
Tomorrow never knows Building work is just beginning, while adaptation of the masterplan to new conditions is ongoing. The main concern has been the potential impact of development –particularly tall buildings – on the World Heritage Site (WHS). In 2012, Unesco threatened to pull the city’s WHS designation. The masterplan has been reworked and earlier this year the city council passed a plan to preserve the heritage designation, which includes a cap on building height in Liverpool. The report will be considered by the World Heritage Committee in July. For now, Liverpool is still on the danger list. “If the city loses World Heritage Status, the cost is enormous,” says Gerry Proctor of Engage Liverpool, a social
enterprise that provides a voice for waterfront and city centre residents. “It would give carte blanche to the planning department to allow whatever they awanted. We would then follow the neoliberal economic model to its full.” A cluster of tall buildings is still planned for Central Dock at the heart of the site. But the masterplan has become “heritagefacing”, says head masterplanner Pete Swift of Planit, . “But it’s not been heritage-driven. A good design team and developer see the value in the heritage.” Its latest iteration blends respect for historic scale, layout and materials with clear modernity in the tall structures. This, Grover asserts, is in keeping with the spirit of the docks. “If you look at how the city has evolved and you go right back, the planning and architecture here influences the skyscrapers in North America,” he says. “We have steel-framed buildings, which appear as stone and they’re not, they’re clad. The Liver Building is a great example of that. It was innovative and groundbreaking.” The development also has to be seen in the context of a miasma of other projects in and around Liverpool, including a deep water dock, greater shipbuilding capacity and the Ten
THE MASTERPLAN IN NUMBERS 60 hectares of former working docks along a 2-kilometre stretch of the River Mersey More than 100 heritage assets 5 distinct neighbourhoods: King Edward Triangle, Princes’ Dock Central Dock (including high rise, Clarence Dock, Northern Dock 1,425,190 square metres of docks 88 plots for development
24
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
22-25_feature 2___The Planner 24
1,691,100 sq m of mixed-use development, including: n 733,200 sq m residential (Class C3) (9,000 units) n 314,500 sq m business (B1) n 53,000 sq m hotel and conference facilities (C1 ) n 19,100 sq m of comparison retailing (A1) n 7,800 sq m of convenience retailing (A1) n 8,600 sq m of financial and professional services (A2) n 27,100 sq m of restaurants and cafes (A3)
n 19,200 sq m of drinking establishments (A4) n 8,900 sq m community uses (D1) n 33,300 sq m of assembly and leisure (D2) n 17,600 sq m for a cruise liner facility and energy centre (sui generis) n 36,000 sq m for servicing (sui generis) n 412,800 sq m for parking (sui generis)
5 phases of development over 30 years
I M AG E | PL A N I T
21/05/2018 14:54
Streets cultural quarter neighbouring the Liverpool Waters site. By expanding the city’s capacity for trade, industry and tourism, and by opening up the shuttered docks once more, Liverpool will be making a powerful statement. Regeneration is potentially wide and deep. “It has international impact,” says Ann O’Byrne, who when we spoke was the city’s deputy mayor and in charge of regeneration. “It will substantially change the make-up of Liverpool, and north Liverpool, which has some of the poorest wards in the country. “We are going to grow the city, but making sure that our people benefit every step of the way.” Ironically, O’Byrne has since quit her post, accusing the city mayor Joe Anderson of failing to “listen to the people of Liverpool”. The city is as politically tangled as it is socially and economically. Nothing is simple, and nothing definite either. But there is a straightforward concern, articulated by Peter Jones, the dedicated city planner. “We have a responsibility to future generations to make sure we do it properly.”
Read the full story online Over three days in May, I spoke to planners, masterplanners, developers, politicians and community representatives to understand what the Liverpool Waters scheme means to both the city and the wider region. You can find the following depth and detail online at: bit.ly/planner0618-liverpool
A BRIEF HISTORY OF LIVERPOOL WATERS
> 1207
> 2004
Liverpool becomes a borough and remains a small fishing port with hazardous navigation until…
Liverpool awarded World Heritage Status by Unesco
> 1715
Mersey Dock and Harbour Corporation acquired by Peel Ports for £771 million
Opening of Thomas Steers Old Dock, the world’s first commercial wet dock
> 18th and 19th centuries
> 2005
> 2006 Liverpool Waters project launch
Extensive land reclamation, sea wall and dock construction on the back of the growing volume of goods and people (including slaves) prompted by empirebuilding. An estimated 40% of world trade passes though Liverpool in the 19th century.
> 18101848
> 2008 Liverpool ONE opens
> 2010: Submission of outline planning application
> 2012
An account of the site's heritage structures Analysis of context, the masterplan and the permission A photo gallery comparing present and future Interviews with the masterplanner, the master developer, the lead city planning officer, the community voice, the business voice and the planning lead. This issue of The Planner also contains an account of the legal arguments about heritage (page 42) and of the efforts made to masterplan around protected views (pages 31-32)
The nine docks in Liverpool Waters are constructed and enter use
> 1945 onwards
> May 2016
n Simon Wicks is deputy editor of The Planner. With thanks
Docks and manufacturing industries in decline. Containerisation and roll-on, roll-off reduce the need for dock labour. The number of dock employees falls from approximately 140,000 in the mid 1960s to 55,000 in the mid 2000s
Master plan for Phase 1 commences
> 1981
> Feb 2018
Prince’s Dock closes. Toxteth riots
City council and English Heritage draw up Desired State of Conservation Report, action plan to keep Liverpool’s WHS status. Agreed by council in April
n n n n
to Kim Cooper and Ian Ford of Arup Liverpool for ideas, introductions, background information and fact checking.
The six-sided Victoria Clock Tower of 1848 as it is today.
> 192829 Clarence Dock closes and a power station built on the site
> 19832003
Unesco puts the Liverpool World Heritage Site on its ‘In Danger’ list
> 2013 Amended outline consent obtained
> Oct 2017 Liverpool creates a taskforce to ‘reset’ relationship with Unesco
Regeneration of Albert Dock
> May 2018
> 1990s Redevelopment of Prince’s Dock begins
Revised masterplan published
> July 2018 > 1994 Clarence Dock power station demolished
World Heritage Committee will determine status of Liverpool’s WHS listing at its annual meeting
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
22-25_feature 2___The Planner 25
25
21/05/2018 14:54
“NETWORK RAIL TENDS TO THINK ABOUT STATIONS, WHILE LOCAL AUTHORITIES LACK KNOWLEDGE OF THE RAIL INDUSTRY”
26
T H E P L AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
26-29_Feature 3___The Planner 26
I M AG E S | A L A M Y / G E T T Y
21/05/2018 09:27
R A I L W A Y S TAT I O N D E V E LO P M E N T
DOWNTOWN
TRAIN
RAILWAY STATIONS AND THE LAND THEY SIT ON ARE OFTEN PERFECTLY LOCATED FOR REGENERATION AND HOUSING SCHEMES. BUT BRINGING SUCH SCHEMES TO FRUITION CAN BE CHALLENGING, FINDS MARK SMULIAN “Well, I went down to the station…” goes the opening line to many a blues tale – and once upon a time you may have found yourself entering a dingy space leading into even dingier platforms. Yet their location and purpose means that many stations are ripe for unlocking regeneration schemes, from giving a shopping street a focal point, to providing easy public transport access to employment and opening up areas for homes. Network Rail, owner of 2,500 British stations, is one of the nation’s largest landowners. It’s only too happy to put surplus space near to – and, with some caveats, above – stations into schemes that make it money. But engaging with the rail industry can be a complex operation for planners. Network Rail’s role is akin to a freeholder, with stations in effect leased by a train operator that may have little incentive to cooperate in improvements if its franchise is soon to expire. The Department for Transport, which lets franchises to operators, will also most likely become involved. Accommodating the rail industry’s operational needs is vital in stacking up a project, but generally it will be happy if more passengers use a station because of a development. Paul Beaty Pownall, managing director of BPR Architects, who has written station design guides for Network Rail and Transport for London, explains: “For planners, Network Rail is the key player in navigating the rail industry.
“If a local authority thinks a station could play a part in regeneration I would recommend it creates a masterplan that shows how the station fits into that then targets the rail community to find the key stakeholders.” He says rail operators will look for projects that increase passenger numbers, capacity, revenue and income from retail “and one of the objectives from regeneration for them is often better retail, as regeneration will support a better quality offer than the usual drinks and snacks, which are quite low margin”.
All change Stations are changing. With more passengers buying tickets online, by mobiles or at machines, there is no longer the same need for huge booking halls with multiple staffed windows. Could this space become more part of the streetscape? Beaty Pownall has developed the idea of ‘station as street’ where, for example, the station would have information, ticket sales and waiting areas but with a permeable boundary with the street environment, with people coming in to use concourse shops. Building upwards, too, may look an obvious chance to maximise the land and its utility. But it’s far from simple, as Beaty Pownall points out: “Going above an operational rail line is a problem because you may have a landlord who controls the stations and someone else who owns the lease of the tower block above it, while Network J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
26-29_Feature 3___The Planner 27
27
21/05/2018 09:28
Rail is the freeholder so things are in different ownerships and that affects investor value.” It’s easier to find surplus land adjacent to stations and separate from operational land. By way of illustration, he points to Lea Bridge, which the London Borough of Waltham Forest persuaded Network Rail to reopen in 2016 as a basic two-platform facility. It has done its job and the area is attracting investment, meaning something more elaborate is needed. Beaty Pownall says Waltham Forest will sell three parcels of nearby land for 300 homes, 120 in a tower block, and a rebuilt and slightly relocated station will become a new neighbourhood hub. “Waltham Forest was enthusiastic as they had been looking at more conventional development over the station and found train operators did not like the idea, and the retail planned would have served only train passengers so it had been very difficult to get any investor interested,” he says. “When they took our concept they got a good response since the greatest risk was building over a station and that has been removed.”
Disrupted service There can, however, be gulfs in perception between the rail industry and planners, says Paul Hennessy, regional manager for transportation at Aecom. “I’ve recently seen a council in the South East put up a design, but they lacked experience in rail. So Network Rail gets something in a format it’s not used to dealing with, and it lacks appetite to take it forward,” he says. “There’s not a great appetite there to look at wider local areas because Network Rail is focused on how to make its stations work in terms of passenger flows. Network Rail tends to think about stations, while local authorities lack knowledge of the rail industry.”
Grappling with separate public funding streams from local government and Network Rail can also be problematic, Hennessy says, with schemes “that once stacked up then don’t happen because public funding streams come separately”. Network Rail says it “regularly enters into partnerships to leverage private sector and thirdparty investment into the railway”. Twickenham It has a joint venture with contractor Kier and technical consultant Capco called Solum Regeneration, which carries out station redevelopments in the South East. It also works with consultant Bloc in the Blocwork joint venture for smaller projects and with developers Ballymore, Bruntwood and Muse. Traditionally, Network Rail simply sold surplus land but now looks to make better use of it and seeks the right expertise. A spokesperson says: “A lot of our land, naturally, is long and thin, so we have sought to partner with the development sector and other stakeholders to make best use of what we have, while ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the railway. To date, we have identified almost 200 sites that will help support the delivery of 12,000 homes by 2020.” n Mark Smulian is a freelance journalist specialising in the built environment
Kidderminster
WHEN IT GOES WELL…
Green signal: Doncaster Arriving at Doncaster station requires passengers to negotiate a cab rank and large car park before finding the town centre, and the council is working with Network Rail to resolve this problem in a wider regeneration plan. Neil Firth, head of service for major projects and investment, explains: “Doncaster is one of the busiest stations on the East Coast Main Line and we’re spending £6-7 million on public realm improvements, public art, shifting the car park and opening up direct access into the centre so people feel they have arrived in a town. “It is part of eight regeneration projects we have in the
28
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
26-29_Feature 3___The Planner 28
town centre and we’re spending £51 million in all, based on bringing homes and jobs there.” Firth says working with Network Rail and the main train operator Virgin can initially be somewhat daunting. “Network Rail has its interests and assets to protect and is very vigilant in doing so, but we have a good relationship and it has been very enthusiastic about the station improvement,” he says. “Working with the rail industry can be a bit challenging at first, but now we understand their issues and processes.” Longer term, the council is negotiating over a rail spur and station for Doncaster Sheffield Airport.
I M AG E S | A L A M Y / G E T T Y
21/05/2018 09:28
R A I L W A Y S TAT I O N D E V E LO P M E N T
PLANNED ENGINEERING WORKS Network Rail is a huge landowner, with holdings at and around stations. This provides an obvious opportunity for councils to facilitate developments with good passenger transport links, while Network Rail makes money from disposing of surplus land. Here are some examples. Dundee The ScotRail Alliance – Network Rail Scotland and operator Abellio ScotRail – invested some £1 million in revamping Dundee’s station concourse and waiting rooms last year. Dundee City Council is constructing a new station at street level, which will include a hotel ready for this autumn’s opening of the Victoria & Albert Museum’s Dundee operation. The station will be a gateway to Dundee Waterfront, a £1 billion regeneration project along eight kilometres of the River Tay, which has secured £750 million of investment.
Dundee
“ONE OF THE OBJECTIVES FROM REGENERATION IS OFTEN BETTER RETAIL, AS IT WILL SUPPORT A BETTER QUALITY OFFER THAN THE USUAL DRINKS AND SNACKS”
…AND WHEN IT DOESN’T
Points failure: Guildford Relations between planners and station redevelopments do not always run smoothly, as a bitter row between Guildford Borough Council and Network Rail’s joint venture developer Solum has shown. Solum took the council to appeal after it rejected plans for a £150 million regeneration project for a new station building, and 438 new homes and 5,200 square metres of retail and office space adjacent to it. Its appeal win was described by council leader Paul Spooner as “extremely disappointing for us and our whole community”. This leaves an awkward situation in which Spooner has somewhat grudgingly agreed to “do all we can to make sure the least-damaging scheme is developed”.
Kidderminster Kidderminster is a busy station, but its limited facilities were causing complaints from passengers and Worcestershire County Council decided to act. Some 1.6 million passengers a year use the station and a 50 per cent increase is expected within five years. Negotiations with Network Rail and train operators led finally to an acceptable solution and the station will get a glass frontage twice its present size and indoor waiting areas. Worcestershire is leading the redevelopment partnership, and funding of £4.3 million has come from two local enterprise partnerships. It is due for completion in summer 2019. Twickenham The London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames’ grant of planning permission to Solum to redevelop this suburban station was unsuccessfully fought to the Court of Appeal by a local campaign group. The scheme will provide a new station with 115 homes in three blocks above and beside the station, retail units and a path to the previously inaccessible River Crane. Portrush Northern Ireland’s transport provider Translink has a compelling deadline for the renovation of Portrush station – international golf competition the Open comes to the town in 2019. This is part of a £17 million regeneration in which the station will sit among other public realm improvements to greet golf fans. Cardiff Cardiff Capital Region is putting £40 million into the £180 million redevelopment of Cardiff’s main transport hub. The new Metro Central will be a combined train, bus and coach centre with increased capacity to handle South Wales Metro trains, a planned ‘turn up and go’ service for the nearby Valleys area. Regional cabinet chair Andrew Morgan says: “Anyone who travels into and through Cardiff is very aware of the desperate need for improvements to the transport infrastructure, and the anticipated rapid growth of the capital city means this project is absolutely critical.”
J U NE 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER
26-29_Feature 3___The Planner 29
29
21/05/2018 09:28
ADVERTISEMENTS
Consultants { border
Planning our sustainable future
DUFKDHRORJ\ KHULWDJH SODQQLQJ UHVROXWLRQ
H LQIR#borderDUFKDHRORJ\ FRP
W
Birmingham Bristol Derby Exeter Glasgow London Warrington
Contact:
Joanne Farrar +44(0) 0203 214 8889 Joanne.farrar@atkinsglobal.com
ERUGHUDUFKDHRORJ\ FRP
http://www.atkinsglobal.com/urban-planning
,62 _ ,62 _ 2+6$6
THE BUSINESS MONTHLY FOR PLANNING PROFESSIONALS
Border Archaeology double box.indd 1
ƒ Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment ƒ Townscape Assessment ƒ Expert Witness, Public Inquires & Appeals ƒ Strategic Land Promotion
17/01/2018 14:15
ƒ Local Plan Representations ƒ Green Belt Assessment ƒ Sensitivity and Capacity Appraisals ƒ Minerals and Waste Development ƒ Urban Design, Public Realm and Masterplanning ƒ Regeneration and Renewal ƒ Heritage Landscapes and Restoration ƒ Landscape Design and Implementation ƒ Ecological Consultancy and BREEAM
Mark Flatman - mark.flatman@lizlake.com Head of Landscape Planning
01279 647 044
www.lizlake.com
}
TO ADVERTISE IN T H I S S EC T I O N : SINGLE BOX: 55MM HIGH X 90MM WIDE DOUBLE BOX VERTICAL: 113.5MM HIGH X 90MM WIDE DOUBLE BOX HORIZONTAL: 55MM HIGH X 184.5MM WIDE
Contact Daniel Goodwin: Daniel Goodwin@redactive.co.uk 020 7880 6206
Stansted | Bristol | Nottingham
30
T H E P L AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
p30_PLN.JUNE18.indd 30
18/05/2018 10:27
LANDSCAPE
Tech { L A N D S C A P E
P31 TECH P34 REGIONAL P38 DECISIONS P42 LEGAL P50 PLAN B P51 ACTIVITY
Masterplanner Planit.ie’s vision for Clarence Square at Liverpool Waters
I’M LOOKING THROUGH YOU WHAT’S TO STOP A CITY’S MOST VALUED BUILDINGS BEING VISUALLY SWAMPED BY NEW DEVELOPMENT? MATT MOODY FINDS OUT HOW THE MASTERPLANNERS OF THE LIVERPOOL WATERS SCHEME HAVE INCORPORATED PROTECTED VIEWS INTO A MASTERPLAN THAT ATTEMPTS TO BUILD ON THE CITY’S WORLD HERITAGE STATUS Since the London Building Act of 1888 – which banned buildings “taller than a fireman’s ladder” to protect views of St Paul’s Cathedral – and even earlier, town planners have sought to protect their cities’ most cherished views from being spoiled by new development. Unsurprisingly, this often leads to tension between planners and developers. In Liverpool, the £5.5 billion planned
I M AG E S | PL A N I T
31-32_Tech lands__The Planner 31
regeneration of the city’s historic docklands – named Liverpool Waters (LW) – fell foul of UNESCO, which threatened to withdraw the city’s World Heritage Site (WHS) status in part because of the impact of proposed tall buildings within the WHS on views of heritage buildings in and out of the docks. Since then, the site’s protected views have been written into local planning guidance,
and the scheme has been revised to better incorporate them. Liverpool Waters is a huge and complex development, comprising 60 hectares of land divided into five neighbourhoods, each with its own masterplan, to be developed in phases over 30 years. It was granted outline planning permission in 2013 but, because of its complexity, the lengthy consultation and negotiation process that precedes the start of development has raised a number of challenges. Planit.ie, the project masterplanner, has sought creative technical solutions to these problems through its visualisation technology arm, Virtual Planit. The first step, however, was to get all parties involved in the development (developers, planners, the city council, Unesco) to agree on what exactly the protected views were. “The problem with the protected views specified in the planning guidance was that they’re quite non-specific,” explains Pete Swift, chief executive at Planit. “They had never been regularised, so it wasn’t clear
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
31
21/05/2018 10:42
LANDSCAPE
Tech { L A N D S C A P E where you should stand, what you should be looking at, whether you should be behind that tree or in front of it – things like that. “The first thing we did was agree on where exactly those viewpoints were,” he continues. “When it comes to views, some people think they can see things that they can’t, and others say they can’t see things that are visible. The only way to avoid this is to bring in a degree of consistency supported by science, which is where our technical work comes in.” To address this problem, Planit has created a 3D virtual model of the LW scheme in its entirety, accurate to within 15cm, to make the process of identifying viewpoints less subjective. The model was created through a labour-intensive process that involved locating and texture-mapping every building in the area. Extra information was added from third party sources, including the city council’s “rudimentary city model”. “In some instances we literally went out and photographed the facades of the buildings – there’s not really an easier way of getting that level of accuracy,” explains Swift. Rather than “completing” the model and using it solely for reference, Planit has used it as a design tool to “recast” the masterplan. “Using the model as a design tool, we’ve been able to mould and sculpt the urban blocks”. The model was built using well-established software, including Google Earth and the 3D modelling software Sketchup, but Planit is
piloting emerging technologies, too. As well as virtual reality (VR) goggles that let the user walk around their 3D model, the company is working on an augmented reality (AR) mobile phone application. "You’ll be able to go to the Wirral (on the opposite bank of the River Mersey from Liverpool Waters), stand on the spot we’ve identified, hold up your phone and see a visualisation of the development, as well as information about it,” says Swift of the AR app, which is being prototyped. Planit has piloted similar tech in Manchester, as part of the consultation process for St Michael’s, the controversial mixed-use tower proposed by former footballers Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs. The resulting “verified videos” enable people to “walk through” the development as it will be built, in real time. The app also allows visualisation in four dimensions– the ability to see the scheme
“IF YOU SAY ‘I’M GOING TO BUILD 5,000 HOMES’, THE FIRST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THE PLACARDS GO UP – THAT’S HUMAN NATURE”
at different stages of completion – which is particularly useful for projects with such a lengthy timescale. “One of the big problems Unesco has had to deal with is that they’re seeing the site as it is today, and the planning application is showing you year 30,” says Swift. The app, on the other hand, lets users visualise the project at any stage of completion. Since the introduction of Apple’s ARKit and other advancements in AR, he adds, “the technology has gone from super expensive to everybody carrying it around in their pockets”. Now that Planit has built a virtual model of the site, Swift wants to verify Liverpool’s protected viewpoints in the real world. “We’d like to get a series of plaques installed in the ground, showing people exactly where they need to stand.” This combination of real-world and virtual information has the ability to make the planning process more democratic, says Swift. “If you say ‘I’m going to build 5,000 homes’, the first thing that happens is the placards go up – that’s human nature. Battle lines are drawn because if the public feel they can’t read plans, they get disengaged. This has got to be where things go next, because the generation behind me is already asking these questions. What will be interesting is how the planning system reacts.”
Liverpool Waters: The Northern Docks
32
T H E P L AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
31-32_Tech lands__The Planner 32
21/05/2018 10:42
Visualisations for a positive outcome
NPA
Visuals
Contact Chris Hale to discuss the preparation of high quality visualisations, including YHULͤHG YLHZV DQG SKRWRPRQWDJHV WR VXSSRUW \RXU GHYHORSPHQW SURSRVDOV • Architecture • Landscapes
01225 876990
p33_PLN.JUNE18.indd 2
• Planning and appeals • Urban spaces
• Design • Promotion
npavisuals.co.uk
18/05/2018 10:11
LANDSCAPE
Nations & Regions focus { The Caledonian way Planning in Scotland is in a period of change at the moment given that a new Planning Bill is going through Parliament. Key changes envisaged in this are: the introduction of new Simplified Development Zones to promote increases in housing supply; the abolition of Strategic Development Plans that currently cover Scotland’s four major city regions; and the establishment of new Local Place Plans to allow communities to develop their ideas for where they live. Scotland’s town centres continue to see slowdowns in footfall and spend. The Scottish Government is committed to deliver 50,000 social homes in the period of the Parliament, which has led to increases in the affordable housing
FACTFILE 2018 2018 2018
budget. There has been a small growth in housing development overall. However, the funding of infrastructure, especially social infrastructure such as schools, is proving problematic given the lack of resourcing and funds available from both the public and private sectors. Land reform is becoming an ever more important issue and the new Scottish Land Commission has published several papers exploring ways to take this forward, looking at issues of ownership and public interest-led development. Brexit is affecting developer investment. Growth and housing demand focus upon the east of Scotland, particularly Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Area: 30,090 square miles Population: 5.42 million Major population centres: Glasgow (600,000) Edinburgh (470,000) Aberdeen (200,000) Dundee (150,000) Inverness (62,000); Perth (50,000) Electoral regions: Central Scotland, Glasgow, Highlands and Islands, Lothian, Mid Scotland and Fife, North East Scotland, South Scotland, West Scotland UK Parliamentary constituencies: 59 (35 SNP, 13 Conservative, 7 Labour, 4 Liberal Democrat)
PLANWATCH
Work will begin soon on the replacement for National Planning Framework 3, Scotland’s spatial strategy. NPF4 is to be published in 2020. The planning bill now going through Parliament proposes that this will be combined with the Scottish Planning Policy document and will in turn become part of local development plans. A review of the National Transport Strategy is under way. This aims to set out a fresh vision of Scotland’s transport system over the next 20 years, and address strategic challenges facing the transport system, in the context
of an emerging policy and legislative landscape. Among new legislation are the four City Region Deals focused on Glasgow (with £1.13 billion of public investment), Edinburgh (£1.1bn), Aberdeen (£826 million) and Inverness (£315 million), and their surrounding regions. Two more deals for the cities of Stirling and Dundee, plus the wider areas in the central region and in Tayside, are being discussed. At the heart of the deals are enhanced spatial planning powers (see pages 18-21, where the Tay Cities Deal is explained).
Scottish Parliament seats 129 – 73 constituency and 56 regional: (SNP 62, Scottish Conservative and Unionist 31, Scottish Labour 23, Scottish Greens 6, Scottish Liberal Democrats 5) Planning authorities: 38 (32 single-tier local authority; 2 national parks; 4 strategic development plan authorities)
IN THE PIPELINE
1. Dundee Waterfront The £1bn transformation of Dundee City Waterfront covers 240 hectares of land stretching 8km along the River Tay. The 30-year project is propelling the city to international acclaim, not least for the new V&A Museum, which opens in September. n bit.ly/planner0618-dundee
2. Clyde Gateway Clyde Gateway is Scotland’s biggest and most ambitious regeneration programme. A £1.5bn partnership
34
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
34-37 NandR__The Planner 34
between Glasgow City Council, South Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Enterprise, it aims, over 20 years to deliver huge social, economic and physical change to 840ha in the east end of Glasgow and in Rutherglen. n bit.ly/planner0618-clyde
3. Edinburgh St James
1 2
3
The 1.7 million sq ft Edinburgh St James scheme will see a 1970s retail centre replaced by 850,000 sq ft of retail, a hotel, 150 homes, 30 restaurants and a cinema. n bit.ly/planner0618-james
I M AG E S | A L A M Y
21/05/2018 09:33
Scotland INSIGHT: HOW PAS IS OPENING UP PLANNING TO ALL
Petra Biberbach is chief executive of Planning Aid Scotland (PAS) The recent review of the Scottish planning system incorporated a desire to include people and groups who are typically excluded from conversations about place. PAS, an independent charity, is well placed to support such an ambition. “Scotland has a target to build 50,000 affordable homes and all of us need to be involved in the debate about where, what and how,” says Petra. “An improving alignment with other policy agendas”, she says, is driving the creation of tools to engage with “communities that have never really thought about how the planning system affects places until something is happening”. The award-winning Place Standard, partly developed by NHS Scotland, enables people to express their feelings about where they live. The planning review itself contained 48 ‘cross-cutting’ recommendations, including the creation of communityled local place plans, connectivity between community and spatial planning, an enhanced role for young people in planning and mandatory training for elected members. “Through the Curriculum for
Excellence, there is now an opportunity to engage young people. One of our programmes, Bridging the Gap, encourages them to become active citizens, to ensure that the planning system is equitable and inclusive.” The organisation also works with young offenders, gypsy/travellers and communities taking over management of land and assets from public bodies. They also run charrettes under the PAS Charretteplus programme. PAS offers training to planners, too. “We have our own participatory engagement tool, SP=EED. Some local authority officers are SP=EED verified and have taken it up as a model for engagement.” In another act of engagement, PAS is volunteer-led, supported by one in five (430) of Scotland’s planners. “We’re doing interesting work with agencies in Scotland across different policy areas," says Biberbach. “This helps us to mesh together and demonstrate the true value of planning and the planning system to wider society.” Planning Aid Scotland: www.pas.org.uk
RECENT SUCCESSES
1. Stromness Regeneration, Orkney The 10-year plan to regenerate Stromness has won this year’s Silver Jubilee Cup in the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence and was also the overall winner of the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning 2017. A council-wide task force has coordinated several distinct regeneration projects within the historic core of the town, including repaving the main street in local stone, construction of the landmark Warehouse Building, paving and redevelopment of the wider pierhead area and more. n bit.ly/planner0618-stromness
2. Caithness-Moray Electricity Network Reinforcement The £1.1bn Caithness-Moray project represents the largest investment in the north of Scotland’s electricity network since the hydro development era of the 1950s and is the largest capital investment project undertaken by the Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE) group to date. This highly technical project required a significant degree of logistical planning, project management, safety procedures and engagement with the local community. n bit.ly/planner0618-caithness
1
2
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
34-37 NandR__The Planner 35
35
21/05/2018 09:33
LANDSCAPE
Scotland COMING UP
1. The Participatory City 26 June 2018, Edinburgh The Sir Patrick Geddes Commemorative Lecture 26 June, Edinburgh To be given by Tessy Britton, chief executive of the Participatory City Foundation. bit.ly/planner0618-geddes
2. Impact of the Scottish Planning Review 26 September 2018, Edinburgh One-day brieďŹ ng looking at the implications of the Scottish planning review.
The M8 motorway
bit.ly/planner0618-edinburgh
3. Environmental impact assessments 21 November 2018, Edinburgh One-day masterclass looking at how and when to undertake an environmental impact assessment. bit.ly/planner0618-eia SIGNPOSTS n Convenor of RTPI Scotland: Fraser Carlin n Regional web address: www.rtpi.org.uk/scotland n Annual review: bit.ly/planner0618-annual n Scottish Planner: www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/ rtpi-scotland/publications/ scottish-planner/ n Scottish Young Planners: www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/ rtpi-scotland/scottish-young-plannersnetwork/ n Email address: scotland@rtpi.org.uk n Twitter and other social media: 1. @RTPIScotland
The Queensferry Crossing
The Scottish Highlands
NEXT MONTH:
The North East 36 36
T H E P L AN N E R \ MAY M A YN E2 02 1081 8 JU
34-37 NandR__The Planner 36
I M AG E S | A L A M Y / G E T T Y
21/05/2018 09:33
VENUE: CLIFFORD CHANCE 1O UPPER BANK STREET LONDON E14 5JJ
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
WEDNESDAY
27 JUNE 2018 JOIN THE UK’S LEADING INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING STAKEHOLDERS to debate the issues & opportunities for national infrastructure planning SPEAKERS WILL INCLUDE representatives of MHCLG, the Planning Inspectorate, the National Infrastructure Commission, DCO promoters and local government CONFERENCE FEES: NIPA Members: £220 + VAT/Non-Members: £325 + VAT Local Government, Non Governmental Organisations and Local Authorities: £250* + VAT (*including free membership of NIPA for the year 18/19)
For further information and the full programme please email events@nipa-uk.org or telephone 020 7489 7628 NIPA MAY 2018.indd 1
Deloitte HPH.indd 1
16/04/2018 11:24
16/05/2018 11:44
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
p37_PLN.JUNE18.indd 37
37
18/05/2018 10:29
LANDSCAPE
C&D { C
CASES &DECISIONS
Demotion consent for ex-listed building in conservation area
EXPERT ANALYSIS ( Sarah Gibson, Listing Team Leader –
An inspector has approved plans to demolish a Georgian workshop in Greenwich to make way for townhouses after a successful campaign to have the building listed was overturned by the culture secretary.
South at Historic England
( “A review of this decision was
subsequently submitted to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which sought our advice. Whilst we had already acknowledged that there had been a degree of rebuilding, we still thought there was a case for listing the building and communicated this in our response to the review.
( ”However, the secretary of
state concluded that the building had regrettably lost a significant proportion of its original fabric both externally and internally. It was therefore deemed not to be of special architectural or historic interest in a national context. We act in an advisory role and as with all listing cases, the final decision lies with the minister.
The appeal concerned 1 Hyde Vale, a two-storey commercial building in Greenwich, south-east London, that sits within the West Greenwich conservation area (CA), and the buffer zone of the Maritime Greenwich world heritage site (WHS). The building forms one side of Hyde Vale, an “exceptionally complete Georgian streetscape”. A neighbouring building, 63 Royal Hill, is grade-II listed. The appellant sought permission to replace the building with a terrace of five brick-faced townhouses. According to the architect, the proposed brick pattern is inspired by lacework depicted in portraits of Anne of Denmark, queen consort to King James I, for whom the grade-I listed Queen’s House in Greenwich was built.
38
T H E P L AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
38-41 cases de__The Planner 38
LOCATION: Greenwich, London AUTHORITY: Greenwich Borough Council
INSPECTOR: G J Fort PROCEDURE: Hearing DECISION: Allowed REFERENCE: APP/E5330/W/17/3184879
After proposals were first submitted to redevelop the site, local people campaigned for the building to be listed, presenting evidence showing that it was built in 1828, not in the mid-20th century as the developer had originally claimed.
Historic England supported the campaign, calling the building “a rare example of a Georgian commercial building”, and it was subsequently grade-II listed in 2015. This decision was overturned and the building de-listed shortly after, however, when the government’s thenculture secretary ruled that rebuilding work carried out to repair Second World War bomb damage had destroyed “a significant portion of its original fabric”. Plans to redevelop the site were then resubmitted. At the hearing the council accepted the demolition of the existing building in principle, after evidence submitted by the appellant showed unsuccessful efforts to market the building for commercial use, and the
( ”As the building is no longer listed,
the new proposal does not fall within the remit of Historic England’s statutory consultation criteria and we will refrain from offering any further comment on the detail of the application.”
extent of structural work required to facilitate its reuse. Considering the proposal, inspector Fort noted that the terrace would be of similar scale to the existing building, and so would not read as an “excessive or dominant intrusion”. Although it is of contemporary design, he found the scheme’s use of pilasters and a parapet would reflect the detailing of the neighbouring listed building. Fort decided that the scheme would not harm the neighbouring listed building or wider conservation area. The appeal was therefore allowed.
I M AG E S | G E T T Y / A L A M Y / S H U T T E RSTO C K / I STO C K
21/05/2018 09:34
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
Brownfield green belt scheme blocked despite 1.35-year housing supply
Dock restaurants scheme outweighs houseboat owner’s human rights Plans to restore two historic waterside docking sheds in Bristol as restaurants can go ahead after an inspector backed the council in its bids to relocate a nearby houseboat against the will of its owner. The appeal concerned two former transit sheds in Bristol’s Old City area, positioned on a section of listed harbour wall along the dockside. The sheds were built in the mid-20th century, but the harbour wall dates to the 13th century. The appellant planned to restore the sheds using traditional materials to form three restaurant units. Cantilevered decking would also be added to the harbour wall to create an outdoor seating area suspended over the water. Inspector Neil Pope considered that this would cause “less than substantial” harm. However, he noted, the “thoughtfully considered” scheme would secure the reuse and restoration of vacant buildings, and the proposed outdoor seating area would allow diners to “better appreciate the historic waterside features” of the area. These benefits were afforded greater weight than the harm to the wall. A houseboat is docked along the harbour wall close to the proposed decking. Considering that its occupants would be disrupted by the outdoor seating, the council sought to enforce the houseboat’s removal before works begin. The owner said she had lived on the site for more than 21 years with no desire to move, and to remove the boat would interfere with her human rights. Pope acknowledged the “stress and anxiety” caused by attempts to move the family, but LOCATION: Bristol ruled the council’s actions justified in light of the AUTHORITY: Bristol City Council scheme’s public benefits. Pope said he had “not INSPECTOR: Neil Pope set aside lightly” local opposition, but finding that PROCEDURE: Written submissions the scheme would accord with the development plan DECISION: Allowed he allowed the appeal. He also awarded costs against REFERENCE: the council for producing APP/Z0116/W/17/3180440 insufficient evidence to support its stance that the plan’s benefits did not outweigh its adverse effects.
Plans to replace a group of derelict nursery glasshouses with housing that would reduce built footprint by 80 per cent would harm green belt openness, an inspector has ruled, refusing permission despite the area’s severe housing supply shortfall. The appeal concerned a large horticultural nursery comprising glasshouses, ancillary buildings and hardstanding on green belt land north of Waltham Abbey in Essex. The site sits between the village of Nazeing on one side, with open fields leading towards the Lee Valley Regional Park on the other. The appellant sought approval to replace the existing buildings on the site with 50 homes, as part of a “lowdensity scheme” with a layout that would “dissipate towards the open fields” to the west. The plans would result in an 80 per cent reduction in built footprint on the site, and a 50 per cent reduction in volume. Whelan called this a “superficial” improvement to the site’s openness. In reality, he noted, the “intense activity of 50 households” would be more harmful to openness than the glasshouses, which “enclose their activity within”. The appellant pointed to the council’s housing land supply
LOCATION: Waltham Abbey AUTHORITY: Epping Forest Council
INSPECTOR: Patrick Whelan PROCEDURE: Hearing DECISION: Dismissed REFERENCE: APP/J1535/W/17/3188509
of only 1.35 years, arguing that the NPPF’s presumption in favour of sustainable development should apply. But Whelan noted that the tilted balance of NPPF paragraph 14 does not apply where other policies – such as those on green belt land – restrict development. He said the Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) states that “unmet housing need is unlikely to outweigh harm to the green belt”. He dismissed the appeal.
MAY 2018 / THE PLANNER
38-41 cases de__The Planner 39
39
21/05/2018 09:34
LANDSCAPE
C&D { C 58-flat block allowed despite missing policy targets
LOCATION: Edmonton, London AUTHORITY: Enfield Borough Council INSPECTOR: Tom GilbertWooldridge PROCEDURE: Hearing DECISION: Allowed REFERENCE: APP/Q5300/W/17/3191327
The appeal concerned a former department store built in the art deco style in 1934. J D Wetherspoon bought the building in 1998, and made substantial alterations to it. The site borders the Fore Street conservation area (CA). The appellant planned to replace the building with a 2-6 storey block comprising 58 flats and commercial space. Inspector GilbertWooldridge described the existing building as “rather uncompromising” in
appearance, noting that though it was of architectural interest, it has been much altered. But, he considered, the proposed replacement building would be “significantly taller” than its neighbours, including two locally listed buildings, and would enclose the southernmost part of the CA. Despite the council’s borough-wide target of 40 per cent affordable housing provision for new development, the appellant said a maximum of 21 per cent
‘Confusing’ policy costs council affordable homes An inspector has approved 13 marketrate homes on a south Derbyshire site intended only for ‘cross-subsidy’ development because of the ‘ambiguous and confusing’ wording within a local plan policy.
40
The appeal concerned a detached home in large gardens near Repton, Derbyshire. The site is on the north-east edge of the village, outside but near its settlement boundary. The outline application proposed to demolish the existing home to make way for 13 new houses. The South Derbyshire Local Plan (LP) says homes in the countryside will be refused
unless allowed for under policy LP H1 – that development “will be acceptable on sites adjacent to settlement boundaries, as an exceptions or cross-subsidy site, as long as not greater than 25 dwellings”. The LP’s glossary defines “cross subsidy exception sites”, as sites that would not normally be suitable for development, but can be permissible if a proposal is “cross subsidy” – including both affordable and private housing. But policy H1 uses the word ‘or’, suggesting that “exceptions sites” and “crosssubsidy sites” are separate. McDonald called this policy context “ambiguous and confusing”. According to her reading of it, two types of site will be acceptable: “crosssubsidy sites”, which must include affordable housing, and
would be viable for the appeal scheme to provide. Gilbert-Wooldridge agreed that the London Plan recommends “encouraging rather than restraining residential development when negotiating affordable housing”. Describing Edmonton as a “focal point for regeneration”, he allowed the appeal, as the scheme’s negative effects (failure to meet normal targets for affordable homes, parking and communal space) would be outweighed by its benefits.
I M AG E S | I STO C K / A L A M Y / S H U T T E RSTO C K / I STO C K
An inspector has approved plans to replace a former Wetherspoon pub in Edmonton with a six-storey block of flats, despite the scheme’s failure to meet affordable housing, parking and communal space targets.
“exception sites”, which must be “no greater than 25 dwellings” but do not need affordable housing to be acceptable. The appeal plan complied with her interpretation of an “exception site”. The council said H1 is “widely understood to be linked to the provision of affordable housing”. But she disagreed, and allowed the appeal.
LOCATION: Repton, Derby AUTHORITY: South Derbyshire Council
INSPECTOR: Katie McDonald PROCEDURE: Written submissions DECISION: Allowed REFERENCE: APP/F1040/W/17/3191604
T H E P L AN N E R \ M A Y 2 0 1 8
38-41 cases de__The Planner 40
21/05/2018 16:26
DECISIONS DIGEST{
SUBSCRIBE to our appeals digest:
https://subs.theplanner. co.uk/register
British weather does not justify basement for listed building An inspector has dismissed arguments that adding a basement to a listed modernist house would be justified because bad weather in London means its rooftop pavilion cannot regularly be used for sunbathing, as the original architect had intended. bit.ly/planner0618-basement
Shakespearean scheduled monument stalls sixstorey Shoreditch scheme
Underground shooting range will diversify farm’s income
An inspector has blocked a mixed-use development in East London, adjacent to the recently rediscovered remains of a Shakespearean theatre where Romeo and Juliet is believed to have debuted. bit.ly/planner0618-shakespeare
An inspector has approved a subterranean shooting range in the Staffordshire countryside, agreeing with the appellant’s contention that it would help to diversify his farming business’s income. bit.ly/planner0618-shoot
Green light for ‘speculative’ 350home Gloucestershire scheme
Green light for sixstorey ‘art deco’ block of flats in Poole
An inspector has granted outline permission for 350 homes on unallocated countryside land north of Bristol, in light of the council’s ‘substantial’ housing land supply shortfall. bit.ly/planner0618gloucestershire
An inspector has approved an 80-flat scheme on an island plot surrounded by roads in Poole, finding that the building’s height and design would create a prominent focal point in the area. bit.ly/planner0618-poole
Javid blocks two housing schemes in Nottinghamshire The housing secretary has rejected plans for up to 60 homes on land near Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, ruling that more housing could not outweigh harm to nearby heritage assets in light of the council’s housing land surplus. bit.ly/planner0618-notts
Green belt treehouse cannot be considered an extension An inspector has dismissed claims that a proposed treehouse could be permissible in the green belt as an extension despite being some distance from the main house. bit.ly/planner0618-treehouse
Council’s ‘persuasive case’ outweighs ministerial statement
‘Paragraph 55’ home proposed with design matters reserved
E UR IS LE
NE SI BU
UN MM CO
SS
Y IT
L GA
EN NM RO
LE
L TA
CS VI EN
DE
MO
GR
FI
AP
NA
HI
NC
E
An inspector has refused an ‘ecohome’ in the Suffolk countryside under NPPF paragraph 55, which requires ‘exceptional quality of design’ because the scheme was submitted in outline with all design matters reserved. bit.ly/planner0618-para55
DE PE VE RM LO IT PM TE EN D T
WE HEA LL LT BE H & IN G
AP SC ND LA
TU UC TR FA S
IN
E
RE
G IN US HO
GE HE
RI
TA
GN SI DE
GR
EE
N
BE
LT
An inspector has sided with Reading Borough Council in seeking a financial contribution towards affordable housing from a single three-bedroom home, after citing 16 recent appeal decisions supporting its stance. bit.ly/planner0618-minister
J U NE 2018 / THE PLANNER
38-41 cases de__The Planner 41
41
21/05/2018 09:35
INSIGHT
LLegal landscape WE CAN WORK IT OUT Redevelopment of Liverpool’s historic docks requires ambition, vision and consultation, explains Colette McCormack As the UK economy changes, along with our work and life patterns, it is the role of the planning system, and those that work within it, to ensure that development is delivered that reflects those changes. In some of our great cities such as Liverpool, our historic docks are being developed and this provides an opportunity to acknowledge our heritage while creating neighbourhoods that people want to live in. But redevelopment of these historic docks is not without its constraints and challenges, in particular in Liverpool, where a number of docks fall within a designated World Heritage Site (WHS) or its buffer zone. Add to that the listed buildings on the waterfront and one can see why redevelopment needs careful planning. It also requires a vision and a long-term commitment to the redevelopment by the landowner and it is this long-term commitment that makes the difference in terms of successful delivery. The Liverpool Waters scheme is a case in point. This was always an ambitious project because it involves redevelopment of 60 hectares of disused docks,
42
Colette McCormack part in the WHS and part in the buffer zone with listed buildings on site, and it sits adjacent to the iconic (and listed) Three Graces. However, a key component of this scheme is that the site has one landowner and that landowner has not only ambitions for the site to bring it back into use and connect the docks back to the city, but it importantly has long-term commitment to delivery of the site. This commitment allows the landowner to keep control not only of delivery, but also the quality of design and public realm. The WHS designation obliges the government to protect the Outstanding Universal Value and this requires a management plan
“LIVERPOOL WATERS WAS GRANTED PERMISSION LOCALLY WITH NO OBJECTION FROM HISTORIC ENGLAND”
to be in place to demonstrate how sites will be protected. In Liverpool there is an adopted supplementary planning document that deals specifically with the WHS and any proposed development has to comply with that policy. The key for successful development is to continue consulting as the development progresses so, if we look at Liverpool Waters, there was extensive consultation with the local planning authority (LPA), the local community and interest groups during the planning process as well as statutory consultees such as Historic England (if Historic England objects to a planning application it triggers a referral to the secretary of state to use his powers to call in the application for determination. This in turn leads to a public inquiry and adds delay and costs to the scheme). Liverpool Waters was granted permission locally with no objection from Historic England.
Part of the landowner’s long-term commitment is to continued consultation as the project is delivered over the next 30 years. One of the innovative initiatives created by the landowner and the LPA is a suite of panels that meet regularly to review development. These panels consider reserved matter applications before submission to the LPA to secure design quality and heritage issues. For a site this big, which will be delivered over a long period of time in phases, a coordination panel has also been created. The LPA sits on all panels and provides input, as do other appropriate organisations such as Historic England. These panels are not statutory, but they do provide continued dialogue and valued input into the delivery of the development. The grant of the permission is only the start of the process and successful development will seek input as the scheme evolves, but this is only really effective if there is a clear commitment from the landowner to do this, which again requires vision and commitment to be in the city for the long term. The Liverpool Waters permission allows for development over 30 years and the landowner is committed to continuing to work with the LPA to deliver its vision of a high-quality sustainable development. Colette McCormack is the planning partner with Winckworth Sherwood. Colette was the lead planning lawyer for the Liverpool Waters landowner, Peel Land and Property
n See p22-25 for more on the Liverpool Waters scheme and Tech Landscape (p31-32), and additional online material
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
42-43_legal__The Planner 42
21/05/2018 09:37
ADVERTISER CONTENT
MARK IVESON is a Legal Director at Gateley Plc.
Overriding third-party rights Third-party rights can be fatal to a scheme’s progression, says Mark Iveson of Gateley Plc – fortunately, planners and developers have a legal tool at their disposal.
B
ringing forward regenerative development is, more often than not, difficult. Developers may encounter third-party easements, rights or restrictive covenants over an intended development site. The third party may be unwilling to negotiate reasonably, claiming it has a ransom position. Is such a situation fatal to a scheme’s progression? The answer is likely ‘no’. Readers may recall the (now historic) powers under Section 237 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990 which enabled third-party rights to be overridden in certain circumstances. Section 237 is now ‘no more’ due to the Housing & Planning Act 2016. However, all is not lost because Section 203 of
the 2016 Act contains a new version of the powers for overriding such thirdparty rights. Pursuant to Section 203, (generally speaking) a development site may be built on and/or used even if it involves interfering with an applicable third party, so long as the following are met: - there has to be planning consent for the relevant building work and use of the land which will interfere with the right; - the land must have been acquired or appropriated by a local authority on or after 13 July 2016; - the authority must possess compulsory purchase powers; and - the work or use must be for the purpose for which is was acquired or appropriated.
Gateley – straight-talking advice with a commercial edge Gateley is a law-led professional services group, promoting the commercial and strategic interests of companies, individuals and organisations across the UK and beyond. We provide collaborative, straight-talking legal advice with a cut-through commercial edge, based on a pragmatic and partner-led service. Our national planning team advises on all aspects of planning, highways, compulsory purchase and compensation. We also advise on local government law, practice and
procedure, and on environmental and climate change issues. We’ve earned an enviable reputation in this field, both for the skilful way we manage and navigate these complex areas and the quality of the strategic advice and guidance we provide. You can pick up advice and insight from our team via the Gateley blog at tinyurl.com/gateley-blogs and our YouTube channel tinyurl.com/ gateley-youtube
Importantly, this doesn’t mean the local authority has to own the land when the development is carried out. The land just has to satisfy the above process. The third-party right isn’t extinguished; it’s overridden for the lifetime of the scheme. Compensation is payable by the developer for the interference, but not at ransom value, as with Section 237. The potential to obtain an injunction, halting the development, is also removed. This is an outline of the process. Gateley’s experience of such schemes tells us that correct use of this power is often key to making a development happen. We are currently working on a large town centre regeneration scheme where these powers are vital.
Talk to us Email: Mark Iveson, Legal Director mark.iveson@gateleyplc.com Call Mark on 0161 836 7751 Twitter: @GateleyPlc LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/gateley-plc Address: Gateley Plc, One Eleven, Edmund Street Birmingham, B3 2HJ
www.gateleyplc.com
APOLOGY: In our May 2018 edition, we inadvertently ran the wrong copy for this feature and attributed it to Gateley’s Mark Iveson. We apologise to Gateley Plc, to Mark and to Sasza Bandiera of Oyster Partnership, whose copy we republished in error. What you see on this page was the original copy as intended.
42-43_legal__The Planner 43
21/05/2018 09:38
NEWS
RTPI {
RTPI news pages are edited by Josh Rule at the RTPI, 41 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DL
Newly Chartered Planners share their top tips for success EMMA AND CHARLIE 2017’S COMMENDED LICENTIATE APC CANDIDATES EXPLAIN HOW THEY DID IT
Add to your relevant experience The importance of taking on extra work and therefore adding to your experience was emphasised by Emma. “Make sure that you have the right type and breadth of experience before you submit your L-APC. I found it helpful to have regular meetings with my line manager so that I could ask for additional responsibility and to get involved in a range of projects.”
Don’t forget about your Professional Development Plan (PDP)
2017 Licentiate APC Commended candidates Emma Thorpe …
Chartered Planner status, conferred only by the RTPI in the UK, is the highest professional qualification sought after by employers in both the private and public sectors. More than 450 Licentiates, Associates and experienced practitioners apply to become a Chartered Planner through the Institute’s Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) annually. Emma Thorpe, planning consultant at JLL, and Charlie Merry, assistant planner at Iceni Projects, were awarded commendations following their Licentiate APC submissions in 2017. Their insight and tips for a successful Licentiate APC submission should prove to be invaluable to future candidates hoping to gain Chartered Planner status..
Time management Both emphasised the importance of time management in the lead-up to the submission date. In particular, Emma stressed the significance of drafting the logbook as early as possible “to ensure that you record your experience in as much detail as possible. It will make drafting the Practical Experience Statement (PES) and Professional
44
T H E PL AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
44-47_RTPI news__The Planner 44
…and Charlie Merry
Competence Statement (PCS) far easier!” Charlie said: “Working full-time and preparing your L-APC submission can be stressful! Give yourself plenty of time and agree a date of completion for your first draft with your mentor, ensuring it is finalised in time and the submission is not rushed.”
Reflect constantly Charlie regards being a reflective planner as key to the APC submission – “reflect constantly – try to avoid being too descriptive in your PCS and reflect on your experiences throughout your submission. This will help to demonstrate your wider thinking and analysis of the process and outcome”.
Emma and Charlie underlined the value of the PDP. Although this is often seen as the concluding part of the submission and it is natural to look at this towards the end of your preparation – don’t. Emma said: “Regular meetings with your mentor will help you gain a better understanding of your PDP,” and Charlie stressed that, “your PDP is an ongoing reflection on how as a planner you are to improve. Agree your actions with your line manager”.
The road to commendation Each year APC assessors nominate candidates who made excellent submissions for a commendation. The nominations are then judged by the Institute’s Membership Assessment Advisory Panel. The accolade highlights their exemplary submission for Chartered status and the positive contribution candidates make to the profession. A commendation reflects a commitment to developing professional competence.
Why Chartered Membership matters RTPI President, John Acres MRTPI, said: “Emma and Charlie clearly demonstrated their high standards of critical thinking, self-awareness and aptitude for planning. As Chartered Members, they are now able to demonstrate the highest standards of professional conduct and ongoing professional development. This is vital at a time when the UK and Ireland urgently needs experts to play a vital role in creating housing and economically vibrant and connected communities.” n Read more about the commended candidates and their top tips at: bit.ly/planner0618-apc I M AG E | RT P I
21/05/2018 09:39
Editorial E: rtpinews@rtpi.org.uk
RTPI (switchboard) T: 020 7929 9494
Registered charity no. 262865 Registered charity in Scotland SCO37841
3 POINT PLAN A planner explains how they would change the English planning system
Suzanne D’Arcy MRTPI SENIOR PLANNING OFFICER, TEWKESBURY BOROUGH COUNCIL. CHAIR, RTPI SOUTH WEST
Planning should be about the creation of attractive places that people actually want to live in and create a sense of community, rather than estates of identical boxes. New places should have local facilities and public open space at their heart to help build a community space. All too often the local centre is left vacant to wait for occupiers, which does not result in good placemaking. As part of this, public transport infrastructure should be put in from day one to give people a range of transport options. Development should be considered in the round instead of arguments about the raw numbers taking centre stage. Planning by numbers in the past has led to houses being built in unsustainable locations, remote from services, which are unpopular with local communities and give people few options but to drive everywhere. Good planning is not a numbers game.
COMMITTEE PRIORITIES: RTPI NORTH WEST REGION The RTPI North West Region’s chair, Bob Phillips, outlines its current list of priorities: Delivering a wide range of CPD, networking and social activities for our regional members Supporting opportunities for public, private, voluntary and academic sectors to exchange views and ideas Commissioning regionally relevant research to champion the planning profession and support the regions planners The North-West Regional Activities Committee is a highly successful regional committee. It numbers some 25 active volunteers, who alongside their regional coordinator, deliver a programme of events for planners in the region. Our Young Planners and Planning Aid task groups deliver training and skills development, while our awards task group champions high-quality planningled projects. Their successful CPD programme is attended by nearly 1,000 members annually, with their flagship annual dinner in October being attended by 500 regional members.
1 Put placemaking back at the heart of new development
2 Housing numbers are not everything
3 Investment in public transport infrastructure is fundamental
POSITION POINTS
RTPI CALLS FOR REFORM OF LAND MARKET A Civitas report argues that if councils had the power to acquire land at fairer prices, before planning permission is awarded, the cost of housing developments could be up to a third lower. The RTPI sees reforming the land market as crucial to solving the housing crisis through allowing local authorities to buy land at fairer prices. This ability was integral to the development of New Towns in the UK. It still plays an important role in several other European countries, as discussed in our research on Planning as a Market Maker. But to take advantage of the reforms proposed in this paper, local authorities will also need the resources and expertise to use these powers effectively.
n Read the RTPI’s Planning as a Market Maker: bit.ly/planner0618-land n Read the Civitas report: bit.ly/planner0618-civitas
PLACEMAKING FOR PUBLIC HEALTH Scotland’s Diet and Obesity Strategy is in the final stages of preparation. The draft pleasingly recognised a role for planning. However, as with the London Plan, RTPI Scotland has emphasised that planning’s influence should not be limited to regulation of food takeaways. Rather, the strategy is an opportunity to build place into public health. The Scottish Household Survey 2016 results are telling. In the most deprived areas people live farther from and are less satisfied with green space, and use it less. RTPI Scotland sees the Diet and Obesity Strategy as an opportunity to unpick the complex relationship between physical inactivity, diet and the built environment. n More information: bit.ly/planner0618-obesity
J U NE 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER
44-47_RTPI news__The Planner 45
45
21/05/2018 09:39
NEWS
RTPI {
Be the change you want to see: nominate for 2018 RTPI Elections
RT PIW IN AC TIEON : P L AN N I N G N E M E M B R S REFORM A N D LEG I S L ATI ON
Chartered Members elected January-March 2018 “MANY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR NEW CHARTERED MEMBERS. EMPLOYERS RIGHTLY RECOGNISE THE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE AND INTEGRITY CONFERRED BY CHARTERED STATUS. BEING A CHARTERED MEMBER OF THE RTPI MAKES YOU PART OF A LARGE PROFESSIONAL TEAM INVOLVED IN A DIVERSITY OF WORK DESIGNED TO CREATE BETTER PLACES.” JOHN ACRES, RTPI PRESIDENT Grant Allan Scotland Jonathan Alldis South East Robert Allen South East Portia Banwell Wales Georgia Barrett London Gemma Bassett South East Jonathan Bell Northern Ireland Sarah Birt London Kimberley Boal Northern Ireland Peter Brampton South East Thomas Bridgman South East Charlotte Brown North West George Burgess London David Burson South East Kari Burton Unmanaged Regions & Nations Samuel Caslin East of England Nina Caudrey Scotland Nicholas Challis South East Jack Clemance London Conor Cochrane Northern Ireland Ashleigh Cook London Katrina Crisp Yorkshire Dominic Crowley North East Tamara Dale South East Joshua Dickinson London Matthew Doak Northern Ireland Elizabeth Eite London Lara Emerson East of England Elizabeth Fay South East James Forrest Yorkshire Ryan Grant North West Matthew Grant North West Andrew Gray West Midlands Maria Hammond East of England Rebecca Hampson South West Emily Harper South West Lorna Heslop London Lauren Hill Overseas Andrew Hird North East David Holmes South East Briony Horner Yorkshire Giles Howard Wales Christopher King South West Josh Lambert South East Christopher Lane West Midlands Natalie Lillis South East Ewan MacGregor London Enya Macliam-Roberts London Aaron Marrs North West Peter Marshall Scotland
46
Emma Martin Rachel May Jake McLeod Lydia Meeson Robert Miller Stephanie Milne Jonathan Morris Christopher Muir Rebecca Murray Maryann Nwosu Christopher Osgathorp Nicol Perryman Marco Picardi Lydia Pravin Adam Price Eleni-Marie Randle Mitesh Rathod Matthew Roe John Rooney Helen Ross Gail Rowe Laura Russ Richard Sewell Alexander Shand Claire Shannon Hugh Shepherd Timothy Simon Katherine Simpson Scott Simpson Paul Smith Alexander Smith Victoria Stone Anna Stott Steven Stroud Sharon Strutt Joanna Symons Rebecca Taylor Emma Telford Bhupinder Thandi Patrick Townsend Luke Waterston Matthew Watt Gareth Watts Ruby-Louise Wilkinson Thomas Willshaw Jessica Wilson Portia Wing Kyle Wise Zhibin Xian
South East North West North West London London South East London Wales South East West Midlands South East North East London East of England North East West Midlands East Midlands East Midlands South West South West London West Midlands North West Wales East of England South East London North East Scotland North West Wales West Midlands East of England East of England East of England South West North East South West West Midlands Yorkshire North East Scotland East of England London London London London Scotland Overseas
Do you want to be a part of the change at this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute elections? Now is your opportunity to be the change you want to see at the Institute. There are a wide range of roles open for nomination. Nominate yourself or a colleague now. The RTPI’s membership is everchanging and becoming more diverse. Over recent years, for example, the proportion of women joining the Institute has exceeded 50 per cent. In 2017 the RTPI’s General Assembly made diversity one of its four focus areas following the release of the Institute’s membership survey. Victoria Hills MRTPI, RTPI Chief Executive, said: “Our governance should be as diverse as our membership. We want this year’s RTPI Elections to be the most diverse yet – but in order to do that we need members from the widest possible range of backgrounds to nominate. “If you’re passionate about making a positive change – this is the time to put yourself forward or tap a fellow member on the back and encourage them to.” The following positions are open for nominations: Board of Trustees • Chair of the Board of Trustees • Treasurer • Trustee for Scotland • 3 corporate trustees • Vice-President General Assembly • 14 corporate • 3 student/licentiate • 2 associates
Timetable Nominations: 4 June-3 July Voting: 3 September-3 October Notify candidates of results: October Candidates asked to express interest in serving on a RTPI Committee for 2018: October Induction for elected candidates: October/November
T H E PL AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
44-47_RTPI news__The Planner 46
21/05/2018 09:39
RTPI Y ACTIVIT E PIPELIN
Current RTPI work – what the Institute is doing and how you can help us RESILIENT PLANNING FOR OUR FUTURE FULL PROGRAMME AVAILABLE The RTPI Planning Convention is the largest national planning event of the year and a not-to-be-missed event for industry professionals from all sectors. This year, our focus is on the future. What challenges will it bring and what role will planners play in finding solutions? Our packed one-day programme will bring you some of the industry’s most influential names, sharing their expertise with you through a mix of keynote speeches, plenaries, and interactive workshops. Network, discuss and debate with us in London on 21 June. Tickets are now available – book yours today. To book tickets: bit.ly/planner0618-convention
WHERE IS IRELAND’S BEST PLACE? Are you proud of the place where you were born, live or work? Do you think it has the potential to be nominated as one of the top 10 best places in Ireland and be crowned the overall winner as Ireland’s Best Place? Any member of the public can nominate their Best Place in Ireland. You have until 8 June to make your nomination. A panel of judges will then shortlist the top 10 from which the public will vote for a winner. E-mail your nomination to: contact@rtpiireland.org or Tweet or Instagram ideas using #RTPIIrelandsBestPlaces at @RTPIIreland
BOOK YOUR TICKET FOR ‘HOW TO PLAN FOR RESILIENT TOWN CENTRES’ The function of town centres is changing. They are no longer considered just a place for retail, but are increasingly becoming a meeting place and a social hub of their local area. This briefing will bring together key influencers who have changed the way town centres are used. Join us f in London on 5 July to learn how technology and the changing nature of retail habits affect the way we use town centres, and gain insight into what the future of town centres could look like. To book tickets: bit.ly/planner0618-towns
RTPI SHORTS ENGLAND’S BEST – ENTER YOUR REGIONAL AWARDS THIS YEAR We have just celebrated the UK-wide 2018 RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence at a packed event in London – where Stromness Regeneration picked up the Silver Jubilee Cup for 2018. If you are in England now is the time to enter your project for your 2018 Regional Awards for Planning Excellence. Showcasing positive planning across England, the English Regional Awards for Planning Excellence highlight the impact that planners’ work has on their communities. RTPI Awards raise the profile of your schemes, your team and the significance of your work within your organisation in your region and beyond. Prestigious ceremonies will take place throughout this autumn in each English region to announce the winners. From this year, the overall winners from each of the regional awards will be automatically shortlisted for our national awards in 2019, giving regional entrants the chance to go on to win a national award or even the Silver Jubilee Cup. Previous regional award-winner, ELG Planning, said: “We were delighted to win. In 21 years in business, it was the first time we had ever entered any of the RTPI awards and whilst we knew the Wynyard Gardens and Visitor Centre project was special, it was really pleasing to get the positive feedback and recognition from the judging panel. Winning the award has helped in raising the company’s profile, especially with clients outside the North East and Yorkshire, and emboldened by this win, we entered this in the national RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence in 2017 and have been shortlisted as one of just four finalists for the ‘Planning Consultancy of the Year’ Award.” If you are thinking about entering for the first time, here are the basic details: • It is free to enter. • Entrants complete a simple summary form and short submission document. • Winners (and commended entries) get to display the RTPI Awards Mark of Excellence. • Winners (and commended entries) are announced at awards ceremonies across the country. • Overall winners are automatically shortlisted to the 2019 national Awards. n For further information on how to enter: bit.ly/planner0618-regionalawards
GEDDES LECTURE: A NEW WAY TO INVOLVE PEOPLE IN DECISION MAKING ABOUT CITIES Tessy Britton is founding CEO of Participatory City Foundation, an organisation creating a large citizen-led participation ‘ecosystem’ in Barking and Dagenham in London. It is scaling up a new approach to encourage and support participation, build regular activities into everyday life to build sustainable neighbourhoods. The approach offers new ways to shift the centre of gravity away from a problemfocused approach towards citizens’ talents and ideas. Tessy is giving this year’s Sir Patrick Geddes Commemorative Lecture and will describe the ambitions and achievements of the initiative so far, and how the initiative aims to replicate this in other cities. Join RTPI Scotland on Tuesday, 26 June at the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. Book your ticket: bit.ly/planner0618-geddes
CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE PANEL DECISION Two members of the Institute have recently been found to be in breach of the Code of Professional Conduct by the RTPI Conduct and Discipline Panel. Miss Jane O’Donoghue and Mr David Irvine were randomly selected by the Institute as part of the Code of Conduct monitoring exercise in 2016 and failed to comply. The panel agreed to suspend their membership for three months for failure to comply with the necessary regulations.
J U NE 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER
44-47_RTPI news__The Planner 47
47
21/05/2018 09:39
ADVERTISEMENTS
Recruitment { Rosconn Group is a privately-owned and funded company, centrally located in the UK. We specialise in Strategic Land Promotion and House Development. The Rosconn team are young, vibrant, fun and feel passionately about working with Landowners and their local Communities to provide the highest quality development solutions. Rosconn Foundation illustrates our values and the charity work we have completed with the community that makes a difference. Take a look at: www.rosconngroup.com
Join our Team as:
Planning Associate We are looking to appoint a dynamic, entrepreneurial and motivated planning professional to be a key part of our enthusiastic and successful team. With a range of interesting projects in development, we are looking for a Planning Associate with ‘can-do’ attitude, ready to take on new challenges and shape our future business.
Do you have the following skills?... • • • • • • • •
An excellent understanding of National Planning Policy and Development Management. At least 5 years’ relevant experience ideally from the private sector or a local authority. Detailed Knowledge of the planning process and key terminology. Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills Commercial and business awareness. A dynamic personality with strong communication skills and a UK driving licence. Excellent team player, driven and highly motivated. In search of your next career level. A relevant degree quali¿cation and ideally an RTPI member.
Working for our Planning Director directly, you will get involved in all stages of land promotion from preparing representations to Local Plans through to the preparation and submission of planning applications and appeals. A fabulous opportunity to gain high quality experience across all aspects of an ongoing RTPI structured development.
The PERFECT PLACE to find the latest town planning vacancies Planner Jobs is the official jobs board for the Royal Town Planning Institute Planner Jobs has an average of jobs posted every month!
280
An exciting package for the right new member of our team is waiting. Are you that person?... As our team is growing quickly, we can structure the role to suit the right person according to experience and area of expertise. Depending on quali¿cations and previously gained knowledge in role, we offer a highly competitive package including: • Relocation assistance to a beautiful part of Warwickshire. • Market leading salary potential up to £45-60K plus Bonus - STE • Free Gym membership – The Rosconn team enjoy Health & Fitness • Medical and Pension bene¿ts • 25 days holiday per year plus statutory • A friendly, enjoyable and stimulating place to work and learn…….
Interested? .....We would love to talk to you today. Either Call Gail Mathers on 01789 294 520, or email us at gail@rosconngroup.com
theplanner.co.uk/jobs
In order to be successful in this role you must be able to prove eligibility to work in the UK.
48
S e ar ch t h e p l a nne r.co .uk/ jo bs for the best vacancies
T H E P L AN N E R \ J U N E 2 0 1 8
Rosconn HPV.indd 1 PLN RECR JUNE18.indd 48
18/05/2018 14:46 18/05/2018 16:31
ADVERTISEMENTS To advertise please email: recruitment@theplanner.co.uk or call 020 7880 7665
Aylesbury Vale District Council is a forward thinking and commercially minded organisation. Our planning teams are busy working on a wide variety of projects including large scale developments that will stimulate the regeneration of the town centre, new retail and leisure developments, HS2 (with the largest length of track spanning Aylesbury Vale), East-West Rail, and the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway. Aylesbury has also recently been awarded Garden Town status. This offers a unique chance to ensure that as the town grows, Aylesbury and the surrounding area continues to be the best possible place to live, work and visit. The ambition is simple – to create a truly desirable community in a well-planned, sustainable environment that makes us proud. Garden Town status allows us to better plan for the future, and helps us to access funding to build and improve our transport links and infrastructure. Our planning teams have been shortlisted for various awards at the 2018 Planning Awards including Planning for the Natural Environment and Best Housing scheme (500 homes or more) for Kingsbrook, a new development of 2,450 homes, as well as Local Authority Planning Team of the Year. If you are a talented and ambitious individual who is keen to enhance their careers while helping to shape the future of Aylesbury Vale, then please get in touch.
Senior Planner
Grade TE5 £37,860 to £40,968 We are currently recruiting for a Senior Planner to work in our high performing Major Development team. You will be an ambitious town planner with broad experience, a proven track record and looking to progress your career. You will be able to draw on your planning experience, knowledge of local and national legislation, and planning policy. You will have an excellent command of planning systems, be IT pro¿cient and possess excellent communication skills. We need planning of¿cers who will ¿t within our growing team, and who have experience dealing with both complex minor and major applications.
Planner
Grade TE4 £33,336 to £36,036 We are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and committed Planner to join our Development Management Team. You will get involved in all aspects of the planning service, including responding to general planning enquiries, providing pre-application advice, determining planning applications and assisting with planning appeal work. You will have relevant planning experience, and be eligible for or working towards membership of the RTPI. You will have experience of delegated and committee planning applications, be IT pro¿cient, highly organised, and an effective team worker. You will have strong communication skills and a thorough knowledge of planning processes and legislation.
Aylesbury recr FP.indd 1
S ea rc h t h ep l a nn e r.co .u k / j o b s fo r t h e b e s t v a canci e s
PLN RECR JUNE18.indd 49
Bene¿ts to you Free staff car parking on site, smart modern of¿ces located close to bus and train stations, one relevant professional fee paid per year, Àexible working, 28 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), access to a pool car system and a generous pension scheme. Well connected Trains - London Marylebone (67 mins) or Birmingham (90 mins) Bus - Links to Oxford and Milton Keynes. Air Travel - Luton Airport (50 mins) Heathrow (60 mins) Gatwick (90 mins)
How to apply
If you are looking for a fresh challenge or maybe to re-locate to one of the most beautiful areas of the country, then this is for you! You can apply via our website jobs.aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk If you want to ¿nd out more about these exciting opportunities please call Hannah Bayliss on 01296 585271 (Mon-Fri 9.00am to 5.30pm) or email : hbayliss@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk
17/05/2018 12:10
J U NE 2 0 18 / THE PLA NNER
49
18/05/2018 16:31
INSIGHT I M AG E S | A L A M Y / S I MON W IC K S
Plan B Description
o f P ro p e r ty
7.1.1 Gentleman ’s Urinals (Pair) Circa 1887 Grade II
NECESSARILY PROTECTED PORCELAIN Much has been said about the threat to Liverpool’s World Heritage status from the dock regeneration schemes detailed elsewhere in these pages. But while Plan B can in the main understand any desire to safeguard all aspects of this “outstanding example of a maritime mercantile port city”, Unesco’s protective zeal can often feel slightly misplaced. A careful scan of the first draft of the heritage body’s Nomination of Liverpool Maritime-Mercantile City for inscription on the World Heritage List has uncovered one particularly potty example…
50
T H E P L AN N E R \ JU N E 2 0 1 8
50-51_plan B_ mo__The Planner 50
These two porc elain receptacle s, affectionately by locals as ‘the known two graces’, repr esent a tour de force of porcelai n public conven ience construct being arranged ion, in a plain brick w or k wall setting w accompanying ith concrete mound and tree sapling augmentation. The contrasting porcelain and sta English brick w ndard ork help denote this particularly example of a re ea rly motely located sanitary plumbi fixture carefully ng positioned in th e middle of abso nowhere, after lutely which ‘Liverpoo l W aters’ is obviously named. A class ical moulded de marcation betw two urinals feat een the ures prominen tly as the centrepiec the building. e of It is important th at surviving histo ric features are protected an d enhanced whe re ve r possible, and accordingly the urinals’ impo rta nc e as a vital example of slash -point heritage m ak es their removal unacceptable. Ho wever, relocatio n to a pr ominent city location may be acceptable and suggestions for are to be welco same med.
n Give us a tinkle… Tweet us - @ThePlanner_RTPI 21/05/2018 14:34
LANDSCAPE
THE MONTH IN PLANNING The best and most interesting reads, websites, films and events that we’ve encountered this month WHAT WE'RE READING...PART 1 Planning for Climate Change – A Guide for Local Authorities Taking the premise that spatial planning is one of the most powerful tools available to humanity in its war on climate change, this joint RTPI/ TCPA document serves to help planners and politicians improve resilience by informing the preparation of strategic and local development plans being prepared by local and combined authorities in England.
WHAT WE'RE READING..PART 2 LGA: Revitalising Town Centres – A handbook for Council Leadership Guidance for councils on how to approach the revitalisation of town and city centres “by delivering long-term impacts and using broad principles that can be tailored to meet local needs”. Sections include town centre trends, developing a ‘forward framework’ to community engagement and coordination, place branding. and the use of digital media.
WHAT WE'RE WATCHING... Building Giants (Channel 4) From super stadiums to the world’s tallest church, the Venice sea wall to one of New York’s tallest skyscrapers, this programme follows construction of “the world’s next generation of engineering wonders”. It’s a complete architectural geek-out, but we’re rather enjoying it.
WHERE WE'RE GOING... Each month the RTPI runs a range of free or low-cost events up and down the UK. Here’s our pick for the next few weeks. See the full calendar here: bit.ly/planner0518-calendar RTPI Convention 2018, 21st June
11:05am Land value capture masterclass
All roads lead to etc Venues, 155 Bishopsgate, London for the 2018 RTPI Convention, with its theme this year of ‘Resilient planning for our future’. Here are just a few of the sessions you may be interested in:
What is the best way to capture and share land value uplift? Tips and practical examples of how this can be achieved will be presented.
11:05am Capturing the value of planning How do we capture the economic, social and environmental value delivered by local authority planning? This session looks at the RTPI’s project, conducted by Arup, which seeks to answer this key question and introduce delegates to a new toolkit to help in measuring it.
12:05pm - keynote address, ‘The State of the Nation,’ delivered by Lord Kerslake 12:25pm - Maximising the value of devolution deals through planning Devolution deals are providing regions with powers and budgets which can be used to create jobs, boost skills, build homes and improve travel. This session will explain why planning is critical to getting the most out of these deals. For ticket details, visit bit.ly/planner0618-convention2018
WHAT WE'RE PLANNING... In our July edition we get to grips with the thorny topic of public engagement and celebrate this year’s crop of RTPI Awards celebr winners. And then, for August, it’s our RTPI winne Convention special edition. Conve
bit.ly/planner0618-calendar
J U NE 2 0 1 8 / THE PLA NNER
50-51_plan B_ mo__The Planner 51
51
21/05/2018 10:55
p52_PLN.JUNE18.indd 2
18/05/2018 10:09