The Planner - February 2014

FEBRUARY 2014 CROSS BOUNDARY CIVILITY IN CAMBRIDGE // p.20 • HOW THE IDENTITY OF THE TOWN PLANNER IS EVOLVING // p.24 • URBAN PLANNING GOES GLOBAL // p.32 • CAREERS THE SCIENCE OF GOAL SETTING // p.42

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

PLANNER

THE

THE MODERN EVANGELIST DEREK MACKAY discusses Scotland’s planning reforms

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THE PLANNER \ SEPTEMBER 2013

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www.rtpi.org.uk 20/01/2014 16:19

Highlight celebrate inspire The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence highlight exceptional examples of planning and celebrate the contribution that planners and planning make to society, inspiring others to achieve the highest standards.

Our awards lead the way in promoting to the public the invaluable role of the planner in today’s environment.

Entry for our awards is open until 14 February. rtpi.org.uk/planningexcellence2014

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2014

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PLANNER P 09 16

CONTENTS

THE

FEBRU ARY

20 14

NEWS

6 MPs and conservationists attack the National Planning Policy Framework

7 Only seven out of 33 London boroughs have enough housing planned 8 Nick Boles accuses councils of hoarding cash earmarked for affordable homes 9 Half a million family homes are defined as overcrowded 10 Ministers urged to throw flood-hit communities a lifejacket 11 Northern Ireland gets a simplified planning policy

OPINION 12 Chris Shepley warns the minister that the housing we need won’t happen by magic

14 Grainia Long: What the 2015 election means for planning 15 Marnix Elsenaar: Improve councils’ skills and resources to avoid more legislation

QUOTE UNQUOTE

“HE HAS A HORROR OF BUILDING ANONYMOUS, LIFELESS BUILDINGS.”

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C OV E R I M AG E | M A RT I N H U N T E R

FEATURES

INSIGHT

16 Derek Mackay is spearheading Scotland’s planning reforms

35 Decisions in focus: Development decisions, round-up and analysis

20 Cambridgeshire councils are working harmoniously on a joint local plan

40 Legal landscape: Opinion, blogs, and news from the legal side of planning

14 John Bowers: What should we keep on planning files?

20 MIKE RUNDELL

“WE ARE IMPROVING THE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP – THE GOVERNMENT IS WORKING BETTER WITH HEADS OF PLANNING”

24 Kate Dobinson tries to pin down the evolving identity of the town planner 28 Huw Morris looks at the latest proposals for an independent planning system for Wales

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42 Career development: Goal setting – creating a personal development plan 44 Inbox: Your news, views and questions 45 Diary: What’s coming up for planners

32 Clive Harridge reports on how the e Commonwealth Association of Planners nne ne ers r is managing urban n population growth h

46 RTPI round-up: News and interviews from the institute

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24

50 Plan B: Spanish architecture student Manuel Dominguez’s design for a mobile city

FEB R U AR Y 2 014 / THE PLA NNER

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20/01/2014 09:46

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The Trust may also support individual students who are seeking a career in town planning but have barriers to undertaking the studies they need because of genuine ¿ QDQFLDO SUREOHPV For more information on how WKH 7UXVW FDQ KHOS \RX SOHDVH visit the RTPI Trust page on

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16/01/2014 17:15

PLAN UPFRONT

Leaderr Ignore the three pillars of planning at your peril – A “faceless Planning Inspectorate”, “rapacious developers” and the physical harm planning policy is doing “to our countryside will become the defining legacy of this government”.

Sharp words from a steadfast critic? Not quite.

Step forward, Nadhim Zahawi, Conservative MP for Stratford-uponAvon, a member of No 10’s policy board, and frequent defender of the government’s record.

You know a government has problems when a loyalist speaks out so vociferously. And Zahawi’s sentiments are shared by many of his backbench colleagues and his party’s members in local authorities.

This is what happens when governments disregard the three pillars of planning: economic, social and environmental – and focus on one only.

Amid economic crises the pendulum always swings

to do with the environment risks becoming an onerous bureaucratic burden. Any question of social benefits is strictly secondary.

Hardly a month goes by in the UK without a bid to chop down these two stools. Already this year will see the DCLG take a pop at environmental impact assessments while the Welsh Government is following its plans to water down more energy-efficient new homes by scrapping mandatory design and access statements. The idea that good design can combat nimbyism and create communities is falling by the wayside.

Within each generation of politicians, a large cohort fails to learn from the past. Planning is at its best when it aims high across economic, social and environmental objectives rather than merely reconciling them.

The final word is best left to the satirists. A character in The Thick Of It gloriously sent up the political consensus by writing a book entitled “It’s the everything, stupid".

towards growth at the expense of the other two pillars. It has been received wisdom on both sides of the Atlantic for years that a key message to voters is “the economy, stupid”.

Across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, four separate planning regimes are emerging, spearheaded by four different planning ministers representing four different parties. All focus on economic growth.

In this mindset, anything

Huw Morris

Marketing & Communications Tino Hernandez tino.hernandez@rtpi.org.uk

© The Planner is published on behalf of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) by Redactive Publishing Ltd (RPL), 17 Britton St, London EC1M 5TP. This magazine aims to include a broad range of opinion about planning issues and articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the RTPI nor should such opinions be relied upon as statements of fact. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced, transmitted or stored in any print or electronic format, including but not limited to any online service, any database or any part of the internet, or in any other format in whole or in partww in any media whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the publisher. While all due care is taken in writing and producing this magazine, neither RTPI nor RPL accept any liability for the accuracy of the contents or any opinions expressed herein. Printed by Polestar Colchester Ltd.

“ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ENVIRONMENT RISKS BECOMING AN ONEROUS BUREAUCRATIC BURDEN”

CONTACTS Consultant Editor Huw Morris Editorial Desk Tel: 020 7880 7664 email: editorial@theplanner.co.uk Membership membership@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 9462 Subscriptions subscriptions@theplanner.co.uk 020 7880 6200 The Planner is sent to all members of the Royal Town Planning Institute and is available on subscription to non-members. Please call for details.

Education education@rtpi.org.uk 0207 929 9451

Media enquiries James Butler james.butler@rtpi.org.uk 020 7929 8182 The Planner is produced using paper derived from sustainable sources; the ink used is vegetable based; 85 per cent of other solvents used in the production process are recycled.

The Royal Town Planning Institute 41 Botolph Lane London EC3R 8DL Tel: 020 7929 9494 Fax: 020 7929 9490 RTPI website: www.rtpi.org.uk

FE B R U AR Y 2 014 / THE PLA NNER

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20/01/2014 14:18

NEWS

Analysis { G O VE RNME NT

Under siege Prominent backbenchers are now joining conservationists in attacking the National Planning Policy Framework

By Huw Morris

B

y some measure he was the unlikeliest of attackers. Nadhim Zahawi, Conservative MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, member of the No. 10 policy board and a regular defender of the government in broadcast studios, hoped to speak at a parliamentary debate on planning reforms and local plans.

But the debate was heavily oversubscribed. In a sign of mounting trouble for the government, former farming minister David Heath told MPs rural communities trying to resist development are “under siege” and are being “picked apart by clever QCs” able to have local decisions overridden.

Zahawi could only make a brief intervention.

Undeterred, he blogged what he intended to say. It would be a bombshell for the National Planning Policy Framework’s (NPPF) requirement on councils to allocate five years of housing land and its presumption in favour of sustainable development.

His constituency had come under “intense attack” from “rapacious developers” determined to undermine the government’s good intentions of bottom-up planning. Zahawi’s planning authority is one of many that have yet to adopt a local plan.

As a result of the NPPF, “speculative developers are identifying farmland, large gardens, arable farmland and greenfield sites to shortcut the planning process”. Significant changes must be made to the NPPF, including giving more weight to encourage the use of brownfield land. “The damage this is doing to our flagship policy of localism is immense and, if it continues, the physical harm it is doing to our countryside will become the defining legacy of this government,” Zahawi wrote. “No one in my constituency believes we can preserve ourselves in aspic for ever. However, change needs to be supported by the community and in the current situation that simply isn’t happening.”

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Zahawi’s criticism followed an earlier attack on the NPPF from a more familiar critic. Research by the National Trust shows more than half of English councils with green belt land are preparing to allocate some of it for development in the next five years ahead of brownfield sites. Moreover, its survey of senior officers and politicians with responsibility for public parks, green spaces and planning also revealed more than half of the 147 respondents said that even though they had brownfield sites that could help meet the housing land supply target, these had not been considered viable.

“The government’s definition of ‘sustainable’ is in practice being interpreted as ‘profitable’, and has effectively killed the former planning presumption in favour of brownfield land,” said the trust’s chairman Simon Jenkins. “What is happening is a policy of let rip, leading to steady erosion... planning control is now the slave not the master of profit.”

All eyes are now on the forthcoming National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG). Conservationists fear the draft NPPG could force local authorities to release more land than is necessary for development in the countryside, including in the green belt.

They say it misses the chance to strengthen the brownfield first policy and claim the autumn statement will increase the pressure on local authorities to allow building by increasing opportunities for developers to bypass the planning system.

Senior government figures, including David Cameron and Eric Pickles, have repeatedly stated their desire to protect the green belt, pursue a brownfield first policy and protect valued green spaces from development. However, in the parliamentary debate, planning minister Nick Boles ruled out reforms to the NPPF. “After such dramatic change in the planning system, stability has enormous value,” he told MPs.

Nadhim Zahawi (right) has torn into the government’s flagship National Planning Policy Framework

IN FIGURES

51% 51% of councils likely to allocate green belt land for development in local plans in the next five years

Q

59 Councils with brown field sites available that could help meet the NPPF’s five year housing land supply target

I M AG E | G E T T Y

20/01/2014 15:40

PLAN UPFRONT

STATISTICS

Borough housing pipeline can’t cope with population increase Nearly eight out of 10 London boroughs do not have enough homes in their development pipeline to meet projected growth in households in the next decade, according to research by property consultant CBRE. London boroughs have 300,000 homes in the pipeline but a total of 52,000 new homes will be needed each year to meet the expected demand from a 14 per cent rise in the capital’s population.

This is 10,000 homes a year higher than the figure set out in the London mayor’s draft housing strategy.

Only seven of the capital’s 33 local authorities have enough homes in the pipeline to meet the population growth, with outer boroughs particularly badly placed.

A total of 14 inner London boroughs are accounting for 56 per cent of all new residential starts with more than 1,800 sold last year to buyers from Hong Kong and Singapore.

The London boroughs of Enfield, Redbridge, Kingston and Merton have the biggest predicted shortfalls in housing, according to the research.

300,000 14 Homes in London planning pipeline

Inner London boroughs account for 56% of all new residential construction starts

Q 52,000

20,000

Recent annual construction levels in London

7/33

London boroughs have developments in the pipeline to deal with the projected growth in households

Homes must be constructed per year to cope with 14% rise in capital’s population over next 10 years

DCLG to consult on legal requirement for councils to have local plan The government is to consult on introducing a statutory requirement to put a local plan in place in a series of planning reforms.

The move, announced as part of the National Infrastructure Plan 2013, also includes new legislation so that where a local authority has failed to discharge a planning condition on time, “it will be treated as approved”.

The government will also consult on proposals to reduce the number of applications “where unnecessary statutory consultations occur”. Key statutory consultees would have

“THE GOVERNMENT IS PRESSING AHEAD WITH PLANS FOR A SPECIALIST COURT TO DEAL WITH PLANNING­RELATED JUDICIAL REVIEWS” to commit to a common service agreement.

In a separate review of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime, the government is seeking views on “streamlining consultation and environmental I M AG E | A RU P

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information requirements to the preapplication phase” and “expanding the scope of the one stop shop for consents”.

It is also looking to make changes to development consent orders after a decision is made.

Elsewhere, the government is pressing ahead with plans for a specialist court to deal with planning-related judicial reviews.

The court will steer deadlines to “accelerate the handling of cases and new legislation will allow certain appeals

to “leapfrog” to the Supreme Court.

The infrastructure plan contains a wish-list of the top 40 priority schemes in England and Wales.

The government said, where possible, these projects have the option to sue the NSIP regime.

Under the plan, the government pledges £50 million to the redevelopment of a railway station at Gatwick Airport, a further £30 million to a “garden bridge” across the Thames, a guarantee to support finance for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa, North Wales, and funding for improvements to the A14 around the strategically important port of Felixstowe in Suffolk.

NSIP application fees will be frozen for the rest of this parliament to keep costs down.

F EB R U AR Y 2 01 4 / THE PLA NNER

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20/01/2014 15:40

NEWS

Analysis { LOCAL AUTHORITIES

Councils hang on to £1.5bn from planning deals

By Kate Dobinson

Planning authorities are accused of sitting on money earmarked for affordable housing and youth services

I

t seems odd that after what can be a fracto all 353 in England. Hertfordshire County Council tious negotiation between developer and holds the most unspent money with £56m. Swindon local authority has ceased, and an approBorough Council has the most “unallocated” money with £18m. Essex County Council returned the most priate planning levy has changed hands, cash to developers, with £1.2m in the past five years. that the money is sequestered in customarily empty council vaults and not splashed on The figures rather underscore a faulty decithe desperately seeking community projects for sion-making process for planning levy spending and which it was hallmarked. technical and legal constraints that remain hidden to the public. There are “strict legal limitations” on But it is happening all over the place. Planning minister Nick Boles has chastised English councils how the money can be spent, said a spokeswoman for Conservative-run Hertfordshire County Council, which have not allocated a princely £421m from the section 106 coffers given to them by developers to which has returned £691,000 and has £58m of fund future affordable housing, as well as roads, unspent section 106 money. “Money provided parks and youth services. through section 106 agreements can only be used for Boles said local people “would be surprised to hear the purposes set out in the agreement and not for other purposes”, she said. “Agreethat councils are hoarding millions ments often include geographical of pounds that developers have given to the community to provide limitations, and limits how long the "COUNCILS ARE amenities or infrastructure as part money may be kept for.”

HOARDING MILLIONS The time frame may be too short of planning permission”.

OF POUNDS THAT to decide how the money could be Over the past five years £9.8m has DEVELOPERS HAVE been returned to developers, spent most effectively and someGIVEN TO THE times the money is paid in because it has not been spent within COMMUNITY TO an agreed set time period – effecPROVIDE AMENITIES" instalments meaning it cannot be tively a ‘use it or lose it clause. Boles allocated to a project until it has all agrees this is the correct rebuke. been received.

“It’s a story of not managing section 106 money,” “Councils made these agreements with developers agrees Mark Dempsey, shadow deputy leader of the for the benefit of the community and should not be Conservative-controlled Swindon Borough Council. pocketing the cash. In many cases they could also “What we need is a full review of how this money is risk losing the money and be forced to pay it back if managed, so we can give real value for money.” unspent within a set time frame. Such levies add to the cost of building homes and business expansion.”

But Mike Jones, chairman of the Local GovernBoles’s conclusion that councils are pocketing the ment Association’s environment and housing board, cash is misleading, as if council executives could be reiterates the complexity of the process. “It is utterly wrong to say councils are ‘sitting on it’,” he said. inflating their bonuses with developer tax. In fact, the money has been unspent, unallocated or returned.

“This is all about making the right long-term investment decisions to deliver the services that A total of 316 local authorities responded to a freedom of information request submitted by the BBC communities desperately need.”

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Planning minister Nick Boles has chastised English councils for not spending section 106 cash

SECTION 106 UNSPENT

Over the past five years

£9.8m

has been returned to developers

+ Hertfordshire council has the most unspent money

£56m +

Swindon Borough Council has the most unallocated money

£18m

I M AG E | PHOTO S HOT

20/01/2014 15:41

PLAN UPFRONT

2 22%

of homeowners have experimented with loft and garage conversions to increase living space

House sizes are shrinking The average size of the family home has shrunk by two square metres over the past 10 years The soaring cost of house building has shrunk the average home by two square metres and forced more families with children to live in flats and risk illegal modifications.

An average home for a family now has 96.8 square metres of floor space compared with 98.8 square metres just 10 years ago, while the number of families with children living in flats has increased by a fifth.

According to statistics released by financial services firm LV, the proportion of families with children living in rented homes has also risen, up from 15 per cent in 2008 to 19 per cent.

Some 60 per cent say that they cannot afford to rent a bigger property and 14 per cent say they rent because they need a property in a specific location.

The company’s research also suggests that there are now more multi-generational households in the UK, with a 14 per cent increase in adult children returning to their parents. Close to half a million – 499,094 – family homes are defined as overcrowded, with a 40 per cent increase in overcrowding since 2008, when the financial crisis began.

Since 2008, 22 per cent of homeowners have experimented with loft and garage conversions to increase living space. Despite best intentions, 10 per cent of families say they are unsure whether alterations such as knocking down walls or changes to use of space complied with building regulations.

John O’Roarke, managing director of LV home insurance, is worried that some families may be putting themselves in danger by contravening building regulations.

“Building regulations are designed to ensure that home modifications are safe and we urge all those considering modifying their home to ensure that any changes they are planning to make meet regulation standards,” he said.

“SOME FAMILIES EXPANDING THEIR HOMES MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THE LEGALITY OF THEIR EXTENSIONS”

SHOEBOX HOMES IN NUMBERS

15% 60%

Leicester and Birmingham families living in overcrowded space – the highest outside London

8Q

Q

Consider safety the most important factor when house-hunting

96.8 sq m Average size of family home compared to 98.8 in 2003

150,000 Children that had their bedroom partitioned in two to create an extra bedroom

Q

1/5

Q

Homeowners forced to stretch space with loft conversions and turning garages into living areas

2 sq m

14%

Amount of floor area lost in the average family home over the past 10 years

Rise in multigenerational households

8%

Families living in officially ‘overcrowded’ homes I M AG E | G E T T Y

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FE B R U AR Y 2 01 4 / THE PLA NNER

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20/01/2014 16:21

NEWS

Analysis {

Some 5,000 homes have been built on flood plains since 2009

F L O O D I N G

Britain in deep water Whitehall ministers urged to throw flood-stricken communities a life jacket

By Kate Dobinson

There scarcely seems a time when the UK is not experiencing severe flood warnings. In fact, there were nearly 7,000 in 2012/13 – the largest number of flood warnings in history.

Yet an estimated 5,000 new homes have been built on flood plains since 2009 and the Environment Agency is now bracing itself for hundreds of job cuts that could directly impinge upon its flood operations.

The Environment Agency, which is responsible for England only, will reduce staff numbers from 11,250 to about 9,700 by October 2014 as part of a major restructuring.

Although it is unclear how many floodrelated posts will be included in the 1,500 will reconsider the emergency response. agency positions being scrapped, a spokesman Hugh Ellis, head of policy at the Town said that operations such as risk management, and Country Planning Association, said the maintenance and modelling are directly at risk. government’s review must listen to planning Chief executive Paul Leinster agreed that authorities properly. the cuts would have an effect on its capacity “Given the growing scale and frequency of to support flood defence. “All of our work on flooding, it is critical this review reconsiders the mapping and modelling and new developments advice and resources of the planning service to in things like flood warning will also have to be deal with future extreme weather resized,” he said. events as a result of climate “We're looking at a change, including reversing proportionate reduction in the “AVOID BAD proposed cuts to staffing at the number of people in flood risk PLANNING Environment Agency.” management.”

DECISIONS SO But in his statement to the In November 2012 the PEOPLE AVOID Commons, Owen Paterson, government announced an BUILDING ON FLOOD the Secretary of State for extra £120m in funding for flood PLAINS” Environment, Food and Rural risk management schemes and Affairs, blamed local authorities. ministers insist that total funding He said the weather warning information system on flood defence is set to go up from £533m had worked but there had been a “patchy take-up in 2013-4 to £569m in 2014-5. But a few pilot of some of that information and there was a very projects pioneering cheap, small-scale measures patchy reaction to it” by councils. like felling trees into streams to slow the flow, and The Local Government Association is building earth banks to catch run-off water have unequivocal that council responses to flooding been slow and complicated to implement. have been “robust” and urged the government to The pressure is on for Whitehall to deliver rethink its comments and long-term plans. change and the prime minister has announced a “From the time they realised flooding was a review to be published by the end of January that

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IN FIGURES

7,000

flood warnings in 2012, the largest number in history

+

£120m

extra funding for flood risk management announced by government

+ Total funding in 2013-14

£533m +

Set to go up in 2014-15 to

£569m

I M AG E | G E T T Y

20/01/2014 15:41

PLAN UPFRONT

Durkan simplifies Northern Ireland planning policy A single Strategic Planning Policy Statement is to be introduced in Northern Ireland under reforms to speed up the system.

The statement will replace the current 20 separate planning policy publications under a series of measures revealed by environment minister Mark H Durkan.

The reforms promise intense pre-application discussion with widespread community involvement to ensure that decisions can be taken more quickly.

“Substandard” planning applications will be "promptly refused" rather than have more time spent on trying to upgrade them.

Durkan also pledged to ensure faster responses from consultees, including "backlog blitzes" to clear outstanding consultations in the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. New arrangements at the agency will include a planning control team, a single point of contact for consultations and new protocols for processing them.

Applicants will also have much greater access to planning case officers.

The move follows Durkan's decision to drop the proposed planning bill last year following legal advice that an amendment to restrict judicial reviews of planning decisions breached the European Convention on Human Rights. Another amendment that sought to introduce economically significant planning zones would have made the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister a new planning authority.

Implementation of the Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 will see the bulk of planning powers transfer to councils in April 2015. The new 11 councils will be responsible for drawing up their own development plans and making the majority of planning decisions.

Planning Oscars come to town Do you want to celebrate the positive contribution that planners and planning make to society? Look no further than the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2014, which are now open for nominations.

risk, councils around the country have worked hard to ensure steps were taken to mitigate the extreme weather and residents were kept informed of the current situation,” said an LGA spokesman.

“Councils will continue to respond to the floods and emergency plans are in place all year round to ensure they can do so swiftly and effectively. It is extremely disappointing that the secretary of state has been so sparing with thanks or praise, and is so quick to join in a blame game.”

The Association of British Insurers agreed it had not received complaints about councils, but scolded thoughtless planning decisions. “Avoiding bad planning decisions so people avoid building on flood plains is a concern as properties will be uninsurable,” it said.

The government is set to launch a Flood Re insurance scheme in 2015, but the small print in the deal makes it clear that any home built after 2009 and any expensive riverside property – in the council tax Band H – will not be eligible.

Defra admits that 3,800 homes on these plains in England and Wales are in Band H and an estimated 5,000 homes have been built on flood plains since 2009, meaning that 9,000 are excluded in total.

Thirty judges from across the planning profession will select the most exceptional examples from the following categories: • Outstanding planning to deliver growth and employment • Leading the way in planning for community • Excellence in planning and design for the public realm • Best planning for natural and built heritage • Exemplary planning to deliver housing • Innovative planning practice in plan-making • Innovative planning practice in decision-making The RTPI will also recognise and award exemplary practice that meets the requirements of customers, clients and the wider community in the following categories: • Planning consultancy of the year • Small planning consultancy of the year • Local authority planning team of the year Entries for young planner of the year and employer of the year will open shortly.

One of my friends described it as like winning a planning Oscar, said project manager Sue Rice, whose work on the Wales Coast Path won both the “Exemplary Rural Planning” and the Silver Jubilee Cup in 2013. “It has opened up new opportunities professionally and it will always look good on my CV,” she added.

Young Planner of The Year Alison Wright advised entrants not to be afraid of selling their achievements on their application. “Don’t hold back! I have met so many other young planners recently who are equally deserving of this award and it’s a fantastic opportunity not to be missed. There is nothing stopping people from entering and they should be proud to strive for the best and share their achievements with others in the profession,” she said. n Entries will close at 4.30pm on Friday 14 February. Submit your entry at: http://bit.ly/1m597dL

FE B R U AR Y 2 0 14 / THE PLA NNER

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20/01/2014 15:41

CHRIS SHEPLEY

O Opinion It’s time to act Looking for something a bit easier to follow than the government’s planning policy, I chanced upon Wikipedia’s analysis of space and time. It begins, abbreviatedly: 'Philosophy of space and time is the branch of philosophy concerned with the issues surrounding the ontology, epistemology, and character of space and time. The subject focuses on a number of basic issues, including whether or not time and space exist independently of the mind, and what accounts for time’s apparently unidirectional flow.'

I don’t know if Under Secretary of State for Planning Nick Boles studied this at Winchester or Magdalen. He certainly has an interest in time, being obsessed with saving it; but he seems able to cope only with small quantities of it. Thirteen weeks is an eternity. But space seems to be an altogether less pressing concern.

All this gives us a problem because planning is quintessentially about space.

Because Mr Boles is (kind of) in charge of us, and recently said he was now “much more a supporter of the planning system”, this matters. (Though it is surely significant, and revealing, that he said he was a supporter of the planning system, rather than of planning itself).

And planning is clearly about time – lots of it.

Decisions taken now bear fruit years later. If we were to have garden cities, for example – and politicos

12

are leaping on the TCPA’s determined bandwagon – then with the best will in the world, a strong following wind, and an unlikely outburst of local support, nothing would rise from the ground for many years.

So if, as he argues and most people agree, we need to build maybe a quarter of a million houses a year, we will need policies that address where they will go (space) and how and when they can be delivered (time). And face squarely up to the fact that we haven’t built 250,000 houses in a year for more than three decades – not since the demise of council housing.

We get off to a bad start.

The housing pipeline was broken in 2010 when regional strategies were abolished without an adequate replacement. This led to a three-year hiatus while everyone wondered what to do next, their abject confusion apparently rendered less critical because of the

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"PLANNING IS CLEARLY ABOUT TIME – LOTS OF IT. DECISIONS TAKEN NOW BEAR FRUIT YEARS LATER" recession. Planning, whether it exists “independently of the mind” or not, is a continuum; things have to be rolled forward constantly. This is a vital, fundamental truth little appreciated in think tank circles; but the 2010 discontinuity is going to cause problems soon, which should be laid at the door of the government rather than us.

So we have ground to make up in the short term. Then, beyond the Boles horizon, the housing we need won’t happen by magic; it needs a bit of thought and some bravery. Allowing a few changes of use from offices to noisy apartments, or even

encouraging more self-build, will not cut it. There is plenty of 1980s history (read about Foxley Wood and Stone Bassett) that demonstrates beyond peradventure that the exquisitely unsophisticated idea of just by-passing the planning process will do no more than put people’s backs up. So stop worrying about the system and start worrying about planning, minister. Do some. Or get someone else to do it if it’s too hard. Think a long way ahead (time), look at options (space), consult, explain, decide, act. It can be thrilling, though it won’t be popular. But then you are the minister for planning so you’re bound to be unpopular, like the rest of us, if you do it properly. What is most important, surely, is to see everyone with a decent and affordable roof over their heads. Not thinking about whether prior approval should be given for a few people to live miles from anywhere in a barn.

That is a pathetically inadequate response.

Chris Shepley is the principal of Chris Shepley Planning and former Chief Planning Inspector

I L L U S T R AT I O N | O I V I N D H O V L A N D

20/01/2014 15:42

Quote unquote FROM THE WEB AND THE RTPI “Sometimes I wonder, if we have learned nothing since 2008.”CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF

HOUSING CHIEF EXECUTIVE GRAINIA LONG ON HOW TO BALANCE DEMAND AND SUPPLY

“He has a horror of building anonymous, lifeless buildings.”

ARCHITECT MIKE RUNDELL DEFENDS ARTIST DAMIEN HIRST AND HIS PLANS TO BUILD AN ENTIRE TOWN IN DEVON NICKNAMED ‘HIRST ON SEA’

SCOTTISH LABOUR MSP MARY FEE ON THE 29 % REAL TERMS REDUCTION IN THE CAPITAL HOUSING BUDGET FROM 2008 09 TO 2011 12

“We are absolutely confident that he can undertake the challenge.”

RETAIL TSAR MARY PORTAS ON CONTROVERSIAL PLANS TO CONVERT OFFICES IN PRIMROSE HILL TO LUXURY FLATS

THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF HOUSING CYMRU’S DIRECTOR KEITH EDWARDS ON THE LAUNCH OF THE HOUSING WALES BILL

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

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SHROPSHIRE COUNCIL LEADER KULDIP SAHOTA ON USING PUBLIC MONEY TO FIGHT PLANNING APPEALS SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NPPF

“There is a lack of leadership over Scotland’s housing crisis.”

“AMEND PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS SO THAT THEY ONLY APPLY TO OFFICES THAT HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY MARKETED YET STILL REMAIN VACANT FOR AT LEAST SIX MONTHS.”

“GOVERNMENTT FOR GROWN­UPS.” S.”

“It would be akin to a gambler putting all their life savings on a three-legged donkey.”

HOUSING MINISTER KRIS HOPKINS ON HIS CONFIDENCE IN HOMES AND COMMUNITIES AGENCY REGULATION COMMITTEE CHAIR JULIAN ASHBY

“COULD CONDITIONAL TAX RELIEFS BE USED EFFECTIVELY IN THE UK? THE MAJOR BARRIER IS INERTIA.” PROFESSOR OF HOUSING AT DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY MICHAEL OXLEY ON WHY P TH THE UK SHOULD COPY AMERICA AND FRANCE TO INCREASE AFFORDABLE HOUSING

20%

The rise in housebuilders' profits to £169.5m in the six months to 31 October compared with the same period a year earlier F EB R U AR Y 2 0 1 4 / THE PLA NNER

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

O Opinion

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John Bowers is planning policy officer at Snowdonia National Park Authority

The Town Tow and Country Planning (Genera (General Development Procedure) Order tells local planning authorities what must be available for inspection before and after a decision. It also allows records to be kept electronically or photographically.

The Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985 requires authorities to keep background papers for six years. These could include a flood risk assessment, responses from consultees (external and internal), notes of meetings, correspondence from objectors and supporters, notes of inspections, meetings and phone calls, details of statutory and nonstatutory publicity for applications, committee reports, minutes and photos.

Obstructing the inspection of a background paper is an offence. The 1985 Act introduced the terms “exempt information” and “protected informant” – someone who gives information on a potential criminal offence or potential breach of planning control.

It is not necessary to disclose legal advice that would identify a protected informant. It should also be unnecessary to disclose information that puts a protected habitat or species at risk, e.g. from egg collectors or badger baiters. I’m not confident that I could find any statutory authority for this. We still use a second file with a different cover for exempt information.

Local planning authorities are

Grainia Long is chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing

What the 2015 election means for planning

What should we keep on planning files?

required to keep each Environmental Impact Assessment Regulation and every screening opinion. Applications, plans, reports and other documents or background papers may be received by email. Planning authorities now encourage people to view planning applications on their websites rather than visit the office, so they do not need to be supervised.

These are significant advantages for authorities and citizens if all relevant information is on the website. A search on websites for my own authority and Cardiff failed to find copies of consultees' responses to applications. I tried to view application documents in another authority for a Planning Aid Wales case. I was timed out three times.

Before email, the working file would contain all relevant documents in date order. We still need paper copies; many planners find paper much easier than computers for committee meetings and public inquiries. A Royal Town Planning Institute Practice Note on this topic, answering the following questions, would be very useful to practitioners.

Which electronic documents should we print? How can we ensure that all officers dealing with the application have access to relevant information sent by email to a colleague? Which electronic documents do we need to keep on publicly accessible files – electronic or paper?

“AN RTPI PRACTICE NOTE ON THIS TOPIC WOULD BE VERY USEFUL TO PRACTITIONERS”

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What ca can we expect between an the next general elecnow and tion? The Autumn Statement revealed that the government will consult on removing section 106 affordable housing requirements from schemes with fewer than 10 homes. This could be a problem in rural areas, where there is a big shortage of affordable housing and large developments are rare.

The erosion of “planning gain” obligations on developers is a concern. A factor that may not affect the affordable homes programme but may affect the next phase is the cutting of commitments to include affordable housing in private d e ve l o p m e n t s, with a reported 60 per cent of large developments now falling below local targets for such housing.

With so much emphasis on reducing reliance on grant funding from the Homes and Communities Agency, or on schemes having no grant, the role of planning gain in supplying land or homes at no (or reduced) cost in grant is crucial.

Future governments are likely to do more work on the efficiency, effectiveness and speed of the planning system, which is not necessarily a problem if there is an opportunity to ensure that local input and interests are properly balanced. The government needs to have a clear view of the role it wants planning gain to play in the delivery of other

policies. Planning also needs to be properly resourced. The system will struggle to deliver if there aren’t enough planners or if planning departments can’t attract people with the right skills and experience.

We are waiting to hear how housing will feature in the Conservative and Liberal Democrat manifestos. Millions are struggling to find a decent affordable home. We are building fewer than half the homes we need to meet the demand.

Housing was high on the agenda at the Conservative and Labour annual party conferences, but it seems there is less agreement on the way forward.

The Conservatives are focusing on policies to strengthen demand in the expectation of a supply response, while Labour has pledged to increase the supply of new homes in England to more than 200,000 a year Proposals include giving communities ‘use it or lose it’ powers to release land with planning permission that the party says is being hoarded by some landowners, and giving councils a ‘right to grow’. In December, Ed Miliband launched the independent Lyons Commission, to examine these and other issues.

I’m pleased to have been included in the commission and will be exploring these proposals with my fellow panel members between now and July.

“GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO HAVE A CLEAR VIEW OF THE ROLE IT WANTS PLANNING GAIN TO PLAY IN THE DELIVERY OF OTHER POLICIES”

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17/01/2014 17:36

Have your say Would you like to see yourself in these pages?

Get in touch by email – editorial@theplanner.co.uk Topical, inspirational, angry or amusing – we consider all relevant comment.

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Marnix Elsenaar is a partner and head of planning for Addleshaw Goddard LLP

Richard Ford is a partner and head of planning and environment at Pinsent Masons

How to navigate habitats regulations

Improve councils’ skills and resources to avoid more legislation

Nick Bo Boles asked the development industry ind to suggest how the planni planning system can be improved without new legislation. It is simple; improve the skills and resources of planning authorities and change the culture.

The government loved its headline-grabbing reforms that would sweep away the inefficiencies in the system and make it a driver of growth: the scrapping of thousands of pages of guidance and their replacement with a new National Planning Policy Framework, a Localism Act, neighbourhood planning, new permitted development rights and Community Infrastructure Levy.

These changes have had a significant impact on what developers can get permission for, and where, but the mechanics of obtaining permission remain largely the same. An application for planning permission is made to a local planning authority (LPA), it consults, officers write a report and the committee resolves to grant permission subject to a s106 agreement. This is where the nightmare begins and where the headline-grabbing reforms make no difference.

It’s not all the LPA’s fault. The reality of development deals makes deducing title more complicated, with the applicant only getting title to the site after permission is granted, meaning that landowners and their lenders

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have to be a party to the s106 agreement. The key issue for the LPA is that the permission cannot be implemented without compliance with the s106 obligations.

But safeguarding the public interest often becomes an inflexible insistence that owners of parcels of land on the periphery of a site, on which the development could in no way be built, must also be a party to the agreement.

Further delay is caused by the number of instructing officers whom the authority’s lawyer has to deal with. Those officers don’t always have time to give instructions quickly. When they do, the result can be unexpected.

The committee’s decision may have provided a broad list of obligations the planning agreement must contain leaving significant room for negotiation after the committee. Officers may change their minds and what the applicant thinks was agreed before the committee meeting changes.

There are determined authorities that make development happen. They secure a pragmatic s106 wish list, an eye on viability and a recognition that developers must be able to fund and operate developments. Only when such authorities are in the majority can any government say it has revolutionised the system. LPAs must negotiate and accept risk to get things done. The “policy says no” approach must go.

“THIS IS WHERE THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS AND WHERE THE HEADLINE­ GRABBING REFORMS MAKE NO DIFFERENCE”

Planning professionals know a cold towel tow is often needed to get their heads h around navigating the habitats regulations.

But that cold towel needs more iced water owing to the lack of a guide to the defining characteristics of a mitigation or remedial measure, as opposed to a compensation or offset measure, when submitted as part of an application for a European protected habitats site.

A High Court case in 2013, Champion v North Norfolk District Council, gives a useful summary of the line of cases that now clearly confirm that mitigation or remedial measures can be taken into account in deciding whether an appropriate assessment is needed for a development affecting a European protected site. It has long been established that they can be taken into account as part of an appropriate assessment.

Compensation measures can only be taken into account if the integrity of the site is adversely affected, and only then if there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest (IROPI).

Offset measures are regarded as equivalent to compensation measures in the pilots forming part of the government’s consideration of a potential biodiversity offsetting system.

So the distinction between mitigation or remedial measure

and a compensation or offset measure is of great importance in navigating the habitats regulations and in any biodiversity offsetting system. Yet there is little substantive guidance on the defining characteristics of such measures.

European Commission Guidance (January 2007) says mitigation measures are integral to the specifications of a project, whereas compensation measures are “independent of the project (including any associated mitigation measures)”.

Case law does not define a remedial measure but the natural meaning of remedial measures is a means of “counteracting anything undesirable”. Lack of guidance means that there are questions about whether an ecological enhancement measure is properly a mitigation or remedial measure.

Take an example where a small area of a Special Area of Conservation, which is designated because of a protected species of flora on the site, is being harmed by the development. If the developer provides within the same application site a new equivalent or larger area of the same species, and that measure reduces the harm to the Special Area of Conservation, shouldn’t such a measure be regarded as a mitigation or remedial measure? More guidance on this would be helpful.

“THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT WHETHER AN ECOLOGICAL ENHANCEMENT MEASURE IS PROPERLY A MITIGATION OR REMEDIAL MEASURE”

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17/01/2014 17:37

INTERVIEW DEREK MACKAY

N

obody was more surprised than Derek Mackay when First Minister Alex Salmond asked him to lead the modernisation of Scotland’s planning system.

After all, despite spending twelve years as a local councillor prior to his election to Holyrood in 2011, he had never served on a planning committee.

“I am quite up front about it,” he says. “Even in my four years as Renfrewshire Council leader the number of applications that would come before me was few and far between. Obviously lots of matters came up as a local member but the regulatory functions were of less interest to me before my conversion to the importance of planning.”

In his positive fashion – the phrase “can do” peppers Mackay’s speeches and interviews – he turns a lack of background knowledge to his advantage.

“I came with a fresh pair of eyes and did not carry baggage over from my period in local government,” he insists.

Since taking on the planning and local government brief in 2011, he has had to learn quickly, overseeing the third National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and new Scottish Planning Policy (SPP). They were issued for consultation together last spring in a deliberate move to closely align strategy with delivery, and are key documents for the administration, laying out a distinctively Scottish approach to development in advance of September’s independence referendum. On more familiar ground, in November he published the Scottish Government’s Town Centre Action Plan.

Local history Mackay is a career politician who, at 36, has yet to suffer a significant setback in the build them up

P H O T O G R A P H Y | M A RT I N H U N T E R

A FRESH PAIR OF EYES

ROBERT TAYLOR Robert Taylor is a freelance journalist specialising in planning and regeneration

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20/01/2014 12:30

Derek Mackay is spearheading Scotland’s planning reforms. The planning minister tells Robert Taylor how quality decisions will be the hallmark of the new regime

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INTERVIEW DEREK MACKAY

tear them down world of politics. He went to Glasgow University in 1997 to study social policy but dropped out two years later on becoming the youngest male councillor in Scotland at the age of 21, winning a seat on Renfrewshire Council for the Scottish National Party. He won three successive ward elections and became leader of the authority’s first nationalist administration in May 2007.

Of his time as a councillor he is particularly proud of his efforts to revive Paisley, where he was also chairman of the Paisley Vision Board. “We repopulated parts of the town centre by developing both private and social housing and encouraged private sector investment in commercial property,” he recalls. “I introduced an events strategy and set out to attract the Royal National Mod (an eight-day celebration of Gaelic arts held in Paisley for the first time in its 121-year history). People said I was mad because Paisley does not have a strong Gaelic heritage, but we did it. For a place like Paisley branding and image were important.”

Mackay also partly reversed a previous pedestrianisation scheme. “When these areas were pedestrianised a lot of people felt that it went too far and was over-restrictive,” he explains. “We wanted to bring people back into the heart of the town. By providing better access we helped to showcase what Paisley had to offer, as well as generating more activity and life in the town centre, particularly at night-time.”

Points of principle Lessons learned on the streets of Paisley have followed Mackay into government. The Fresh Start scheme, for example, offers 50 per cent rates relief for businesses that open in empty shops and, from April, pubs, hotels and restaurants. The new Town Centre Action Plan “I DID NOT develops this theme, creating powers for local CARRY BAGGAGE authorities to establish town centre investment OVER FROM MY zones where they will be able to use discretionPERIOD IN LOCAL ary rates relief to encourage business.

GOVERNMENT” A Town Centre Housing Fund is being established to finance demonstration projects bringing empty properties back into use and £120,000 will be available to run town centre planning charettes. “There is no one single solution for any town,” Mackay says. “The plan is meant as added stimulus to encourage and support action across the wider public, private and community sectors.”

However, the wording of the town-centre-first principle that covers not just retail but business and leisure has disappointed opposition politicians and some business groups. The principle will be included in the final SPP due for publication in the summer, along with a sequential test.

Introducing the draft SPP in April 2013 Mackay had hinted at a principle with teeth, stating: “We will support our review of town centres by insisting that major developments which attract people – like workplaces, leisure facilities and shops – are in town centres wherever possible.” Architect Malcolm Fraser, who led the Scottish government-commissioned town centre review, used similar language. However, the action plan actually proposes “a principle in favour of town centres but not a duty”. It adds: “Rather, it would be about making sure that all public sector bodies continue to take open, measured and transparent decision making that takes account of the short, medium and longer term impacts on town centres.”

Mackay insists this does not represent a dilution of policy. “The language is different but we are meaning the same thing; it’s not watered down. I could never impose a compulsion that every development must be in town centres, but it certainly should be a consideration. At the moment the sequential approach only applies to retail – this extends that to other sectors.

“What I will do is have a monitoring exercise involving the various stake18

holders, possibly in Inverness, to assess the impact of the overall package."

Of the two major documents still on Mackay’s desk, NPPF3 is on track, with only minor additions expected following consultation.

Importantly, it sets out the direction of economic travel for the SNP in what it hopes will be an independent Scotland, identifying major national developments, including two carbon capture and storage schemes at Peterhead and Grangemouth.

The SPP has been delayed after Mackay decided to replace separate policies on sustainable economic growth and sustainable development with a single definition of sustainability and planning, and to introduce a presumption in favour of sustainable development. The minister believes the new version, on which a second round of consultation has just finished, addresses any potential disadvantage Scotland may have faced when competing with England for investment.

“One of the most important aspects of the planning system south of the border is the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Even if our planning system is working better in Scotland, which I believe it is, we might be disadvantaged if that same presumption is not seen to be in place here. This removes that possibility.”

Once again, Mackay gives short shrift to those who have picked up on a change of wording between the original draft SPP and the later version. The draft stated that local authorities should attach “significant weight” to the “economic benefit of proposed development”, while the revised document instructs that “due weight” be given, seemingly leaving it open to planning authorities to decide priorities on a case-by-case basis.

The minister rejects any suggestion that this is a substantive change, stating he remains committed to sustainable economic development. Similarly, the decision to amend the Regulatory Reform Bill

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“WE ARE IMPROVING THE CULTURE AND LEADERSHIP ­ THE GOVERNMENT IS WORKING BETTER WITH HEADS OF PLANNING” to make clear council-planning functions will not be subject to the proposed duty to contribute to economic growth is purely practical, he explains.

“Planning decisions have to be based on a plan-led system. If we had a legal duty it would create another court of appeal for planning decisions and that is the last thing we want. Sustainable economic growth should be achieved through policy, not legal duty.”

Pride in planning With the legislative framework almost in place, Mackay is turning his attention to delivery on the ground. He envisages a more liberal, flexible planning regime where the emphasis is on quality and has visited local authorities across the country to spread the word.

CV H I GHL IG HT S

“We are improving in the culture and leadership aspects, the government is working better with heads of planning and we are making progress in timetables, which we are always going to be judged on, because we have put extra resources in place,” he says.

“The consent rate is 94 per cent and the situation with appeals gives me confidence. We still need to address the problem of legacy cases, either by having them decided or withdrawn so that they do not continue to contaminate the system.”

The profession can expect a carrot and stick approach from Mackay, who understands the importance of resources both to improve quality and penalise councils that do not meet expectations.

He admits his plan to force planning authorities to reduce fees if they fail to hit targets is controversial but believes he can win doubters around.

“Yes, it’s fair to say the response has been mixed but if I use the power proportionately I think people will get it,” he says. “It is essential that if I am going to ask applicants to pay more, the fee must be linked to performance. I have to have that power in my toolkit.”

Mackay’s goal is to raise quality and morale and for planners to be seen as “can do, enabling, positive and dynamic.” He adds: “I want us to be making planning decisions we are proud of in a generation’s time, creating a pride in planning and ensuring that the can do attitude is delivered on the ground. I am a convert and an evangelist and a great supporter of the planning profession.”

DE R E K MA C K A Y

Born: Renfrewshire, 1977

1997

2012

1997 1999 2007 2009 2011 2011 2012 To Glasgow University to study social policy; dropped out two years later

Elected to Renfrewshire Council as Scotland’s youngest male councillor, aged 21

Became leader of Renfrewshire Council

Led the SNP group on the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

(May) Elected SNP MSP for Renfrewshire North and West

(December) Appointed minister for local government and planning

Co-ordinated the SNP campaign at the Scottish local government elections

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C A M B R I D G E C LU S T E R

CALL

CAMBRIDGE AND SOUTH CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNCILS ARE WORKING HARMONIOUSLY TO DELIVER A JOINT LOCAL PLAN IN TRICKY CIRCUMSTANCES. WHAT’S THEIR SECRET TO CROSS­BOUNDARY CIVILITY? ASKS MARK SMULIAN

DUTY

OF

TO CO­OPERATE I L L U S T R AT I O N | N E I L W E B B

I

f it lacked a world famous university Cambridge would probably be an obscure East Anglian town.

But it does have one, and much of what drives the city’s rapid growth derives from the university, along with the medical and hi-tech industries.

As the economy stages at least a slow recovery, planners around the country may for the first time in six years start to see sustained increases in applications. Job losses cut a swathe through planning departments during the recession, so the expertise to deal with growth could be lacking, but Cambridge offers an example not merely of managing a burgeoning local economy but also of harmonious practice of the duty to co-operate.

The boundary between Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire councils leaves the city “donutted” by the district, which itself has some 100 villages but no central town.

To compound the problem, Cambridge is a tightly packed urban area with a centre full of historic buildings that cannot be disturbed.

The two councils’ joint local plan, due to be

MARK SMULIAN Mark Smulian is a freelance journalist specialising in planning and regeneration

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submitted next spring, certainly has some demanding growth predictions in it, including 22,000 new jobs for each of Cambridge and South Cambridgeshire and an extra 14,000 homes for the city and 19,000 for the district.

By 2011 the two councils had identified a total housing supply in their current plans of 24,800 new homes to contribute to meeting development needs to 2031, comprising 9,065 planning permissions in Cambridge and 2,897 in South Cambridgeshire and allocations of 1,547 and 11,300 respectively. The large increase in South Cambridgeshire is partly accounted for by the proposed new town of Northstowe (see box p23).

The local plan allowed a large and controversial release of green belt land around Cambridge, something that will be repeated in only a very limited way for the 2031 plan as the councils are alive to the dangers of Cambridge ceasing to be a compact city and becoming a behemoth sprawling across the countryside. In the new plan development will concentrate on the city boundary and in standalone new settlements in South Cambridgeshire.

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Illustration to come similar concept

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C A M B R I D G E C LU S T E R

and development operation. In the North West Cambridge area the council is working with the university on sites for 3,000 homes, and for extensions to university departments.

“We try to develop Cambridge in sympathy with its environment.” says Dell. “Cambridge is a very liveable city with good quality of life and its economic development is closely related to that, so we don’t want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

“Green belt is now less of a problem as we had site releases in the past and “GREEN BELT IS NOW LESS OF what remains is very A PROBLEM AS WE HAD SITE important in keeping RELEASES IN THE PAST AND WHAT Cambridge a compact city REMAINS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN and prevents it sprawling.”

KEEPING CAMBRIDGE A COMPACT Cambridge is famously CITY” flat, which combined with PATSY DELL, HEAD OF PLANNING SERVICES the centre’s historic narrow streets leads to multitudes of cyclists.

Unlike the notorious example of Stevenage It also has a new guided busway and a good and North Hertfordshire, where the duty to train service to London. The station, though, is co-operate broke down entirely, things are proinconveniently located and plans are in hand for ceeding smoothly so far, despite different a new one adjacent to the city’s Science Park in the north-east and potentially at other sites. political control – the city being Liberal Democrat and South Cambridgeshire staunchly Tory.

Dell explains that the duty of co-operation Patsy Dell, Cambridge’s head of planning serworks through a memorandum of understanding vices, says the city is planning for growth in the but is based on “a history of co-operation going ‘CB1’ area near the railway station and for signifback through several structure plans”. icant urban housing extensions at Trumpington A joint committee of councillors from both Meadows and Clay Farm on its southern fringe, authorities oversees this process, although each council takes its own decisions. where there are plans for 3,500 homes.

Dell’s opposite number at South Cambridgeshire, Jo Mills, says the council wants to Nearby, there will be major employment concentrate development on the fringe of Camdevelopment with a bridge and at new settlements. Although there biomedical centre will be 700 new homes at Sawston and small campus at Addennumbers in 50 or 60 other villages, the rest will Use of sites showing the shift from Cambridge brooke’s Hospital and have only rural exceptions building. and villages to the city fringe and new pharmaceutical firm “We did consult on a plan based on expanding settlements between the existing structure plan and the proposed strategy.

AstraZeneca’s research villages but the feedback was opposed,” she says.

N E W S ET T LE M E N T S

PLACE

HOMES TOTAL IN NEW STRATEGY

% IN NEW STRATEGY

HOMES TOTAL IN CURRENT STRUCTURE PLAN

% IN CURRENT STRUCTURE PLAN

Cambridge urban area

6,504

19

8,900

27

Cambridge fringe

12,219

36

8,000

25

New settlements

10,335

31

6,000

18

Villages

4,748

14

9,000

30

33,806

100

32,500

100

Total

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NORTHSTOWE RISES

Mills points out that hat the district generates plenty enty of jobs in its own rightt without having to rely on Cambridge; the internationally recognised Wellcome, Babraham and Welding institutes are on its patch.

“Even in the recession we were putting on 1,000 jobs a year,” she says.

Northstowe will be a new town for the district, but progress has been extraordinarily slow.

South Cambridgeshire’s other new town will be near Waterbeach on a former military base, a self-contained settlement of some 8,000 homes rather than an extension of the existing village.

There are also extensions planned for Cambourne, itself a new village, and for 3,500 homes at the nearby Bourne airfield.

The other major development is in the area of Huntingdonshire District Council at Alconbury, where a 575-hectare airfield is being redeveloped

by Urban & Civic for both employment and 5,000 homes over 20 years, helped by enterprise zone status on part of the site giving business rate discounts.

Long-term need for a new towns body Northstowe is to be a town of some 10,000 homes on the former RAF Oakington site between Cambridge and St Ives, served by Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, which finally opened in 2011.

It’s a joint project by developer Gallagher and the Homes and Communities Agency (CHCA) but has been bedevilled by delays, including that little happened during the worst of the recession.

South Cambridgeshire in March approved a section 106 agreement in principle for the first 1,500 homes and HCA executive director Terry Fuller says: “Northstowe is one of the HCA’s top priorities so I am really pleased that we have got past this important step in the overall plan to deliver it.”

Planning consultant Peter Studdert, who led work for the former regeneration partnership, Cambridgeshire Horizons, is sceptical about Northstowe.

“Its an old MoD site so it was held up for years while two government departments argued with each other about the sale price, even though it was allocated in 2003,” he says.

“The HCA has not been allowed by government to play the role its should have in promoting development.

“It’s an example of the failure of central government to support the growth of Cambridge.

“Gallagher have done their best, but they are a trading company not there for the long term. When one hears talk about new towns and garden cities there is a need for a body that is there long term.”

The one that got away Cambridge airport is the development opportunity that got away. A development of about 1,200 homes at Wing, just in South Cambridgeshire, will be all that remains of the ambitious plans to move operations to one of East Anglia’s numerous disused airfields and build some 8,000 homes on the site.

Planning consultant Peter Studdert, a former head of planning for the city, explains: “It was a sustainable site that would have given the city a new quarter. In theory it could be compulsorily purchased, but the council wants to work in agreement with people and it’s a major employer so they want to retain jobs locally.”

Tim Ward, the city’s executive member for planning, says: “The problem was a failure by the government, which is supposed to support the delivery of affordable housing and sustainable development, but the thing was bogged down in what price Defence Estates could get for the site.

It was just not joined-up government.”

Ward agrees that politicians have worked well together. “Most of the city is built up and there is very little land so the housing has to go into South Cambridgeshire and the question is, does it go in those areas adjacent to the city or elsewhere?” he asks. “We are proposing to take a very small piece of lower-quality green belt for housing in our new plan and that has led to objections from environmentalists.

“On the other hand, there are objections from

FA S T FA C T S

1,000

Jobs created each year

700

New homes at Sawston

575

Hectares at Alconbury

developers who want to build on every bit of green belt they can.

“I’m sure when we get to the examination of our plan the developers will challenge our housing forecast and say we need to build lots more homes on all this boring green belt.”

Ward says the three drivers of the local economy are the university, the medical sector, of which Addenbrooke’s is the main part and the hi-tech sector, which can be found all over the city. The university’s long-term expansion will come at North West Cambridge.

“Its an important local landowner but when it’s developing market housing it’s just like any other developer and is treated as such,” he says.

Pippa Corney, cabinet member for planning at South Cambridgeshire, says there are political issues in the district about it taking homes to meet the city’s demand.

But she adds: “There is concern to maintain a rural character, but people are also concerned about where their children will live.”

Managing strong growth in a historic city surrounded by countryside has its challenges but is perhaps a problem planners in some other parts of the country would like to have.

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MODERN PLANNERS

ECONOMIC FORECASTER OR SOCIAL CHAMPION? HOUSING SUPREMO OR GOVERNMENT LOBBYIST? KATE DOBINSON ATTEMPTS TO PIN DOWN THE EVER­EVOLVING IDENTITY OF THE TOWN PLANNER

100% PLANNER? I

f you were to pull apart planning pioneer Sir Patrick Geddes, you might find yourself with three neat parcels: folk, work and place.

These three principles underpinned Geddes’ approach to the development of urban spaces in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. But the forces shaping the work of the town planner of 2014 are not so easily described.

Even by the 1930s, Geddes would likely have had to adapt his mantra to accommodate political interference and technological change.

The truth is, “you can’t anymore be 100 per cent town planner,” says Cliff Hague, former RTPI president and Emeritus professor of planning and spatial development at HeriotWatt University in Edinburgh. “There is no identikit modern day town planner.”

Andy Inch, a lecturer in town and regional planning at the University of Sheffield, points out that planners have always had to command a

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KATE DOBINSON is news and content editor of The Planner

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range of skills. The idea that there was a single decisive shift away from a period where it was possible to be 100 per cent planner is probably overstated, he says, not least because local government careers have a habit of steering planners towards management. Nevertheless, Inch notes, the 1947 Town and Country Planning Act, which comprehensively reorganised the planning system, did prompt concerns that only a “superhero” could master the knowledge and skills required to be a successful planner.

The consensus seems to be that the planner needs to be more than just a planner in order to practice their profession in the complex social, technological and regulatory environment of the early 21st century.

Extended expertise “The package of generic qualities required to be considered 'professional' by the organisation you work for is central to shaping how planning is practiced,” says Inch. Much of this, he explains, has been driven by organisational and procedural change, which has turned the planner into a project manager, as well as an expert technician. “Whether submitting or determining a large scale planning application, private sector and local authority planners must be able to manage teams of technical consultants or consultees, review, understand and where necessary, challenge the response provided and manage the process effectively.”

Their technical expertise has also had to extend into new fields as the consequences of development are studied and debated in greater detail than ever before. For example, statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency and Natural England are now an implicit part of the planning system, and planners must have an understanding of the environmental impact of development.

Then there is the intense politicisation of planning in recent decades and in particular its role in regional and national economic development. Planners must be politicians, too, says Nick Matthews, director of planning at Savills in Bristol, and display the political skills required to influence the delivery of new developments. “It is absolutely critical that planners involved in the submission

of applications or their determination have, as a minimum, a basic understanding of development economics,” he stresses.

An understanding of how planning can stimulate regional growth is, indeed, the Holy Grail for Cliff Hague. This is the essential skill in the modern planning environment. “Planners need to understand the regional economy, the importance of innovation and the actual – and the potential for – linkages between research institutions in the region and the small and medium-sized enterprises operating there.

“I know this isn’t fashionable, but we need planners with a good grasp of the new economic geography, with quantitative as well as qualitative analytical skills and a capacity to use ICT for data collection and analysis,” Hague continues.

“Above all, we need critical thinking and openness to innovation.”

‘Place-making’ is a more fashionable skill for those attracted to design work and looking to escape the regulatory nature of town planning.

But creative place making must be considered carefully, adds Hague. “We need to become 'place managers'. This is for two reasons. Firstly, the places of the next quarter century exist already: we need to focus on making them more inclusive and more sustainable, rather than on 'making places'. Second, there is an economic dimension to places that most of the rhetoric on 'place making' fails to recognise.”

Project management, environmental expertise, political skills, data analysis, economic understanding – just how big is the role becoming? “We have to give them [planning students] a crash course in everything,” says Suzy Nelson, course leader for the urban and regional planning MA course at the University of Westminster.

Loss of control

“THERE IS NO IDENTIKIT MODERN DAY TOWN PLANNER”

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But has the expansion of the expertise of the planner been accompanied by a growth in influence?

Many planners would say that regular changes to policy, guidance and legislation limit the ability of planners to do their core work.

The encroaching statutory base of planning and the quasi-legal nature of planning decisions in the UK means that many planners have become narrowly focused against their will. Layers of legislation, ‘guidance’ and risk assessment limit what most can do in practice.

Changes introduced through the Localism Act, such as the revocation of regional strategies, mean planners now have to interpret population and household projection evidence that was previously the preserve of higher tier planning documents.

The NPPF has also formally introduced viability testing of local plans to deem whether they are fit to be turned into national policy.

This “political interference is a distraction from

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The planner as polymath “Being a planner is still at the heart of all the work that we do but increasingly planners, whether at local authorities or the private sector, need to have a broad understanding of a large number of related disciplines,” says Nick Matthews, planning director at Savills in Bristol. “Being able to review and interpret evidence on matters such as flood risk, ecology and highways is essential to ensuring that the application proposals we submit or representations to emerging development plans are firmly grounded in the relevant technical evidence.

“In recent years planning has also become increasingly focused on delivery of development, a move which I wholeheartedly support. It’s of no value to any of the parties involved in the planning process to gain permission for development that is not economically viable.

“In addition to technical expertise, all planners must these days have strong project management skills. Whether submitting or determining a large-scale planning application, planners must be able to manage teams of technical consultants or consultees, review, understand and where necessary, challenge the response provided and manage the process effectively. A modern day planner is therefore an expert in planning, knowledgeable of a wide range of technical disciplines and a strong project manager.

“It’s very difficult, however, for any one planner to have an up-to-date knowledge of the relevant legislation, policies, guidance, court cases and appeal precedence in every area g The retail sector,, for example, p , is very y specialised p of p planning. as one must be able to produce robust and credible retail essments and be aware of relevant appeal decisions.. assessments Thiss knowledge and expertise is very different m other specialist areas, including hou usin sing, g from housing, newable energy, minerals and waste, all of renewable ich have their own unique evidence and which ntinued supply of appeal decisions. continued “For these reasons, in addition to a oadening of the base technical skill broadening set,, I see the role of planners becoming increasingly reasingly specialised in line with the fferent ectors.” diff erent development se sectors.”

NICK MATTHEWS

plan implementation”, says Iram Mohammed, a senior planning consultant, water and environment, at Atkins.

“In Scotland, we’re empowered to make these important decisions. We have a government that is supporting the planning process and sees real value in the role that planners play. In England, you would probably find the opposite, and this is due to the lack of political support for the planning system, and the assumption that it’s ‘broken’. It’s political interference that I believe causes the most distraction.

Policy and performance management is dictated to a degree by the political climate and the appetite of the political party in power.”

This centralisation of UK policy has caused planners to be 'made up' of their ability to manage the statutory requirements of the system and the changing demands made by government policy.

“In this context the skill of the planner often lies in their ability to determine how much space they can find within the system to meet the needs of the different interests they must seek to represent," offers Inch. In the public sector this can be particularly complex as the 'public interest' in planning is often fiercely contested.”

This leads to circumstances where the planner is likely to err on the side of caution – but it’s not all bleak, says Mohammed. “I believe it’s our job to strive to know a lot about lots of subjects, issues and risks and how they impact our cities. This, for me, involves lots of reading and keeping up to date on our changing policy and legislation. Twitter is my lifeline for keeping up to date with new concepts and best practice.

“There is a need to re-state the value of planning in the public interest and I think this means trying to revalorise the role of ‘the planner’, whether the prefix is urban, regional, town, city, social, environmental or whatever else.”

Perhaps Geddes does lead the way, after all. He began his working life as a lecturer in zoology, became a professor of botany and, as his social concerns broadened and his thinking on the best ways to live in urban society developed, a professor of civics and society. Biologist, sociologist, geographer, planner – Geddes may have been a polymath but he never lost sight of his key principles; folk, work and place.

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ince taking on the post last year, Welsh planning minister Carl Sargeant has promised a battery of reforms aimed at boosting the nation’s economy. Last October, he spoke to The Planner about the planning system becoming “an enabler for Wales, creating an environment for enterprise, environmental sustainability and community cohesion”. In the run-up to Christmas, after a swathe of research studies and consultation documents in the previous five years, the minister revealed the Welsh Government’s direction of travel.

Culture change is top of the agenda. Officially this means a change in attitude from regulating development towards encouraging and supporting it - in other words, a “can-do” culture among planning authorities, instead of “risk averse”. But Sargeant has

AN INDEPENDENT PLANNING SYSTEM FOR WALES HAS TAKEN A SIGNIFICANT STEP FORWARD. HUW MORRIS LOOKS AT THE WELSH GOVERNMENT’S LATEST PROPOSALS

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Cardiff could be the focus for the new Strategic Development Plan

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“RATHER THAN BE DEFENSIVE, THE CULTURE SHOULD ALLOW ORGANISATIONS TO REFLECT ON WHY THEY ARE POOR PERFORMERS” thrown down the gauntlet to everyone: “All those with an interest in planning need to up their game, whether they are applicants, statutory consultees or local planning authorities,” he argues. “Our planning system must deliver the growth in homes, jobs and infrastructure that current and future generations have every right to expect.”

Spearheading a consultation document on draft legislation is a proposal for Welsh ministers rather than planning authorities to decide major infrastructure projects under a new category known as Developments of National Significance (DNS).

The move, which is specifically aimed at tackling delays in handling renewable energy projects, affects onshore wind developments generating between 25 and 49 megawatts to be determined by a National Development Framework (NDF), which replaces the Wales Spatial Plan. The new designation also covers gas transferral and storage, airport construction or expansion, railways, harbours and reservoirs.

“This will be about leadership at all levels,” argues Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners Cardiff office chief Gareth Williams. “What is Welsh Government policy? Are they going to stand up and make decisions based on national policy when local politics are against it? The energy industry needs a climate where it can get a decision.”

Sargeant’s demand for planning to offer a strategic vision runs through the bulk of the reforms (see panel). Commentators widely applauded the move but observed the devil will be in the detail.

RTPI Cymru noted that the NDF must reflect general goals with stated outcomes, while strategic planning should adopt a flexible model between national and local need.

Existing legislation already allows planning authorities to prepare joint Local Development Plans (LDPs) to deal with cross-boundary issues and reflect the way people live and work. To date, only Gwynedd and Anglesey County Councils have chosen this option. Now ministers want to direct authorities to prepare a joint LDP where a voluntary agreement has not been achieved. The consultation envisages the strategic elements of LDPs be elevated into new style Strategic Development Plans (SDPs), although ministers concede these are not needed across the whole of Wales and focus on Cardiff, Swansea Welsh draft planning proposals and the A55 Corridor.

In September, unveiling adopting its first LDP since late 1996, Cardiff allocated land for 41,000 homes under major growth that will see the population (1) Ministers will decide developments of national significance instead of local authorities. These include energy projects expand from around 350,000 to 395,000 by 2026. generating between 25-49 megawatts. Responsibility for larger Councillors cited the city’s major role as an “economic energy schemes remains with the UK government. driver” for the expansion. “A key issue will be how the (2) Significant projects would fall under the National Development Welsh Government defines the Cardiff area and how Framework determined by ministers. much takes in wider South East Wales,” says Williams.

(3) A system of Strategic Development Plans (SDPs) to tackle issues Peter Lloyd of PL Planning notes: “There has long of greater than local importance, including housing land supply, been a case for a strategic approach to the scale and employment, transport, gypsy and traveller provision, minerals location of development along the A55 corridor and waste. The Welsh Government proposes to identify the focus where the Wales Spatial Plan is perhaps a little too for three SDPs in Cardiff, Swansea and the A55 Corridor. nebulous. Our experience of LDPs has been that (4) A national planning advisory and improvement service. regional issues became rather lost in debates over (5) Planning authorities could be allowed to merge to form joint evidence and justification for locally derived targets, boards. which often challenged Welsh Government projec(6) Annual performance reporting for planning authorities. tions and sought lower levels of growth.”

(7) Option for developers to submit planning applications directly to Barton Willmore director Mark Roberts argues that ministers if a council’s performance is judged to be consistently while it is sensible to co-ordinate housing, employpoor. ment, transept and infrastructure at a regional level, (8) The six-month time limit for submitting appeals for non“there will be an inevitable time-lag until the regional determination will be removed. system can be established which should not be Removal of mandatory design and access statements.

(9)

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What does a good planning service look like?

For her part, Emma Langmaid of Prospero Planning, argues: “I’m a keen advocate of the phrase ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ and I hate change for change sake, but in Wales too many times we’re finding Since becoming planning minister, Carl Sargeant has constantly asked one question. What does a good planning authority look chinks in the system, a system which really shouldn’t like? His consultation now offers some signs. These may form be about development control, many still need that the basis for the proposal that each planning authority must boot up the behind to switch to a system of developproduce an annual performance report to nationally agreed ment management. Plus, why do things 25 different standards. ways? I welcome proposals that will ensure consistency across all our local planning authorities which The good planning authority should: provides more certainty to all users.”

• Have an up-to-date development plan in place.

Elsewhere, the consultation stresses the Welsh gov• Decided applications within statutory time limits. ernment’s commitment to good design and access for • Ensure sufficient land is available to meet future needs. all is “as strong as ever”. However it is not strong • Provide ample opportunities for communities and stakeholders to influence the planning process. enough to retain mandatory design and access statements. It says resources should be “focused on Key performance indicators for planning services will be: alternative ways of securing good design of develop• Plan-making. ment that includes inclusive access arrangements”.

• Decision-taking.

However the consultation does not spell out what • Efficiency. these alternatives may be.

• Quality.

“Design and access statements are important for • Engagement. many schemes and justify the rationale for develop• Enforcement. ment,” Roberts comments. “In South Wales, we have ridden the storm of recession and it would be a shame if design started to slip down the pecking order when there is ever more reason to focus on it.”

Although Sargeant reiterates the planning system’s role in supporting economic growth, some observers the reforms will have more effect in the next recession rather than the current situation. Roberts notes the allowed to delay LDPs currently being proprocess of reform started with the first review of the Welsh planning system gressed, particularly in Cardiff and Swansea. He back in 2008. “It’s frustrating that policy and other procedural documents argues it also remains to be seen what “teeth” the have taken till now to come into documents. Some of the reforms could have NDF has given the limited impact of the Wales been done earlier and some of the changes won’t come into effect until 2016.

Spatial Plan.

How long will they take to bite?”

Wales has 25 planning authorities, each with Many observers acknowledge that another spectre hangs over the reforms planning committees of vastly differing sizes. So far - the threat of major cuts to local authority budgets including planning 13 LDPs have either been adopted or are in the proservices as the Welsh Government struggles to make ends meet. This is the cess of being adopted. Of the remaining planning perennial challenge of how to implement a huge programme of reforms authorities, only two do not have a Unitary Develamid less resources and increasing demand for new skills. “Culture opment Plan. The consultation brands such delays change is needed across planning, but this is against a backdrop of unprecedented cuts to local authorities in Wales,” Langmaid argues. as unacceptable, noting there are not enough rewards for good performance and a lack of sanc“Unfortunately it would appear we can’t have our cake and eat it, resources tions where it is poor. Sargeant wants a shift from are key if we are to implement these proposals successfully.” development control to development management.

RPS Wales and West director Darren Parker agrees: “Planning officers As part of this the consultation proposes a series of need the resources and tools to be able to determine applications in a clear reforms including annual performance reports (see and justified manner with confidence. Local authorities and therefore plansecond panel) and a power to allow applicants to ning authorities are under considerable financial pressure. This is closely apply directly to ministers for planning permission aligned to resources and tools and suggests a structure that is able to sustain where “there are clear and persistent failures”. the necessary skills and expertise is required.”

RTPI Cymru national director Roisin Willmott A bill is to be presented to the Welsh Assembly this year, although it is says; “It needs to be meaningful monitoring and unlikely to become an act until 2016 at the earliest. this comes into culture change. Rather be defensive, the culture should allow organisations to The consultation closes on 26 February and can be viewed as a PDF at http://tinyurl.com/welshplan reflect on why they are poor performers.”

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C O M M O N W E A LT H A S S O C I A T I O N O F P L A N N E R S

PLANNING CAP represents

40,000 30% planners

of the world’s population

CLIVE HARRIDGE is director at AMEC and Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Association of Planners

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P

GOES

lanning can make a real difference to the world by improving quality of life and achieving a more sustainable future. This is the simple message that the Commonwealth Association of Planners (CAP) is putting across in the context of the UN review of the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Remember the heady days of the Millennium year? When, as we left the 1900s behind, we looked forward to achieving a better world? At that time the international community, through the UN agreed eight MDGs, set out our aspirations through to 2015.

Progress towards meeting the MDGs by 2015 will be patchy – there is good progress in some areas but not others. Unsurprisingly, we will not reach our nirvana by 2015 and the UN has therefore embarked on a consultation on what should replace the MDGs. The key focus is the world’s urban areas and the UN is consulting on the post-2015 development agenda that specifically addresses urban centres including cities. In the words of the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons, “Cities are where the battle for sustainable development will be won or lost”. This is where we as planners come in – we must help ensure that the battle is won.

Over recent years, CAP has been promoting the value of planning and the need for effective urban policy as vehicles to help achieve a better future for citizens in the Commonwealth. As an organisation that represents more than 40,000 planners, which in turn represents some 30 per cent of the world’s population, we have a unique and valuable voice in contributing to thinking on the post-2015 development agenda.

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T H E C O M M O N W E A LT H A S S O C I A T I O N O F P L A N N E R S

CANADA UK M A LT A

CYPRUS

BANGLADESH JAMAICA

BRUNEI UGANDA BARBADOS

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO

GHANA TANZANIA MALAWI NAMIBIA

MALAYSIA

KENYA SINGAPORE SRI LANKA

MAURITIUS SOUTH AFRICA

AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND

GLOBAL THE WORLD’S CITIES WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING WILL BE A KEY TOOL FOR MANAGING URBAN POPULATION GROWTH. CLIVE HARRIDGE REPORTS ON HOW THE COMMONWEALTH ASSOCIATION OF PLANNERS IS PROMOTING THIS MESSAGE INTERNATIONALLY

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C O M M O N W E A LT H A S S O C I A T I O N O F P L A N N E R S

“WE WILL NOT REACH OUR NIRVANA BY 2015 – THE UN HAS EMBARKED ON WHAT SHOULD REPLACE THE MDGS” The need for an effective urban policy was clearly presented by the Africa Research Institute in a recent paper, Who will plan Africa’s cities?

The paper identified that much urban development in sub-Saharan Africa is occurring in a completely non-planned and non-transparent The 2013 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opening ceremony held in Sri Lanka last November manner. An urban crisis is being fuelled by growing numbers of inhabitants who have no access to shelter, basic services or formal employment opportunities. Environmental hazards are escalating, compounded by waste, air pollution and the effects of climate change. These observations on African cities are also applicable to many other cities in the Commonwealth and elsewhere.

To address the challenges of rapid urbanisation and poverty CAP has identified the need for new planning approaches. This need has been recognised by Commonwealth leaders, who at their meeting in Trinidad and Tobago in 2009 said, “new and inclusive approaches to urban planning and management were central to achieving the MDGs”.

The most recent opportunity for CAP to promote the need for effective planning and urban policy was at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and the related Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF), which were held together in Sri Lanka in November. The final outcome called on governments to: • Give priority to urban growth and manage cities as significant agents of

today’s global economy; • Address common concerns around health, waste management and land

use management and transport; • Advance the Commonwealth State of the Cities programme (led by CAP)

as a reporting mechanism and a means to build the evidence base for the development of urban policy; and • Establish a sectoral group (to include CAP) on Human Settlements to build partnerships between government, civil society organisations and the private sector.

The points were fully supported in the related CHOGM communiqué in which Commonwealth Heads reaffirmed their commitment to “an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future”.

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They recognised that eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. In addition, the heads reaffirmed the conviction that gender equality and empowerment of women are at the core of human development.

While underlining the importance of encouraging economic growth, the heads noted that economic growth alone does not automatically lead to progress in human and sustainable development. Commonwealth Heads also put forward policy positions on a range of other influences including education, health, climate change and social development.

An area of deep concern in the Commonwealth is rising inequality at international and national levels. In a separate statement heads of government agreed that achieving growth with equality and inclusivity must be one of the main policy priorities for the Commonwealth. But achieving growth with equity and promoting sustainable development will require intensified efforts at all levels including through strengthened public administration and institutions, and developing the necessary institutional capacity, knowledge and skill levels.

The CHOGM outputs are focused on the post2105 development agenda and are to be brought together in 2014 in a statement of Commonwealth perspectives and recommendations for submission to the 69th session of the UN General Assembly. CAP will be participating in the preparation of this statement, carrying forward our key messages on planning.

CAP and other national and international planning organisations must promote the value of planning in helping tackle some of the world’s most acute problems, particularly the crises facing many cities. The UN’s post-2015 development agenda consultation provides an excellent opportunity for us to do so.

We must demonstrate that good planning leads to more inclusive growth – properly planned cities provide a foundation stone for the route out of urban poverty, an avenue to economic growth, a basis for profitable investment in urban development and a recipe for social and environmental sustainability.

In a nutshell, planning is the single most important tool that governments have at their disposal for managing urban population growth and expansion – we need to ensure that this message is recognised and acted upon.

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D E C IS IO N S IN F O C U S ..................................................... P .36 L E GAL L AN D S C A P E ............................................................. P .4 0 C ARE E R D E VE L O P ME NT ................................................... P .4 2 C O RRE S P O N D E N C E , P LA N A HE A D.......................... P .4 4 RT P I N E W S. . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................................ P .4 6 P L AN B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................................................................ P .5 0

INSIGHT GARDEN CITIES IN VOGUE IN CHINA A London-based practice has signed a major master-planning contract with a rural government council in Jiangsu Province, China, to advise on the county’s long-term eco-urbanisation development strategy.

Wei Yang & Partners announced that they would use garden city principles to help Sui Ning promote growth at the UK-China Business Summit in December 2013. The Sui Ning project is one of the first pilot urban-rural integrated development projects in China and follows the Chinese government’s urban-rural reform policy in November 2013.

Sui Ning is a rural county along the Yellow River corridor. It has a population of 1.37 million, of which 1.05 million people live in rural areas. In the next 20 years 500,000 people in the county are predicted to move to urban areas locally. Managing director Wei Yang said the project would tackle how to balance competing priorities such as agricultural and cultural heritage, regeneration and growth, energy and resources.

“Long-term investment, implementation strategies and appropriate governance models need to be explored in the process of urbanisation in China, We hope this project can show an innovative approach in considering a balanced urban-rural development model in China with 21st century garden city principles,” he added.

To comment on our Insight pages, email editorial@theplanner.co.uk

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INSIGHT

DiF { D

DECISIONS IN FOCUS

Decisions in Focus is where we put the spotlight on some of the more interesting, offbeat and significant planning appeals of the last month – alongside your comments. If you'd like to contribute your insights and analyses to future issues of The Planner, email DiF at editorial@theplanner.co.uk LEISURE

Yurt tent scheme would harm landscape’s character (1 S U M M A R Y Change of use of land near St Ives from agricultural use in the summer months to a “glamping” (glamorous ecocamping) site with space for three Mongolian yurt tents, rainwater showers and ecotoilets. The land would return to agricultural use outside the tourist season.

(2 C A S E D E T A I L S The inspector noted that since the refusal the Cornwall Structure Plan 2004 has been revoked and its policies no longer apply.

Policies under the Penwith local plan expect new proposals to be integrated into its surroundings, respect traditional patterns and styles of development, and to protect areas of great landscape value from significant harm. Tourism policy seeks to direct development to locations with minimal impact on the coast and countryside, while caravan and camping are steered to edge of settlements.

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(3 C O N C L U S I O N R E A C H E D The site is on the crest of a hill, with views over St Ives Bay and distant glimpses of the sea to the south coast. The inspector noted that while this would be an attractive location for visitors, the hill top position means the yurts would be clearly visible in open landscape. While the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) supports sustainable rural tourism in appropriate locations. The relatively isolated position of the site on a hill top would mean any harm caused would not outweigh the

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development’s benefits.

The inspector concluded that the development would harm the area’s landscape character, contrary to the Penwith Local Plan, and would be unacceptable. The appeal was dismissed.

Appeal reference: APP/ D0840/A/13/2190226

(4 A N A LY S I S [1] EMMA EVANS The appeal decision for temporary ‘glamping’

facilities at Carbis Bay highlights the importance of the “balancing exercise” imposed by the framework in reaching a decision. As paragraph eight of the NPPF makes clear, the three key roles of sustainable development should not be viewed in isolation.

While paragraph 28 of the NPPF supports sustainable rural tourism in appropriate locations where development respects the character of the countryside, the scheme (acknowledged by the inspector and council as job creation, new tourism

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facilities for St Ives and boost to the local economy) were not deemed sufficient to override the landscape impact of the proposals in the planning balance.

The grant of permission would also undoubtedly set a precedent for future development in isolated locations not in accordance with the council’s local plan saved policies.

EMMA EVANS, senior planner, Alliance Planning

[2] CAROLINE BYWATER This decision highlights the “sustainable” requirements running through the policies in the NPPF. In this case, the issue was one of sustainable rural tourism and the appeal site found itself lacking due to its isolated location. In the event the decision turned, as legislation requires it to, on the policies in the local plan, the inspector not finding that the new glamping business initiative was a sufficient material consideration to indicate otherwise.

The inspector pointed specifically to policies that required camp sites to be steered towards edge of settlement locations, where harm to the countryside was limited, and tourism development to be directed to those areas which would have minimal impact on the countryside.

In rural areas such as Cornwall, there may always be a struggle between supporting new businesses and protecting the open countryside. In this case, despite the proposals being small-scale and for the summer months only, the “traditional character” of the landscape won.

CAROLINE BYWATER, senior solicitor, Mills & Reeve LLP

ENERGY

Davey consent to King’s Lynn electric line (1 S U M M A R Y Energy and climate change secretary Ed Davey has granted development consent for an overhead electric line connecting the proposed King’s Lynn B gas turbine power station to the transmission network. The decision followed a sixmonth examination by the Planning Inspectorate in line with the Planning Act 2008.

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(2 C A S E D E T A I L S The consent is for the construction, operation and maintenance of a 2.8km, 400,000 volt overhead line to the south of King’s Lynn and would comprise eight new steel lattice towers, one replacement tower, temporary construction works and highway closures.

The secretary of state agreed that the proposal was not such a sensitive location that an overhead line, with its inevitable visual impacts, would be unacceptable. He said the proposal does not need a Habitats Regulation Assessment, as it affects no

internationally recognised sites and species and that there is no significant immediate impact on “large birds”. The secretary of state also supported the examination authority’s view that developer NGET and local authorities are likely to agree a way forward on traffic routing.

(3 C O N C L U S I O N R E A C H E D The secretary of state agreed the consent would be consistent with National Policy Statements on energy that set out a national need for significant electricity network infrastructure.

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INSIGHT

DiF { D

DECISIONS IN FOCUS COMMUNITY FACILITIES

Appeal references: http:// infrastructure.planningportal.gov. uk/projects/eastern/kings-lynn-bconnection-project/

(4 A N A LY S I S DAWN ADAMS This decision by Ed Davey, the secretary of state for energy and climate change, provides an interesting insight into the use of national policy statements on energy as a material consideration in granting development consents for new electricity infrastructure.

The secretary of state agreed with the inspector that although the location of the proposed overhead line runs close to several areas of environmental protection, the applicant had looked at mitigation including the sitting of the route away from flight paths and feeding areas of “large birds”.

Moreover, given the growing national demand for energy, the inspector concluded that the local adverse impacts would be outweighed by the benefits of providing electricity to the nation.

The secretary of state agreed with the conclusions that show a positive attitude at a national level to delivering infrastructure to manage the ever-increasing demands on energy in order to ‘keep the lights on’.

DAWN ADAMS, Planning Consultant, Alliance Planning

Lower Eggleton pub conversion dismissed on local grounds (1 S U M M A R Y Appeal against a refusal by Herefordshire Council for change of use of the Newtown Inn in Lower Eggleton to a dwelling house, along with the removal of catering kitchens, public toilets, bar and cellar equipment, and a front door and the installation of a domestic kitchen.

The main issue was whether the loss of the public house is acceptable in the light of policies dealing with the loss of community facilities.

The property is close to a petrol station, garage shop and other settlements and is within five miles from other pubs. The property’s trading history has suffered in recent times.

(2 C A S E D E T A I L S Herefordshire’s Unitary Development Plan (UDP) states that change of use leading to the loss of a community facility will not be permitted unless it can be shown that the facility is not viable and is unlikely to become so. the National Planning Policy Framework also seeks to support a prosperous rural economy and that local plans should promote retention of community facilities including pubs.

(3 C O N C L U S I O N R E A C H E D The inspector said that under the UDP and the Framework, the appellant has to demonstrate that the facility does not contribute to the community’s needs.

While alcohol can be bought at the garage shop and a

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nearby village hall can provide a meeting place, neither can offer the distinctive gathering place of a public house.

The number of households objecting to the proposal also represented a high percentage of local properties.

those living some distance away would still be likely to consider it as their ‘local’, and therefore contribute to community need. The decision would be of interest to any party involved in a similar development.

RICHARD COOKE, Principal Planner, Alliance Planning

The appeal was dismissed.

Appeal reference: APP/ W1850/A/13/2198409

(4 A N A LY S I S [1] RICHARD COOKE This case usefully highlights the main issues associated with the loss of public houses in rural areas, which principally relate to the assessment of potential viability of the business vs community need/value. The decision underlines the need for cases to be assessed on their merits.

In this case, the inspector considers a number of factors in determining that the public house could be viable, with reference to others in the vicinity that have remained open. Of particular interest is the weight given to the community value of the public house. The inspector decides that in view of the pattern of development in the rural area, it is not unreasonable that

[2] CAROLINE BYWATER This decision is interesting as it hinged not on the proposed future use of the appeal site, but on what would be lost in the process – in this case a pub.

The rate at which pubs are closing is never far from the news these days and this decision really highlights that the planning system can be an important weapon in the armory of a community trying to retain their local facilities.

The inspector stated that the fact that the local community had not come forward to purchase the pub did not necessarily mean that there was a lack of need for the facility, and she gave weight to the fact that a significant percentage of households in the vicinity objected to the proposals.

In this instance, the appellant had not made out her case that the pub no longer contributed to the needs of the community.

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+ We’d like to incorporate your comment, insight and analysis into Decisions in Focus each month. Whether you can offer a brief obversation on a matter of interest within an inspector’s judgement or an informed interpretation of a decision, please let us know by emailing DiF at editorial@theplanner.co.uk

ROUND­UP Here are more decisions that we think are worth a look this month. All the details and inspector’s letters can be found on the Planning Portal website: www.pcs.planningportal.gov.uk

AGRICULTURAL

(1) Application: Change of use from paddock to garden land at Astwood, Buckinghamshire.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: While the proposal conflicts with this policy, the inspector found the use of the appeal site as garden land does not have a significant impact on its overall objectives.

Appeal reference: APP/ Y0435/A/13/2200540

AGRICULTURAL

(2) Application: To build a garage block, stables and a store for machinery and hay at a farm at Loxwood, Billinghurst.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: The inspector noted that the refusal cited the South East Plan but as this has been revoked it no longer forms part of the development plan.

The proposal would not conflict with the Chichester District Council Plan and is consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework’s approach of recognising the character and beauty of the countryside.

Appeal reference: APP/ L3815/A/13/2196874 LEISURE AND TOURISM

(3) Application: Change of use from manufacture to leisure facilities, including football pitches, women-only gym in Bradford.

Decision: Permission refused.

Main issues: The proposal included 55 parking spaces, well below the 162 spaces advised by the planning authority for a development

of this size. The inspector found that no detailed assessment had been made of the likely number of people who would use the building at any one time.

Appeal reference: APP/ W4705/A/13/2197958

RETAIL

(4) Application: The development proposed to change ground floor offices to A1 retail use with new shopfront and security shutters in the London Borough of Newham.

Decision: Permission refused.

Main issues: A raft of development plan policies broadly seeks to maintain or develop town and local centres and consolidate commercial uses within their boundaries. The inspector concluded a retail use would undermine these objectives.

Appeal reference: APP/ G5750/A/13/2195728 COMMERCIAL

(5) Application: A new petrol station with canopy sales building and car washing facilities in Wokingham.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: The inspector noted that the planning authority permitted a variation to the opening hours for a temporary period.

The hours allowed are from 7am to 11pm Monday to Saturday and 7.30am to 10.30pm on Sundays and public holidays. The inspector found these hours protect the living conditions of neighbours.

Appeal reference: APP/ X0360/A/13/2196938

ENERGY

(6) Application: Proposal for seven wind turbines and associated development for generating electricity at Flixborough Grange, near Scunthorpe.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: The construction of a compound access track adjacent to a bridleway.

The inspector found the new track would maximise public safety by minimising conflicting movements of users of the bridleway against those using the compound track.

Appeal reference: APP/ Y2003/A/13/2190880

COMMERCIAL

(8) Application: Replacement of asbestos cement roof and side wall cladding, new sign frontage and a single storey extension for a MoT viewing area in Sheffield.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: The proposal would not have an adverse effect on the character and appearance of the existing building or the area. The inspector found no conflict with the Sheffield Unitary Development Plan and Development Framework Core Strategy.

Appeal reference: APP/ J4423/A/13/2200631

HOUSING CONVERSION

(9) Application: A proposal to replace a single storey garage with a five-storey building comprising 47 bedrooms for student accommodation in Greenwich.

Decision: Permission refused.

Main issues: The proposal

failed to take sufficient account of the height of neighbouring buildings and would unduly dominate its surroundings. The development would not exhibit a high quality of design or contribute positively to the built environment.

Appeal reference: APP/ E5330/A/13/2193207

COMMERCIAL

(10) Application: The proposed development is for an auction house (sui generis) in addition to B1, B2 and B8 uses at Holroyd Business Centre, Bradford.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: The proposal would not harm highway safety and would be consistent with the Bradford Replacement Unitary Development Plan which seek to ensure development is served by appropriate parking and safe access.

Appeal reference: APP/ W4705/A/13/2199761

HOUSING CONVERSION

(11) Application: Change of use from redundant commercial premises to a residential live/ work unit in Brighton.

Decision: Permission granted.

Main issues: The inspector found the proposal would not harm the character and appearance of the area. It would also provide satisfactory living conditions for future occupants for floorspace, outlook and natural light.

Appeal reference: APP/ Q1445/A/13/2197428

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INSIGHT

LLegal landscape HS2 COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDERS The introduction into the House of Commons of the government’s HS2 Phase One hybrid bill, in November last year, caused much excitement. After a prolonged debate in the press, this was the first solid step on what will be a long and tortuous road.

Although it is a long way from being passed – second reading debates, the deposit of petitions and select committee hearings in both the Commons and the Lords are still to come – Parliament is at least considering its merits. But it remains a hugely ambitious and uncertain programme; HS1 (Channel Tunnel Rail Link) hybrid bill took 25 months to pass and Crossrail 40 months, yet the government is targeting April 2015 for HS2 to be passed, just 16 months away.

The uncertainties specific to this bill are considerable: we await the Supreme Court’s judgment on last year's judicial review proceedings; a consultation period of just eight weeks for the 50,000-page Environmental Statement (ES) is arguably too short, even though it has been extended by two weeks because of dissemination problems; the extent to which the government will challenge the right of some petitioners to be heard; and the composition of the Commons Select

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anxiety among landowners and local authorities. With no apparent time frame or limit on which sites can be compulsorily purchased, there could be an unintended blighting effect. Until clarifications are made some landowners are in limbo – unable to develop or sell for fear of the bill’s impact.

Necessary clarification

Robbie Owen Committee itself, as well as its interpretation of the bill’s principle (which is not within their remit) have still to be determined.

Unprecedented power But it is the range of compulsory purchase powers conferred by the bill that best demonstrates the uncertainties –powers that in one key respect go

“WITH NO APPARENT TIME FRAME OR LIMIT THERE COULD BE AN UNINTENDED BLIGHTING EFFECT"

far beyond previous hybrid bills. Under Clause 47, if the government “considers that the construction of phase one of High Speed Two gives rise to the opportunity for regeneration or development of any land”, it may make a compulsory purchase order (CPO) of that land.

This clause, with no spatial or time limits, represents a new general power that is unprecedented in the history of infrastructure projects.

As the government seeks to shore up the economic case for the project it is perhaps understandable – acquiring land in this fashion not only gives control over regeneration, but could potentially generate a profit, with the public purse sharing the benefit from uplift in values.

However, the power’s scope – theoretically any development site that becomes viable because of HS2 – is likely to cause

Local authorities are likely to seek assurances from the government about exactly how this power is to be used regarding opportunities surrounding HS2 stations.

In locations where multiple parties are involved, then the powers could speed up development, but elsewhere councils will want to ensure that they remain in control.

With this effect in mind, it’s likely that Parliament may baulk at the scope and breadth of the proposed CPO powers. At the very least spatial limits and a time frame for CPOs need to be clarified. A balance will need to be struck, so I suspect that the clause will be tightened up as the bill progresses through Parliament.

– ROBBIE OWEN Robbie is a Roll A Parliamentary Agent and head of infrastructure planning and government affairs at Pinsent Masons

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LATEST POSTS FROM LEGAL BLOGGERS

B LO G S This month – Whether incentives for fracking will do the trick, and the pitfalls of Twitter in planning appeals

L E G I S L AT I O N S H O R T S Unlocking shale power – Roy Pinnock Prime minister David Cameron says the government is “going all out for shale”. He adds that the business rates retention scheme in force since April 2013, allowing councils to retain 50 per cent of the uplift in business rates from development they authorise, will apply to shale projects at a full 100 per cent rate.

This policy was recommended by the Institute of Directors report last May on the economic benefits from shale development in the UK. The report envisaged a £3.7 billion investment in UK shale and the government aims to use the business rates regime to channel some of this locally to assuage public resistance.

The benefits for a 12well site could be worth up to £1.7 million to the council responsible for collecting rates.

Critics will point to the cost of policing Cuadrilla’s operations at Balcombe last year and uncertainties about how and when rates valuations will take place. But there is a lack of a clear mechanism for getting these resources down to the level where they will sway local opinion.

Business rates retention will not benefit the minerals planning authorities that will determine fracking applications.

But the money will not be a “local finance consideration” for planning approval purposes unless the local authority agrees to spend the retained rates on something related to the fracking project. Where decision-making is co-ordinated in this way there are some real benefits to weigh in the planning balance.

It would be possible for the government to set the business rates retention amendments so that the extra 50 per cent, or a part of it, must be passed to a community interest company (CIC) or neighbourhood planning body.

The UK Onshore Operators’ Group has launched its proposals for securing community benefits, which will rely on the national charitable trust UK Community Foundations to deliver £100,000 for local benefits where planning consent is given and exploratory drilling starts. Local priorities will be set following consultation and a local panel will be appointed to decide how funds are spent.

It is good to see the model for local benefits being worked up, but it remains to be seen how the 1 per cent of profits promised by the group and government will be calculated and paid, and whether the use of a national charity structure will give the flexibility that CICs could offer in using community benefits to go beyond mitigation

projects to wider notfor-profit and social enterprise roles.

Roy Pinnock is a senior associate at Dentons

Pickles-vision – Neil Collar Communities secretary Eric Pickles is backing recording and filming of planning meetings.

In a first, Long Harbour & Barratt East Scotland Ltd cites the use of Twitter at a planning meeting as an issue in the planning permission appeal.

The complaint is that the Cockburn Association used Twitter to provide a running commentary during the hearing before Edinburgh’s planning authority. The appellants note they were restricted to a 15-minute presentation. and say if had they been aware of the Twitter commentary “they too could have formed an active participant in related supposed ‘fair’ debate”.

Appeal documents include tweets to provide a flavour of the commentary. The council’s response does not appear to comment on this complaint.

Given the conciseness of appeal decision letters, I suspect the reporter might not comment on it either.

But it highlights how the use of social media raises new problems.

Neil Collar is a partner at Brodies

Environmental impact assessment reforms on the way The government is set to exempt certain development proposals from the need to submit an environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Under a package of measures to be unveiled in April, the threshold for carrying out an EIA will be raised to a “significantly higher level”. The package will also include room for automatic discharge of planning conditions where a planning authority fails to deal with applications.

Planning minister Nick Boles said the reforms would “significantly cut the burdens of unnecessary planning applications, help local authorities and developers reduce the administration involved in EIA cases and simplify the listed building consent system”.

Draft Scottish planning framework unveiled The Scottish government has published a draft third National Planning Framework identifying 14 nationally significant developments, including two new projects.

The framework, which will provide a context for development plans across the country, sets out proposals for two new national schemes to deliver growth – a pumped hydroelectric storage facility at Cruachan, Argyll, and a digital fibre network to connect the most remote rural communities.

The government also unveiled a position statement on its review of the Scottish Planning Policy (SPP). It said that following a consultation at the end of 2013 on the proposed introduction of a presumption in favour of sustainable development, it would carry out two further consultations to inform the revised SPP. The framework will be finalised and published in June alongside the revised SPP.

London boroughs legal challenge fails A group of London boroughs has failed in a bid to challenge the government's introduction of permitted development rights for office-to-home conversions.

The High Court ruled that the process of deciding where to allow exemptions from the policy was not unlawful and rejected the application for judicial review. The challenge, led by the London Borough of Islington with backing from Camden, Richmond, Sutton and Tower Hamlets, said the policy is creating a free-for-all in the planning system.

Apart from loss of valuable employment space, the boroughs had argued that councils had no control over the quality or size of the converted flats or any power to demand an affordable housing element.

The government introduced the policy last May, prompting 165 local authorities to seek at least a partial exemption. Only 17 were subsequently granted, including London's “central activities zone” and three other areas in the capital.

The boroughs said that the way in which applications were to be assessed had not been explained to councils and was unfair and unlawful.

The court disagreed and said although it “would have been sensible” for communities secretary Eric Pickles to give this information to planning authorities, failure to do so did not amount to the process being unlawful.

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INSIGHT

Career { D E V E L O P M E N T C HOW TO BUILD A GAME PLAN

The art of fruitful planning is down to the science of goal setting. But how do you create a personal development plan and see it through? Kate Dobinson investigates how town planners can achieve their ambitions

Q

uick fixes for mind, body and soul are an oft-trodden topic in the New Year but planners, by name and nature, are way ahead of the curve when it comes to self-improvement.

Planners knit new skills and knowledge into their work socks every day upon qualification. The New Year, then, is actually about tweaking a wider career personal development plan that – at two years – lasts longer than a dry January does.

In a nutshell Every year, RTPI members are required to write a professional development plan (PDP) and complete a minimum of 50 hours of CPD activity to meet their PDP objectives.

technical press Supervised and academic research (R) Work-based development (W) research to tackle a new area of work RTPI activities (P) specialist working parties, planning aid work or acting as a consultee. Membership of a regional/national committee or the general assembly is not counted but discussing issues related to the needs in your PDP does Conferences (C) Courses leading to qualification (Q) e.g. N/SVQ

How to write a PDP Unlike a university personal statement, there is a prescribed format for a PDP though it must be unique and non-robotic. There’s a template available to download at http://tinyurl.com/RTPIdevplan and three steps to consider:

(1) Reflect – write down the tasks expected of you in your current role, the skills and knowledge you need and the changes likely to occur in the next two years. Looking for a new job? What skills do you need to attain it?

(2) Analyse – write down SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats). Are there any areas from last year’s PDP to address?

(3) Plan – consider your short (1-2 years) and long-term (3 years+) career ambitions using the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) objectives Bear in mind that you will regularly review and update your PDP as opportunities arise or things don’t work out quite how you thought they would.

Remember, part of career mapping is accepting that you may have a change of course that you can’t control but must learn to bounce back from.

Pick which activities will help you to improve your theory and practice of planning or to hone in on a particular discipline, such as presentation skills.

Each CPD activity is letter-coded and it’s best to mix them up. If your record shows a very high proportion of one letter then you must explain why.

Home-based (H) distance packages, online study or structured reading Action-based (A) identification of problems and solutions in the workplace Preparing material (M) for courses, technical meetings or publication in the

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KATE DOBINSON is news and content editor of The Planner

CASE STUDIES Three questions to measure your progress: a. How will you achieve your objective? b. How will you know that you have achieved it? c. What is the timescale?

Honest appraisal The RTPI does not assign hours or points to different CPD activities because you are the best person to recognise how much you have learnt from an individual activity. For example, if you attend a seven-hour conference but already know the material covered during the first half then you will only record 3.5 hours. Only you can judge if an activity has improved your competence.

What part does my employer play?

The responsibility for meeting the CPD obligation rests with the individual but employers can do a great deal to support their own staff.

Help review objectives on a regular basis Simply give staff time to prepare the PDP Carry out learning needs analysis – this is traditionally undertaken by the HR department but increasingly expected of managers

b b b

A ND REW S IM_

“I can be instinctive in my behaviour. This needs to be tempered” I hold a key role in preparing Fife’s emerging local development plan, FIFEplan. My role includes delivery and implementation duties and project management.

Andrew Sim is a town planner at Fife Council and vice chair of RTPI Scottish Young Planners Network

Strength: I continually seek improvements in working practices and outcomes.

Weakness: I can be instinctive in my professional behaviours and actions. This needs to be tempered at times.

Goals: In the short term, positively develop existing links with the private sector, community groups and representative bodies.

In the long term, promote and represent a positive, proportionate and reliable Scottish planning system.

Plan of action: Promote information sharing practices between internal staff and external stakeholders and encourage the formation of forums to share and relate relevant planning practice by 2015.

With 10 years’ experience of working within the Scottish planning system I intend to apply my experience and knowledge to secure career progression opportunities. This will establish me as a professional who values outcomes, continuous improvement and the critical role of the public service.

Pearl of wisdom? Preparing a PDP does not guarantee success but it will load the dice in your favour. A useful PDP should promote the role, values and purpose of planning while highlighting the contribution you can make now or to come within any multi-disciplinary team. SMART CPD objective setting is also critical.

D A V ID MA RS HA L L _

“My “ M goals relate to when I cease to be in paid employment” Strength: I take holistic approaches to problem solving.

Weakness: Impatience.

Goals: Develop business skills and apply phenomenological approaches to planning.

David Marshall is a council policy officer specialising in transport and was chair of the RTPI membership and ethics committee for 2012/13

Plan of action: Having made the transition from the public to private sector and from employed to self-employed, the importance of wider business-related ability is among the competencies I need to thrive in the future. My planning education didn't provide me with the [business] basics, albeit 30 years ago and it’s not something that the RTPI requires to become chartered but it will make me the more ‘complete professional’ I aspire to.

Traditional research techniques do not necessarily give us the full picture of how the transport system is experienced by some of the most vulnerable and marginalised in society. I discovered phenomenology – a suite of techniques borrowed from applied psychology, which allows subjects to describe their 'lived experience' in their own terms. I’m in discussions with the psychology department of my local university on how I might take this forward. I am in my late 50s so my goals also relate to when I cease to be in paid employment and how to contribute to communities in the future.

Pearl of wisdom: Follow your ambitions and don’t be constrained by convention.

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

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CORRESPONDENCE

I Inbox

Send feedback to editorial@theplanner.co.uk Tweet us @The Planner_RTPI

YOUR NEWS, VIEWS AND QUESTIONS FEEDBACK

Andrew Duckworth As you get older, so you read paragraphs on the deaths of RTPI members more regularly, to see if any of your peers have passed away. Surely The Planner, having the link with the RTPI, could contain this information?

Andrew Duckworth, MRTPI (Retired)

From the Editor: Andrew, you are not the first to ask this question and we understand the importance of an obituary section to our readers. When members pass away we will make every effort to include them.

Mohammed Iram Are town planners outdated?

Absolutely NOT! Planners are more relevant today than ever.

With depleting world resources and a global population boom around the corner, our cities will be stretched to breaking

point. It is our job to make sure the right decisions are being made to encourage sustainable economic development.

Iram Mohammed, senior planning consultant, ATKINS

P R O B L E M S O LV E D

Andrew Rogers In answer to Jane Scott’s query in December’s issue of The Planner, I have been involved with several prior notification submissions. The application is made to confirm – prior to carrying out work under the wider permitted development rules – that approval won’t be needed. For example, that it does not affect the amenity of neighbours [or, for Part three changes of use submissions that it has no impact on transport/highways, noise, contamination, or flood risk].

When the LPA has confirmed that prior approval is not required, or on the expiry of the relevant 42/56-day period, the proposed work can be

ALL OF A TWITTER @ThePlanner_RTPI

Nikola Miller@NikolaMiller Jan 10 Great2meet everyone @ThePlanner_RTPI in London this morn for a good chat about the future website + planners’ needs-look forward2seeing it!

Planning Scotland@PlanningScot Will the mag finally cover Scottish issues to the same extent as English issues?

carried out but must end before 30 May 2016. When completed, a Certificate of Lawful Development can be applied for.

In Jane’s example it is possible that a certificate will not be issued if the extensions do not comply in all respects with the General Permitted Development Order (2008 amendment), e.g. they extend beyond a wall forming a side elevation (the rear is described as “stepped”) and have a width greater than half the width of the original house and so contravene restriction A.1(h) of the Order.

Andrew Rogers, planning consultant, Richmond, Surrey

Hannah Revell With regard to Jane Scott’s problem, I concur with the view of the local authority.

The proposal could only be considered as ‘permitted development’ if the correct prior approval procedure has been followed. If is was successful, I would suggest that at that point a Certificate of Lawful development might be applied for as the definitive measure of whether planning Permission is required. This may be applied for before the prior approval process but, as the LPA would have explained, the decision would be that the certificate could not be granted as the correct procedure to which the development relates has not been undertaken.

Hannah Revell, planning enforcement officer, City Development, Oxford City Council

The Planner Magazine@ThePlanner_RTPI Our new ‘Exchange’ section, coming soon, will compare and contrast planning legislation and issues in Eng, NI, Scot and Wales

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THE PLANNER LEXICON

Last month we asked for your definitions of “material consideration” and “spatial thinking”.

Heather Kerswell, interim chief executive of the Chatham Maritime Trust, says: “I believe ‘material consideration’ is well exemplified by this policy from the Grotton local plan: ‘In Grotton’s conservation areas windows to residential properties must be provided with curtains of locally sourced chintz. Where a conservation area also forms part of a designated town centre, linen or velvet are permitted... Blinds are not permitted in Grotton as they require less material and so have less beneficial impact on the local economy.”’

Rachel Lawson, associate at WSP UK in Edinburgh, offers a seasonal definition: “The tailor’s post-Christmas task of determining additional fabric requirements for client’s clothing. Discretion required.”

“Material consideration”, says Jon Durbin MRTPI, is simply “Hard cash!”. Jon describes “spatial thinking” as “Far out, man!” and “localism” as “Getting to know your nearest pub” (that made us smirk).

Nigel Britton offers the following definitions: Mediation of space: “Joining the inter-galactic police force”.

Making of pla(i)ce: “Opening a fish and chip shop”.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Do you have a problem that your

We’d also love to hear definitions

planning peers can dissect for you?

of “adverse impact”, “landscape

Email Editorial@theplanner.co.uk

setting” and “rural development”.

with subject line: Problem Solver

Send us your suggestions.

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DIARY

LISTINGS Talks, conferences, training, master classes – everything you need to keep on top of the latest thinking and developments in the planning world.

NORTH EAST 24 March – New Directions in Planning Law Bond Dickinson and Kings Chambers examine the continuing impact of the NPPF and localism on planning legislation and procedures. Lawyers will draw on recent cases to relate the practical implications of these changes for planners in both the public and private sectors.

Venue: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Details: http://bit. ly/19OQIJQ 14 May – The Changing Face of Development Management This event will address the complexity of applications and its implications for both developers and LPA’s; experiences of dealing with cross boundary applications; the impact of the absence of an upto-date development plan on the decision making process; and the practical implications of changes to PD rights.

Venue: Newcastle-UponTyne, Tyne and Wear Details: http://bit. ly/1g5uyau

NORTH WEST 03 March – Planning Law Update The government has a non-exhaustive list of legislative changes, policy announcements and consultation documents that can be hard to keep up with. This event provides a head-up on the key themes in 2014 Venue: Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington Details: http://bit. ly/191zBtl 27 March – Local plans: Moving from strategy to sites This event will consider how site allocations, development management

policies and other designations can be used to achieve the objectives of a local plan. It will look at the most efficient way to prepare sound, positive, viable and deliverable plans, and take a closer look at the processes used to select sites including those for Gypsies and Travellers.

Venue: Gateley, Manchester Details: http://bit. ly/1gvqjFU

YORKSHIRE 20 March – Continuous and Contentious Planning Issues The government argues that investment in major minerals, waste, energy and climate change adaptation schemes of more than local significance is fundamental to economic growth.

However, communities feel that these changes will be detrimental to the local environment. Join the debate and have your say.

Venue: Sheffield Hallam University, Yorkshire Details: http://bit.ly/1l6Crjr 13 May – Rebuilding Hull: The Abercrombie Plan and Beyond Hull was heavily bombed during the Second World War and secured a dynamic city plan prepared by eminent planners and architects Edwin Lutyens and Patrick Abercrombie.

However, why was it not implemented and is Hull better or worse off?

Includes a walking tour of the city.

Venue: The Guildhall, Hull Details: http://bit. ly/1cN6GIV

EAST MIDLANDS 11 March – Bug Life: Conservation Presentation How can planners save the small things that run the planet? The Invertebrate Conservation

DON’T MISS The RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence Entry for the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence are now open in what will be the institute's prestigious Centenary year.

The premier awards for planning in the UK and Ireland, the RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence celebrate the positive contribution that planners and planning make to society and highlight exceptional examples of planning. For the first time the best local authority Planning Team of the Year will also be recognised as part of the awards. Thirty judges from across the profession will be participating this year.

Entering is a low cost, high impact way to highlight your achievements to potential clients, peers and stakeholders. Winning and shortlisted entries will be disseminated through the RTPI’s website and other best practice resources. All winning and shortlisted entrants will have the choice of receiving an awards logo for use on their own promotional materials.

The deadline for entry submissions is 14 February.

Details: http://bit.ly/1m597dL

Trust will provide an evening of education for environmentally friendly young planners.

Venue: Peterborough Details: http://bit. ly/1gJX9lN 03 March – Preparing for Public Inquiries Barristers from No 5 Chambers will school you in the art of public examination. The full day seminar will include procedure and tactics, types and formats of different hearings, appropriate submissions, cross examination and the role of the inquiry ‘expert’, for planners at any level and from any sector.

Venue: Ipswich Town Football Club, Suffolk Details: http://bit. ly/1lEnenm 13 March – Planning for Climate Change This morning seminar will address climate change and the scope of carbon initiatives; UK government strategy; climate change adaptation, mitigation and planning; the NPPF and sustainable energy.

Venue: Loxley house, Nottingham Details: http://bit. ly/1drCS4T

WEST MIDLANDS 14 March – Making Sustainability Appraisals more than a Tick-box Exercise This seminar helps local authorities and built environment professionals to use the SA process more

effectively to inform plan development, avoid legal challenge and make better policy.

Venue: Birmingham, West Midlands Details: http://bit. ly/19RbVWA 11 April – Delivering sustainable economic growth and the evolving role of LEPs Has Westminster business been too housing focused?

Are we in a place to deliver the building and land for economic growth? Growth plans are emerging and LEPs are taking an ever more active role. This seminar will examine the changing roles that consultants, local authorities and LEPs play and the finer legal points and emerging cases in the run-up to the local elections.

Venue: Walsall, West Midlands Details: http://bit. ly/19OV6bK

SOUTH WEST 12 March – Development Management Update your knowledge of planning law and enforcement and other key issues that development staff face.

Venue: Taunton, Somerset Details: http://bit.ly/ KnZKqJ 02 April – Making Plans for Town Centres There is growing consensus about the need to redefine the economic and social function of town centres

in the face of changing retail market trends. This session will explore the opportunities and role which planning can play in maintaining viable town centres, particularly historic market towns such as Sherborne.

Venue: Sherborne, Dorset Details: http://bit. ly/1lErTFI

LONDON 05 March – Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and PINS The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) took the reins from the Infrastructure Planning Commission in 2012 to deal with major transport, energy and water applications. This workshop advises on how to deal with the new system and achieve successful outcomes.

Venue: Hatton Garden, London Details: http://bit.ly/Jy7NBi 12 March – Negotiation Skills for Planning Whether it’s a Section 106 agreement or a pay rise, negotiation is commonplace to a planner but can be stressful and not as intuitive as we would like. This oneday programme will improve your chances of a positive outcome and imparts useful advice on how to reduce conflicts and strengthen your relationships.

Venue: Hatton Garden, London Details: http://bit.ly/ KmB56s

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NEWS

RTPI {

RTPI news pages are edited

by Tino Hernandez at the RTPI, 40 Botolph Lane, London EC3R 8DL

A year to be proud of DR PETER GERAGHTY HAS RETURNED TO NORMAL LIFE AFTER HIS YEAR IN OFFICE. HERE, THE INSTITUTE'S LATEST PAST­PRESIDENT LOOKS BACK ON AN EVENTFUL 2013

A

t my inauguration I expressed the opinion that as a profession we had become inhibited and reticent to proclaim and espouse the vital and valuable contribution that planners make to civil society and the national wellbeing.¹ This reticence does nothing to allay the widespread perception of planning in the general media and political circles as a purely bureaucratic, procedure-based activity.² This perception, particularly in England, of planning practice as an activity that is undertaken substantially by a local authority as a mechanistic process belies and undervalues the power of planning as a sphere of professional activity. A flavour of this perception can be traced back as far as our first president, Thomas Adams, who became frustrated with ‘the routine of planning control ... [and] the lack of opportunity to do constructive work in planning’.³ More recently it has been argued

by McConnell that the problem with planning theory and planning practice is that planners seldom have to ask themselves what the reason is for what they are doing.⁴ This is reinforced by the point Tewder-Jones⁵ has argued that planners have been forced to dispense with the theoretical justification for recommendations and simply provide the facts of each case.

In my view, one of the outcomes of this trend has been the growing tendency for tweaking and amending the legislative framework underpinning planning practice and the preoccupation with procedural change as a means of promoting growth, which has in turn eroded the value of planning as a professional activity. This has further reinforced a negative perception of planning. That is why I made it my mission during my presidential year

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“ONE OF THE WAYS OF CHALLENGING THESE NEGATIVE PERCEPTIONS IS TO SHOW THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES FROM PLANNING”

to showcase and highlight our achievements as chartered planners. I am proud of the profession and proud of planners. I can honestly say that having had the benefit of travelling around the UK and Ireland, I have been impressed by the commitment and dedication of planners in spite of all these challenges, and in the face of such negative perceptions, to making the planning system work for them, their clients and their communities.

One of the ways of challenging these negative perceptions is to show the positive outcomes from planning. It is so important that this work is recognised. For example, the London Planning Awards and our Awards for Planning Excellence demonstrate the high calibre of planning output. Good planning has always been about enabling the right development in the right place and the right time.

The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises the importance of good design and the entrants to these Awards illustrate not only good design but good planning. The institute’s awards for Planning Excellence was an incredibly successful event and I for one was proud to be associated with it. We should all take pride not only in the successful entrants but all those shortlisted.

On my regional visit to the to the South East I was impressed by the adaptability of planners in Cherwell District Council, who were determined to continue to promote Bicester as an eco-town in spite of difficult circumstances and develop an environmentally focused and sustainable community.

This resilience very much reminds me of the words of Thomas Adams, who said: “The best plan is the one which presents the highest ideals that can be realised in practice.”⁶ In the East of England Region I had the opportunity to see the work of planners in South Cambridgeshire District Council in creating sustainable places. For example, the authority applied the learning from developing the new community of Cambourne in creating the proposed settlement of Northstowe.

Engagement and participation is vital to the sustainable development process and to dispelling the misconceptions about planning and its objectives.

continues on page 48

{

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Editorial E: rtpinews@rtpi.org.uk

RTPI (switchboard) T: 020 7929 9494 F: 020 7929 9490

Registered charity no.

262865 Registered charity in Scotland SCO37841

RTPI SHORTS

John Burrow Property Project Manager HACKNEY COUNCIL

(1) What do you currently do?

After a 30-year career spanning planning policy, regeneration and property development, including the council’s school building programme, I am now employed by Hackney Council as a property project manager. The borough has transformed into a vibrant place in which residents are proud to live, which attracts investment and visitors, and which can hold its head high against many other parts of London.

(2) It I wasn't in planning I'd probably be...

Programming jet-fighter simulators! No, seriously, as a frustrated trainee planner I was offered a job working for an aerospace defence contractor based on my first degree in computer science. My then-employer responded by agreeing to enrol me on a day-release, post-graduate course in Town Planning at what is now the University of Westminster.

(3) What has been your biggest career challenge to date?

Preparing the five-year City Challenge regeneration plan for Dalston, Hackney, setting up the delivery company and then being appointed to manage its implementation. This required a multi-disciplinary approach.

The plan was delivered to programme and on budget and was highly commended by the government.

(4) What attracted you to the profession?

Originally, the prospect of undertaking spatial research and modelling using operational research computer techniques. However, after a short while this was overtaken by growing interest in urban planning and an understanding of the difference that planning can make in terms of improving living environments and providing new life opportunities.

(5) What single piece of advice would you provide to someone starting off a career in planning?

Planning is a broadly based profession that can take you into many areas of national and local government management and private practice, so you can gain wide experience and find out where your passion really lies.

(6) If you could change one thing about the planning profession, what would it be?

A rapidly expanding population will place even greater emphasis on arbitration and community engagement skills to manage anticipated change. Planners will need to make themselves even more accountable to local neighbourhoods and gain a thorough understanding of the local issues to ensure that developments can progress appropriately to the satisfaction of all parties.

MEMBERS WARNED A consultant member was found to be in breach of the Code of Professional Conduct owing to a failure to provide written terms of engagement and to exercise due care with regard to information provided in a planning application. The member received a warning about their future conduct.

Confusion sometimes arises when a consultant is asked to provide advice or to assist another practice in advising their client.

In such situations members must ask themselves who their client is to ensure that the necessary terms of

engagement have been agreed.

Another consultant member, Mr Andrew Vaughan-Harries, has been found to be in breach of the code for incurring fees additional to those previously agreed, for failing to act with competence and integrity in terms of work carried out, and in respect of the tone of language used in client correspondence, and for withdrawing a client’s application without authority. The member was warned about his future conduct.

n Sandra Whitehead, Complaints Investigator Sandra.whitehead@rtpi.org.uk

APPEAL DISMISSED All members of the RTPI are bound by a Code of Professional Conduct that applies to all of their professional activities.

A consultant member of the institute has been found to be in breach of the Code of Professional Conduct owing to misleading statements of fact following an appeal of the original finding.

Such statements were based upon professional opinion and assumption, rather than on matters of fact.

The Appeal Committee therefore took the decision to dismiss the appeal by the member and to uphold the decision of the Conduct and Discipline Panel.

After deliberation, the committee agreed that the member’s conduct amounted to a failure to discharge his duty with due care and diligence, and also that they failed to act with competence in accordance with the provisions of the code.

As a result, the member was warned about his future conduct.

n For information about the Code of Professional Conduct visit www.rtpi.org.uk/membership/ professional-standards/

FE B R U AR Y 2 0 14 / THE PLA NNER

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NEWS

RTPI { « A year to be proud of

Sustainable development doesn’t happen by chance; it requires commitment by built environment professionals. The work of planners at South Cambridgeshire District Council embodies this principle.

On my Yorkshire visit I had the opportunity to see to Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, assisted by planners in the private sector, work with a private landowner and a government agency, Atlas, to promote housing by means of an urban extension at Basingthorpe Farm. This is another example of a positive approach to planning, working in partnership to bring about sustainable development. Creating a sustainable community was the shared objective of all those involved. Sustainability should be at the heart of what we do as a built profession.

As part of my presidential visits I met students and academics in universities throughout the country, including Birmingham, Liverpool, Oxford, Plymouth and Dublin. These young people represent the future of our profession. I was heartened by the calibre of students and their enthusiasm for the profession.

They also exemplified enterprise and initiative that was very impressive. For example, in Dublin two recent graduates organised a competition for planning students to find a design solution for an inner-city development site. This competition called ‘Space Invaders’ was a very successful event and helped raise the profile of planning students from all over Ireland.

In Scotland young planners played a pivotal role in organising a conference in Edinburgh in February 2013. This Young Planners’ Conference was attended by the Scottish planning minister Derek Mackay, who chose the occasion to affirm his support for planning in bringing Scotland out of recession. Professor Cliff Hague and John McNairney, Chief Planner for the Scottish Government, also spoke at the conference. The calibre of speakers was a tribute to the importance of the conference and the value of continued engagement with government.

Over the year I attended events from Oxford to Leeds and from Edinburgh to Dublin organised by young planners employed by top planning practices. I was heartened that the next generation of planners have the skills and confidence to take a leading role in the profession.

“SUSTAINABILITY At the beginning of June I took part in SHOULD BE AT THE a seminar at Cardiff City Hall as part of an HEART OF WHAT WE RTPI Study into the operation of planning DO AS A BUILT committees in Wales. The final report for the PROFESSION” study identified the clear and continual tension

between the roles that the local member is asked to take on when serving on a planning committee. This potentially valuable piece of work deserves wider circulation and could form the basis for further research on the key issue of the professional and political nexus in reaching planning decisions.

In April I had the privilege of attending the American Planning Association Conference in Chicago. I took the opportunity to discuss the comparative practice of planning in the UK and Ireland. I expressed my opinion that since devolution planning legislation and practice has gradually diverged across all the nations as individual governments have sought to modify this shared genesis of legislation to their own needs and requirements and to fulfil their own aspirations.

The recent global recession has accelerated this divergence of practice as each nation strives to use the planning system to promote growth and development. For this reason I believe that planning in the British Isles – that is to say, the UK and the Republic of Ireland – is at a watershed.

At the beginning of my presidential year I was dubbed a positive thinker. Having travelled the country and seen the range of planning practice I remain positive and optimistic. On reflection, I believe it has indeed been a year to be proud of.

However, in our centenary year we must continue to pursue the case for planning and to promote it as a profession founded in theory but advanced by years of practical experience.

As Cherry⁷ has said, as planners we are charged with a profound purpose in building the physical conditions of a better way of life.

ENDNOTES 1

2 3

4 5

6

7

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Presidential Address Dartmouth House, Charles Street, London, 16 January 2013; also Planning Magazine (8 February 2013), p24.

For example, see GE Cherry, Town Planning in Britain since 1900 (Oxford, 1996), p180.

T Adams, State, regional and city planning in America, p3, Adams papers quoted in M Simpson, Thomas Adams, 1871-1940, in GE Cherry (ed.), Pioneers in British Planning, (London, 1981), p24.

S McConnell, Theories for Planning: An Introduction (London, 1981), p74.

M Tewder-Jones, Development control and the legitimacy of planning decisions, Town Planning Review (1995), vol. 66 (2), p173.

T Adams, State, regional and city planning in America, p9, Adams papers quoted in M Simpson, Thomas Adams, 1871-1940, in GE Cherry (ed.), Pioneers in British Planning (London, 1981), p38.

GE Cherry, The Evolution of British Town Planning (Leighton Buzzard, 1974), p137.

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STEP CHANGE

RTPI members discuss their big career-changing decisions PROUD TO BE CELEBRATING OUR CENTENARY IN 2014 RTPI President Dr Peter Geraghty and Presidentelect Cath Ranson began the New Year with a message to all members.

“Our 100th birthday is a tremendous opportunity to raise the profile of planning, the institute, its membership and the profession as a whole. It gives us a unique chance to look forward to the future of planning whilst at the same time celebrating our rich heritage and past accomplishments.”

Peter and Cath also launched a history time line and announced 36 lifetime memberships of the institute. They concluded their message: “We are both very proud to be planners and very proud of the institute. We hope all our members will share our great sense of pride and become a part of this very special year.”

“ MY FAMILY WERE VERY SUPPORTIVE AND KNEW I WANTED TO WORK ON WHAT I CALLED A BROADER CANVAS”

Colin Haylock Principal, Haylock Planning n To read Peter and Cath’s message and to view the time line visit www.rtpi.org.uk/briefing-room

REGISTER NOW FOR RTPI ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCE RTPI Learn is offering an initial four modules over the course of January covering development economics, climate change, public engagement in planning and infrastructure delivery planning.

Each module is free and contains a variety of resources to meet each individual’s particular learning preferences.

At the end of each module there is also signposting for further reading.

Dr Peter Geraghty, President of the RTPI, said: “RTPI Learn is a valuable addition to the lifelong learning support the institute provides for members.

The pace of change can be daunting at times and these online resources will greatly help members to access relevant and up-to-date knowledge about planning theory and practice.

“I’m proud of RTPI Learn, which will allow members to learn at their own pace and in a way that suits them best.” n To register, go to www/rtpilearn.org.uk kF Fo For or m more ore information, please contact rtpilearn@rtpi. rtpilearn@rtpi.org.uk pi. pi p ii..org.uk

PAST PRESIDENT OF THE RTPI In 1999 I made my biggest career decision – to move after 25 years in local government to a working life mixing academic and private sector practice. It was a huge step at 52, but I wanted a new challenge that didn’t involve leaving the North-East and was keen to build on a long-term commitment to the education of the next generation of planners.

I had qualified in architecture and planning. I thought I would enter private practice in masterplanning after a couple of years of planning experience, but I fell in love with my work with Newcastle City Council. I finished up running a large multi-disciplinary team for the council and over the years was involved in a large number of interesting regeneration schemes including Byker, the Quayside and the award-winning Grainger Town project.

When I made the move I wasn’t sure how I would take to teaching – or the students to me. Whilst I felt I had been entrepreneurial and innovative at the council, how would I respond to the pressures of commercial practice? Was I wise to leave a good pension scheme and a public sector working environment and ethos I knew well and was clearly so committed to? But my family was very supportive and knew I wanted to work on what I called a broader canvas.

I had to commit to a teaching role at the university and hand my notice into the council before I had employment on the consultancy side secured, so that took a bit of courage and self-belief. I initially taught part-time in the newly merged School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Newcastle and worked part-time for Ryder Architecture.

After three years I joined Ryder full-time as its urban design director. I have never looked back. Subsequently, I have been RTPI President, set up my own practice and became a member of the London Mayor’s Design Advisory Group. Many people make big career changes in their 20s and 30s. I made mine in my early 50s. I hope this article inspires others of a similar age.

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INSIGHT

Plan B P

LONDON ON THE MOVE Time Out magazine has also weighed into the future city debate, with a four-page spread depicting some of the ideas on the table for the near future of London.

Among the more colourful suggestions are a clean channel for Regent’s Canal that would enable the more adventurous commuter to swim to work and the SkyCycle – elevated, trafficfree highways for cyclists above

LARGING IT IN FUTURE CITIES It’s a beloved standby of science fiction: the future city in a (possibly post-apocalyptic) world with growing populations, dwindling resources and a changing climate.

From the lawlessness of Judge Dredd’s Mega City One to the neon nightmare of the Los Angeles of Blade Runner, we almost always imagine them

as dystopian places where capitalism and technology collide in ways that are rarely good for most of the city’s inhabitants.

But the anxieties of sci-fi authors and filmmakers are also the concern of planners, for whom the development of future cities is a very real practical problem (as Clive Harridge reveals on pages 32-34 of this

VLS­VERY LARGE STRUCTURE

I M AG E | P O L I E D RO /M A N U E L D OM I N G U E Z

GET ELF MY LAND!

If we were to invade an unspoilt plain with a giant city on caterpillar tracks in Iceland, it would very likely throw up more than the usual planning objections.

Here, where the haunting landscape is said to be inhabited by all manner of peculiar creatures, construction is often delayed by the hypothetical presence of elves.

The latest project to be held

50

up is a coastal highway offering a direct route from the Alftanes peninsula (where the Icelandic president has a home) to the Gardabaer suburb of the country’s capital, Reykjavik.

Every time the bulldozers are set to go, they are beset by protesters defending the elvish habitat. Construction has now been halted until the Supreme Court rules on a case brought by the Friends of Lava, who cite both environmental and cultural

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enable it to move to wherever “physical and economic” conditions are “favourable” for the populace.

Based on existing technologies, the e VLS is entirely feasible, says Dominguez.

However, he does concede that it’s not exactly practical.

“The LILYPAD drawback, I CITIES guess, is the amount ount of energy and land and the capital’s surface reinforce it (driverless) railways. will need in order to Then there are the “Lilypad move,” he says of his Cities” proposed by Belgian conception. architect Vincent Callebaut.

Plan B can think These floating urban areas of at least one other with rainwater purifiers and drawback. The likes suspended gardens would of Philip K Dick or dot the Thames estuary JG Ballard may well around “Boris Island” and imagine vast mobile provide a refuge for residents megalopolises warring against rising water levels in a on gigantic scorched warmer, wetter city. plains; but our more Alternatively, we could parochial concern just put the whole city on is that the queues mahoosive caterpillar tracks for the out-of-town and shift it westwards – supermarket would be somewhere around Bracknell terrible. would be a fairly decent spot and simultaneously rid us of one of England’s ugliest towns. We could probably impact – including disruption take out Slough en route, then to the lives of the “huldufolk” (hidden folk). head south to steamroller Before we smirk and say “It Basingstoke before finally wouldn’t happen in Croydon”, nestling peacefully on it’s worth biting our tongues. A Salisbury Plain, which would quick bit of Googling reveals that offer wonderful views of a 1980s housing development in the solidly middle English village Stonehenge from the top of of Emmer Green in Oxfordshire The Shard. Forget Madame was apparently held up by the Tussauds – this is what the presence of a “fairy tree” in the tourists really want to see. village. Have we all gone mad? You

month’s The Planner).

The latest addition to the canon, a fully mobile city designed

by Spanish architecture student Manuel Dominguez, falls somewhere between the imagined and the possible. Named with inspiring literalness, the Very Large Structure (VLS for short) is a selfsustaining conurbation that rests on gigantic caterpillar tracks. These

don’t have to answer that question.

I M AG E | V I N C E N T C A L L E B AU T A RC H I T E C T U R E S

20/01/2014 09:47

Are you proud of planning and proud of planners?

If you want to let the planning world know of a great initiative, award, major project or just want to endorse some of the great work that planners across the world are involved in, then join our Facebook page today.

Find us at: Proud of planning proud of planners.

Set up by the Royal Town Planning Institute, following the RTPI’s President Dr Peter Geraghty’s inaugural speech in January 2013, to demonstrate pride in the profession and its achievements.

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Meet the next

generation of planners

Could you get young people to think about where they live and the challenges their communities face in the future?

As part of our 2014 Centenary celebrations the RTPI is looking for ambassadors to go into schools to present Future Planners, an exciting introduction into the planning world for students aged 11-18.

Become an RTPI Ambassador by contacting us today.

Future

PLANNERS

T: 020 7929 9494 E: ambassadors@rtpi.org.uk W:rtpi.org.uk/education and careers

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