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Growing pains? Delivering growth through localism

+planning + development associates

Alan Gunne-Jones

RICS Development Conference 2012

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+Neighbourhoods = Localism = Growth?

• The growth agenda

• The localism agenda

• The new planning ‘toolkit’

• Delivering growth through localism: the 4i strategy • Intelligence

• Influence

• Interaction

• Impact

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+What drives the growth agenda?

“local planning authority

departments are the last

bastion of communism and

sheer bloody mindedness”

“You can’t earn your future if you

can’t get planning permission”

“We will earn our way in the world by

saying to all businesses – large and

small: we will provide you with the

modern infrastructure; new growth-

friendly planning rules”

“planning is a drag anchor to

growth stifled by red tape and

bureaucracy”

“taking on the enemies of enterprise….the town hall officials who take

forever to make those planning decisions that can be the make or break

for a business. And the investment and jobs that go with it.”

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+What drives the localism agenda?

“By replacing over a thousand

pages of national policy with

around fifty, written simply

and clearly, we are allowing

people and communities back

in planning”

“We need to create communities with

oomph – neighbourhoods who are in

charge of their own destiny”

“We want to restore power to local

people and their democratically

elected representatives. We want to

help them make their own decisions.

And we want to give free rein to the

creativity, ingenuity and initiative of

communities up and down the

country” “planning should be pro-

growth, pro-building but

rather than government,

communities will be working

with LPAs”

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+The new planning ‘toolkit’

NPPF Localism Act Regional Strategies

Use Classes Order

GPDO

Localism Growth

Service Guarantees Appeals

Community Infrastructure

Levy

Neighbourhood Planning

Communities Involvement

Building support

Deregulation Speed & efficiency Economic growth

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+Delivering growth through localism: the 4i strategy

Intelligence • What is the local/neighbourhood plan status? • How well do you know your neighbourhood? • Will third parties now be involved in plan-making?

Influence • Who is responsible for decision-taking? • Is there scope to initiate a neighbourhood plan? • Who will be consulted and when?

Interaction • Back to scratch for local plans? • How is ‘objective need’ being identified and met? • Pre-application consultation for applications

Impact • What benefits will the development provide? • Will any contributions mitigate/enhance these? • How can you make the case for development?

Key questions

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+1. Intelligence: know your plans & plan-makers

• New roles for parish and town councils

• Neighbourhood forums could emerge

• New initiatives could be promoted – NDOs; CRtBO; Community Bids to take over community assets

• LDF updates and amendments

• Transitional arrangements for Local Plans

• CIL Charging Schedules

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+1. Intelligence: know your plans & plan-makers

Loca

l Pla

n

Ne

igh

bo

urh

oo

d

Site

• Strategic priorities/needs for the area

• Broad locations for development

• Evidence base

• Shared vision for neighbourhood

• Conformity with Local Plan…

• …able to ‘shape and direct’ development

• Still required to meet target/need?

• Included in Neighbourhood Plan?

• Promote via Neighbourhood Plan?

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+2. Influence: identifying decision-takers

• Neighbourhood forums – 233 in place with capital funding & technical support; first NDP due for independent examination this week

• Town and Parish Councils – from consultee to decision-maker & taker

• 50% of local electorate – needed to adopt NDP

• District Councils - new flexibility to determine development targets

• Community – pre-engagement on major developments

• Key stakeholders – pre-engagement

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+

Parish Council

Planning Officer

Planning Committee

Neighbourhood

Neighbourhood Forum

Developer

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+3. Interaction: securing a seat at the table

• Setting up neighbourhood forums – participate; join; facilitate

• Neighbourhood plans – monitor; engage; comment

• Local Plan amendments – 12 month window – monitor; engage; comment

• CIL Charging Schedules – monitor; engage; comment

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+3. Interaction: securing a seat at the table

Neighbourhood Plan Local Plan

Alternative housing allocation Employment land allocation relocated

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+4. Impact: making the local case for development

• Understanding the community’s development aspirations

• What are the infrastructure requirements

• What is on the CIL Schedule

• New Homes Bonus

• How can the community gain

• How can community impacts be offset

• Sustainable development test

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+4. Impact: making the local case for development

Economic Social Environmental

• jobs

• growth

• infrastructure

Ben

efit

s o

f d

evel

op

men

t p

rop

osa

l • housing

• local services

• health & well-being

• protection

• natural resources

• low carbon

NPPF: Presumption in favour of Sustainable Development

Local Plan Neighbourhood Plan

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+Summary

• Neighbourhood Planning – good news or bad?

• New players in the decision-taking and plan-making arena

• New players & new tools

• Benefits direct to local communities

• Strategic growth set by districts

• Spatial distribution of growth set by neighbourhoods

• Flexibility for districts/boroughs

• Next 12 months critical:

• neighbourhoods formalise and prepare

• district and borough councils review and amend

• inspectors and the courts interpret

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+Contact

Alan Gunne-Jones Principal T: 0207 1010 789 E: a.gunnejones@plandev.co.uk Twitter: @plan_dev

plandev.co.uk

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