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The National Planning Policy Framework and Community Led Design

Submitted by Sophia de Sousa

Yesterday, the final version of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was released. I would like to draw attention to three very simple points that Minister Greg Clark makes in his foreword to the document:

1.    Our standards of design can be so much higher.

2.    Planning must be a creative exercise in finding ways to enhance and improve the way we live our lives.

3.    This should be a collective exercise.

Community led design aims to do all of this, and the support that The Glass-House has given communities leading built environment projects over the past decade has been founded on these principles. We firmly believe that a participatory design process that places local people at the heart of changes to their neighbourhoods can lead to neighbourhoods that are more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable. With the right support, community led design and planning can lead to more creative and better informed solutions to local problems, and to places that are both functional and delightful.

However, let us be under no illusion that this is a quick simple process. In order to achieve great placemaking, the emerging neighbourhood plans will have to grapple with urban design principles and planning legislation, feeding them into an inclusive and participatory design and planning process. They will need to consider the social, economic and environmental impact of their plans in the short and long term. Their community will need to include those who live, work, study and play in the area.  It will need to consider and include local residents, businesses and government, as well as those who manage, maintain and service the area.  Each neighbourhood plan will have to fully understand and respond to issues around land ownership and to the local (social, historical, economic, environmental etc.) context. It must also consider how the neighbourhood links to and complements the neighbourhoods around it. Neighbourhood plans must begin with a thorough understanding of place, a collective vision for change and an informed and aspirational brief.

So Minister Clark, we agree with your declaration of the importance of design quality, achieved through a creative and collaborative process, as a means of improving quality of life. We hope that the application of this new National Planning Policy Framework, and in particular the presumption in favour of sustainable development, creates the space for inspired and inspiring design and planning by, with and for communities. And we hope that adequate time, resources and practical support will be made available to help make this happen.*

Read the whole National Planning Policy Framework document here


*The Department for Communities and Local Government made a commitment to providing up to £50 million until March 2015 to help make neighbourhood planning a success. As one of the organisations delivering the 'Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning' programme this year we look forward to hearing more about how government intends to carry forward this commitment and to exploring how The Glass-House can work with DCLG and other partners to continue to support community led design and planning within our new National Planning Policy Framework.

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The Glass-House Debate Series 2011/2012: London

Submitted by Louise Dredge

Our final Glass-House Debate of the 2011/2012 series was held earlier this week with our partner Design Council Cabe providing the venue for a discussion on the topic ‘Community Led Design: what is it and does it work?’. With four dynamic and diverse speakers and an engaged audience the evening took us through the many issues and perspectives involved in any community led process.

Dave Smith of London CITIZENS and East London Community Land Trust (ELCLT) outlined his concept of community led design which he summarised as creation (not placation), ownership and management. The priority of ELCLT is to provide affordable housing the residents of East London, a massive challenge in the context of a major global city.  Agreeing with the difficulties faced by the ELCLT, property developer David Roberts of Igloo Regeneration injected what he declared was a “dose of realism” to proceedings, with the hypothesis that community led design is not viable. Roberts qualified this with an addendum that it cannot be a reality on publicly owned land in London because this is prime land that will always sell quickly (where there is a high return on investment with no long term approach).

Should we be despondent? A slide from Dave Smith's presentation.

Johanna Gibbons, a landscape architect who has long practiced deliberative planning in her work as part of the firm J & L Gibbons, gave numerous examples of green infrastructure projects she has been involved in where communities and their health and wellbeing have been at the heart of the whole process. As a key member of Southwark Council’s Planning Department, Alistair Huggett discussed some of the creative engagement techniques employed by planners, while acknowledging that their approach is largely community responsive design, as opposed to community led design.

Alistair Huggett, Framework & Implementation Manager with Southwark Council

 
Chair and Glass-House Chief Executive Sophia de Sousa was keen to explore the business case for community led design, questioning developer David Roberts and a developer audience member about why it makes good business sense for them to engage with communities in the design and planning process. David Roberts asserted that working with the community generates more value. Igloo Regeneration, according to David Roberts, takes a long term view of their investments and engaging with the community deals issues such as security concerns and identifies the right kind of development to carry out in the first place to ensure a sustainable, viable place emerges from the process.

Thoughts from audience members

The advent of Localism could not help but pervade the entire discussion with one audience member enquiring as to what each speaker hoped or desired from the Localism Act. Unsurprisingly, the issue of funding was raised as a key barrier to real community generated and community led processes. Johanna Gibbons pointed out that while new planning policy demands demonstrable community engagement there is no zone of funding allocated for this to occur, with Alistair giving the example of his own borough, where residents of Camberwell aspire to develop a neighbourhood plan but there are no funds available to support this. David Roberts also cautioned that community led design doesn’t fit the legal processes that we have at present in the UK.

Overall, the theory of Localism was welcomed but as one audience member affirmed, we will need a massive cultural change among local authorities, developers and communities that may take twenty years or more to occur. The following advice seems appropriate:

“As an organizer I start where the world is, as it is, not as I would like it to be. That we accept the world as it is does not in any sense weaken our desire to change it into what we believe it should be — it is necessary to begin where the world is if we are going to change it to what we think it should be.”

(From the book ‘Rules for Radicals’ by Saul Alinsky as quoted by Dave Smith)

Accepting our present reality, how can we collectively transform our future?

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Reflections on the Portas Review

Submitted by Hannah Gibbs

The Portas Review, an independent review into the future of our high streets by Queen of Shops Mary Portas was published recently and made for a thought-provoking read.

The review is incredibly relevant to the work of The Glass-House and the groups we support. One of the main areas of focus is just how important high streets and town centres are and how much they can contribute to creating sustainable communities and places. The review states:

“Our high streets can be lively, dynamic, exciting and social places that give a sense of belonging and trust to a community”

(Illustration taken from the Portas Review 2011)

Portas highlights how high streets can and should be places where people mix and engage with each other and their local area. High streets have historically been importance places for social and commercial interaction and if they are made “accessible, attractive and safe” they can be again. There is also a call for planning and regulations to encourage meanwhile use of empty space and cheap market stalls for small businesses but to more explicitly discourage out of town developments.

The review stresses that high streets should form a key part of any neighbourhood plan and that neighbourhood planning as a concept should be better explained to local people to encourage them to get involved. Portas feels that communities should create a strong vision and brand for their high streets – to give them recognisable identity and character which will guide their development and create better places.

The focus on local people taking action and collaborating to improve their high streets is where The Portas Review really chimes with our work. It calls on all relevant stakeholders (the public sector, landlords, retailers and the public) to come together to make their high street work for them, whatever their interest may be. Portas also explains that through her research, she has found that the biggest successes have been where excellent communication and collaboration between local people are in place. There is a good balance in the review between encouraging local communities to take action and an appreciation that they will need local backing and wider support to be successful. Like us, Mary Portas believes that communities will be successful when they are ‘inspired and empowered’ to create change.

What strikes me having read the review is the potential local people have to make some really positive changes to their town centres and high streets. The recommendations are overwhelmingly positive, given the context they are written in, but there is a recognition that structure and guidance are required for local people to achieve change. The review seems to echo our organisational values:

“The public should no longer be seen simply as customers but as co-creators of place. At the heart of it, will be you”

It will be interesting to see how much of this potential is realised – hopefully with the right support, local people can be at the heart of changes to their town centres.

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Upcoming events

Submitted by Jaina Tochia

The Glass-House and partner organisations are holding a series of lively and informative events all exploring the built environment from various perspectives. Below is a bitesize overview of each one with link to book your place. 

The Glass-House and Architecture Centre Network (ACN):

Community Engagement: Quality Design or Design Compromise?

A debate which discusses and explores the different approaches to ensuring design quality, and the importance of listening to responding to the community voice. There will be presentations from:

• The Glass-House
• The Building Exploratory
• The Prince's Foundation for the Built Environment

with a chance to discuss key points and raise your queries after the presentations.

Where: The Gallery, 77 Cowcross St, London, EC1M 6EL

When: Tuesday 21 June 2011

Time: Refreshments from 6.30pm, debate 7-8pm

Cost: £5/£3 for students inc a glass of wine

More info: Event flyer

To book: www.eventelephant.com/communityengagement21june

A Planning in London Conference in association with The Glass-House

Community and Planning, The New Relationship

Communities are being empowered to shape and direct the future of their neighbourhoods. How will property and built environment professionals, local authorities work with communities to achieve the best outcomes?

This special one-day conference is designed to create opportunities for debate and discussion about how communities and professionals can engage collaboratively with neighbourhood planning, to create new Neighbourhood Plans.

Join us to debate the key issues with developers, architects, planners, local government authorities, politicians and community organisations.

Where: The Royal College of Medicine, 1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE

When: Thursday 7 July 2011

Time: 8.30 to 5.30pm with evening drinks reception

Cost: Standard ticket price £239.00 + VAT

NEW: If you are part of a community group/ organisation cost per person £20.00

More info: Programme

To book: Community and Planning, The New Relationship website 

The Glass-House and Design Council CABE  

Design Planning Workshop - Community Engagement

The Localism Bill presents a new role for urban planners as facilitators of neighbourhood plans. This half-day workshop will highlight the challenges and opportunities for planners and communities to prioritise design in the new planning system. The session will discuss the links to core strategies as well as local practical projects. Speakers will present a series of approaches to community planning through inspiring case studies. A practical exercise will help you develop a new approach to talking to local communities about the value of good design in the context of neighbourhood plans.

The workshop will be an opportunity for you to question our expert panel, who have years of experience on community planning projects. We will also encourage you to discuss your experiences with other local authorities, to discuss common problems and solutions.

Confirmed speakers:

• Paul Watson – Paul, Strategic Director for Regeneration and Development
• Shankari Raj – Shankari is a community activist from Bristol
• Sophia de Sousa – Sophia, Chief Executive of The Glass-House

Where: Design Council CABE, 34 Bow Street, London WC2E 7DL

When: Wednesday 13 July 2011

Who: Local authority planners

Time: 10am-1pm followed by lunch

Cost: Free

More info and to book: Design in Planning booking info and booking  

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Building Community Consortium

Submitted by Sophia de Sousa

The Glass-House is thrilled that the Building Community Consortium is one of four groups selected by the Department for Communities and Local Government to deliver free advice and support for communities through their Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning programme. The Consortium will be led by Locality working with core strategic partners, The Glass-House Community Led Design, the Eden Project and communityplanning.net. and will draw on a broader consortium of highly skilled and experienced organisations and individuals to deliver practical advice and support to communities.

We are also delighted that DCLG has singled out the work we did with Granville New Homes in South Kilburn as an example of the type of support they want communities to receive through this programme.

For more info see the press releases from the Department for Communities and Local Government  and Locality.

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CABE Funding Cut

Submitted by Sophia de Sousa

The Glass-House Community Led Design was shocked and saddened to see that DCMS had withdrawn funding from CABE. This sends a worrying message to those of us working to support quality placemaking as an essential part of building confident, cohesive and sustainable communities. We can only hope that the withdrawal of funding from CABE will be tempered by new and creative ways for Central Government to support a quality public realm and the improvement of our streets, buildings, spaces, housing and neighbourhoods for the benefit of communities throughout the UK. 

Over the past 10 years, CABE has been an important champion for design quality and has worked hard to raise awareness of the role of the built environment in our quality of life. As in any relationship, ours with CABE has not been without its differences in opinion and approach, but we send them today a heartfelt message of support, respect and gratitude for their invaluable contribution to the way we all look at, talk about and carry out changes to our public realm. We also thank CABE for their work with The Glass-House to promote and support community led design.

Whatever the future and legacy of CABE may be, we must all continue to champion good design and to build on our joint work to help communities create places that work, nurture, inspire and delight.

Sophia de Sousa

Chief Executive

The Glass-House Community Led Design

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