Download to read offline
More Related Content
Similar to Planning Aid England - Neighbourhood Planning - community group experiences
Planning Aid England - Neighbourhood Planning - community group experiences
- 1. Planning Aid England NeighbourhoodPlanning: community group experiences Stella Scrivener Neighbourhood Planning Advisor
- 2.
- 3. What does PlanningAid England do? • Provides free, independent, professional planning advice - to people who can’t afford professional fees • Provides support and training to local communities so they can influence and contribute to planning strategy, policy and decision making • Neighbourhood Planning Support 3
- 4. Supporting Communities in NeighbourhoodPlanning 2013-2015 4 • DCLG supported programme launched April 2013; • Two key forms of support: grants and direct support; • Also a shared learning element available to any NP group; • Consortium including Locality, URS, PAE, NPIERS has delivered the programme; • The programme now winding down – new proposals coming!
- 5. We Provide aValuable Service… 5
- 6. PAE Case Studiescan be found at:- http://www.ourneighbourhoodplanning.org.uk/case-studies • Roseland: a case study on running your steering group; • Higham Ferrers: a case study about local character and design; • Oxford Brookes: a case study about involving students in neighbourhood planning; • Friends of Fishwick and St Matthew’s (FOFS): a case study about dealing with planning and non-planning issues; • Leeds: a case study about a local authority’s role in neighbourhood planning. 6
- 7. User Experience ofNeighbourhood Planning Research (June 2014) Drivers and motivations for preparing plans: •Reinvigorating the local area •Protecting the desirable characteristics of the area •Help shape a future vision for the neighbourhood •Greater say in planning and development in their area •Statutory weight a neighbourhood plan provides •Control over the process 7
- 8. User Experience ofNeighbourhood Planning Research (June 2014) Overall experience of neighbourhood planning: •55% thought process was what they expected •Over 90% felt it had gone well or okay •Majority had overcome difficulties, often with consultant or local authority support •Overall it was regarded as initiative with merit and further potential, although not without difficulties and opportunities 8
- 9. User Experience ofNeighbourhood Planning Research (June 2014) What would make it more attractive to communities? •Half wanted a better explanation of the process •44% wanted more face to face advice •39% felt faster process would make more attractive •Evidence strongly suggests that neighbourhood planning can be undertaken by most communities if effectively supported, especially by local authority 9
- 10.
- 11.
- 12. Key Challenges Facedby Communities • Setting up Forums • Engaging hard to reach groups • Understanding what land use planning policies are • Project planning and Process • Need for evidence • Writing policy • Resourcing 12
- 13. Even More Challenges! •SEA • Engaging constructively • Separating fact from opinion • Supporting statements • Engaging Consultants • Staying engaged 13
- 14. Understanding the needfor Evidence • “Decide where you want new homes and businesses to go” – Groups have taken this to mean only evidence needed for site selection is local opinion…. • Promoting and explaining the LPA evidence available is a key support role for LPAs; • SHLAA often misunderstood – seen as an LPA allocation exercise • As ‘soundness’ of a neighbourhood plan (NP) not considered by examiner; need for evidence base = need for robust policy; • URS have done useful evidence reviews for groups. 14
- 15. Project Planning – Processproblems • Groups have problems with this because they don’t understand the process; • We recommend the PAS spreadsheet; • A simple key tasks list with indicative dates should be drawn up early in the plan preparation process. 15
- 16. Understanding landuse planningpolicy – Quiz • Provision of affordable homes? • Retention of trees? • Community litter patrols? • Satellite dish restrictions? • Expanded community bus services? • Promotion of renewable energy in new homes? • 20mph speed restrictions? • Colour of bricks to use? • Changing a house to a nursery? 16
- 17. Writing Policy –how to approach this • Work up a vision and objectives if not already done; • Issues and options can be teased out of existing evidence – ie state of the parish and local surveys etc; • Used “Policy Intent” as a bridge – ie what do you want your policy to do? • Introduce the need for technical evidence as well as local preferences; • Justification to include reference to evidence in support and policy compliance. 17
- 18. Policy Intent Evidence 18 Complieswith Local Plan and NPPF?
- 19. What can localauthorities do for local NP groups? 19 • Explain the policy context and its implications; • Explaining the process, assisting with project planning; • Provide information and evidence that the NP may (hopefully) want to respond to – ie extent and pattern of growth proposed; • Providing comments on early ideas for policy/issues etc; • Enable DM to give comments on emerging policy and assist with policy writing; • Committing to attend number of forum meetings; • Providing access to materials from PAE, Locality, PAS etc; • Providing consistency and clarity throughout the process; • Keep group in the loop in later stages of the process.
- 20. Examples of goodLPA engagement - Bristol • Strategic Planning team supports forums – dedicated link officers; • 2 levels of support – higher in areas of deprivation & regeneration opportunity; • Memorandum of understanding with level 2 groups; • Links to other council departments’ resources and technical support (transport, housing); • Regular attendance at meetings; • Advice on content and policy wording of plan; • Links to existing Neighbourhood Partnerships; • Bristol currently has 5 NP groups. 20
- 21. 21 Examples of goodLPA engagement – Mid Sussex
- 22. Examples of goodLPA engagement - Camden • Supporting highest number of Forums in London (10) – eg Kentish Town, Highgate, West Hampstead • Dedicated officers • Cross-boundary plans & complex issues (e.g. HS2) • Regular attendance at forum meetings; comments on policies by email; evidence advice. 22
- 23. 23 Examples of goodLPA engagement – Basingstoke and Deane
- 24. 20 Contact Details PAE AdviceLine: 0330 123 9244 E-mail: advice@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk www.rtpi.org.uk/planningaid To volunteer: http://www.rtpi.org.uk/planning-aid/volunteering/how-to-apply/
Editor's Notes
- #4 Uses Volunteers – often chartered members RTPI – can count towards CPD Core support staff at RTPI. NP has involved obtaining
- #5 This is a two year programme. End date is 31 March 2015. Supports development of NP’s and NDO’s. Shared learning – case studies etc
- #6 One of the old regional offices…
- #7 Case Studies on our website - this is just a selection – shows the lessons learnt via information from interviews with the groups.
- #8 User Experience of Neighbourhood Planning in England Research Prof Gavin Parker with Tessa Lynn, Matthew Wargent and Locality
- #13 Need for forum in un-parished area key reason for less NP activity in urban areas. Consultation generally good – but reaching less obvious suspects can be avoided. Best yoof work – rave where Qaire had to be filled in first – generally going to existing groups (particularly in urban areas) ie mosques, sports clubs, Understanding what land use planning policies are, and what they can and can’t do – I have realised how opaque planning policy is. Being able to write effective policy – have come to accept this is not something most groups can do, need professional help. Underestimating time - Trying to cover every eventuality – Financial – often a surprising lack of project planning skills, sometimes too many! Site allocation and evidence - later Understanding the planning context (uptodate LP)
- #14 SEA – successful legal challenge when Stat bodies not consulted – recent guidance screening opinion or the Env. Report needed at submission. Need for evidence – next slide Supporting statements – Consultation and Basic Conditions – latter difficult for groups Staying Engaged – Groups get tired and there is a tendency to rush the last part and then regret it. Engaging Consultants – often had to assist with drawing up a brief, dissuading group from paying hourly rate etc
- #15 Original CLG promotion for Nping has been misunderstood; pins in a map exercise
- #16 Initial project plan in 2013 – pretty good, but process imperfectly understood – ie LPA role READ STAGES 6-8, Groups often don’t understand that submission = end of their control of the process
- #17 Quiz used to aid understanding of what is a landuse issue! Transport is the hardest issue for groups to understand – 20mph limits = No, Traffic calming = yes Non-landuse issues can go in separate annexe to the NP – projects section ie Exeter.
- #18 Groups have really struggled with this – and it is a specialized skill – learnt perhaps without realising it. Starting with Vision and Objectives,
- #19 Simple spreadsheet to assist groups work out what policies they need Suggest final wording and framing is something 99% groups will need assistance with.
- #20 DM = Development Management Some LPAs have produced guides etc, PAE developing tools as I speak! Key thing: It is a support role not a directing role. Once NP submitted LPA role becomes more central and QB less in control.
- #21 Groups all have level 2 support Memorandum of understanding sets out roles and responsibilities of group and council Bristol had pre-existing neighbourhood consultation and governance structure – useful framework
- #23 Camden Dealing with NF’s in areas of London with some of highest land values in country – intense development pressures Neighbourhood Forums in areas of affluence alongside areas of high deprivation Highgate Kentish Town Fortune Green and West Hampstead Somers Town Dartmouth Park Camley Street Fitzrovia East Church Row and Perrins Walk Redington and Frognal Hampstead
- #25 Plug for volunteering with PAE Any questions? (or separate session?