Discipline of planning policy in the UK - Assignment Example

? PLANNING POLICY AND PRACTICE IN THE UK: From Concern for Health Sanitation and Housing Fitness to Sustainable Communities This paper is intended to explain the national, regional and local framework for planning policy and practice identifying the main instruments for plan making in the UK. The paper focuses on particular policies relating to sustainable urban regeneration and critically examines the impact which these polices have had on a selected city in England. Contents Abstract 2 List of Abbreviations 4 Introduction 6 Planning policy and practice - National, regional and local framework 8 Sustainable urban regeneration 14 Summary and Conclusions 16 References 17 Bibliography 20 List of Abbreviations AAP Area Action Plan CLC (Department for) Communities and Local Government DEFRA Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DETR Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions DOE Department of the Environment DPD Development Plan Document DRD Department for Regional Development DTI Department for Trade and Industry EDZ Economic Development Zone EIP Examination in Public LAA Local Area Agreement LCC London County Council LDF Local Development Framework LDS Local Development Scheme LSP Local Strategic Partnership MPS Mineral Policy Statement NPF National Planning Framework NWDA North West Development Agency PPG Planning Policy Guidance PPS Planning Policy Statement PPW Planning Policy Wales RDA Regional Development Agency RDS Regional Development Strategy RPB Regional Planning Body RSS Regional Spatial Strategy SCI Statement of Community Involvement SCP Sustainable Communities Plan SCS Sustainable Community Strategy SDS Spatial Development Strategy is the Regional Spatial Strategy for London (frequently referred to as the ‘London Plan’) SEU Social Exclusion Unit SP Structure Plan SPD Supplementary Planning Document SPP Scottish Planning Policy UDP Unitary Development Plan Introduction The salient feature of the UK planning system consists in a paradox – being born and clearly rooted in local government practice (Cherry, 1988, p.72) during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it tended to be highly centralised over the time, but in contrast with many other countries, there is a lack of a spatial plan at national level (Balchin, Sykora and Bull, 1999, p.89). It may have its origins in the British governmental system which, as Cherry writes (1988, p.183) is generally characterised by three-component, interactive structure providing periodic responses to demand for reform and innovation. The first element is the bureaucracy (local government and the civil service) which is conservative in terms of outlook; the second are the active pressure groups – reformist in nature; and the third element is represented by the elected politicians who decide policy and implement the taken decisions. Given this scenario, planning regulations are categorically a political act and represent the outcome of conflict/degree of compromise between competing views. Plan making itself, being considered not just a technical activity, but deeply political, deriving legitimacy from values expressed in the community, has become a highly sophisticated process of complex bargaining and negotiation, in which powerful interests (including professions) ‘both mediate and promote their preferences’ (Cherry, 1988, p.184). There are three distinctive patterns of policy that dominated the post-war Britain, and which have left their imprint in the field of planning – the concept of welfare state manifested in the redistributive policies and decentralist land use strategies particularly characteristic of the period between the 1940s and 1970s; the significant neo-liberal shift in the 1980s characterised by interventionist practices – market-driven, ad hoc, piecemeal and responsive to particular pressures, with certain limitations on local government practice in terms of strategic role and oversight on town and environmental planning (Cherry, 1988, p.187); and finally, the so called third way (Giddens, 1998), which is considered derivative of the previous two and spreads over the period from 1997 on with the advent of the ‘New’ Labour. Besides the strong focus on active civil society, devolution and social inclusion, the third way was supposed to mean socially acceptable, economically efficient and environmentally harmonious cities and communities created via plan making which comprises moral purpose harnessed to social and economic objectives and physical shaping of space (Cherry, 1988, pp.187-189). Planning policy and practice - National, regional and local framework Historical background The origins of planning as a purposeful discipline in Britain might be sought in the early twentieth century when plans have been prepared and implemented for reasons of health, convenience and beauty (Cherry, 1988, p.5). The health and sanitary concerns that had arisen from the consequences of the industrial revolution are considered the portents of the planning discipline; later on, the responses to the Victorian city’s problems had begun to take shape with the practice of public-sector control and the intervention in private interests concerning land and property by collective interests, to the degree of greater public control of community and environmental affairs. Particularly notable for the birth of planning in modern sense appeared Ebenezer Howard’s concept of the Garden City; it had suggested not only a solution to the urban problems, but also a remedy for the ills of the countryside. Amongst Howard’s proponents were Thomas Adams, who became the first President of Town Planning Institute in 1914, and Raymond Unwin whose work at Letchworth had been crucial in establishing the new principles of urban design and planning, and whose ‘Town Planning in Practice’ (1909) became a classic text on the new discipline (Cherry, 1988, p.63). In fact, three men are thought pre-eminent in influencing the formation and the way in which planning has been determined – Howard who preached the decentralist tradition, Unwin who actually put it into effect, and Abercrombie who confirmed it after the war. The legislation (though modest and cumbersome at the beginning) followed the innovative ideas to introduce the institutional change necessary for the planning to get born and mature - the Housing, Town Planning, etc. Act of 1909, the Housing and Town Planning Act of 1919, and the Town and Country Planning Act of 1932; however, it was after the World War Two when comprehensive planning legislation have been introduced, with the Town and Country Planning Act of 1947 which is considered to have established the basic principles of the national planning system: development plans, development control and central government supervision (Balchin, Sykora and Bull, 1999, p.89). Having been enshrined in the consequent legislation, most notably the Town and Country Planning Act of 1968 and the Planning and Compensation Act of 1991, these principles remained instrumental in shaping the planning policy up to the present. Legislative and policy framework There are two main phases of the planning making process - plan preparation and development control, which involve different levels of the planning machinery, namely national, regional and local. National level (England and Wales) At national level it is the Parliament, in the case of England and Wales, and the Scottish Parliament for Scotland, which is responsible for setting the out the legal framework for planning via the respective laws (Gaunt, Gudnadottir and Waring, 2006, pp. 6-8). In regard to England and Wales, these are: the Town and Country Planning Act of 1990 which consolidates the enactments relating to town and country planning, along with and the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 dealing with special controls in respect of buildings and areas of special architectural or/and historic interest, and the Planning and Compensation Act of 1991 which increases the importance of development plans in decision-making processes (Tewdwr-Jones, 1996); the following Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 is considered to have made substantial changes to the planning system concerning community’s involvement in the plan making process (Gaunt, Gudnadottir and Waring, 2006, p.8); the Planning Act 2008, which establishes the Infrastructure Planning Commission and makes provision about its functioning, as well as about the authorisation of projects for the development of nationally significant infrastructure, etc. ( The Planning Act 2008). In England, the central government, namely the Department for Communities & Local Government (CLG), previously Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), is responsible for producing national guidance through Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) and Planning Policy Statements (PPS), Mineral Policy Statements (MPS), and Planning Circulars (Gaunt, Gudnadottir and Waring, 2006, p.8). After the devolution, the legislative and executive functions in Wales have been contained within a single body, which, since 2007, has been separated out into the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Assembly respectively (Jones and Evans, 2008, p.26). The Welsh Assembly Government is responsible for issuing the Planning Policy Wales (PPW) and Minerals Planning Policy Wales (MPPW) setting out its land use planning policy and minerals planning policy, supplemented by 21 topic-based Technical Advice Notes (TAN), whereas procedural guidance is given in Welsh Office / National Assembly for Wales / Welsh Assembly Government circulars (Planning Portal, n.d.). National level (Scotland) The legislative framework for planning policy in Scotland is mainly determined by two Acts – the Town and Country Planning Act (Scotland) 1997 (complemented by the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997, and the Planning (Hazardous Substances) (Scotland) Act 1997) and the Planning, etc. (Scotland) Act 2006. The Scottish government’s main tools for tackling planning policy are: the Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) - a statement of the Scottish Government’s policy on nationally important land use planning matters; the Scottish Statutory Instruments (ministerial orders) and the Planning Advice Notes (PAN), the latter providing advice and information on technical planning matters (The Scottish Government, 2010). National level (Northern Ireland) Northern Ireland’s planning legislation is consolidated in the 1991 Planning (NI) Order 1991 that outlines the statutory functions and associated legislation. The Planning Service’s (the Department of the Environment - DOE) functions and responsibilities include implementation of Government policies and legislation, along with shaping and co-ordinating a number of planning policy documents, like the Planning Strategy for Rural Northern Ireland, the Planning Policy Statements (PPS) which contain policies on land-use and other planning matters, and apply to the whole of Northern Ireland, etc. The Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 is issued to amend and complement the principal Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 (NI 11) (Legislation.gov.uk, n.d.) Regional level (England and Wales) The preparation and review of the Regional Spatial Strategy - the major tool in delivering planning policy on regional level in England, which replaces Regional Planning Guidance and County Structure Plans (SP) - is the duty of the Regional Planning Bodies (RPB), which are usually the Regional Assemblies; with the exception of London, where the Mayor prepares the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS). Apart from the very limited powers they have been given, none of those assemblies are directly elected, with the exception of the London Assembly (Jones and Evans, 2008, p. 18). The importance of RSS, however, is in delivering guidance on issues such as environment, infrastructure, transport, housing, economic development, agriculture, minerals and waste, as well as influencing the content of the Local Development Framework (LDF). After the preparation of RSS there are consultations period followed by Examination in Public (EIP) (Gaunt, Gudnadottir and Waring, 2006, p.9). The regional level of planning in Wales is represented by the Wales Spatial Plan process dealing with issues of a strategic nature which affect more than one local planning authority and require consultation and collaboration between the authorities concerned; the plan process sets objectives for collaboration in the Wales Spatial Plan areas (Welsh Assembly Government, 2011). Regional level (Scotland) The regional strategic planning in Scotland is imposed on the process of community planning which draws on the experience of earlier regional reports (Lloyd, 1997, pp. 113-132). The National Planning Framework for Scotland (2004) identifies key issues and drivers of change, sets out a vision to 2025, and identifies priorities and opportunities for different parts of the country in spatial perspectives for the Central Belt, East Coast, Ayrshire and the South-West and Rural Scotland (The Scottish Government, 2006). Regional level (Northern Ireland) The Regional Development Strategy, ‘Shaping Our Future’ is the spatial strategy of Northern Ireland Executive, providing both a spatial and long-term strategy up to 2025. The RDS has statutory basis and is prepared under the Strategic Planning (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, providing an overarching strategic planning framework to facilitate and guide the public and private sectors (Department for Regional Development /DRD/, 2010). Local level (England) The local authorities are responsible for preparing the Local Development Framework (LDF) which has replaced the old Unitary Development Plans (UDPs). The LDF sets out a vision for the local area according to the Regional Spatial Strategy and contains various planning documents, the most important of which are subject to strict procedures, including examination by an independent person (Inspector). These documents are called Development Plan Documents (DPDs) (Gaunt, Gudnadottir and Waring, 2006, pp.10-11), and include: 1. Core Strategy that sets out the general vision and the most important policies; 2. Site Specific Allocations and Policies which may include details relating to design, access, density and affordable housing; 3. Area Action Plan – for areas where is pressure for change; 4. Proposals map – a map covering the local authority area, showing the location of the policies and proposals within the LDF; 5. Other (Supplementary) Development Plan Documents or SPDs; 6. Local Development Scheme - sets out the range of plans and timeframes for producing all the documents 7. Statement of Community Involvement which explains the local authority consultation on plan preparation and development control; SCIs must also link to other community involvement strategies, including the Sustainable Community Strategy The development control section within the local authority generally deals with planning applications, appeals and enforcement matters (where development has taken place without planning permission (Gaunt, Gudnadottir and Waring, 2006, p.15). Local level (Wales) Each Local Planning Authority in Wales produces a LDP for its administrative area; the LDP is a land use policy framework setting out the authority’s objectives for the development of land in its area and general policies to implement them. The plan is the starting point in the consideration of planning applications for the development of or use of land (Planning Inspectorate Wales, 2005). Local level (Scotland) The Local Councils decide on planning permission applications, organise and prepare development plans, and deal with developments that have been approved. The Development Plans consist of two separate parts - the Structure Plan and the Local Plan, within which two parts it’s decided how much development will take place, where the development will be positioned and where development will not be allowed (Online Planning Offices, 2006). Local level (Northern Ireland) Development plans are in the form of area plans, local plans or subject plans, and apply the regional policies of the Department at the appropriate local level, informing the general public, statutory authorities, developers, etc. of the policy framework and land use proposals that will be used to guide development decisions within their local area (Department for Regional Development /DRD/, 2010). Sustainable urban regeneration The Sustainable Communities Plan launched in 2003 is a key policy of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), aimed at tackling the problems of acute deprivation in some parts of the country and transforming the communities England-wide by means of sustainable urban regeneration. The policy appeared to focus the attention on building partnerships, providing the regions with the tools and resources to undertake the change and devolving the decision-making for economic development and planning (ODPM, 2003). Being the 42nd most deprived out of all 354 local authorities in England (according the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2007), Oldham, Greater Manchester, appeared one of the target areas for the national plan for action ( Panel Report, 2001). The vision and strategy for the Borough of Oldham – Oldham Beyond – has been commissioned by Oldham Strategic Partnership in co-operation with the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), and produced in 2004 (URBED, 2004). The vision comprises two masterplans dealing with one of the Housing Market Renewal pilot areas along with regeneration of Oldham Town Centre, being complemented by a series of smaller plans for sites throughout the borough, including Zetex, Hollinwood, Oldham Athletic FC, the Robert Fletcher site in Greenfield, Royton Town Centre and Featherstall Road. The common vision for the Borough of Oldham is further developed into Oldham’s Sustainable Community Strategy 2008 – 2020 supported by a three-year delivery plan - the Local Area Agreement (LAA) – which encompass themes of economic prosperity, safe and strong communities, health and well-being, cohesive society, community engagement, culture, sustainable use of resources, etc. The volume of regeneration works completed as part of Oldham Beyond vision for the borough of Oldham and the second master plan – The Heart of Oldham (URBED, 2004), namely the NHS Surgeries and other NHS facilities such as a walk in centre, and dental facilities, regeneration of the bus station along with a new station completed, the University Campus Oldham extended, new library, etc., indicates a bit sluggish pace of transformation, as against the ambitious plans for the future; as well as certain under-performance compared not only to the regeneration schemes in Bury, Rochdale, etc., but also to its own potential. Nevertheless, the Oldham Partnership was highly commended in the prestigious Local Government Chronicle LSP Award 2007(Oldham Partnership, 2008). Summary and Conclusions The ‘New’ Labour planning policies, including, and especially, those connected with sustainable urban regeneration and community involvement might as well be considered varying from a glimpse beyond the boundaries of the present, through a bit contradictory in the part of particular outputs, to openly unrealistic in terms of financial feasibility. Though there is a bit more laudable rhetoric, perhaps as a consequence of idealised notion of community, rather than real response to particular communities’ needs, the framework for coping with the social deprivation and exclusion, especially in the case of some ethnic groups, the neighbourhood inequalities, etc. is broadly available. References 1. Balchin, P., Sykora, L. and Bull, G., 1999, Regional Policy and Planning in Europe, London: Routledge, p. 89 2. Cherry, G. E., 1988, Cities and Plans: the Shaping of Urban Britain in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Edward Arnold, pp. 5, 63, 72, 183, 184, 187-189 3. Department for Regional Development, Northern Ireland Executive, 2010, Shaping Our Future, Regional Development Strategy 2025, [online] Available at < http://www.drdni.gov.uk/draft_revised_regional_development_strategy_ jan_2011.pdf > [Accessed 21 March 2011] 4. Gaunt, C., Gudnadottir, E., and Waring, L., 2006, The Handy Guide to Planning, London: Urban Forum, pp. 6-8, 9, 10-11, 15 [online] Available at [Accessed 24 March 2011] 5. Giddens, Anthony (1998) The Third Way. The Renewal of Social Democracy. Cambridge : Polity (publisher) 6. Jones P. and Evans J., 2008, Urban Regeneration in the UK, London: SAGE Publications ltd, pp. 26, 18 7. Lloyd, M. G., 1997, Structure and culture. Regional planning and institutional innovation in Scotland in Macdonald, R. and Thomas, H. eds., Nationality and Planning in Scotland and Wales, Cardiff: University of Wales Press, pp. 113-132 8. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2003, Sustainable Communities in the North West: Building for the Future, [online] Available at < http:// www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/143606.pdf> [Accessed 25 March 2011] 9. Oldham Partnership, 2008, Oldham Community Strategy 2008 – 2020 and Local Area Agreement 2008 – 2011, [online] Available at < http://www. oldhampartnership.org.uk/oldham_community_strategy_and_laa_final.pdf> [Accessed 27 March 2011] 10. Online Planning Offices, 2006, Planning Procedure in Scotland, [online] Available at [Accessed 25 March 2011] 11. Panel Report, 2001, Oldham Independent Review: One Oldham One Future, [online] Available at < http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/ documents/2001/12/11/Oldhamindependentreview.pdf> [Accessed 24 March 2011] 12. Planning Inspectorate Wales, 2005, A Guide to the Examination of Local Development Plans, [online] Available at [Accessed 21 March 2011] 13. Planning Portal, n.d., Planning Policy & Legislation / Current Policy (Wales) [online] Available at [Accessed 23 March 2011] 14. Planning Act 2008, (c. 29), London: HMSO, [online] Available at [Accessed 20 March 2011] 15. Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, 2003, London: HMSO [online] Available at < http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/2003/430/contents> [Accessed 20 March 2011] 16. Tewdwr-Jones, M., ed., 1996, British Planning in Transition, London: UCL Press 17. The Scottish Government, 2010, Scottish Planning Policy, [online] Available at [Accessed 20 March 2011] 18. The Scottish Government, 2006, National Planning Framework for Scotland, [online] Available at < http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/04 /19170/35320> [Accessed 22 March 2011] 19. URBED, Comedia, King Sturge, S333 Architects, and WSP, 2004. Oldham Beyond - A Vision for the Borough of Oldham. Available at: [Accessed 22 March 2011] 20. URBED, Comedia, King Sturge, S333 Architects, and WSP, 2004. The Heart of Oldham: A Masterplan for Oldham Town Centre. Available at: [Accessed 22 March 2011] 21. Welsh Assembly Government, 2011, Planning Policy Wales, [online] Available at [Accessed 25 March 2011] Bibliography 1. Cherry, G. E., 1988, Cities and Plans: the Shaping of Urban Britain in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Edward Arnold 2. Balchin, P., Sykora, L. and Bull, G., 1999, Regional Policy and Planning in Europe, London: Routledge 3. Cherry, G. E., 1988, Cities and Plans: the Shaping of Urban Britain in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, London: Edward Arnold 4. Cullingworth, B., ed. 1999, British Planning: 50 Years of Urban and Regional Policy, London: The Athlone Press 5. Cullingworth, B. and Nadin, V., 1964, 2002, Town & Country Planning in the UK, 13th ed., London: Routledge 6. Department for Regional Development, Northern Ireland Executive, 2010, Shaping Our Future, Regional Development Strategy 2025, [online] Available at < http://www.drdni.gov.uk/draft_revised_regional_development_strategy_ jan_2011.pdf > [Accessed 21 March 2011] 7. Gaunt, C., Gudnadottir, E., and Waring, L., 2006, The Handy Guide to Planning, London: Urban Forum [online] Available at [Accessed 24 March 2011] 8. Giddens, Anthony (1998) The Third Way. The Renewal of Social Democracy. Cambridge : Polity (publisher) 9. Imrie R. and Raco M. eds., 2003. Urban Renaissance? New Labour, community and urban policy, Bristol: The Policy Press 10. Jones P. and Evans J., 2008, Urban Regeneration in the UK, London: SAGE Publications ltd 11. Lloyd, M. G., 1997, Structure and culture. Regional planning and institutional innovation in Scotland in Macdonald, R. and Thomas, H. eds., Nationality and Planning in Scotland and Wales, Cardiff: University of Wales Press 12. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2003, Sustainable Communities in the North West: Building for the Future, [online] Available at < http:// www.communities.gov.uk/documents/communities/pdf/143606.pdf> [Accessed 25 March 2011] 13. Oldham Partnership, 2008, Oldham Community Strategy 2008 – 2020 and Local Area Agreement 2008 – 2011, [online] Available at < http://www. oldhampartnership.org.uk/oldham_community_strategy_and_laa_final.pdf> [Accessed 27 March 2011] 14. Online Planning Offices, 2006, Planning Procedure in Scotland, [online] Available at [Accessed 25 March 2011] 15. Panel Report, 2001, Oldham Independent Review: One Oldham One Future, [online] Available at < http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Guardian/ documents/2001/12/11/Oldhamindependentreview.pdf> [Accessed 24 March 2011] 16. Planning Inspectorate Wales, 2005, A Guide to the Examination of Local Development Plans, [online] Available at [Accessed 21 March 2011] 17. Planning Portal, n.d., Planning Policy & Legislation / Current Policy (Wales) [online] Available at [Accessed 23 March 2011] 18. Planning Act 2008, (c. 29), London: HMSO, [online] Available at [Accessed 20 March 2011] 19. Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003, 2003, London: HMSO [online] Available at < http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/2003/430/contents> [Accessed 20 March 2011] 20. Tewdwr-Jones, M., ed., 1996, British Planning in Transition, London: UCL Press 21. The Scottish Government, 2010, Scottish Planning Policy, [online] Available at [Accessed 20 March 2011] 22. The Scottish Government, 2006, National Planning Framework for Scotland, [online] Available at < http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/04 /19170/35320> [Accessed 22 March 2011] 23. The Town & Borough of Oldham, In the Greater Manchester Metropolitan County, 2005, [online] Available at [Accessed 27 March 2011] 24. URBED, Comedia, King Sturge, S333 Architects, and WSP, 2004. Oldham Beyond - A Vision for the Borough of Oldham. Available at: [Accessed 22 March 2011] 25. URBED, Comedia, King Sturge, S333 Architects, and WSP, 2004. The Heart of Oldham: A Masterplan for Oldham Town Centre. Available at: [Accessed 22 March 2011] 26. Welsh Assembly Government, 2011, Planning Policy Wales, [online] Available at [Accessed 25 March 2011] Read More