Government pledges support for locally planned new communities

Published by Julien Tremblin for TCPA in Housing and also in Central Government, Communities, Local Government

Leading housing and planning charity, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has today welcomed the Government’s recognition in the Housing Strategy for the powerful opportunity and benefits that large scale, comprehensively planned new communities, such as garden cities, offer in helping to tackle the housing and employment crisis.

Kate Henderson, TCPA Chief Executive said:

“We welcome the Government’s pledge to provide more support for locally planned large scale development, where there is community support and private sector appetite, through the planning system and infrastructure prioritisation. A new generation of locally-led, comprehensively planned garden communities - including sustainable urban extensions, urban villages and new settlements - is overdue.”

“Our recent report ‘Re-imagining garden cities for the 21^st Century’, illustrates how comprehensively planned large-scale development can be highly successful and the best examples of these – places such as Welwyn and Letchworth – have been a great British contribution to international thinking on planning. Many of the Garden City ideals remain of critical relevance today, providing a foundation and an economy of scale for high quality, attractive and inclusive places, creating new jobs and truly sustainable lifestyles.”

“In the new era of localism and non-prescriptive guidance it is down to the sector to act. The TCPA is committed to working with communities, local councils, planners, investors and developers to explore the types of partnerships and model approaches through the emerging policies identified in the Housing Strategy. We need to ensure that new communities are based on stronger community engagement and ownership, long term private sector commitment, visionary design, taking up the localist and simplified planning policies of the Government, and exploiting the release of more public land for housing.”

The Housing Strategy has rightly identified infrastructure investment as a key concern for communities, councils and the private sector. Giving priority to investment decisions in infrastructure spending will help ensure long-term support and delivery of new communities.

In response to the Government’s ‘Get Britain Building’ investment fund, Kate Henderson said:

 “The current economic conditions have stalled many large-scale developments. The £400 million ‘Get Britain Building’ investment fund has the potential to help unlock sites and provide confidence to communities, councils and the private sector. By supporting small and medium sized house-builders, not only will this help deliver desperately needed new homes, it will also create new local jobs.”  

The TCPA will be working with communities, local councils, planners, investors and developers to explore the types of partnerships and model approaches for development through the emerging policies identified in the Housing Strategy. This will include exploring how we re-connect people and planning, giving communities a stronger say and developers greater certainty.