The Planner
“To be really effective in securing a community’s acceptance of new development it is essential to begin by understanding the whole town in order to confirm its economic and social strengths, weaknesses and future needs”.
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Joanne Cave, David Lock Associates
The Lawyers
“Neighbourhoods will have more say but the most important levers will be applied centrally - through the NPPF, through individual decision letters and through a variety of financial carrots and sticks.”
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Simon Ricketts & Duncan Field, SJ Berwin
The Strategic Land Developer
“The Government has understood that the delivery of major infrastructure must be controlled at a national level but has, disappointingly, excluded housing growth from this process. As such, local communities are left to shoulder the tremendous responsibility of directing housing growth.”
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Pippa Cheetham, O&H Properties
The Neighbourhood Forum
“Neighbourhood planning will give our residents a refreshing opportunity to influence not only what Central Milton Keynes will look like in future, but also how it will function and succeed as an important regional centre. The key will be collaboration through transparent and open dialogue based on honest ‘give-and-take’.”
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Rebecca Kurth, Chair of Central Milton Keynes Town Council
The Economist
“The best local authorities already adopt an integrated approach to spatial planning that considers the economic and social impacts of their proposals. Under localism there are opportunities to further reinforce these connections and most importantly to use new freedoms and flexibilities to help realise the economic ambitions contained within their strategies and plans.”
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Patrick McVeigh, Shared Intelligence
The Planner
Joanne Cave, David Lock Associates
“Under localism we are formulating well crafted strategies for the growth of housing alongside jobs and services, using the most innovative and collaborative techniques. This is real planning for real communities, and experience to date has shown that when they are equipped with the right information, even the most ardent objectors can be persuaded to engage positively in creative and constructive discussions about the future planning and prosperity of their town.
This bottom up approach will go some way to filling the void left by RSS abolition. But, to be really effective in securing a community’s acceptance of new development, it is essential to begin by understanding the whole town in order to confirm its economic and social strengths, weaknesses and future needs. Strategic land owners in particular have a great opportunity to reap long term benefits by embracing the new Act and engaging in “whole place planning”. Professional planners will play an important role as the “honest brokers”, effecting openness, communication and knowledge sharing.
As well, cash-strapped yet switched on local authorities and LEPS will be leading from the front with combined economic, social and spatial strategies to set a robust framework for effective neighbourhood planning. Partnership working across all sectors is going to be increasingly important.
But, we must also be mindful that the need for housing in economically strong areas is here, now and urgent, and we are negotiating fast and affordable wins to address that need too”.
The Lawyers
 
Simon Ricketts & Duncan Field, SJ Berwin
"Localism may be a misnomer. Neighbourhoods will have more say (within relatively tight policy and procedural constraints) but, even with the removal of nationally set regional targets, the most important levers will be applied centrally - through the NPPF, through individual decision letters (e.g. the recent resurrection of prematurity) and through a variety of financial carrots and sticks. The risk of legal challenge will continue to be highly influential with the introduction of more duties and administrative steps and potentially more aggrieved parties.
Whether the new system actually delivers growth (it certainly won't deliver a simpler system), will not be down to the almost 500 dense pages of the Act, but will be down to the secondary legislation, the form that the NPPF finally takes and the political courage on the part of ministers and councillors to avoid fudges and politically convenient ad hoc decisions.
Local authorities will need to get to grips with new responsibilities, overseeing neighbourhood processes, but on a reducing budget. However the best authorities will be looking to the opportunities that the new system undoubtedly offers - working collaboratively with good developers and engaged communities to deliver something more than just additional pages and pages of words on paper.”
The Strategic Land Developer
Pippa Cheetham, O&H Properties
“We are pleased that the Localism Act concludes a period of extreme uncertainty within the planning system and we broadly welcome the principles enshrined in the emerging NPPF, particularly the presumption in favour of sustainable development. The Government has understood that the delivery of major infrastructure must be controlled at a national level but has, disappointingly, excluded housing growth from this process. As such, local communities are left to shoulder the tremendous responsibility of directing housing growth to meet the country’s need. Our early work at a neighbourhood level suggests a positive response to small-scale, simple housing schemes but fear of any larger-scale, strategic growth. We hope that the support networks will be swiftly put in place to empower communities to make these difficult decisions but we remain cautious of their ability to think beyond immediate boundaries and take the strategic decisions that are vital to the sustainable growth of the UK.”
The Neighbourhood Forum
Rebecca Kurth, Chair of Central Milton Keynes Town Council
“Central Milton Keynes (CMK) is one of eight frontrunners for a business neighbourhood plan. It’s early days, but we are enthusiastic and aim to create an ambitious plan that will drive the future growth of our city centre whilst also building a stronger community. We are currently working closely with the CMK business community and our local authority to put the right governance and working arrangements in place. Despite the recession, Milton Keynes is still growing, and local people are very interested in development issues. Neighbourhood planning will give our residents a refreshing opportunity to influence not only what Central Milton Keynes will look like in future, but also how it will function and succeed as an important regional centre. The key will be collaboration through transparent and open dialogue based on honest ‘give-and-take’. Too often local people fight planning applications and cause years of delay and extra costs to developers because residents only see the problems. They don’t see, for example, what's being put back into the local community. Too often big business tries to push through planning applications without genuine public consultation, failing to realise that with a little more imagination and dialogue, there can be a win-win result. Business neighbourhood planning in CMK offers a way to break that vicious cycle, build bridges of understanding, and deliver benefits for all. At least, that is what we hope!”
The Economist
Patrick McVeigh, Shared Intelligence
Localism works well in theory but the question is will it work in practice. From an economic development perspective the best local authorities already adopt an integrated approach to spatial planning that considers the economic and social impacts of their proposals. Under localism there are opportunities to further reinforce these connections and most importantly to use new freedoms and flexibilities to help realise the economic ambitions contained within their strategies and plans.
However, in the face of significant financial constraints the challenge for all areas will be how to manage the competing pressures they will undoubtedly have. While the general power of competence is positive, economic development is a still a discretionary activity for local authorities and there is a danger that without separate funding streams for economic development activities opportunities will be missed.
Local Enterprise Partnerships could be part of the answer, but these partnerships have very limited access to resources. While initiatives such as the Regional Growth Fund and the new Growing Places Fund should be welcomed, there is a lack of new investment in economic growth across the country. Local Authorities should therefore be looking at how they use their new financial flexibilities to support economic growth and to consider how reforms to the community infrastructure levy and flexibilities to offer business rate discounts can best be used to attract firms, investment and jobs into their local areas. Where this can be done in a way that helps areas achieve sustainable economic growth this might just provide the evidence that localism can indeed work in practice.
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