Planners called on to bridge gap between public and economic value of place

Tuesday 6 February 2006

London Deputy Mayor welcomes debate over future of planning profession

A unique consortium of building and planning stakeholders today (Tuesday) calls for a radical re-evaluation of the planning profession. The report Future Planners: Propositions for the next age of planning argues that old-fashioned notions of private and public value have led to planners having to manage competing demands of economic progress and environmental sustainability. To succeed and thrive, the profession must bridge the gap, using resources from the private and public sectors, local communities and NGOs, to create places that people care for and enjoy, planning areas and neighbourhoods which flourish while protecting the environment.

The report, which recommends greater democratic accountability over planning priorities, has been welcomed by Deputy Mayor of London Nicky Gavron:

‘I welcome this important work, from a diverse range of authoritative organisations, on the future planner. Planners have a key role in addressing our most pressing social needs, from climate change to affordable housing. We have to get communities, developers, and environmentalists together to agree how to move to a sustainable future. This needs the kind of strong political leadership Ken Livingstone is providing in London, and a strong planning system to back this up.’

The report will be launched today (Tuesday) by Kate Barker, author of the recent Review of Land Use Planning.

Based on research done by the think tank Demos; 00:/; and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), the report has had input and support from the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS); English Partnerships and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Planners, say the report, need to consider the needs of people who work, play and visit places as well as local residents’ interests. And they need to plan for the global as well as the local environmental impacts of new development.

Demos researcher Peter Bradwell is one of the authors of the report. He said:

‘Planners have to cope with a public that wants mobile phones but hates mobile phone masts, a public which worries increasingly about global warming but frequently objects to climate-friendly wind turbines proposed near their homes. Is it because they are irrelevant bureaucrats? No. In truth, they are often best placed to be able to ensure places match immediate public interest, with long term sustainability.’

The report argues that this complex set of demands will only be met through planners becoming champions of the public value of place, mediating between competing interests.

One of the more radical proposals is the use of citizen juries, to aid controversial planning decisions, drawn from a national pool in order to avoid ‘NIMBYism’.

Report co-author Indy Johar said:

‘Being a planner isn’t about stopping people influencing what happens, but helping those opinions be heard. Citizen’s panels can be great forums for combining expert knowledge with the wishes of people whose lives planning decisions affect.’

CPRE Planning Campaigner and report co-author Paul Miner said:

‘It’s about time we had a serious debate about the role of land in society today. Far too often planners are seen as the cause of policy failures, a perception that is far from the truth. The fact is that skilled planners are needed if we’re to face the challenges of sustaining economic growth, promoting social justice and improving environmental quality.’

Future Planners argues that planners need to play four broad roles:

• as enablers, using their knowledge of the planning system to bring together businesses, developers, local communities, interest groups and public agencies in creating better places;
• as scenario planners, envisioning different possible futures for their areas, to help create resilient, flexible plans and developments;
• as provocateurs, questioning assumptions and offering alternative perspectives;
• as judges, able to arbitrate and independent both of local vested interests and whichever political party is running the local town hall.

The report also makes a wide range of proposals to achieve:

• increased democracy in plan-making and planning decisions;
• improved skills among planners;
• an increased sense of empowerment and legitimacy in the profession;
• a boost in the overall public value of new developments in terms of their contribution to economic growth, social justice and environmental sustainability.

---

Press releases, papers and documents published on this page are the intellectual property of an organisation unrelated to Central Lobby. We promote their parliamentary and political campaigning activities as they are subscribers to the Central Lobby service.

As such, Central Lobby does not edit, endorse, or attempt to balance the opinions expressed on this page. The content of press releases and other such types of content are the responsibility of the originating organisation.