Planning for the Future



On Wednesday 12 November 2008 the Conference opened with a discussion on national planning policy led by Paul Hudson, Director of Delivery at Thames Gateway Executive and former Chief Planner at Communities & Local Government.

The session began with an overview of the Government’s current position on Planning Policy Statement 6 (PPS6) by Miles Gibson, Deputy Director of Planning Economics & Social Policy at the Department of Communities & Local Government.

Gibson reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to a ‘town centres first’ approach and also to sequential testing. However, he also outlined proposed changes to PPS6 which include replacing the current needs test with a broader ‘impact’ test which will allow local authorities to weigh up a range of impacts on a town or city centre when making decisions about retail developments of over 2,500 sq m, against the wider benefits in terms of jobs, social renewal and regeneration. Factors that play a critical role were identified as design, jobs and training as well as climate change impact.

In order to illustrate some of these planning considerations in practice, David Higgins, Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority gave an overview of the Stratford redevelopment. He emphasised the importance of taking into account the wider impacts on the regeneration of an area and community engagement when planning a major development.

The debate then shifted to the role that planning can play in economic development and whether planners can introduce measures that might stimulate economic activity during a downturn.

Gibson commented: “The changes we are currently making will have longevity and may not have an impact in real terms for two or three years. Current conditions are causing us to reflect on our approach and the crucial consideration for us is to make sure we build in sufficient flexibility in the policy to be adaptable to future shifts in the economic cycle.”

Higgins added: “What we need is certainty of policy in this area so we do not undermine the confidence of investors and developers who drive developments in the first place.”