rtpi manifesto for planning 2010 full

8/8/2019 RTPI Manifesto for Planning 2010 Full

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Introduction

Now, more than ever before, it is the planning system that guides how and where we live, work and

relax. Planning shapes our villages, towns, cities and countryside and is vital to the nations economic

well-being. Elected representatives and planners, working together, seek to strike the right balance

between the rights of individuals with the needs of the wider community. This can sometimes prove

contentious but the system we have manages this effectively for the benefit of everyone.

Our town and country planning system is respected around the world for the way in which it has allowedour towns and cities to grow while protecting what makes the United Kingdom special. The challenge

for the next government will be to build on the strong foundations of the existing system and the skills

and experience of the planning profession and the development industry, as well as to involve local

people in a meaningful way to shape the right decisions for all our futures.

This manifesto

summarises the RTPI's position on the leading issues facing planning;

sets out what we believe should be the future for planning and details how these principles can be delivered;

guides the RTPIs engagement with all political parties leading up to and beyond the forthcoming general election;

outlines principles for planning in the United Kingdom and across the world but with special relevance to planning

in England because this is a matter for the UK Parliament;

will be supported in due course by manifestos for each of the UK nations with devolved planning powers to

address specific national issues;

shows how a government committed to promoting economic recovery and wealth creation and addressing climate

change can enable communities to help shape better places to live and work through effective spatial planning;

emphasises the opportunities for the RTPI and its members to help government develop a planning system that is

fit for purpose and keep it up to date;

represents the long-term aspirations of the RTPI and the profession ~ it will be reviewed periodically to ensure it

remains relevant.

setting professional and ethical standards3


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Summary of our 14 point campaign:

In the following pages we outline 14 campaign points to promote what we believe are the vital

issues that face planning and planners including what we intend to do on each point. They are:

Goals for planning

1. Standing up for planning

2. Making the system work better

3. Going beyond simply sustainable development

4. Empowering our communities

5. Providing better planning skills and resources

Planning ahead

6. Supporting national spatial planning frameworks

7. Delivering infrastructure

8. Strategic planning for strategic issues

9. Producing local plans for local issues

Making the right decisions

10. Moving from development control to development management

11. Retaining independent examination of planning decisions

12. Securing spatial assessment of policies

Living globally

13. Acting globally

14. Planning for the long term

These campaign points are driven by our vision for planning.

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Our vision for planning

The RTPI stands for planning that:

identifies the needs and aspirations of communities at all levels from local to global;tackles the challenges of planning to live with climate change;

determines the scale and type of development to meet community needs and aspirations in away that is sustainable, equitable and balances competing demands;

manages the delivery of development from inception to completion;

manages the integration of new development into existing communities;

evaluates the success and impact of delivering development and learns from experience.

In order to achieve this, we promote a planning system that is:

Spatial ~ recognising the particular characteristics of places, the ways they are used and the

relationships between them;

Sustainable ~ balancing short-term needs with longer term social, economic and environmental

objectives including the need to be resilient, to reduce impacts on climate change and to adapt to

its consequences;

Integrative ~ recognising, accounting for and coordinating the programmes of different stakeholders

and service providers in meeting communities needs and providing joined up infrastructure;

Inclusive ~ recognising and valuing the wide range of people involved in and affected by planningand development;

Value-driven ~ identifying, understanding and mediating conflicting sets of values and delivering

more for less;

Action-oriented ~ focusing on delivering practical and positive outcomes rather than on the

system or process itself.

Goals for planning

The UK planning system has a long and respected tradition of helping to shape the places where

people live and work within the context of wider economic, social and environmental objectives.It is often seen by users as a seemingly bureaucratic control mechanism that permits or refuses

permission for development, rather than societys essential tool for making successful and

enjoyable places that provide a high quality of life, economic growth and environmental protection.

Similarly, the wider context of development plans that set out a vision at the local, sub-regional,

regional and national levels and the strategic policies for providing national and local infrastructure

are (while essential) not always fully understood or accessible to communities. The RTPI is the

champion of planning and the planning profession and works to promote the role and practice of

spatial planning for the public benefit.

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1. Standing up for planning

4Effective plans can deliver important economic, social and environmental objectives and the needsand aspirations of communities. Good planning integrates activity in a cost effective and joined up way.

4Planning has a crucial role in acting as a catalyst for economic recovery during a time of recession.

4Planning balances competing interests for the use of land, resolving conflicts between neighbours andaddressing relationships between land use and the environment, natural resources, heritage and people.

4It supports the economy by aligning infrastructure (such as energy supply and communications) witheconomic development in the most effective way and by providing certainty for investors ~ not justbusiness investors but ordinary people buying their own homes.

4It protects important natural environments and heritage features and it safeguards the landscapesand places we will value in the future.

4Planning enables communities to identify, protect and enhance the assets that matter to them toretain the distinctiveness of their area.

4Planning is technical and based on complex legislation and practice but it is done for people and thepublic good within a political environment: it requires highly skilled professionals who can understandpublic needs to deliver results effectively in a balanced and equitable manner.

4Good planning requires and delivers a vision; ultimately the activity is all about creating and sustainingplaces that are successful and enjoyable for their communities.

2. Making the system work better

4The planning system in the UK has been through a lot of upheaval in recent years. Communities nowdeserve stability so that their representatives in government at all levels can get on with deliveringcommunity aspirations rather than adapting to yet more new systems of regulation.

4Unnecessary change diverts our attention from the major issues and creates uncertainty.

4We can deliver with the tools that are already there ~ but we are more likely to deliver and can delivermore quickly if the right levels of resources and skills are provided, and we can get on with the job.

4The current primary legislation for planning in the UK is largely fit for purpose ~ it does not needfurther radical overhaul ~ this would just lead to delay, confusion and lack of confidence across thedevelopment sector.

4But people do not often engage in the planning process ~ it needs to be more easily understood,have wider ownership and be more efficient and effective:

We need local plans, but the system of Local Development Frameworks is too complicated and

takes too long.

What we will do: The RTPI will campaign for governments at all levels to recognise that planning is the

essential mechanism through which their objectives can be delivered on the ground and it will ensure that

Chartered Town Planners have the necessary skills and expertise to meet these challenges.

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We need plans above the local level to deliver development and infrastructure that crossesadministrative boundaries, but there is a lack of faith in the current system of regional planning.

National Policy Statements need to be properly spatial.

We need a national planning framework for England.4Some enhancements could be made to detailed regulations, policy and guidance in order to respondto new circumstances, address issues of practice and further simplify the planning system. Planningis a complex activity but there is always scope to rationalise it, make it more effective and easier tounderstand.

3. Going beyond simply sustainable development

4Climate change presents society with an urgent need to address the environmental impacts ofdevelopment and individual lifestyle choices. We need intelligent solutions, both technical and policy-based, to deal with this issue in terms of both reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and ensuringdevelopment is resilient to environmental changes.

4The challenge of climate change means that we need a different definition of what constitutes

sustainable development, so that mitigation and adaptation measures can be balanced with economic,social and environmental objectives, and the prudent use of natural resources.

4A proper balance is necessary to avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater: climate changebenefits that could be provided in other ways should not, for example, lead to the irrevocable loss ofhabitat or heritage assets.

4In times of limited funding, investment should be targeted on cutting carbon emissions, particularly intransport and energy.

4Development must be resilient to absorb the impact of climate change and other change. We alsoneed to plan places to deal with the unexpected impacts of climate change so they can adapt to thefuture changes in coastal processes, flood risk, urban heat islands, water resources etc.

4The planning process is not only the means by which these objectives can be balanced in deliveringdevelopment, but it can also help demonstrate to existing communities the importance of action onclimate change and influence behaviour to mitigate or address its consequences.

What we will do: The RTPI will support planners in making the system work more effectively by helping

to identify enhancements which could be made to detailed regulations, policy and guidance in order to

respond to new circumstances and to address issues of practice where such changes would simplify the

planning process.

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4. Empowering our communities

4Planning is about communities and people ~ it is about shaping places and making decisions in thewider public interest.

4Working with Planning Aid England, the RTPI will lead moves to develop a new relationship betweencommunities, elected representatives and planning practitioners built on trust, mutual acknowledgementof skills and knowledge and on a rigorously professional approach.

4Community engagement is fundamental to good planning. Planning enables and fosters communityinvolvement to help shape the places where people live.

4New legislation and policies should not only embed meaningful community engagement in their

procedures, but should themselves be introduced with the benefit of community input.4In order to sustain community engagement, planning processes must manage expectations, avoidduplication that leads to consultation fatigue, and embed opportunities for feedback.

4The planning process can be used to inform communities of a wide range of issues surroundingpublic service.

5. Providing better planning skills and resources

4Great places to live and work dont just happen ~ planners are part of the interdisciplinary teams thathelp to shape places for the better.

4Raising the profile of planning within local authorities is vital. We need to ensure that Chartered Town

Planners are members of senior management teams at all levels of government and that leading

councillors and planning committee members are required to take part in appropriate training.

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What we will do: The RTPI will work with government and Planning Aid England to lead moves to develop

a new relationship between communities, elected representatives and planning practitioners built on trust,

mutual acknowledgement of skills and knowledge and a rigorously professional approach.

What we will do: The RTPI will continue to promote and deliver on its seven commitments for planning

to live with climate change to:

1. Promote behavioural change2. Adapt existing places

3. Work towards responsive legislation and policies

4. Improve current practice

5. Celebrate best practice

6. Compile a compendium of best practice

7. Develop climate change education and skills


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What we will do: The RTPI is committed to the highest standards and to raising the skills of the profession.

We will drive forward this agenda by scrutinising accredited planning schools, monitoring members Continuing

Professional Development, encouraging best practice and providing opportunities for lifelong learning.

4Government must properly resource the planning system it expects to deliver so many of itsobjectives, and it must fully support the planning profession that is committed to help achieve them.

4Improving skills, enhancing understanding and sharing responsibilities can be facilitated by forging

closer links between planning and other professions ~ this must be achieved not only by the RTPI butalso between departments in national and local government and between other agencies and businesses.

4Chartered membership is essential if proper planning practice is to take place and if the public are tohave recourse where lack of professionalism is suspected. Working with government and employersto promote and recognise the value of the MRTPI qualification is essential.

Planning ahead

Planning is about mapping a future vision. Planning decisions must be made on a rational basis in

the public interest. This needs plans which establish what the public interest is for the community,

of whatever size, covered by the plan. Policies and proposals should be driven by community

aspirations and a robust assessment of the evidence of need for development and the need tosafeguard important assets. Crucially, development plans enable policy options and development

options to be compared and prioritised at the same time, rather than adopting proposals out of

context at the planning application stage for single proposals.

The need for different types of development arise from and impact upon different sizes of

community: motorways and railways connect cities, hospitals may serve several districts, houses

cannot always be provided in the area where the need arises. We need mechanisms that allow us

to plan for these needs and co-ordinate them, at whatever geographical scale.

Such planning is all about the spatial relationships between housing, employment, environment,services and transport and achieving wider objectives. Many important aspects of social, economic

and environmental policy have little variation between local areas and so it is right that some

policies and standards should be set at a national or sub-national level.

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6. Supporting national spatial planning frameworks

4The RTPI believes that each nation in the UK should have a national spatial planning framework toprovide a basis for efficient public and private investment in national infrastructure and development

and to coordinate statements of national planning policy and infrastructure policy.4The national plan arrangements for Wales and Scotland, and to some extent for Northern Ireland,have proved valuable in providing an identifiable policy framework for these nations although there isscope for each to improve based on learning from the others.

4National Policy Statements can operate more effectively within a national framework.

7. Delivering infrastructure4The regime for providing nationally significant infrastructure introduced by the 2008 Planning Act is amajor step forward in streamlining procedures for delivering much needed major infrastructure projectsin England and Wales and its principles are widely supported.

4The need to plan properly for major infrastructure projects should be fulfilled through national spatialplanning frameworks supported by spatial policies in statements relevant to the particular types ofinfrastructure needed; this is necessary to link infrastructure provision with the wider aim of sustainabledevelopment.

4The RTPI believes that local infrastructure that is needed to support development and to provide for

the quality of life of its users should be funded by the uplift of land value arising from developmentconsent. The need for such infrastructure should be supported by a fully evidenced and costedinfrastructure delivery plan.

8. Strategic planning for strategic issues

4The popular image of localism fails to acknowledge that some things need to be provided or planned

for at a larger scale than merely local (specialist hospitals, universities, railways, flood risk management,

and minerals for example) and that meeting the needs of larger communities will have different impacts

on different communities.

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There must be strategic plans for meaningful areas at the wider than local scale, that relate to theareas in which people live and work and to natural ecosystems, to enable options to be consideredand conflicts resolved in an open and accountable manner.

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What we will do: The RTPI will promote the need for national spatial planning for each nation within the UK.

What we will do: The RTPI supports the principle of preparing National Policy Statements for key

elements of national infrastructure and will continue to argue for a fully spatial approach within the context

of a National Spatial Planning Framework. It supports the principles of tariff systems or the Community

Infrastructure Levy, in conjunction with site specific planning agreements, to deliver local infrastructure.

Implementation of such measures must ensure that they work effectively, do not slow down land supply

and deliver an equitable return to the community.


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4There is a wealth of expertise and information currently held by regional planning bodies and it isessential that this is retained for continued use whatever strategic planning systems are in place.

9. Producing local plans for local issues

4The RTPI believes that planning decisions should reflect the needs and aspirations of localcommunities, who have the right to shape their own future: planning is the key mechanism thatdelivers the localism agenda. Development plans need to have ownership from the local communityand from investors if they are to succeed and be implemented.

4Local spatial plans that balance meeting peoples development needs with economic, social andenvironmental factors enable communities to define what is or is not sustainable for their area in thepublic interest.

4To be truly spatial, local plans need to be part of a coordinated suite of policies and implementationmechanisms that deliver the aspirations of communities and the key service providers in their areas.

4The combination or alignment of a Sustainable Community Strategy, Local Area Agreement andLocal Development Framework used in England is one way of enabling this and has manyadvantages.

4Communities should be given the flexibility to produce spatial plans in formats that are best able tomeet their local needs.

4To facilitate delivery, decisions made by other agencies ~ particularly partners to the Local and MultiArea Agreements ~ should be made in accordance with these spatial plans in the sameway that planning decisions are made.

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What we will do: The RTPI is committed to supporting local councils in making local plans simple and

realistic ~ and then delivering them.

Making the right decision

Once a communitys interests are defined in its local plan, it is essential that decisions are taken

that deliver the objectives of the plan in order to ensure that the right development takes place in

the right place at the right time. Development management, backed up by planning enforcement,

is the mechanism that enables this to happen in a transparent and accountable way.

What we will do: The RTPI will promote the need to support localism with strategic planning at the

international, national and sub-national level to ensure the needs of wider than local community interest

are properly addressed.


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10. Moving from development control to development management

4We believe that development management is the tool that enables communities to deliver their agreedvision for their area. True development management is a seamless process that takes an identified

project through from inception to completion.4Projects could be anything from a particular type of development, to the regeneration of an underusedsite, to the enhancement of a historic area. The management of the development could include policymaking, site selection, master planning, detailed design, construction and monitoring developmentoutcomes.

4Different types of project and different phases of projects may involve different professionals workingin different disciplines but the principle of development management is a commitment by all partiesinvolved to see the project through. A prerequisite for this is a general agreement about the principle ofthe project preferably expressed in development plan policy or an agreed planning brief.

4The shift to development management involves a culture change not just for local authorities but alsofor the development industry, planning consultants, consultees and other stakeholders. It dependsupon delivering the identified policies and proposals of the development plan, rather than planning byexception and appeal.

4The RTPI does not sign up to the caricature that development control was about saying no anddevelopment management is about saying yes. Good planning has always been about enabling theright development in the right place and the right time and, equally importantly, preventing inadequate,poorly located and untimely schemes.

4Development management requires a clear and simple process that facilitates and coordinatesengagement with other consenting regimes.

4Once a communitys interests are defined in its local plan, it is essential that decisions are taken thatdeliver the objectives of the plan in order to ensure that the right development takes place in the rightplace at the right time. Development management, backed up by planning enforcement, is themechanism that enables this to happen in a transparent and accountable way. A properly resourcedenforcement service is essential to maintain the integrity of the planning process and the communitysexpectations of it..

11. Retaining independent examination of planning decisions

4The RTPI firmly supports the principle of an independent, impartial and expert body to resolve disputeswhether on planning proposals or development plans. It is best if decisions are made and ownedlocally but this is not always possible especially where a locality bears the impact of nationally needed

development. Some independent examination will be necessary in some cases.

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What we will do: The RTPI is committed to a process that moves on from simply assessing developmentproposals to a more pro-active approach that begins with a place-making vision, develops a plan to realise

it, supports those proposals that help realise the plan from inception to delivery, and is followed through by

effective enforcement.


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4Independent examination of development plans or proposals should be about seeking an impartialview on the relative merits of different approaches, within the context of a plan-led system.

12. Securing spatial assessment of policies

4Policies made by and decisions taken outside the development industry can have impacts ~ positiveand negative ~ on the use of land and the relationship between places. For example, a change to theadmissions policy for a school can change travel patterns and a change in the type of ward availablein a hospital might lead to a need for additional local health services.

4It is essential that when decisions are taken that change the way a place is used, even if there is nophysical development, the impact of the decision on the spatial operation of the place and its surroundingsis assessed so that consequent changes can be planned for.

4Such decisions can have implications for transport, social exclusion and the economy that may needto be resolved through planning measures. Other implications may have to be managed through otherassociated mechanisms.

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What we will do: The RTPI firmly supports the principle of an independent, impartial and expert body to

resolve disputes whether on planning proposals or development plans.

What we will do: The RTPI believes many policies and proposals ~ for example significant decisions on

the management of public services such as schools and hospitals ~ must always be assessed for their

potential spatial implications, supported by mechanisms such as health and equality impact assessments.

Taking a broad view

Good planning always looks into the future and beyond the immediate neighbourhood.

The world faces major challenges where significant change is required in the development of human

settlements and the provision of major infrastructure, food and energy supply. When lead times formajor investment can stretch over decades, we need to look further forward with open minds beyond

the terms of office of governments and conventional financial planning horizons. The more distant

future is not certain enough for us to make detailed plans but we must start asking questions about

the kind of future we wish to create. Climate change and the reducing availability of natural

resources ~ especially oil ~ make long-term planning increasingly important.

Although planning is often concerned with issues that are specific to local areas, it also has wider

national and global impacts. This comes about not only by the cumulative impacts that development

has across the world but also by planners in different nations sharing their experiences and best

practice to learn from each other and shape their own places more effectively.


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The Royal Town Planning Institute: our mission

Everything we do is inspired by our mission to advance the art andscience of town and country planning for the benefit of the public.

We champion the role of spatial planning ~ planning that gives peoplea real say in shaping the places where they live and work ~ and weensure that sustainability is at the heart of everything we do.

We achieve this by:

promoting spatial planning and what it can do for people;

campaigning for better planning;

leading, developing and supporting the planning profession;

championing Institute membership and its value to society;

setting professional and ethical standards;

building public awareness, understanding and support for planning

with access to the system for everyone;

influencing the development of planning policy and legislation;

advancing the theory of spatial planning; linking spatial planning theory with practice;

working in partnership with others.

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The Royal Town Planning Institute

41 Botolph Lane, London, EC3R 8DL

www.rtpi.org.uk

Olympic image credits:

London 2010 Olympic Games images 2007-2009

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited

rtpi manifesto for planning 2010 full

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