Town and Country Planning articles from July 2003

Town and Country Planning archives from July 2003

Walker's test match.(Off the Fence)
July 1, 2003... John Prescott's Communities Plan marches on, and by the time this edition of Town & Country Planning is published, we may have seen the publication of draft sub-regional planning guidance for the South East super-growth areas. Of equal...

Malls take a mauling.(Trading Places)
July 1, 2003... By the time you read this, a new consultation version of PPG6 (Town Centres and Retail Developments) may at last have been released by the ODPM. Several issues which were widely recognised as being unclear in the 1996 version--such as the...

In the Orwell valley.(People & Ideas)
July 1, 2003... I remember F.J. Osborn remarking that his part in the history of the Garden City/New Towns movement had been exaggerated, just because he chanced to survive longer than the others involved. In a far more trivial industry--the celebration of the...

The European rail gamble.(Planning World)
July 1, 2003... Everyone knows Britain's railways have a problem--or two, or three. Network Rail, the not-for-profit body created by the Government 18 months ago to replace the bankrupt and discredited Railtrack, is facing a financial black hole and is running...

Just the start! What the Planning Bill means for quality: Matthew Carmona looks at the implications of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill for the quality of development and considers what other measures will be required to ensure that the planning process better contributes to the delivery of a high-quality environment.(Development quality)
July 1, 2003... The 2001 Planning Green Paper was subtitled Delivering a Fundamental Change, and many of its proposals will undoubtedly live up to the billing. Other proposals are more incremental in nature. Either way, the provisions being taken forward in...

Strange messages from the Annex.(Rural economy)
July 1, 2003... In the first of two articles on low-impact development in the countryside, Simon Fairlie argues that the current guidance on agricultural dwellings is being used both to prevent people whose small-scale land-based enterprises can help to revive...

Time for a new approach to planning for rural economic development? James Shorten outlines the findings of the Countryside Agency's recent research on planning for sustainable economic development in the English countryside, and argues that the dominant policy assertion that rural economies need further diversification looks increasingly questionable.(Rural economy)
July 1, 2003... There is a considerable body of recent government-supported research into rural and farm diversification and the planning system, (1) and last year the Countryside Agency asked Land Use Consultants to draw on this work to produce a position...

'Environmentalism' in Britain today--who are the environmentalists? In the first of a short series of articles on how far the 'new environmentalism' has impacted on householder behaviour, Stewart Barr, Andrew Gilg, and Nicholas Ford report the results of survey research on the demographic make-up of environmentalists and the actions they are taking.(Environmentalism)
July 1, 2003... Since the apocalyptic days of the early 1970s, when there were thought to be significant limits to growth, the environmental movement has evolved into a somewhat more passive and political entity, with lounge suits and briefcases more the order...

Secured By Design--common sense, but not common practice: Paul Cozens and David Hillier review the Secured by Design initiative and its role in delivering residential environments which are 'safer', less susceptible to crime, and promote the liveability of our towns and cities.(Crime and design)
July 1, 2003... The current debate on new-build housing has largely focused on where new development should take place. However, location is clearly not the only planning consideration; the design of new-build housing is a major factor, and one element within...

Residential transformation and the promotion of city centre living.(City centre housing)
July 1, 2003... Over the last few years city centres have witnessed a residential transformation associated with an increase in city centre living. Drawing on research conducted in Bristol and Swansea on the characteristics of city centre residents and...

Green travel plan policy and practice--lessons to be learnt from a demonstration project in South Wales: Nikki Weaver reports on the experience gained from a project designed to develop a town-wide green travel plan through a bottom-up approach, with the central goal of reducing car dependency and encouraging more sustainable travel.(Green travel plans)
July 1, 2003... Amid heightened concern over the problems of excessive car use and a recognised need to address the way people travel, in 1998 the UK Government published its Transport White Paper, (1) which set a framework for the adoption of integrated...

Planning for a better Scotland--carpe diem.(North- & West- of Watford)
July 1, 2003... The Partnership Agreement set out by the coalition administration leading the Scottish Executive makes explicit reference to land use planning only in terms of reforming the system rather than the tangible contributions it can make--but it is...

Let's do something.(Connections: Paul Burall on urban renaissance policy, attitudes to the CPO process, and who benefits from transport expenditure)
July 1, 2003... Rather late in the day compared with its siblings, the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) has set about producing an urban renaissance policy, commissioning Llewellyn-Davies to make recommendations. The consultants, as well as...

Schizophrenic.(Connections: Paul Burall on urban renaissance policy, attitudes to the CPO process, and who benefits from transport expenditure)
July 1, 2003... A consistent theme among planners involved in regeneration is their unwillingness to use compulsory purchase procedures to overcome hold-ups caused by the owners of key sites refusing to co-operate. They point to the inordinate length of time...

And for transport.(Connections: Paul Burall on urban renaissance policy, attitudes to the CPO process, and who benefits from transport expenditure)
July 1, 2003... Much the same seems to be true of the transport system. A study by the Institute for Public Policy Research has found that 38 per cent of the benefits of the Government's Ten-Year Transport Plan will go to the richest fifth of people. This is...

Colour it cool.(Connections: Paul Burall on urban renaissance policy, attitudes to the CPO process, and who benefits from transport expenditure)
July 1, 2003... It has long been known that cities are hotter than the surrounding suburbs owing to the 'heat island affect'. The difference can be as much as 6[degrees]C and is primarily due to the predominance of dark-coloured surfaces such as roofs, roads,...