Town and Country Planning articles from June 2003

Town and Country Planning archives from June 2003

TCPA supports changes to Scottish agri-environment support schemes: TCPA response to the Scottish Executive Consultation Paper Proposals for Changes to Agri-Environment Schemes in Scotland. (Inside Stories).
June 1, 2003... The Town and Country Planning Association has responded to the consultation paper Proposals for Changes to Agri-Environmental Schemes in Scotland, issued by the Scottish Executive, as follows: The TCPA considers that a sustainable future...

TCPA to host debate on the continuing relevance of Ebenezer Howard. (Inside Stories).
June 1, 2003... The relevance of Ebenezer Howard's vision to the building of sustainable communities for the 21st century will be debated by TCPA President Professor Sir Peter Hall and John Gummer MP at an event hosted by the TCPA at The Museum in Docklands on...

Sorting out the rubbish. (People & Ideas).
June 1, 2003... Anyone old enough to have grandchildren remembers how the job of dustmen for the local council--despite the merry chant that 'My old man's a dustman'--was one which nobody with other choices really wanted, because of the chronic and painful...

A tip for Ken--go orbital. (Planning World).
June 1, 2003... Margaret Thatcher immortally said of her faithful political ally William Whitelaw that every prime minister needs a Willie. You might argue that every city needs a wiggly. The trouble with most, including British ones, is that they're dominated...

Transport inclusion. (Getting Somewhere).
June 1, 2003... Like 'sustainability', 'social exclusion' began life as a rather hazy concept, but is now increasingly used to inform practical decisions. As one of New Labour's favoured issues, it is also given high political priority. Its meaning for...

Make no little plans. (Off the Fence).
June 1, 2003... I am sad to read the Parliamentary scrutiny committee report on John Prescott's plans for four major growth areas in the South East. The committee has chosen an obstructive and negative posture. It sees only problems, rather than opportunities....

Are we wasting the 'peace dividend'? Celia Clark looks at the ongoing large-scale sale of redundant defence sites--and at the need for change in the current disposal arrangements. (Defence Estate)(Cover Story).
June 1, 2003... The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is currently disposing of large numbers of surplus defence establishment sites throughout the UK. Barracks, underground bunkers, housing, victualling and ordnance yards, Territorial Army bases and drillhalls,...

Poundbury--planning by royal appointment: Dennis Hardy visits Poundbury and finds that, despite the controversy and criticism it attracts, residents really do like living there, and the signs are that Poundbury will stand the test of time. (Hardy Country).
June 1, 2003... Poundbury, brainchild of the Prince of Wales, celebrated its tenth anniversary earlier this year. The relatively modest extent of what has been built to date belies both the controversy and interest that surrounds it and its potential influence...

Business improvement districts--another piece in the UK regeneration jigsaw? Peter Jones, David Hillier, and Daphne Comfort examine the origins and characteristics of the business improvement district concept, and look at how the emerging development of BIDs fits into the urban regeneration jigsaw in England. (Area improvement).
June 1, 2003... The challenges of managing the public spaces in the commercial areas of towns and cities; concerns about crime, the fear of crime, anti-social behaviour, and environmental problems; and the desire to stimulate new economic activities in such...

Key rural services in North East England: David Alexander, Bob Chambers, and Richard Kerven report on the findings of a recent research project which aimed to identify the coverage of key rural services in development plan policies and examine the value of the Countryside Agency's rural services data in relation to key services. (Rural planning).
June 1, 2003... In November 2000 the Rural White Paper set out its vision of a living countryside based on thriving rural communities and access to high-quality public services. (1) The Countryside Agency in the North East engages with the land use planning...

Briefing for rural sustainability: Richard Kerven and Bob Chambers discuss the planning briefing notes produced by the Countryside Agency's North East office. (Policy guidance).
June 1, 2003... In 1999 the Countryside Commission and part of the Rural Development Commission joined forces to form the Countryside Agency, embracing social, economic, and environmental considerations in its remit. An early challenge facing the Agency was to...

The benefits of beads on a string: the 'beads on string' form of urban development--a sequence of compact settlements linked by a high-quality public transport corridor--can reconcile the desire for more compact settlements with the need for 'green cities' featuring a range of densities and uses. (Urban development patterns).
June 1, 2003... No-one can ignore the continuing pressure from all quarters for more sustainable, and therefore more compact, forms of settlement. The point is a strong one and is well made. Somewhat more debatable, however, are some of the interpretations...

A picture is worth a thousand words. (The Euro-Files).
June 1, 2003... On a recent British Airways flight between Nice and London, I noticed in its in-flight magazine a full-page advertisement for the Welsh Development Agency (WDA). Within the advert was a small map of Europe, depicting all major cities with a...