The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has stated that, while it supports efforts to manage the UK’s housing crisis, policy interventions to get more people on the property ladder must come with adequate resources to the planning system. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said:
The National Audit Office has stated new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements have been launched without all the necessary elements for successful implementation. In February, as BNG laws came into effect, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) noted that 81% of planners in the public sector needed further ‘guidance, advice,
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has expressed its support for the government to build more homes on brownfield land. However, the Institute warns that new urban brownfield schemes must be closely monitored to ensure residents are not landed with poor quality homes or poorly planned developments that people wouldn’t
Planning professionals across the public and private sectors continue to report low levels of confidence in their ability to handle new Biodiversity Net Gain requirements in the planning process, according to a survey from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The measures, introduced under the Environment Act, come into effect
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has stated that, while it supports efforts to manage the UK’s housing crisis, policy interventions to get more people on the property ladder must come with adequate resources to the planning system. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We are currently dealing with a severe housing crisis, with an urgent need to build more affordable homes and help young people get onto the property ladder. “But we need to ensure these are the right homes, built in the right places. Our planning system, which would play an essential role in delivering these houses, can do more to make homeownership achievable and affordable, and to provide a wider range of affordable housing options. However, this can only happen if there is a step change in funding for the next UK Government provides funding to councils to deliver high-quality planning services” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The National Audit Office has stated new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements have been launched without all the necessary elements for successful implementation. In February, as BNG laws came into effect, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) noted that 81% of planners in the public sector needed further ‘guidance, advice, and support’, 68% of all planners needed more staff and skills, and 61% require more case studies of best practice, according to a survey of RTPI members. The RTPI is closely monitoring BNG’s impacts on the planning system. The Institute is encouraging members to share their experiences by filling out its BNG survey and sharing case studies of best practice. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “Our members in public and private sectors said that they felt unprepared for Biodiversity Net Gain in the lead up to its implementation. We worked to voice these concerns to the government, calling for clear guidance on BNG and sufficient resources to local planning authorities operating this new system. “We would like to see the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain succeed and are pleased that our engagement on this subject helped secure further funding for planning services to implement BNG. “However, the conclusions outlined by the NAO today reflect what our members have been consistently telling us for some time: that planning services have not been given sufficient guidance, advice, and support, and lack the staff and skills to avoid delays to an already stretched planning system. We strongly support the principles of BNG, but any new burdens to the planning system need to be adequately supported. “We agree with the recommendations made by the NAO. To facilitate local delivery, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs must ensure local authorities have sufficient funding, monitor the biodiversity units market, identify regional impacts, and work with planners and ecologists to coordinate best practice among local authorities.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has expressed its support for the government to build more homes on brownfield land. However, the Institute warns that new urban brownfield schemes must be closely monitored to ensure residents are not landed with poor quality homes or poorly planned developments that people wouldn’t want to live in. In its consultation response, the RTPI has emphasised the importance of ensuring that new market housing does not displace commercial, industrial, and logistics uses for brownfield sites that are critical for local economic growth. The Institute further stresses that brownfield and previously developed land can be more difficult to develop, and the government should take more proactive steps to help councils encourage this development. To facilitate this process, the RTPI has suggested that scaled-up Homes England funding for brownfield development, and support for local authorities to review and update their brownfield land registers could be instrumental in strengthening development pipelines quickly. The Institute also recommends that stronger mechanisms for strategic planning and public service provision could help make previously developed land better serve their communities in the long term. Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “We welcome the government’s drive to deliver more homes on brownfield land. However, it is crucial that new developments are well-planned and of high quality, and that they do not displace important commercial and industrial uses that play an important role in supporting sustainable mixed-use places including local economies. “With the right support and funding, we can ensure that brownfield sites are brought back into use in a way that benefits local communities and contributes to economic growth.” Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
Planning professionals across the public and private sectors continue to report low levels of confidence in their ability to handle new Biodiversity Net Gain requirements in the planning process, according to a survey from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). The measures, introduced under the Environment Act, come into effect today (12 February), and will require local planning authorities to assess and seek mitigation of the expected biodiversity net gain impact of planning proposals. However, an ongoing survey of our RTPI members found that: The updated figures show that 41% of public sector planners still cannot confirm whether they’ll have access to the necessary ecological expertise to comply with the new BNG requirements before implementation. This is a slight improvement from September’s report, where 61% of planners were uncertain. Victoria Hills, Chief executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, said: “We made it clear to the Government that, without adequate funding, new BNG requirements could add disruption and delays in already overstretched Local Planning Authorities. While we welcome the additional resources from DEFRA, we feel that only time will tell whether this funding will be enough. “However, planners in the public and private sectors are still calling out for guidance, advice, and support to help them improve the biodiversity of new development from today. We’ve recently seen almost a thousand RTPI members sign up for a webinar on BNG in the hope of finding out information on the process and will be holding more events in the future to help planners implement these changes effectively.” The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed funding of £10.6m for next financial year. The RTPI has been advocating for additional resources since the proposal of these new requirements. While the Institute has welcomed the Government’s commitment to fund new burdens from the Environment Act, it remains uncertain whether the allocated funding will be adequate. Planners are encouraged to report any issues with the implementation of BNG using the RTPI’s survey. Input from RTPI members will help the Institute to provide Government with a detailed picture of the challenges planners face when implementing BNG. Building, Design & Construction Magazine | The Choice of Industry Professionals
