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Notes on neighbourhood planning
Posted on: 28 September 2012
By: mackene
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Filed under: News
The Neighbourhood Planning Team in the Department for Communities and Local Government brings together planning expertise with experience in decentralisation and communities work. The first edition of their newsletter, dated September 2012, is available online.
Land value capture and infrastructure delivery through SLICs
Posted on: 27 September 2012
By: mackene
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In this Town and Country Planning Association ‘Tomorrow Series’ paper, John Walker sets out how SLICs, a type of Strategic Land and Infrastructure Contract, hold the key to unlocking garden cities and suburbs, as well as many other locally planned large developments. This type of contractual arrangement enables timely and predictable provision of essential infrastructure to be committed at an early stage, enhancing both investor and community confidence in the quality and deliverability of new garden cities and suburbs. The paper takes the Association’s Garden Cities campaign a step further, by making an important contribution to the debate about how we deliver sustainable new communities through capturing land value and creating certainty by focusing on de-risking the development process.
Shaping Neighbourhoods: Children and Young People’s Play and Informal Recreation Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG)
Posted on: 25 September 2012
By: mackene
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This document updates and replaces the Mayor’s SPG on Providing for Children and Young People’s Play and Informal Recreation published in 2008. The guidance supports the implementation of the London Plan Policy 3.6 on ‘Children and Young People’s Play and Informal Recreation Facilities,’ and other policies on shaping neighbourhoods (Chapter 7 of the London Plan), in particular Policy 7.1 on Lifetime Neighbourhoods.
Land for Industry and Transport: Supplementary Planning Guidance
Posted on: 25 September 2012
By: mackene
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This document sets out guidance to supplement the policies in the 2011 London Plan (LP) relating to land for industrial type activities and transport. The SPG provides advice on how to implement these policies, in particular LP Policy 2.17 on Strategic Industrial Locations, Policy 4.4 on Managing Industrial Land and Premises; and Policy 6.2 on Providing Public Transport Capacity and Safeguarding Land for Transport.
Sustainable design and construction: Good practice guidance
Posted on: 24 September 2012
By: mackene
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This guidance has been produced for use by local planning authorities in England, together with landowners, developers, businesses, town and parish councils, community groups and others. Its aim is to assist plan-making and development management in support of local planning authorities’ statutory duty to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, of which sustainable design and construction is an integral part.
Green Digital Agenda in Smart Cities – European and Chinese cities leading by examples. Nicosia, 4 September 2012
Posted on: 21 September 2012
By: mackene
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The purpose of this event was to share visions on green digital development in cities, discuss best practice and exchange information to achieve better and faster results at a global scale.
Building for Life 12
Posted on: 20 September 2012
By: mackene
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Building for Life is the industry standard, endorsed by Government, for well-designed homes and neighbourhoods that local communities, local authorities and developers are invited to use to stimulate conversations about creating good places to live. The guide is led by three partners: Cabe at the Design Council, Design for Homes and the Home Builders Federation, supported by Nottingham Trent University. The redesigned guide is based on the new National Planning Policy Framework and the Government’s commitment to build more homes, better homes and involve local communities in planning. It contains 12 questions, designed to help structure discussions between local communities, the local planning authority, the developer of a proposed scheme and other stakeholders. The guide is also designed to help local planning authorities assess the quality of proposed and completed developments; and as a point of reference in the preparation of local design policies.
POLYCE: Metropolisation and Polycentric Development in Central Europe. Vienna, 1 June 2012
Posted on: 18 September 2012
By: mackene
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POLYCE stands for ‘Metropolisation and Polycentric Development in Central Europe’. It is a research project financed by the European Commission and conducted by an international consortium of universities and research institutes in Central Europe. The project analyses metropolisation and polycentric development processes in five Central European metropolitan regions of Bratislava, Budapest, Ljubljana, Prague, and Vienna. Potential future development paths are compiled for the five metropolises to tap their cooperative potentials and competitive position. Minutes of the final conference are available online.
Unpublished research reports: Planning, building and the environment
Posted on: 18 September 2012
By: mackene
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Department for Communities and Local Government is publishing the thirteenth group of reports presenting the findings from research projects commissioned by the previous administration. The present administration inherited a significant backlog of unpublished reports that were commissioned by the previous government which are now being published in groups themed on a particular topic. The reports are:
Evaluation of minerals policy statements: This report by the British Geological Survey considered the implementation of a number of the Minerals Policy Statements and Minerals Policy Guidance notes, and evaluated the impacts of the policy’s implementation.
Investigating the influence of settlement pattern and morphology on the sterilisation of shallow coal resources: This report by the British Geological Survey assessed the impact on shallow coal resources of using separation zones around urban areas.
Research to understand the rural impacts of Regional Spatial Strategies: This report by Land Use Consultants noted that the Regional Strategies were not rural proofed, had an urban-centred approach and planned housing provision in rural areas was on a declining trend.
A quality local development management service: The last Government’s Killian Pretty Report recommended that Government should review the then existing national planning indicator (National Indicator 157) on timeliness for progressing planning applications and proposed a new satisfaction with the planning application service indicator. There was concern from applicants, local planning authorities and others that the performance regime focused on the 8 and 13 week timescale targets had unintended effects on behaviours and outcomes. In response the Department commissioned research into alternatives. The research report by Addison & Associates with Arup recommended monitoring 37 different indicators.
A tool to assess the Impact of EU Directives on UK Sub National Planning Policies: This research by Ove Arup aimed to develop a tool to assess the impact of future EU directives on national planning policies.
Mapping the standard of existing stock and its turnover: This report by Building Research Establishment considered the work to develop a model of the existing housing stock in England and Wales, which could be used in assessing the impact of current and future policy in relation to energy use, carbon emissions and water consumption.
Case studies of change of use of dwellings: This report by Faber Maunsell looked at achieving satisfactory acoustic performance for buildings to be converted from industry or commercial use to residential use. Although sound insulation was the main concern of this project, all other relevant requirements of the Building Regulations were to be considered and methods of compliance outlined.
Lessons from Stamford Brook: Understanding the gap between designed and real performance: This report by Leeds Metropolitan University conveyed the results of a research designed to evaluate the extent to which low carbon housing standards could be achieved in a large commercial housing development and incorporated into future Building Regulations.
Investigation of real fires: This report by the Building Research Establishment provided feedback on the performance of real buildings in real fires. The findings noted the overall effectiveness of the Building Regulations in providing for the safety of life in the event of fire and most of the significant issues that have been identified during this study fell outside the scope of these regulations.
Modelling the current and potential accessibility of the housing stock: This report by Building Research Establishment considered the accessibility of the existing housing stock in England with particular reference to its utility for older and disabled people. The report uses data from the English Housing Condition Survey to identify the frequency and suitability of a range of built features within homes to arrive at an overall assessment of their accessibility and future adaptability.
Future administration of the Energy Performance Buildings Directive Quality Assurance regime: The objective of the work was to set the long term standards and quality assurance arrangements for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (regime and infrastructure, including Accreditation Schemes (and energy assessors, to ensure that robust, repeatable and accurate Energy Performance Certificates, Display Energy Certificates and Air Conditioning Reports were produced in a consistent manner.
Review of the impact of the draft European Basic safety standard Directive on Building Regulations; This report by the Building Research Establishment examines the implications of the proposed European ionising radiation Basic Safety Standard Directive for Building Regulations.
Glazing under abnormal loads: This report by Buro Happold and the Building Research Establishment addressed the issue of abnormal loads on glazing and the response of glazing systems. The research was commissioned in particular to examine the role of building regulations in mitigating the risks involved from abnormal loads on glazing. It reviewed structural assessment methods currently used to design buildings with glazed systems and assess their adequacy in the area of abnormal loadings.
Safety of Masonry Parapets: The overall aim of this project was to determine and analyse the most common structural problems associated with masonry parapets and the potential hazards and dangers that may arise. Having identified the problems, conclusions and recommendations require to be made regarding measures that ought to be taken in the specification, design, construction and maintenance of masonry parapets to ensure that they remained safe and structurally sound over the service life of the building.
Radon: Current and future performance of radon protective measures. This report by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) reviews the performance of radon protective measures in new buildings. The research notes that radon protection measures installed 20 years continue to provide a high degree of radon protection, and were not adversely affected by improvements such as extensions, conservatories, double glazing or insulation.
Why aren’t we building enough attractive homes: Myths, misunderstandings and solutions
Posted on: 17 September 2012
By: mackene
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The Policy Exchange has published a paper which suggests that large developers are ‘playing’ an outdated planning system and fooling the government into potentially wasting taxpayers’ money propping up land prices. The report recommends wholesale changes to the planning system to end ‘land banking’, give local people planning control and get more good new homes built.
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