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With the Conservatives on course to form the next government IHBC President Trefor Thorpe said ‘The primary concern now must be that we have the right infrastructure in place for the sustainable management of our resources, including our heritage’, as Janet Askew, President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) said that ‘we will be arguing as strongly as possible for investment in planning teams’, while RIBA President Stephen Hodder said ‘… the RIBA urges the new Government to devolve greater powers and resources to local authorities to enable them to more effectively build strong, sustainable communities’.
The RTPI writes:
Janet Askew said: ‘We will be seeking early meetings with the new ministers to continue to put the case for planning. The RTPI has been very clear about where the existing issues are and what can be done to address them, setting out ten clear proposals for planning in the next parliament. Change is urgently needed to channel more resources into the planning system. In particular we will be arguing as strongly as possible for investment in planning teams.’
Our ten proposals recommend that the next government:
Stabilise the planning system to deliver housing, jobs and community wellbeing in a sustainable way; Invest in local planning for a growing and sustainable economy; Plan to solve the housing crisis within a generation; Reward local authorities that plan together; Coordinate policy by focusing on places; Provide ‘one-stop-shops’ for individuals and small businesses; Use land held by the public sector for new housing development; Let the public know who owns land; Fund more transport infrastructure by measuring its real benefits; Improve government policy by evaluating its impact.’
The RIBA writes:
With the Conservatives on course to lead the next Government, RIBA President Stephen Hodder said: ‘The recent move of the architecture brief to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) presents an opportunity to put design at the heart of many of the key issues we face: tackling the housing crisis, improving the planning system and more effectively dealing with the effects of climate change. Focusing on architecture and the built environment, we can help to resolve these pressing issues and improve the places we live, work and play in the long term.’
‘Increased commitment to high quality design and longer-term strategic policy making, including a holistic architecture policy, are vital elements we would want to see the new Government deliver on.’
‘Alongside clear central government leadership, the RIBA urges the new Government to devolve greater powers and resources to local authorities to enable them to more effectively build strong, sustainable communities.’
‘We look forward to working with new ministers and arguing the case for good design.’
Read the RTPI’s proposals in full for Planning in the next Parliament
Read the RTPI’s summary of the Conservative party’s policies with respect to planning and the built environment
Read the RIBA response to the Conservative manifesto
