IHBC NewsBlogs

Research undertaken by the Halifax into quality of life may be of interest to IHBC members involved in urban development and regeneration as the research looks at the quality of urban environments and overall community wellbeing, with the top place to live being Hart in Hampshire.

The following extracts are from the Halifax Quality of Life Survey:

• Six of the ten areas with the lowest CO2 emissions are in London.
• Adults (16 and over) in Antrim in Northern Ireland have the highest average rating for life satisfaction in the UK
• The biggest homes are in Uttlesford in Essex, Chiltern, South Buckinghamshire and Rutland which all have an average of 6.4 habitable rooms
• The Western Isles and Highlands takes the top spot for lowest population density, with just nine people per square kilometre, compared to a UK average of 264.
• Employment is highest in Eden in Cumbria at 87.0%, ahead of Dacorum in Hertfordshire (85.4%) and North Dorset (85.2%). The UK average is 71.9%.
• The best GCSE results in England are in South Tyneside where 93.0% of pupils achieved five or more GCSE grades A-C followed by Bromley (92.9%), Slough (92.5%) and Kensington and Chelsea (92.1%). All are above the UK average of 82.4%.
• The healthiest districts are all in the South, with Hart, Wokingham and Isles of Scilly all having 97% or more households rating themselves in good or fairly good health. Seven of the top ten areas are found in the South East, with the remaining found in the East of England (2), and Scotland (1). In the UK as a whole 94.6% of households rate themselves as in good or fairly good health.
• 100% of homes in East Ayrshire have central heating; the national average is 96%.
• the sunniest place in the UK is the Isle of Wight where residents enjoy an average of 36.9 hours of sunshine a week. 

News release and full report

If you run a heritage or conservation related charity in Scotland you may be interested in responding to the call for entries to the Scottish Charity Awards, showcasing the community, partnership and campaigns which charities do across Scotland (closing date 13 March)

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) writes:
We’re on the hunt for entries for the Scottish Charity Awards 2015!

Has 2014 been a year of big changes, bold moves and brilliant results for your organisation? Maybe you’ve been bowled over by the outstanding efforts of a staff member or volunteer? Perhaps your campaign mobilised an army of supporters and achieved great change?

If this has been a special year for you, don’t be shy about celebrating.

The Scottish Charity Awards is the perfect opportunity to shine a light on your successes and acknowledge the hard work of staff and volunteers.

We’re looking for entries in five categories:

• Charity of the year
• Celebrating communities
• Perfect partnership
• Cracking campaign
• Charity champion

SCVO Awards and how to apply

More awards on IHBC Awards etc

A recent high court judgement has ruled against an appeal implying that an inspector held a prejudice against the use of double glazing in a Grade II listed property, and that the correct use of EH and government guidance had been applied. 

further details…

Download the judgement

Previous coverage of the ‘test case’ launch on IHBC NewsBlogs 

The National Trust has launched a new research report titled ‘Positive Planning’ that highlights how ‘Developers are ‘gaming’ the planning system to get applications approved for lucrative new housing estates in the countryside – even in areas where councils had plans in place to meet housing needs in other locations’.

The NT writes:
Developers are ‘gaming’ the planning system to get applications approved for lucrative new housing estates in the countryside – even in areas where councils had plans in place to meet housing needs in other locations, new research by the National Trust has revealed.

The conservation charity found flaws in the government’s planning rules were being exploited by developers to get homes built on green-field sites even though local authorities had never intended them to be built on.

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was introduced two years ago to boost development and tackle the housing crisis by cutting red tape. At the time ministers pledged that local communities would be given a greater say over planning rules and decisions on new development. New local plans would be ‘sovereign.’

But the guidelines also said councils which had not earmarked suitable land to meet housing demand over the next five years must adopt a presumption in favour of planning permission.

This has opened the door to speculative challenges from house-builders, undermining the local planning process and bypassing local opinion.

The Trust’s report, Positive Planning, looked at 27 local authorities with significant areas of countryside. All the authorities had followed the NPPF rules and had a ‘local plan’ in place which outlined how it would meet the area’s housing needs and where they would be built.

The research however found 16 local authorities had still seen their local plans challenged by house-builders. This led in some cases to developers getting consent to build new estates in areas of the countryside which had never been allocated for housing by the council. :

• 8 of the 16 authorities faced problems after house building rates fell dramatically during the recession. The planning system wrongly assumed this because there was not enough land identified to build on when in fact there was plenty of supply and not enough demand.
• The backlog in housing provision caused by the downturn has left many authorities struggling to meet previous targets and therefore open to challenges from developers which have identified other ‘off plan’ sites to build on.
• Four authorities which adopted high growth targets for housing also fell into difficulty when the extra land they had allocated for development still wasn’t enough to meet their own ambitious targets.
• Councils which are reliant on building most of their new houses at a small number of large sites were at risk of being required to release unallocated sites if for any reason house builders delay development at the large sites. Three authorities have had to release unallocated sites as a result.
• And in at least four authorities, the housing needs outlined in the local plan have been challenged by updated assessments claiming land supply is not sufficient to meet requirements.

Problems with demonstrating a sufficient land supply have been exacerbated by the NPPF requirement to clear any housing backlog within five years, and, in areas which have a ‘record of persistent under delivery of housing’, the requirement to provide an additional 20% buffer of land.

Commenting on the report, Ingrid Samuel, Historic Environment Director of the National Trust, said: “This new evidence shows that the Government’s plan-led system is too open to challenge from streetwise developers. In 2011 The Prime Minister assured us that the new system would give local people more of a say. But it seems that in some areas the local vision for development is being bypassed. The rules need tightening to prevent this from happening.  Sadly the NPPF is allowing developers to ignore the local communities it said would be at the very heart of its new approach. The communities we looked at are those that accepted the Government’s challenge, and have made difficult choices about where new housing should – and shouldn’t – go.’

“Whilst we support the principle of building on brownfield land first, we recognise the need to build some homes in the countryside. But homes should only be built where land has been allocated for development by the local council and is supported by the local community.”

The Trust is calling on the government to:

• Ensure that the Local Plan is sovereign, and that there is greater certainty about where development should and should not go, in areas where a local plan is in place.
• Clarify that where a plan is in place, strategic questions about housing need and land supply should be dealt when a new local plan is prepared.
• Ensure local authorities are not enalized for: including large sites in their plans or setting ambitious targets for new housing

Case studies

South Hams, Devon
A site for 48 houses at Leyford Close on the edge of Wembury was permitted in the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  The planning officer’s report said that development would “fundamentally conflict” with the authority’s local plan which aimed to restrict any new housing within an AONB.  However, planning officials concluded that the council had a shortfall in its supply of housing land under NPPF rules, and granted permission.  Another site for 40 dwellings at Moorview on the edge of the large village of Marldon near the Torbay boundary was given the green light. The absence of a five-year housing land supply was again a key issue.

Breckland, Norfolk
A greenfield site for 375 homes at London Road, Attleborough, was approved despite the fact the land was not allocated for housing in the council’s local plan. Officers have also advised that another site for 255 homes south of Dumpling Green, Dereham, should be permitted . The officers report stated that the application was ‘clearly contrary’ to its own planning policies but the” lack of a 5-year housing supply carries significant weight in the consideration of the application.” 

South Cambridgeshire
The effect of the statistically insufficient land supply in South Cambridgeshire has been to put pressure for development on unallocated sites in line with the ‘sustainability’ policies of the NPPF, which trump the council’s development plan.  As a result, the Council controversially permitted an unallocated site for 47dwellings at Beach Road, Cottenham in March 2013. 

NT press release

The Historic Environment Local Management capacity building programme is to be integrated in the work of Historic England.

EH writes:
HELM is a capacity building programme, established in 2004 to strengthen English Heritages role as a supporter and enabler of local authorities.  It originally comprised – website, newsletter, guidance, case studies and training.

The main aim of HELM to meet the needs of local authorities and related audiences will be an important part of what Historic England will do, so HELM will be integrated into the work of the new body for April 2015.

• A final edition of the EH-HELM newsletter was sent out in December and will be replaced by the Historic England digital newsletter.
• Historic England and its partners will still offer a bespoke free HELM training programme on a range of historic environment topics, as an important part of our support for local authority staff. We will continue to call it the HELM training programme, as the name of this training programme is established and recognised by this audience.
• The HELM website will be closed and relevant content integrated into the new Historic England website.
• All guidance is being rebranded and will be available from the Historic England website as part of Historic England’s advice and guidance.

HELM news 

The London Society, a local body, has launched a ‘White Paper’ exploring future growth of London through reviewing the evolution of its green belt.

London Society writes:
On 8th December 2014 the London Society launched its White Paper “Green Sprawl: Our Current Affection for a Preservation Myth?” at an event kindly hosted at the headquarters of Alan Baxter Associates. Authored by Jonathan Manns of Colliers International, incorporating research by students of the Royal College of Art, the Paper seeks to open and stimulate debate about future growth in the capital through a review of its evolution and current context.

Speaking at the event Jonathan Manns said: “London faces significant challenges including the requirement for 1,000,000 new homes by 2030 but we’ve learned a lot over the past century about how to plan. Delivering the right development in the right place at the right time means focussing not only on new homes but the jobs, schools, hospitals, open space and transport infrastructure needed to support them. Decisions are already being made on HS2, Crossrail and airport expansion in a separate context and we should instead be thinking more closely about how these relate to the city and its green belt.”

He continued, “This means asking ourselves how best to meet the challenges faced today in an holistic and strategic manner. Would we devise the current green belt if we started again today and do we actually need the green belt in certain places? It emerged as an idea that flexibly evolved and adapted to respond to the perceived challenges facing each generation. We can and should have the confidence to build on these achievements and re-envisage it for those that follow.”

Also speaking at the event was Professor Paul Cheshire of London School of Economics and David Knight of the Royal College of Art. The launch was followed by comments and feedback from attendees including the London Green Belt Council, all of whom we hope will stay involved with the discussion as it progresses. 

Download the report

London Society Blog

Walkers can now enjoy some 41 kilometres of coastline between Sea Palling and Weybourne in Norfolk following the opening of this stretch of the England Coast Path and crucially also including the ability to ‘roll back’ if land erodes or slips, enabling a replacement route to be put in place quickly.

Planning Portal writes:
The public has been given new rights of access to foreshore, beaches, dunes and cliffs; including areas where everyone can rest, relax and admire the view.

Crucially, the path will now be able to ‘roll back’ if land erodes or slips, enabling a replacement route to be put in place quickly if necessary. This solves longstanding difficulties with maintaining a continuous route along the coast. 

UK Gov report

Search Planning Portal

Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) Housing and planning minister Brandon Lewis has launched a ‘plain English’ guide to planning for free schools, with an accompanying guide to the planning system in general. 

DCLG writes:
Communities looking to have their say over the future development of their local area will have all the information they need at their fingertips, thanks to a new guide to the planning system published today (5 January 2015).

Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis published a new plain English guide to how England’s planning system works, making clear the opportunities for people to get involved in the debate over what gets built in their neighbourhood.

Since 2010 the government has implemented wide-ranging radical reforms of the planning system, including abolishing the unpopular and ineffective Regional Strategies and give local people a greater say over future building in their area.

Today’s new guide offers a quick and easy explanation of how the new planning system works, how local and neighbourhood plans are written and adopted locally, and how to go about obtaining planning permission.

Housing and Planning Minister Brandon Lewis said: ‘The previous system of top-down targets left residents powerless in the face of local development – our reforms have reversed this, and put people back in control.

People are already voting with their feet, with 1,200 communities involved in neighbourhood plans, and 80% of authorities have published a local plan – this plain English guide gives all the information anyone would need to get involved in the local decision-making process.

UK Gov guide and article

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has refused permission for three onshore wind projects with a combined total of 12 turbines, and in the process he differed with inspectors’ recommendations to allow two of the three recovered appeals.

Planning Portal writes:
The Secretary of State rejected proposals for five wind turbines refused by South Northamptonshire Council between the villages of Greatworth and Helmdon. He also refused a four-turbine project opposed by Aylesbury Vale District Council for a site between the villages of Stoke Hammond and Soulbury.

In addition the minister turned down a three-turbine proposal earmarked for a landfill site at Winterton, originally refused by North Lincolnshire Council.

In the case of the first, five-turbine, scheme the minister disagreed with the inspector and concluded that Broadview Energy’s wind farm should be rejected because of harm to heritage assets and visual amenity.

The SoS agreed with the inspector who held the recovered appeal into EDF Energy and Force 9 Energy’s four-turbine project. He agreed that the benefits of the scheme did not outweigh the harm to heritage assets and planning policies.

He also disagreed with the inspector who considered FCC Environmental (UK) Ltd’s three-turbine facility. The SoS was particularly concerned at the impact of the project on the setting of the nearby Grade ll* listed St Etheldreda’s. 

Download the Stoke Hammond decision letter

Download the Winterton decision letter

Download the Greatworth and Helmdon decision letter

Search Planning Portal

Government has provided £50,000 funding to Woking Borough Council to help create Woking Peace Garden, commemorating the centenary of the First World War

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) writes:
Communities Minister Stephen Williams has launched the second stage of the transformation of a former First World War Muslim cemetery into a peace garden.

The former cemetery at Horsell Common near Woking was originally built in 1917 as a final resting place for Muslim soldiers of the pre-partition Indian Army who had died at the temporary Indian Army Hospital in Brighton Pavilion. But the site fell into disrepair and the graves were later transferred to Brookwood Cemetery.  There were 19 burials during the First World War and each was marked with a round arched headstone facing west, in accordance with Islamic tradition. A further 8 burials were interned following the Second World War.

The peace garden will contain 27 Himalayan birch trees planted to symbolise the men who were once buried there. Pink and white heather will also be planted in strips, pointing towards Mecca.

The new peace garden has been conceived to mark the centenary of the First World War and will provide a lasting tribute to those that gave their life for Britain 100 years ago. Around 1.3 million pre-partition Indians – people from modern day Pakistan, India and Bangladesh – fought for Britain during the First World War. Approximately 400,000 were Muslims.

The Woking Peace Garden project has been funded by grants from the Department for Communities and Local Government, English Heritage and the volunteer group Horsell Common Preservation Society and Surrey County Council.

Speaking at a prayer ceremony led by Dr Syed Abbas Naqui from the Shah Jahan Mosque, Stephen Williams said: Peace gardens bring communities together to plan, work and care for a common space which can be enjoyed by all.  The Woking Peace Garden will allow this community to reflect on the sacrifice of so many during the First World War and to remember the brave men who came from across the world to fight for our freedom.  Over the next 4 years we will continue to mark the contribution of all those that fought for Britain 100 years ago and I hope this garden will allow everyone in the local community to come together and learn about our shared history together. 

After launching the restoration programme at the Woking Peace Garden, Stephen Williams visited the nearby Shah Jahan Mosque, the oldest mosque in the UK. Later the minister also paid his respects at the graves of the Muslim soldiers which had been moved to the military section at Brookwood Cemetery.

further info…

Find out more about the UK’s oldest mosque 

IHBC newsblogs on muslim heritage 

IHBC newsblogs on war memorials

If you run a heritage or conservation related charity in Scotland you may be interested in responding to the call for entries to the Scottish Charity Awards, showcasing the community, partnership and campaigns which charities do across Scotland (closing date 13 March)

The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) writes:
We’re on the hunt for entries for the Scottish Charity Awards 2015!

Has 2014 been a year of big changes, bold moves and brilliant results for your organisation? Maybe you’ve been bowled over by the outstanding efforts of a staff member or volunteer? Perhaps your campaign mobilised an army of supporters and achieved great change?

If this has been a special year for you, don’t be shy about celebrating.

The Scottish Charity Awards is the perfect opportunity to shine a light on your successes and acknowledge the hard work of staff and volunteers.

We’re looking for entries in five categories:

• Charity of the year
• Celebrating communities
• Perfect partnership
• Cracking campaign
• Charity champion

Further details and  to apply….

More awards at IHBC Awards etc

The war poet Wilfred Owen’s home has been given Grade II listed building status.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) writes:
Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey lists the Shrewsbury home of war poet Wilfred Owen as government continues to commemorate the First World War Centenary.  The last permanent home of celebrated First World War poet Lieutenant Wilfred Owen MC has been listed Grade II… by Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey.  Sixty-nine Monkmoor Road, Shrewsbury, is the house where he began to develop as a poet. Owen spent two days leave at the house before returning to the battlefields in France where he was killed in action on 4 November 1918, just days before the end of the war. His parents received news of his death at Monkmoor Road.

Commenting on the listing, Heritage Minister Ed Vaizey said: ‘Wilfred Owen was one of the most profound and distinct voices of the First World War. His bleak and candid accounts of the horrors of war have shaped our understanding of life on the Western Front. Owen spent his formative teenage years at Monkmoor Road and wrote many of his early works here. As Owen’s last home before his untimely death, I am delighted to recognise it for its link to such an iconic and important literary figure.’

Roger Bowdler, English Heritage Designation Director, said: ‘Far from the Western Front, 69 Monkmoor Road is the place where Owen began to find his own poetic voice. The house is little altered, and he would still feel at home in his attic bedroom. It was his last real home and is a tangible link to one of one of our greatest war poets. Already considerable, interest in Owen will continue to grow as we approach the centenary of his death in action in November 1918’

The semi-detached suburban house, built around 1910, displays the typical features of the time and the layout remains almost exactly as Owen would have known it.

Press release

IHBC newsblogs on WW1 Centenary 

The latest 6 monthly statement on regulations due to come into force between January and June 2015 has been released by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), including details of measures related to housebuilding, home ownership and home rental.

DCLG writes:
Measures to reduce unnecessary and confusing red tape for house builders and reforms to help protect tenants have been announced by Communities Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad in the department’s latest 6 monthly Statement of new regulation.

The Statement published today details all regulations, including EU measures, which are expected to come into force between 1 January and 30 June 2015, as well as all regulations removed – including under the government’s one-in, two-out rule and the Red Tape Challenge.

Measures which will save business £100 million per year or implement better regulation on business include:

• the Review of Local Technical Housing Standards estimated to save developers and councils £96 million per year when fully implemented whilst ensuring that homes are still built to demanding quality, access and sustainability standards
• reforms to the neighbourhood planning process will make it much faster for communities to start the process
• there will be a reduction in the qualifying time for Right to Buy from 5 to 3 years, allowing social housing tenants to become homeowners in a far shorter period of time
• letting agents will now be required to display their fees at their premises and on their website, with a description of what each fee covers
• in addition the list must also include whether they are a member of a client money protection scheme and which redress scheme they are a member of – transparency for letting agents will enable landlords and tenants to shop around, encouraging competition between agents on fee levels – those agents with the best value services will prevail in the market

View the 6 month statement

IHBC newsblogs on housing

UK Gov news 

DCMS (The Department for Culture Media and Sport) and DWP (Department of Work and Pensions) have launched a joint online survey seeking views and experiences of disabled sports fans to help improve the experience of all users of sporting venues, with no deadline given.

DCMS and DWP write:
The government is calling on disabled sports fans to share their experiences of viewing live sport at stadiums and sports grounds across Britain, in what it hopes will be the largest ever survey of its kind.

Ministers are hoping thousands of Britain’s 12 million disabled people will give their views on everything from wheelchair access and disabled parking to accessible toilets, hearing loops and treatment by other supporters at live sporting fixtures. Organisers want to hear from fans of all sports – and in particular rugby, cricket, football, hockey, basketball, cycling and motor-racing.  Earlier this year the government called on Britain’s football leagues to take urgent action to redress some of the ‘woeful’ lack of appropriate support and space for disabled spectators, reminding them of their legal obligations to provide adequate room and adjustments for disabled fans. Research showed nearly half of Premier League football clubs don’t offer even half the wheelchair space they should for disabled people.

Mark Harper, Minister of State for Disabled People, said: For too long in this country disabled sports fans have been treated like second class citizens at many sporting venues. And yet 1 in 5 of us have an impairment, and disabled people and their households have a spending power of over £200 billion.  We know the situation in football is unacceptable and it’s not only wheelchair access that falls short, but adjustments for people with all kinds of impairments. We encourage all sports fans with a disability to tell us of their experiences at sporting venues, so we can get a clear picture of whether disabled sports fans are being treated fairly.

Meanwhile, evidence from Level Playing Field has revealed that as many as half of Premier League football clubs operate season ticket policies which could be deemed as discriminatory against disabled sports fans.   Evidence has emerged of clubs operating complex pre-registration systems for disabled supporters to qualify for season tickets which are not applied to fans without disabilities. Level Playing Field have also uncovered that many clubs allocate disproportionately small numbers of season tickets to wheelchair users and exclude disabled people from using their online ticketing services.

Minister for Sport Helen Grant said:We know that lots of clubs, like Arsenal, are making improvements but more can still be done across sport to make stadiums more accessible and the match-day experience better for disabled fans. This is what this survey is all about – giving disabled sports fans the chance to air their views so that we can help make watching live sport fantastic for them.  The Commonwealth Games this summer showed what is possible and how sport can cater brilliantly for disabled fans and I am confident that sports governing bodies will step up and deliver on this.

Joyce Cook from Level Playing Field said: The experience of disabled sports fans varies across the country. Our research shows that many clubs are operating what seem to be discriminatory policies when it comes to season and away tickets. And if you can actually get there, the inability to sit with your own fans, poor sight lines and the lack of accessible provisions can be so bad that you would have had a better experience watching it on TV. That’s not acceptable and it’s time all clubs and venues took their legal obligations seriously – and recognised the value of the purple pound.

Respond to the survey (no deadline given for responses)

IHBC newsblogs on sport

IHBC newsblogs on equality

EH website on historic buildings and disability http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/people-and-places/disability-history/

Context issue 125 on Sporting Heritage http://ihbconline.co.uk/context/125/

View the full news release at LINK https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bid-to-improve-disabled-access-at-sports-stadiums

Communities secretary Eric Pickles decided almost double the number of call-ins and recovered appeals in 2014 compared to 2013, according to an exclusive analysis by Planning.

Search Planning Resource

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a consultation aiming to seek views on the implementation and bidding process for the UK City of Culture title, with a deadline of 23 January.

DCMS writes:
Derry-Londonderry was the first UK City of Culture 2013, following a competitive selection process in 2009/10. Hull was selected as UK City of Culture 2017, following a competitive selection process in 2013. Continuing the four year cycle would result in the next UK City of Culture year being held in 2021. However, due to the fact that the UK is scheduled to host a European Capital of Culture in 2023, DCMS is currently reviewing the timing of the next UK City of Culture competition.

DCMS will be responsible for the running of the selection process for both the UK City of Culture and European Capital of Culture competitions, although the European Capital of Culture competition will be overseen by the European Commission. If the DCMS decided to run UK City of Culture competitions in 2021 and 2025, this would result in three competitions in a five year period. The purpose of this consultation is to assess the appetite amongst potential candidate cities to bid for one or both titles, and the willingness and ability of funding organisations to support both UK City of Culture and European Capital of Culture within a short timeframe.

Press release and consultation paper

A history of the National Heritage Collection has been published by English Heritage (EH) in a series of eight reports, free to download online.

EH writes:
This is the most in-depth research into the history of the collection ever undertaken. It tells the story of how the British state accumulated more than 400 historic buildings and sites in England, to be repaired, protected and opened to the public. These are now cared for by English Heritage.

Among them are some of our most important prehistoric monuments, Roman sites, medieval castles and abbeys, and Georgian country houses. The reports cover a 100 year period from the beginning of the collection in 1882 through to the formation of English Heritage in 1983. They tell us more about the rich, and often unusual, history the sites enjoy. From the keeper of Richborough Roman Fort being paid in animal feed to the gun platform at Yarmouth Castle on the Isle of Wight being used as a venue for tea parties. 

For more details see EH website

The revised Scotland’s Listed Buildings publication reflecting recent legislation changes is now available for download from HS’s website.

Download the new ‘Scotland’s Listed Buildings’

The Campaign for Better Transport has issued a report this month detailing the cities in England  that are considered to be the most car dependent (Peterborough and Colchester) and least car dependent (London and Manchester), and considered the subsequent potential implications for city development in terms of accessibility, urban form and sustainability.

The Campaign for Better Transport writes:
New research has revealed Peterborough, Colchester and Milton Keynes as the hardest places in England to live if you don’t have access to a car. Meanwhile, London, Manchester and Liverpool have emerged as the easiest.

The new research, the 2014 Car Dependency Scorecard, has been produced by Campaign for Better Transport. It compares how different towns and cities measure up in areas including public transport provision, facilities for cycling and walking, and land use planning policies that support sustainable transport.

Stephen Joseph, Chief Executive, Campaign for Better Transport said ‘To be good places to live and work, towns and cities need good transport. The most successful places in our research give people a choice in how you get around. They have good quality public transport, plan new development thoughtfully and make it easy and safe for people to cycle and walk.  There is a lot that Government can do to make our cities less car dependent. What emerges strongly from the research is that local control often goes hand in hand with smarter policies and better targeted investments. More devolution to English cities could mean more integrated and greener transport networks that make our towns and cities better places.’

Key findings from the 2014 Car Dependency Scorecard include:

• London’s extensive public transport network and policies that encourage alternatives to driving make it the least car dependent city in the survey. The capital’s control of its transport policy offers lessons for other cities and policy makers keen to reduce car dependency.
• Manchester and Liverpool rank very highly, reflecting policies to increase urban density by focusing development on brownfield sites. Both cities have achieved over 90 per cent of new building on brownfield sites. There is also support for walking, cycling and public transport and potential for more devolved decision making in the future.
• At the opposite end of the table, the Scorecard shows the longstanding difficulty that New Towns have with car dependency. Milton Keynes comes last in many of the metrics. The spread out, low density planning means longer distances for people to travel, and a road system much better suited to car use than cost-effective public transport.
• Similarly, Peterborough has weaknesses in its public transport infrastructure and heavy reliance on cars. There are some signs of hope, however, as many people already cycle regularly, showing there is scope for improvement and a will for active travel.
• Colchester ranked lowest for accessibility and planning. Out of all the cities, residents in Colchester are least likely to be able to get to primary school, work or the town centre by walking or public transport. Recent development has also been spread around the edges of the city, meaning longer journey times.
• Newcastle, Cambridge and Brighton also rank highly because of investment in car-free transport options, despite having lower building density. All three outperform Leicester, Southampton and Luton despite their much higher population densities.
• There are also a number of cities where bypasses are currently being considered, such as Stockport, Norwich and Northampton. The policy decision must be made here whether to concentrate on building new roads and becoming more like the car dependent cities towards the bottom of the scorecard, or to choose another direction as cities at the top have done, with investment and encouragement of alternative modes of transport.

Press release and Full report

IHBC newsblogs on transport

IHBC newsblogs on urban form