Planning Officers Society Conference Neighbourhood Planning Workshop  Philip James  Previously: Principal Planner with LB Sutton Project Manager for the Hackbridge sustainable suburb Policy Officer also partnership building exercises around district centres  Now: Planning Aid for London Volunteer/Trustee  Philip James  Previously: Principal Planner with LB Sutton Project Manager for the Hackbridge sustainable suburb Policy Officer also partnership building exercises around district centres  Now: Planning Aid for London Volunteer/Trustee

Planning Aid for London  Longstanding role in supporting community engagement in planning  Engagement with difficult to reach groups  Increasing role of mediation  Recipients of year funding (until April 2012) as part of RTPI grouping  Maintain “free” service to lower income groups  Specialist advice also “signposting”  Funding to develop community consultancy  Longstanding role in supporting community engagement in planning  Engagement with difficult to reach groups  Increasing role of mediation  Recipients of year funding (until April 2012) as part of RTPI grouping  Maintain “free” service to lower income groups  Specialist advice also “signposting”  Funding to develop community consultancy

London Borough of Sutton  Longstanding commitments to the Environmental Agenda, Regeneration (e.g SRB) Local Area Forums and area management  Demanding housing targets  Sustainable suburbs agenda  Draft SPD /Small but influential group of activists (BedZED residents)  One Planet Living Agenda (Bioregional)  No project plan due to funding uncertainty – developed interactively! Iteratively!! opportunistically!!!  Opportunity sites - Core Strategy - 20% of new housing  Longstanding commitments to the Environmental Agenda, Regeneration (e.g SRB) Local Area Forums and area management  Demanding housing targets  Sustainable suburbs agenda  Draft SPD /Small but influential group of activists (BedZED residents)  One Planet Living Agenda (Bioregional)  No project plan due to funding uncertainty – developed interactively! Iteratively!! opportunistically!!!  Opportunity sites - Core Strategy - 20% of new housing

Localism Bill  Shift in the relationship between Central Government, Local Authorities and the community  No examples of Neighbourhood Plans under new Bill yet  Several LPAs pausing on current SPDs to consider “rebranding” issues  RTPI point out that many procedural tools already exist  Developing trust and good working practices locally – learning curves and pragmatism  Shift in the relationship between Central Government, Local Authorities and the community  No examples of Neighbourhood Plans under new Bill yet  Several LPAs pausing on current SPDs to consider “rebranding” issues  RTPI point out that many procedural tools already exist  Developing trust and good working practices locally – learning curves and pragmatism

Neighbourhood Planning Workshop  What processes can we build in to achieve community input and ownership?  What sort of approaches raise ‘the heckles’ of community bodies?  What are the barriers to joint working?  What do we need to build in to really develop a partnership approach?  What can community organisations bring to the table? Do they want to?  What techniques are useful? What additional skills do planners supporting the work need?  Lessons learnt – is there always a right and a wrong way? Probably not  How do you decide which approach is right for your project?  What processes can we build in to achieve community input and ownership?  What sort of approaches raise ‘the heckles’ of community bodies?  What are the barriers to joint working?  What do we need to build in to really develop a partnership approach?  What can community organisations bring to the table? Do they want to?  What techniques are useful? What additional skills do planners supporting the work need?  Lessons learnt – is there always a right and a wrong way? Probably not  How do you decide which approach is right for your project?