Manifesto #2

Since the beginning of the course, I've become 23. I'm older, and hopefully wiser.

What I find very interesting at the moment is the recent change to the planning system and how this is effecting urban space, social conditions and the way Local Authorities operate. The scrapping of the Unitary Development Plans (UDP) by New Labour and the introduction of the Local Development Framework (LDF) system has allowed LAs to be very specific and very loose at the same time. Effectively, it is desolving power and discretion to LAs, allowing them to plan precisely, pre-empt the market, regulate developmet and plan the economy.

Of course LAs are still pressured by targets and other developments such as Crossrail, but they are now more able to accommodate and plan for that change before it happens, rather than responding to it once it's happened. There is a lot of grey space now for manoevuring since space is now less defined by boundaries. There is a loose relationship here at national, regional levels, which is mostly done through target-setting. At the Local scale however, LA's have to work out how to spatially arrange the implementation of government targets by connecting space and the economy.

In Islington for example, Local Neighbourhood shopping centres have been allocated and policy drafted to protect the scale and type of shops in the area, thus regulating the market. Similarly, in Hillingdon, open space is being safeguarded for mineral extraction and food production. This is in response to the Mayor's target figure of 0.5 million tonnes of aggregates per year for west London.

Three sites in Hillingdon have been allocated for aggregate production as set out in The Minerals Technical Background Report (2008), which concludes there are three sites able to provide the defined aggregates requirement for the borough over the Plan period:

Land west of the present Harmondsworth Quarry
Land north of the village of Harmondsworth, and
Land at Sipson Lane, east of the M4 spur.

All of these are situated between Heathrow and the M4 in the Heathrow Villages - ie: on land that could, one day, be used to build a third runway and two new terminals. LB Hillingdon's Draft Core Strategy identifies how the Council will support business and the local community through transport infrastructure and by supporting business such as hotels. But by doing so, it'll also make it more difficult and more expensive one day, for BAA to expand the airport northwards.

I find it fascinating how Councils can produce policy that supports development expansion but, if allocated in a certain way, can indirectly limit the growth of unwanted, damaging developments. It's interesting to see to what extent they are simply regulating the market and to what extent they are actively planning the economy.

I've realised that the reality of the planning system is about creating better environments for communities, to create positive regeneration and to protect these areas through the careful articulation of policy.

However, my concerns remain. Democracy and inclusivity is important and is often side-lined. The way policy and plans are produced, are still unknown to most people. Regeneration often equates to gentrification. But I think that all these can still be tackled - through more precision in the maps and policy as well as through increased community involvement. It would be amazing to see the system developed at grass routes levels in collaboration with Local Authorities, but I am not convinced that this will be the way that the government's new Localism agenda will play out.