Housing, planning and place-shaping - concerns and initiatives
Housing associations in the Big Society
“Housing associations are in danger of having no voice in the debate about the Big Society and how it will work in practice,” according to an article in Regeneration & Renewal.
Philippa Cartwright, associate at DouglasWood housing, regeneration development consultancy, expresses concern that “there is little mention of housing associations as possible Big Society partners.
“Instead, the Government is empowering and funding committed but often poorly skilled or resourced community groups to do the work which housing associations are doing or could so easily do.
“Yet housing associations are ideally placed to deliver on the Big Society agenda. For a start, they already exist, are locally based and have established links with the neighbourhoods they serve…”
Planning support for communities
In the wake of last month’s announcement that the Government will not renew funding for Planning Aid after 31 March 2011, the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has published details of a new £3m fund to help community organisations to engage with the planning system.
Funding might be made available for activties such as
- organising a community-based group
- community engagement
- developing or providing input into proposals for local development documents
- developing or providing input into proposals for the development of any area, such as proposals leading to planning applications or local development orders
- accessing specialist advice if required
- finding potential sources of additional funding
CLG will offer grants to incorporated bodies which have recent history of engaging with community groups.
Place shaping - new Commission calls for evidence
The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has established an Independent Commission to examine how to equip communities to fully embrace their emerging land and property roles in the context of localism and the Big Society.
The new Land and Society Commission is calling for evidence from relevant witnesses with expertise in community action, the built environment and local government.
The five key areas the Commission will focus on are:
- community asset acquisition and management
- neighbourhood planning
- community housing
- capacity building
- valuation.
The Commission will make recommendations to government, policy makers and land and property sector bodies on steps which should be taken to help empower communities to shape and manage their neighbourhoods.
10 January 2011
