The Planning Convention, 28 June 2016

Better Planning Solutions:

The Challenge of Growth

The Value of the Plan

Paul Barnard

Assistant Director

Strategic Planning

and Infrastructure

Plymouth City Council

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

PLYMOUTH PLAN

THE PLAN FOR HOMES

AGENDA

PLYMOUTH

STRATEGIC CONTEXT 1943 A Plan for Plymouth

1956 Development Plan

1987 Local Plan

1996 Local Plan

2001 Local Plan First Deposit

2003 Vision for Plymouth

2007 LDF Core Strategy adopted

2007-2010 - 6 Area Action Plans adopted

2015 – The Plymouth Plan

STRATEGIC CONTEXT

Southern Plymouth – approximately

7,900 dwellings (including

Waterfront developments)

Northern Plymouth –

approximately 4,300

dwellings (including

known provision at

Derriford)

Eastern Plymouth – approximately

2,930 dwellings (including Morley

Park and other known commitments

in Plymstock and

Plympton

Approximately 7,000 dwellings to be

located in the Urban Fringe to meet

Plymouth’s needs, including

Sherford and exploring the potential

for further development at Woolwell

and Newnham

The Plymouth Plan

THE PLYMOUTH PLAN CONCEPT

PCC Cabinet – 11 September 2012

One overarching

strategic Plymouth

Plan

Integrated…

Holistic…

Long term…

An innovative

approach…

Reflect aspirations of

Council, businesses

and communities…

A plan for the city

that everyone can

buy in to…

The Statutory Development Plan

The Local Transport Plan

The Health & Wellbeing Strategy

The Cultural Strategy

The Local Economic Strategy

The Local Housing Strategy

The Children and Young People’s Plan

The Child Poverty Strategy

The Community Safety Strategy

The Infrastructure and Investment Plan

The Greenspace Strategy

THE PLYMOUTH PLAN REPLACES OVER 130

DIFFERENT STRATEGIES, INCLUDING:

CITY VISION By 2031, for Plymouth to be one of Europe’s most vibrant waterfront cities

where an outstanding quality of life is enjoyed by everyone, where the

following strategic outcomes have been realised:

Plymouth’s strategic

role is fulfilled as a

regional city and a

major economic

driver for the heart of

the south west.

Plymouth as a healthy

city, where its people

live in happy, healthy,

safe and aspiring

communities.

Plymouth as a

growing city, which

has used its

economic, social and

environmental

strengths to deliver

quality and

sustainable growth.

Plymouth as an

international city,

renowned as Britain’s

Ocean City,

harnessing the

benefits of the city’s

outstanding

waterfront and

maritime heritage.

THE PLYMOUTH PLAN

CONVERSATIONS

October 2012 – June 2013

Based around the question, “What’s The

Future?”

Front loaded, open ended

engagement encouraging people to

talk about their fears and aspirations

Plymouth Plan Sofa

Plymouth Plan Pop Up Shop

THE PLYMOUTH PLAN

CONNECTIONS

July 2014 - October 2014

More detail, asking people to connect evidence

with their communities…

24 Topic Papers produced covering everything

from Health to Housing to Sport

8 Area Assessments setting out information

about the entire city

The sofa was back…visiting over 60

different venues chatting to people

about what they liked/didn’t like in the

city.

We also asked local community groups

to host their own events and workshops.

21 January 2015 – 04 March 2015

The comments and evidence base which

had been collected so far, were used to

draft Plymouth Plan Part One. This was then

consulted on as well as a Sustainability

Appraisal and a booklet version of an

Equality Impact Assessment.

Throughout Plymouth Plan Part

One’s various stages, we received

approximately 4,000 comments and

won a national planning award: the

RTPI award for Excellence in Plan

Making Practice 2015.

THE PLYMOUTH PLAN

CHECK UP

Why is the Plymouth Plan Successful?

1 – One Integrated Strategy lets you tell your story once, very simply and

effectively. All partners can buy in to an accepted Vision – one version of the

truth.

2 – One Plan enables more efficient use of limited resources – switching from

writing strategies to delivering actions.

3 – Helps build and maintain Cross Party political support for Growth

4 – It makes your Chief Executive’s life simpler, and their commitment is critical.

5 – A multi-disciplinary approach of officers helps to ensure departmental buy-in

and support and a focus on what the key interventions are.

6 - Continuous Engagement with partners and communities must be a firm

commitment, and seen to be real.

Why is the Plymouth Plan Successful?

7 – Beginning to see some alignment of corporate processes (Scrutiny, Budget

Planning) to priorities set out in the Plan.

8 – Alignment of Capital Programme to Plymouth Plan.

9 – Success in funding bids because of clear vision and strategy.

10 – Clarity and certainty for private sector investment decisions to be made.

We are still learning….

11 - Watch for Moving Goalposts - keep on top of the latest developments in

national planning policy and planning reforms – but continue to innovate and

deliver solutions – and stick to YOUR Vision for YOUR place.

12 - We still have key challenges – managing a complex workload, across three

planning authorities with different cultures, resourcing strategic planning and the

wider planning function, and finding a way through the Public Examination

The Plan for Homes

Low wage economy -

Average earnings £23K;

40% less than £20k

Lower quartile

house costs 6.3

times lower

quartile salary

Growing and ageing population identified demand for a further 8 Extra Care housing schemes

133 households in

temporary

accommodation.

Many wait for

over 6 months

80% of future

affordable housing

needs are 1 & 2

bed

13,000 households

on housing register,

over

3,000 in priority need

12% increase in

homeless approaches

over past 12 months

particularly vulnerable

single people

Requires a

credible

response …

PARTNERSHIP WORKING AND

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

“Delivering Stability: Securing Our Future Housing Needs. Review of Housing Supply, Kate Barker (HM Treasury, March 2004). “Culcutt Review: The Culcutt Review of Housebuilding Delivery”. (CLG, November 2007). “Increasing Housing Supply”, CLG Housing Markets and Planning Expert Panel. (CLG, July 2008). “Mind the Gap – Housing Supply in a Cold Climate”. (Town and Country Planning Association, September 2009). “International Review of Land Supply and Planning Systems”. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, March 2013). “Delivering Large Scale Housing: Unlocking Schemes and Sites to meet the UK’s Housing Needs”. (Royal Town Planning Institute, September 2013). “Mobilising across the Nation to Build the Homes Our Children Need”, Lyons Review (Labour Party, October 2014). “From Statutory Provider to Housing Delivery Enabler: Review into the Local Authority Role in Housing Supply”, Elphicke-House Review (CLG, January 2015).

Launched in November 2013

Ambition = 5,000 Homes

• 138 acres of land released in less than 18 months

• 33 sites: 12 sites either

complete or under construction

• 1,650 homes – 840 (51%)

Affordable • 73% on brownfield land

Launched February 2016

£80 Million Programme to support

commitment to deliver 5,000 new

homes

• Leadership through Housing Needs

Working Group

• £30 Million Land Acquisition Fund

• £3 Million Housing Infrastructure

Fund

• £1 Million Empty Homes Programme

• £500,000 Specialist Housing

Programme

• £500,000 Self Build Funding Scheme

• Strategic Land Review

• Downsizing Programme

• Plymouth Housing Company

• Various Planning Innovations – 2

year consents, Barrier Busting

Initiative, Business Relationship

Programme

OVERALL HOUSING DELIVERY

63% increase in completions on 2 years ago (1,244 gross)

1,282 start on sites:

30% increase and

highest since

2006/07

95% brownfield

13% increase in

dwellings under

construction (1,007);

highest since 2007/08

Housing offer includes; higher than

policy affordable and lifetime homes,

Extra Care, PassivHaus, Self Build,

Disability Units, higher housing

standards, Social Rented Homes,

Starter Homes

689 affordable homes

completed in last 2

years

THANK YOU

PROACTIVE POSITIVE PLANNING