The Government is currently reforming the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in a bid to ‘achieve sustainable growth in our planning system’ [Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]. With several large housing developments planned locally, Eynsham residents are likely to be interested in the progress of this review, as any revisions could have consequences for our area.
The public consultation on the NPPF closed in September. Two of our residents have co-authored a paper that has been submitted to the consultation, entitled Designing Homes and Neighbourhoods for the Future. We think this may be of interest to our community and are grateful to the authors for allowing us to share it online.
The paper has been written by Jon Bright and Vincent Goodstadt, both of whom have experience in this area. Jon, a co-opted member of the Parish Council’s planning committee, was previously a Director in the Department for Communities and Local Government. Vincent is a past President of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
The emphasis in the paper is on making sure new homes are designed well in terms of affordability, attractiveness, sustainability and in creating a place communities want to live in. Jon and Vincent make eight recommendations that would improve the way design is considered and applied through the planning process.
Jon and Vincent explained that “there’s a lot of guidance on how to design new neighbourhoods that people like. The problem isn’t with the guidance. Rather, it’s with developers who don’t follow the guidance and with planning departments who don’t ensure the guidance is followed. One study found that three quarters of new housing developments built in England since 2007 should not have been allowed to proceed without revision because they ignored Government design guidance.”
The paper can be downloaded at the bottom of this webpage. Please note that this paper has been written and submitted by residents without involvement of Eynsham Parish Council.More details on the proposed reforms are available on the Government webpage: Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)