A think-tank paper considered the policy proposals that seemed best able to meet the recommendation made in the Barker Review, that government should use a tax measure to extract some of the windfall gain that accrued to landowners from the sale of their land for residential development.
Source: Peter Bill (ed.), Building Sustainable Communities: Capturing land development value for the public realm, Smith Institute (020 7592 3618)
Links: No link
Date: 2004-Dec
The government began consultation on proposals for reforming the system of negotiated agreements under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. The proposals were designed to streamline and update the system of planning obligations. For the first time a clear basis for delivering affordable homes through the planning system was included in the policy.
Source: Draft Revised Circular on Planning Obligations, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 2 November 2004, columns 5-6WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Hansard | ODPM press release
Date: 2004-Nov
A report said that regional assemblies should maintain separate boards for planning and housing. This would ensure that housing and spatial planning each retained an explicit voice, and that needs arising from both sectors were debated openly rather than mediated within an organization.
Source: Intelligent Approaches to Housing: Achieving better integration in planning for housing, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700), Local Government Association, and Royal Town Planning Institute
Links: Report (pdf) | CIH press release
Date: 2004-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to merge regional housing boards and regional planning bodies in England - effectively making regional assemblies responsible for preparing regional housing strategies.
Source: Housing and Planning in the Regions, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report | ODPM press release | CIH press release
Date: 2004-Sep
Campaigners said that the government's approach to sustainable community planning needed to identify and consider the needs of a wider range of vulnerable groups to ensure full commitment to social inclusion.
Source: Response to the ODPM Consultation on PPS1: Creating Sustainable Communities, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Response (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
An official review called for a cultural change in the skills, behaviours, knowledge and training of more than 100 occupations involved in delivering sustainable communities. It put forward a set of proposals for central and local government, built environment professionals, developers, public service providers, communities, and the business and voluntary sector, to drive forward the skills agenda.
Source: The Egan Review: Skills for sustainable communities, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, available from RIBA Enterprises (020 7256 7222)
Links: Report | Focus group summary report (pdf) | Evidence base review (pdf) | Consultation responses summary (pdf) | ODPM press release | RTPI press release (pdf) | LGA press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Apr
