$Unique_ID{bob00535} $Pretitle{} $Title{United Kingdom Planning and the Environment in Britain} $Subtitle{} $Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC} $Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC} $Subject{development planning local urban areas inner new plans programme government} $Date{1990} $Log{} Title: United Kingdom Book: Planning and the Environment in Britain Author: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC Date: 1990 Planning and the Environment in Britain Through its comprehensive system of land-use planning and development control, Britain has had considerable success in resolving the conflicting demands of industry, commerce, housing, transport, agriculture and recreation and in reducing environmental pollution. The underlying aim is to promote efficiency, economy and amenity in the use and development of land, respecting both the needs of development and the interests of conservation. There is a statutory system of land-use planning applying to virtually every kind of development, and there are laws dealing specifically with environmental health, the control of pollution and the conservation of the natural environment. Most development requires local `planning permission', and applications are dealt with in the light of development plans (which set out strategies for each area on such matters as housing, transport, industry and open land) and of any other material considerations. However, many minor developments are subject to a general permission under which they do not need a specific planning application; the opportunity is being taken to expand this general permission wherever possible. Many voluntary organisations take an active interest in planning, conservation and the control of pollution. Planning The system of land-use planning in Great Britain involves a centralised structure under the Secretaries of State for the Environment, Wales and Scotland and compulsory planning duties for local planning authorities. The Department of the Environment brings together the major responsibilities in England for land-use planning, housing and construction, countryside policy and environmental protection. The Welsh Office and the Scottish Development Department have broadly equivalent responsibilities. Strategic planning in England and Wales, excluding London, is primarily the responsibility of the county councils and the metropolitan district councils, while district councils and, in London, the councils of the London boroughs and the City of London are responsible for local plans and development control, the main housing functions and many environmental health matters. In Scotland planning functions are undertaken by regional and district councils whose responsibilities are divided on a basis broadly similar to that in England and Wales. In the more rural regions and the islands, all planning responsibilities are carried out by the regional and islands councils respectively. In Northern Ireland the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland is responsible for planning matters through six divisional planning offices which work closely with the district councils. The councils have local environmental health responsibilities. Development Plans The development plan system in England and Wales involves `structure' and `local' plans. Structure plans are prepared by county planning authorities and require ministerial approval. They set out broad policies for the development and other use of land, including measures for the improvement of the physical environment and traffic management. Local plans provide detailed guidance for development expected to start within about ten years; they are normally prepared by district planning authorities, although sometimes by county planning authorities, and must conform generally to the approved structure plan. In exceptional cases, with ministerial approval, the adoption of a local plan may precede the approval of a structure plan. Local plans are adopted by the planning authorities without being subject to ministerial approval unless called in by the Secretary of State. All plans are kept under review and may be altered from time to time. In Greater London and the other six metropolitan areas in England structure and local plans are gradually being replaced by new unitary development plans, which contain both general policies and detailed proposals for land use and development control. Scotland has a broadly similar system, with structure plans being prepared by regional or islands authorities, and local plans by the districts. Regional and islands authorities may also produce a regional report outlining their priorities and policies. Under Northern Ireland's single-tier system, plans are prepared by the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. Public Participation Members of the public and interested organisations are given an opportunity to express their views on the planning of their areas during the formative stages of the structure and local plans. The local planning authorities must ensure adequate publicity for matters proposed for inclusion in the plans; representations may be made about them to the authorities. These opportunities for public participation are additional to provisions for objecting to prepared plans. In the case of structure plans the Secretary of State normally holds an examination in public of matters on which he or she requires more information in order to reach a decision. In the case of local plans objectors have a right to be heard at a public local inquiry held by the planning authorities. There are similar provisions for participation in the preparation of unitary development plans and for making objections to them. Measures to improve the efficiency of planning inquiries and simplify appeals procedures were announced by the Government in 1986. Where specific proposals for development differ substantially from the intentions of a development plan, they must be publicised locally. Other schemes affecting a large number of people are usually advertised by the local planning authority, and applications seeking permission for certain types of development-for example, those affecting historic buildings and conservation areas-must also be advertised. (In Scotland there is a system of neighbour notification of planning applications, under which the applicant must notify the proprietors of land and buildings adjoining the site of a proposed development at the same time as the application is submitted to the local planning authority.) The applicant has a right of appeal to the Secretary of State if planning permission is refused or is granted subject to conditions. Most appeals are transferred for decision to inspectors (in Scotland, reporters) appointed by the Secretary of State. Similar provision is made in Northern Ireland for public participation in the planning process and for the hearing of representations at public inquiries. For planning applications which do not give rise to public inquiries there is a right of appeal to an independent Planning Appeals Commission. Major Schemes The Secretaries of State can direct that a planning application be referred to them for decision. This power is exercised sparingly and usually only in respect of proposals of national or regional importance which give rise to substantial controversy-for example, proposals for a major new airport or power station. The applicant and the local planning authority have the right to be heard by a person appointed by the Secretary of State and a public inquiry is normally held for this purpose. In the case of development schemes of exceptional importance the departments concerned have set up procedures to aid the progress of the inquiry by helping the parties to resolve procedural matters beforehand. Where highway development is proposed, the government minister concerned can hold such inquiries as he or she considers appropriate; these generally relate to the compulsory acquisition of land. New Towns The 32 new towns designated since 1946 represent one of the most significant achievements in recent British planning. Twenty-one of them are in England, two in Wales, five in Scotland and four in Northern Ireland. Most of them had an existing town or village as a nucleus. The new towns programme has taken account of a number of policy objectives, notably the dispersal of industry and population from congested cities to the surrounding regions, and the stimulation of the regional economy in areas suffering from the decline of old industries or in need of industrial diversification. The new towns have a total population of over 2 million; several have become regional centres for shopping and office accommodation. The new town development corporations' priorities now are to maximise private investment in housing and employment and to achieve balanced communities able to generate their own growth. In England the new towns programme is nearing completion, with the majority having been substantially completed and their development corporations (which supervised the planning and development of the towns) dissolved. It is expected that the three remaining development corporations will have been dissolved by 1992. When a development corporation is wound up, its remaining assets are generally transferred to the Commission for the New Towns, which manages the assets and arranges for their disposal, mainly to the private sector. The New Towns and Urban Development Corporations Act 1985 provides for the eventual dissolution of the Commission. The dissolution of the five Scottish development corporations will not begin before 1990. In Wales responsibility for Newtown rests with the Development Board for Rural Wales (known as `Mid-Wales Development') while the corporation responsible for Cwmbran was dissolved in 1988. In Northern Ireland development of the new towns has been incorporated in a new District Towns Strategy which is the responsibility of the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland. Enterprise Zones Since 1981 the Government has set up 26 `enterprise zones' (see map, p 194). The aim of this experimental policy is to see how far industrial and commercial activity can be stimulated by the removal of certain tax burdens and by relaxing or speeding up the application of a number of administrative controls. The zones, which contain land suitable for development, range in size from about 50 to 450 hectares (about 120 to over 1,100 acres). Benefits in the zones include exemption from rates (the local property tax); 100 per cent allowances for corporation and income tax purposes for capital expenditure on industrial and commercial buildings; a much simplified planning system in which many forms of development are automatically permitted; and a reduction in government requests for statistical information. Simplified Planning Zones The Housing and Planning Act 1986 provided for the establishment of `simplified planning zones'. They use a simplified planning framework, already operational in enterprise zones, under which advance planning permission is given for specified types of development within a zone without payment of a fee. This removes the need for each developer to make a separate planning application in these cases. Simplified planning zones are intended to stimulate investment and regeneration by removing the uncertainty from the planning system. Inner Cities Revitalising the inner areas of many towns and cities is an important government priority. Past policies have produced many successes, including the replacement of most of the slums and the improvement of much old housing, but other problems remain. They include high unemployment, decay and dereliction, and population structures with relatively large proportions of the disadvantaged and the elderly. It is the Government's policy to work out, in co-operation with the private sector, local authorities, and local voluntary organisations, a package of measures for the worst affected areas that is most likely to improve conditions and regenerate local economies. In 1988 the Government announced an intensification of its inner cities policies and programmes. With the launch of `Action for Cities' in March, it underlined its comprehensive approach to inner city renewal with a number of new initiatives. The measures involve six government departments in a co-ordinated effort to tackle environmental dereliction and encourage enterprise, development and investment by the private sector in the inner cities; they aim to raise skills and enhance educational and employment opportunities for local people, to improve the quality of housing (see p 200) and transport, and to reduce crime. The main contributing programmes are those of the Department of the Environment, the Department of Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry. About 3,000 million Pounds is being spent on urban regeneration in Britain in 1988-89, and this is expected to bring in several times that total in private investment. Inner city target areas are shown on the map (p 194). Urban Programme The Urban Programme was the first major public spending programme directed solely at the inner cities. It gives specific grant through local authorities to some 10,000 projects a year in the inner cities, and has increasingly been used to support projects which strengthen the local economy. Its priorities are to encourage individual enterprise, help local companies, and improve sites and buildings. In 1987-88 the Urban Programme supported 560 new firms in managed workshops, the improvement of nearly 2,000 hectares (5,000 acres) of unsightly land, management improvement schemes for over 89,000 council homes and nearly 90,000 inner city jobs or training places. Spending on the Programme has increased from a 1978-79 level in England and Wales of under 60 million Pounds to 314 million Pounds in 1988-89. In 1987 the Government announced that, in order to achieve a greater impact with available funds, resources were to be concentrated on 57 areas with special problems and needs. The Urban Programme represents only a part of the central assistance to urban, and other, local authorities. The main contributions are through the annual rate support grant, housing subsidy and other programmes. In certain places, special schemes are in operation. There is a co-ordinated `partnership' approach in seven English areas (Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester/Salford, Newcastle upon Tyne/Gateshead and the inner London boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Lambeth), in which central and local government work together to tackle urban problems where they are at their most severe. Each partnership has a three-year action programme reviewed annually, which is based on the needs of the area and its particular priorities. Partnerhips receive allocations of Urban Programme resources ranging from 10 million Pounds to 25 million Pounds a year. Other Urban Programme authorities also prepare strategic action programmes for their inner areas, but receive lower allocations of resources ranging from 1.5 million Pounds to 5.5 million Pounds a year. City Action Teams In 1985 the Government announced the establishment of five `City Action Teams' (one for the inner London boroughs and one for each of the other partnership areas) to secure improved co-operation between government departments in developing and implementing their policies and programmes for these areas. These teams have special budgets to enable them to develop collaboration between the private and public sectors in key areas, and to promote project development. Two further teams-based in Nottingham and Leeds-were set up in 1988. Task Forces In 1986 `task forces' (see map, p 194) were created to intensify and bring together the efforts of government departments, local government, the private sector and the local community in eight inner city areas; Leeds, Middlesbrough, Leicester, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, and two in London. A further eight areas were added in 1987: Hartlepool, Rochdale, Preston, Nottingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, Doncaster and the London borough of Tower Hamlets. Funds in addition to those available under existing programmes are being provided and the initiative is being co-ordinated by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. Urban Development Corporations In 1981 the Government set up two Urban Development Corporations (UDCs), modelled on the new town development corporations, in London Docklands and Merseyside. By the end of March 1988 the London Docklands Development Corporation had received 390 million Pounds in government grant and secured private investment commitments of around 3,000 million Pounds. It has reclaimed 375 hectares (930 acres) of derelict land for housing, commercial and recreational use. Over 8,000 homes have been completed and over 10,000 jobs have been attracted to the area. The Merseyside Development Corporation has reclaimed 154 hectares (380 acres) of derelict land and 140,000 square metres (1.5 million square feet) of buildings have been refurbished in its area. Five new Corporations were set up in 1987: Trafford Park (Greater Manchester), Teesside, Tyne and Wear, Black Country (West Midlands) and Cardiff Bay. Three more-in Leeds, Central Manchester and Sheffield-were set up in 1988. UDCs cover about 16,000 hectares (about 40,000 acres) and public expenditure on the programme will be around 203 million Pounds in 1988-89. In December 1987 the Secretary of State for the Environment announced a proposal to set up a UDC in Bristol. City Grant A new grant-City Grant-was introduced in May 1988 to simplify the grants available to encourage private sector developments in inner cities; it replaced the Urban Development Grant and the Urban Regeneration Grant, which had been available since 1982 and 1986 respectively. It also covers projects that would previously have been assisted by private sector Derelict Land Grant (see p 207) within urban priority areas. It will be paid on projects with a total value which exceeds 200,000 Pounds. As with the Urban Regeneration Grant, City Grant will be paid direct to the private sector for projects which contribute to the regeneration of an urban area. Garden Festivals National garden festivals, based on the European idea of garden shows, have been introduced with the aim of rejuvenating inner urban areas and reclaiming derelict sites. The first festivals in Liverpool in 1984, Stoke-on-Trent in 1986, and Glasgow in 1988, are being followed by similar events in Gateshead in 1990 and Ebbw Vale in 1992. The Enterprise Initiative In January 1988 the Government announced measures to foster good business practice which will involve the private sector further in inner city regeneration and widen the choice and opportunities open to inner city residents. Under its `Enterprise Initiative', the Department of Trade and Industry, among other measures, offers help towards consultancy costs to advise small independent businesses on marketing, design, quality, manufacturing systems, business planning, and financial and information systems; more than 50 millions Pounds is available in 1988-89. Higher levels of grant will be made in urban areas. Scotland In Scotland, where the Urban Programme amounts to 44.2 million Pounds in 1988-89, a major urban renewal exercise in Glasgow to regenerate the city's east end (the Glasgow Eastern Area Renewal Project) has been organised on somewhat similar lines to the partnership areas in England, and a further eight Scottish districts have been designated under the Inner Urban Areas Act 1978. In addition, the Scottish Development Agency operates the Local Enterprise Grants for Urban Projects Scheme (equivalent to the City Grant) and is making urban renewal its major priority over the next few years. Wales In Wales one of the most ambitious land reclamation drives in Europe has resulted in the clearance of 2,690 hectares (6,650 acres) since 1979. Between 1988 and 1991 the Welsh Development Agency will spend over 70 million Pounds on its land clearance and urban renewal programme. In 1988 the Government launched a three-year programme designed to improve economic, environmental and social conditions in the south Wales valleys (see map, p 195). It includes a three-fold expansion of the Welsh Development Agency's factory building programme, increased regional assistance to industry, new training and loan schemes for small businesses, and the establishment of a Centre for Quality, Enterprise and Design at Treforest (Mid Glamorgan), which will serve the whole of Wales. Northern Ireland In Northern Ireland inner city problems on a substantial scale are largely confined to Belfast, where a major housing programme is supplemented by Urban Development Grants, an environmental improvement scheme and a comprehensive development programme to regenerate the commercial parts of the inner city. In 1988-89 these programmes have a combined allocation of 100 million Pounds. Four Action Teams have also been established to tackle the problems of particularly deprived areas of the city. In July 1988 the Government announced a new programme to stimulate greater economic activity and improve the quality of the environment in the most disadvantaged areas in Belfast. A further 10 million Pound has been allocated to projects in 1988-89 and four more Action Teams will be set up.