Borough Life Winter 2006: Let's plan together
We all want to live in a place that is clean and safe, with good access to work, shops and other amenities. We want to feel happy and comfortable in the community where we’ve chosen to live. But none of this happens by chance. Now Wigan Council is drawing up a new planning system that will give residents a bigger say in the future of our townships and communities. Borough Life finds out more.
Planning can seem a confusing and bureaucratic obstacle to many people. You’re most likely to have contact with a council planner when you want a decision on whether something can be built or not. And if the decision doesn’t go the way you hope, then it’s the planners that come under fire.
New apartments on the site of Victorian villas, houses going up on green spaces, mobile phone masts; all are likely to spark controversy and inflame opinions.
But what people may not always realise is that it isn’t a case of local planners making the rules up themselves. Decisions have to be made in line with regional and national planning policies.
Wigan Council’s planning chief Martin Kimber understands how planning can get complicated for everyone involved, as it deals with competing demands and priorities. He says:
“Without a planning system, people could construct buildings anywhere, or use land in any way they wanted, no matter what effect this would have on the people who live or work there.
“Planners and councillors have to strike a balance between the needs of developers, the concerns of neighbours, the wider local community, and the borough as a whole.”
So what’s changing? In a nutshell, the new planning system aims to give people better opportunities to have a say about what the areas they live and work in will be like in the future.
A new Local Development Framework will replace the borough’s current plan, and will be the basis for all developments in the borough. The framework will set out a blueprint for development and regeneration of the borough. This will bring a range of opportunities to improve Wigan’s economy and environment for everyone who lives and works here.
Martin Kimber adds: “The new planning system will help us to involve local people at an earlier stage. It will require us to tell communities about emerging policies and proposals in good time, and allow them to put forward ideas and take part in developing proposals.”
Community school wins urban design award
Architects NPS grabbed first prize at Wigan Council’s 2006 Urban Design Awards for the new Westfield Community School in Norley Hall, Wigan.
The planning awards showcase and celebrate a wide range of projects whose design and construction has enhanced the borough’s “street scene” over the past 12 months. Westfield is bursting with hi-tech features, and even has its own solar panels and water reclamation features.
Need for more housing?
Planning applications for new housing can be controversial. And one of the most frequent complaints is “why do we need more housing?”
In Wigan and across the country, household sizes are getting smaller, with a big increase in the number of people living on their own. This is due to more single-parent families, smaller families and an increase in households of just one person.
So government guidance now says that more houses should be built on a piece of land than in the past. Developers are meeting these changes by applying to build more apartments and flats, and fewer traditional semis or detached houses.
In Wigan, the green belt is out of bounds for developers.
And nine out of ten of the 900 homes completed in the borough last year were built on so-called ‘brownfield’ or previously developed land. Mr Kimber said: “We have to ensure we don’t allow the established character of quality areas to be changed inappropriately”.
Help shape planning framework
The local development framework will set out how many houses, jobs and shops we’ll need – and where they should be located.
It will also aim to preserve our countryside and architectural heritage. Two documents, called the Local Development Scheme and the Statement of Community Involvement, provide your first point of contact for finding out about the new system and how it will affect you.
An important aim is to involve members of the public and other local interest groups far earlier than before in the planning process.
Martin Kimber explained: “Producing this framework will be a complex task, involving lots of research and debate. The new system will need to be based on strong evidence, gathered as early as possible.
“So it’s essential that residents get involved at the earliest stage when plans are prepared, because they know their area the best. By working together we will ensure local issues are tackled through good planning, and reduce the number of objections later in the process”.
- The Government's 'Creating Better Places to Live: a guide to the Planning System in England' is available online at www.communities.gov.uk
- The Local Development Framework Visual Guide is at www.planningportal.gov.uk
- Planning Aid provides free, independent advice to residents and community groups – visit www.planningaid.rtpi.org.uk or phone 0161 962 4465.
- If you would like to be consulted on a regular basis or to complete our development and planning survey, please contact us on 01942 404238 or email planningpolicy@wigan.gov.uk
Ensuring the right quality
Planners take many things into account when dealing with development in the borough.
For example there is a need to ensure that the quality of life is improved with good jobs and homes, while at the same time preserving the borough’s rich heritage. Future development needs to be of the right quality, which is why the council has introduced new urban design awards.
Wigan ’s industrial history has left a mark on the local environment and through the planning system much of yesterday’s dereliction has been turned into new development as well as the fields and woodlands of the future.
Today’s planners are every bit as concerned with the details as much as the grand design. New developments from shop fronts to housing, repairs to wholesale redevelopment are scrutinised carefully to ensure they are in keeping with the character that has survived from the past.