Rural homes at Queen’s Meadow, Herefordshire

Paul SpoonerExecutive Director, HCA MidlandsMarch 2011

Neighbourhood Planning – will enough houses get built?

Contents HCA’s drivers for localism Our partners Incentives for Neighbourhood Planning The impact on housing delivery Challenges and opportunities HCA – supporting Neighbourhood Planning Summary

Our key drivers Localism – responding to the ambitions of local authorities and their communities, for

growth and regeneration Enabling – practical advice and support on local planning, design, procurement and

delivery Investment – using government investment in affordable homes to leverage investment

by others Land and property assets – coordinating the release of public sector land assets to

support local plans A local agency with national influence

Our key partners for localism Local authorities

– Land and property assets (including in many cases housing stock)– Housing needs and housing market assessments – Supporting people– Core strategies and local planning and housing policies – Local investment plans – spatial and thematic priorities – Investors in infrastructure and placemaking – Community engagement– Professional teams – Leadership

Housing associations – Land and property assets

– Community and tenant management and engagement

– Investors and developers – Long-term stewardship

– Placemaking role

Private sector house builders– Land and property assets

– Investors and developers

– Placemaking role

– Market knowledge

Institutional investors – possible investors in housing Other public sector partners – e.g. LEPs Local communities – local needs, local knowledge and local skills

The key is to optimise the combination of the strengths, assets and know-how of all parties – to plan for growth

Incentives for Neighbourhood Planning

Direct benefits for local communities – New Homes Bonus Building communities as well as houses Empowering communities – capacity and skills Building consensus – alignment of Neighbourhood Plans and

Local Plans For government – a community-led/bottom-up approach

Neighbourhood planning before Neighbourhood Planning…?

Camp Hill, Nuneaton Regeneration scheme in former mining community

to deliver 1500 new homes Shops and community hub already built with

residents already in new homes in phase one £8.2m of NAHP to deliver 813 homes in current

phase Kickstart investment of £1m was provided to

enable scheme to regain momentum Supporting public and private sector partners

to deliver long term training, employment and social development programme

Strong community involvement in the scheme through Pride in Camp Hill project

Lightmoor, Telford Joint venture between HCA and Bournville Village

Trust, in partnership with Telford and Wrekin Council, Sanctuary Housing, Crest Nicholson, Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey

HCA site delivering 800 new homes – 160 complete Extra care facility, new school and recreational

facilities completed New village centre nearing completion All partners signed up to long-term quality and

sustainability

North Solihull HCA multi-programme investment over 10

years (NAHP, P&R, Growth, Kickstart, Decent Homes, First Time Buyers Initiative)

Demolitions, masterplanning, infrastructure and land assembly, new homes, primary schools, community facilities, village centres

Integration of all funding programmes – Building Schools for the Future– Grace Academy and City Technology

College– JobCentre Plus– ERDF – Other funding - PCT and LIFT

Partnership between Solihull Council, West Mercia Housing, Solihull Community Housing, HCA and InPartnership

WEHM, North Coventry

3300 new homes – first 154 underway £11m HCA investment to date – total public and private investment

circa £120m HCA investment into broad spectrum school Significant tenure change over long term Community infrastructure supported by NDC programme – schools,

neighbourhood centre… Partnership between HCA, Coventry City Council, Whitefriars

Housing, NDC and developers Bovis, Keepmoat and Westbury Community-led scheme with strong community support and

involvement

Will increase supply – additional housing beyond that in the Local Plan

Meeting local needs – priorities and housing preferences determined at ‘very’ local level

Community buy-in to local growth – building understanding of the link between homes and local economy in an area (e.g. shops, business, schools…)

The impact on housing delivery

Implications of a move from regional decision making to ‘very’ local level

Resources and skills implications for partners in working with this new tier of decision making (private sector in particular)

Proactive vs reactive – communities planning ahead or being nimby/yimby led

Balancing community aspiration and viability Ensuring the benefits of the New Homes Bonus is directed

to local communities Community capacity to deliver

Challenges and opportunities for Neighbourhood Planning

All points to Neighbourhood Planning at the heart of localism

The HCA – supporting Neighbourhood Planning

Commercial awareness and economic appraisals Specialist advice on meeting the needs of specific groups Appraisal tools and procurement panels Coordinating the public sector ‘offer’ Support through the bringing forward of public sector

land (through Local Land Initiative) Removing blockages using national influence Supporting partners on delivery within the new affordable

rent model

Summary Must combine strengths, assets and know-how of all parties to support growth in local

areas and ensure homes get built Clear and tangible incentives for local communities who plan for growth Alignment of Neighbourhood Plans to Local Plans The challenge of community aspiration and financial viability Capacity to support and deliver Neighbourhood Planning – across all sectors (including

communities) will be tried The importance of private/community sector relationships

www.homesandcommunities.co.ukFollow us on twitter: HCA_UK