About the TCPA
Current Projects
- LANDFORM
- Advocacy, Participation and NGOs in Planning – APaNGO
- Connecting England
- Biodiversity By Design: A Guide for Sustainable Communities
- Stakeholder Involvement in RPG
- Sustainable Housing Forum
- Home Truths: Easing the Shortage of Housing
- Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban Environment (ASCCUE)
- Tomorrow Series
- Putting Planning First
Advocacy, Participation and NGOs in Planning – APaNGO
APaNGO is a transnational partnership project part-funded by the European Union’s Interreg IIIB programme for North West Europe (NWE).
The TCPA is the lead partner on a European project called APaNGO, which is an international network of organisations developing cutting edge skills and resources to enhance community engagement in planning. Our aims are to secure a sustainable future and create attractive, successful towns and cities. To find out more click the image above.
Connecting England - report by the Hetherington Commission
England is the only country in the British Isles that does not have a national plan or strategy. There are a range of initiatives aimed at the national level eg the ODPM's 'Sustainable Communities: Building for the Future' (2003) and 'Making it Happen: The Northern Way' (2004) however there is no framework in place to co-ordinate their development.
If England were to create a national strategy for the development of the country across all the regions of the country, what sort of measures, in terms of development needs and priorities, should a strategy include? How should existing regional (and inter-regional) development strategies be joined up? What development is needed at a national level to ensure each region develops successfully and in a sustainable way? The Hetherington Commission set out to answer these questions.
The inquiry was established under the independent Chairmanship of Peter Hetherington, Regional Affairs Editor of the Guardian and a member of the TCPA. He was joined by 17 other Commissioners selected because of their expertise in the subjects concerned and to represent a wide range of interests across all regions of the country.
Biodiversity By Design: A Guide for Sustainable Communities
The TCPA has produced a practical and design orientated guide to achieving high levels of biodiversity in the context of the major developments of the communities plan and its proposals for both new communities and urban extensions. The guide was prepared by Urbed, with input from the Association for Local Government Ecologists, TCPA and English Nature. The TCPA is grateful to English Nature, Hyde Housing Group and RSPB for their support.
Download a copy of the Guide (Adobe PDF format, 1.85Mb)
To order a copy of the guide, please email membership@tcpa.org.uk. or contact Lynda Best
Or browse a special online version of the guide here.
Stakeholder Involvement in RPG
As regional Planning Guidance (RPG) becomes an established and important feature of the planning system, the TCPA has been looking at the role of stakeholders in the RPG preparation process and the extent to which the new RPG process is meeting its objective of involving a wide range of stakeholders.
The Best practice findings will form the basis of an ODPM best practice guide and the report will inform the review of PPG11 (PPS11). The research has been supported by the ODPM, a full version of the final report is available from the TCPA, priced £10 for TCPA members and voluntary groups; £25 for non-members. Email your order to Lynda Best - membership@tcpa.org.uk
Sustainable Housing Forum
The TCPA's work on the implications of transition to sustainable forms of development. Visit the Sustainable Housing Forum (SHF) page for more information and to download the Forum's report.
Home Truths: Easing the Shortage of Housing
The TCPA is leading a consortium of national organisations in an exercise to present objective, reliable information regarding the need for new housing and the ways of meeting this need. The project aims to inform the public – and therefore hopefully to improve public perceptions – of the probable practical effects of new housing. The Project is being supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. For further information, Download the Home Truths report (Adobe .PDF format, 1.29MB)
Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban Environment (ASCCUE)
The DTI, EPSRC and the UK Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) are working together to fund consortia of eligible academic institutions and stakeholders to study the potential long term impacts of climate change on the built environment, transport and utilities in the UK. The Building Knowledge for a Changing Climate programme is funding a series of three year projects, which jointly aim to enhance understanding of the likely impacts of climate change to enable better decisions and policies to be made relating to adaptation.
Making our cities and neighbourhoods fit for climate change is a major challenge. The ASCCUE (Adaptation Strategies for Climate Change in the Urban Environment) project, which brings together a multi-disciplinary team from a range of universities and other organisations, will improve our understanding of the key impacts that are likely to affect towns and cities in the future, and how to anticipate change and plan an appropriate response. The TCPA is the leading stakeholder within this consortium. For more information on the project, click here for more information including the ASCCUE Brochure (Adobe PDF format, 900Kb)
Further information is available from Rob Shaw at the TCPA and from the UKCIP website.
Tomorrow Series
The TCPA continues to publish its groundbreaking and popular series of discussion papers aimed at encouraging debate on a wide range of issues. Recent titles include:
- Tariffs for Infrastructure Delivery – building better communities through a ‘business plan’ approach John Walker (2007)
- Heathrow: A Retirement Plan, Peter Hall (2006)
- More Households to be Housed, Alan Holmans and Christine Whitehead (2006)
- Cities and Regions of Sustainable Communities - New Strategies, Julie Cowans (2006)
- Local Delivery Vehicles - Talking Shops or Agents for Change?, Paul Hackett (2006)
- Capturing Value; Creating Communities, Duncan MacLennan and Julie Cowans (2005)
- The Land Fetish, Peter Hall (2005)
- People,Planning And Power: Beyond New Localism, Hugh Ellis (2004)
- Funding Sustainable Communities: Smart Growth and intelligent Local Finance, Nicholas Falk (2004)
The series can be ordered directly from our online shop. The Tomorrow Series are available for free to TCPA members.
TCPA Putting Planning First - report of the TCPA initiative
The TCPA's work under the Putting Planning First initiative, which ran from 2003 until early 2005, fell into three main areas: an initial mailing to local councillors and chief planning officers in England, seeking affirmation of their committment to putting planning first; work preparing and supporting Parliamentary amendments in order to improve the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill (now the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004); and a study of the practical implementation challenges of the new develpment plan system.
Download
a copy of the final report (Adobe PDF format 0.99Mb)
To order a copy of the final report, email membership@tcpa.org.uk.or contact Lynda Best
Local Authority Network on Drainage and Flood Risk Management (LANDFORM)
Hard lessons have been learnt from the 2007 floods, and the consequences of climate change will continue to influence the development of the planning system. Addressing shortfalls in the planning system now will strengthen future planning and response efforts in minimising disruptions to our communities and preventing irreversible damage to our environment. Joint-partnerships between regional and local agencies should continue to play an important leading role in guiding local developments on flood-prone land through an effective policy and practice approach to floor risk management.
The broad objective of the LANDFORM network is to support Local Authorities with their contribution to flood risk management and sustainable drainage by improving their understanding of the principles, challenges and opportunities.
The network will primarily provide a vehicle for LA officers and elected members to discuss and share experiences. It should also provide a forum for LA staff to express their views to policy/decision makers and operators at a strategic and national level.
The TCPA is a member of the Strategic Advisory Group, which will champion the LANDFSRM network, helping identify potential synergies and opportunities for funding and/or sponsorship. For more information on the Network and upcoming events, please refer to the LANDFORM website.
TCPA response to the Pitt Review’s Interim Report on Floods can be viewed here (Microsoft Word, 56Kb).
