Education from primary through to professional education; engaging with the public and skilling up decision makers

Changing the culture of planning and improving the everyday environment by making the ordinary better

Our built environment past, present and future

Global exchange and the value of good design

Leadership and place-based policies inside and outside of government

5. BUILT ENVIRONMENT POLICY

Could we plan for real places, not shaped by political boundaries?

The built environment has seen enormous flux within government over the years, moving between many different departments often with little added gain. For this reason, and in recognition of the energetic engagement of everyone involved with this independent Review, policies should be developed which are enabled by government but led independently by the industry. The focus of these policies should begin with the core “places” of villages, towns and cities. Very often political boundaries which are electorally defined do not coincide with place boundaries which are geographically defined. The stewardship, long-term planning and identity of real places should be a fundamental part of built environment policies. The future lies in empowering cities and localities, with central government increasingly taking on an enabling role.

Why can’t we have joint leadership from the public and private sectors?

These policies should be developed and monitored by a newly formed PLACE Leadership Council (PLC), following the emerging model of the Construction Leadership Council. There should be an equal balance of private-sector representation from the built environment professions and public- sector representation from the Chief PLACE Advisers and Ministers from the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Central government should recognise that cities and metropolitan regions are proving to be a successful scale for proactive planning. The built environment is complex and we must recognise this through a combination of “top-down” and “bottom-up” approaches, enabling different networks and places, each with their own challenges, to function properly.

Should the government have a Chief Architect?

The government has a Chief Medical Officer, a Chief Veterinary Officer, a Chief Procurement Officer, a Chief Technology Officer, a Chief Operating Officer, and every Department has its own Chief Scientific Adviser. For the built environment there is a Chief Planner and a Chief Construction Adviser, so there is scope for a Chief Architect to ensure that the built environment professions are better represented. These advisers should sit on the PLACE Leadership Council together with representatives of the private sector.

Recommendations:

#55
Government should establish a PLACE Leadership Council, with ministerial representation from DCMS and DCLG, Chief PLACE Advisers and equal public- and private-sector representation.

#56
The PLACE Leadership Council should produce a strategy and action plan for improving design quality within the everyday built environment in the first six months. This should include proposals to create a more proactive planning system and new place-based policies.

#57
Government should appoint a Chief Architect reporting to DCMS and DCLG at the highest level. This role should be similar to the Chief Planner and Chief Construction Adviser, connecting up government departments and maintaining high standards and consistency of approach.

#58
PLACE institutions and think tanks should undertake research on the value of independent, place-based leadership, such as mayors, to the public. In the UK where we have them, and in other countries, city leaders are proven to be the most successful drivers of sustainable and strategic urban planning.

What kind of policies do we need?

Government should adopt a range of policies within and for each of the departments that have the built environment within their portfolio. These policies should be consistent when addressing the big issues like procurement, sustainability, accessibility, information and communications technology, maintenance and stewardship and the public realm.

How can government departments be consistent in their approach?

The newly formed PLACE Leadership Council should advise and help co-ordinate policies and programmes across government in order to support the delivery of better places. The Chief PLACE Advisers should monitor and co-ordinate the activities of these departments. Government can take the lead by setting high standards and bringing about the major cultural change that is needed to make proactive planning and high-quality design a normal and accepted part of our society.

Recommendations:

#59
All government departments and government-funded bodies should sign up to an agreed set of principles and produce a joined-up design policy statement. This statement should set out how they intend to co-ordinate the design quality of their respective built environment ambitions, activities and responsibilities.

#60
Design policies should be consistent on cross-cutting issues such as procurement (of services and products), accessibility, sustainability, information and communications technology, maintenance and stewardship and the public realm.