5 steps to ... delivering local infra-structure using planning

Stuart Watson, Regeneration & Renewal, 5 September 2008

Statements of community involvement, which set out how the public can contribute in creating local development documents, need to be clearly written and practical. "It is vital to involve key stakeholders to help understand infrastructure gaps and to ensure the community has a stake in the process," says Fionnuala Lennon, planning manager at planning advisory service Atlas.

2. Engage with councillors. Elected members can provide a link with local people and frequently have hands-on experience in areas such as health, education and training. "They are often aware of what is needed without having to hire more consultants," says Sorwar Ahmed, head of community regeneration at consultancy Colin Buchanan.

3. Involve other public bodies. "Planners need to learn from their colleagues in social services. There is a whole range of expertise in community engagement in primary care trusts for example," says Ahmed. "Guidance and examples of good practice are available through the Planning Advisory Service and Academy for Sustainable Communities."

4. Talk to the third sector. "The voluntary and community sector tends to get overlooked in development plans," says Gideon Amos, chief executive of lobby group the Town and Country Planning Association. "Policy writers must talk to the sector in creating their plans." This provides a better idea of priorities and a firmer legal basis for negotiating developer contributions to community infrastructure.

5. Get developers involved as early as you can. The private sector often recognises the value of discussing community needs at a project's development brief stage. "Developers have told us that by engaging at an earlier stage you can get everyone into a more creative frame of mind," says Ahmed.

- More information Planning Community Needs - A Guide to Effective Section 106 Agreements and Statements of Community Involvement is available via www.regen.net/doc; Atlas's Social Infrastructure Matrix tool is available via www.atlasplanning.com.