The Land Trust in
partnership with over 50 organisations – including councils, professional
bodies, trade associations, charities, developers and designers – are calling
on the government to reinstate a reference to Garden City principles in the
revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), demonstrating its continued
support for those delivering new Garden Villages, Towns and Cities.
The current NPPF
requires local authorities to consider whether large-scale development (such as
new settlements or extensions to existing villages or towns) which follows the
principles of Garden Cities is ‘the best way’ of achieving sustainable development
in their area.
The NPPF provides
essential guidance for local authorities in their decision-making processes and
is vital in securing high placemaking standards. A commitment to the Garden
City principles is not set out anywhere else in government policy.
The joint statement
reads: “The nation faces an acute housing crisis. To address it we must
urgently build the high-quality homes and communities that we need at a price
people can afford.
“Meeting the
nation’s housing needs involves more than just delivering housing unites – we
need to create beautiful places which offer a wide range of employment
opportunities and genuinely affordable homes, while enabling more sustainable
lifestyles. The Garden City principles can deliver all this and are underpinned
by a financial model which not only enables fast delivery but puts people at
the heart of delivering new places and provides the resources for the long-term
stewardship and maintenance of a high-quality public realm and high-quality
community facilities.
“The current
National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) commits to the Garden City principles
by making them a consideration when planning for growth and new communities. We
are disappointed to see that the draft revised NPPF, published for consultation
on 5 March 2018, has deleted reference to these important standards. The NPPF
is the key expression of government policy, and this commitment to the Garden
City principles is not set out elsewhere. The NPPF is essential guidance for
local authorities in their decision-making processes and is vital for
negotiations on land prices and in securing high place-making standards.
“This deletion has
caused uncertainty across the sector on the status of the Garden City
principles, particularly when many local authorities, communities and the
private sector have made a commitment of delivering new Garden Villages, Towns
and Cities, and the government has announced the delivery of a further five new
Garden Towns.
“We are calling on
the government to reinstate the reference to Garden City principles in the
revised NPPF, demonstrating the government’s continued support for those
delivering new Garden Villages, Towns and Cities.
“Re-committing to
the Garden City principles in the NPPF is the starting point to unlocking a new
generation of highly sustainable places that meet housing, employment and
quality of life needs while promoting innovation. There is cross-sector and
cross-party support for such measures, and we urge the government to act now to
secure an inclusive and resilient future for the nation.”
