On 26 January 2026, the TCPA and a group of academics at the University of Sheffield convened a group of fifty planners who met to discuss whether town planning had a future in England.
Read the blog which captures the debate from the workshop.
At the end of our session, we distilled a new Purpose for Democratic Planning and new Ethical Code for planners. Together, these form the Sheffield Declaration.
Revitalising planning
There was rich workshop discussion which recognised:
- Democratic planning is vital if we are to survive the climate crises and secure a socially just and sustainable future.
- The gulf between the values and ambition of the planning movement and the current outcomes of the statutory planning system. Particularly, the abandonment of a fulsome commitment to sustainable development and meaningful public participation.
- The lack of any meaningful legal or policy purpose for planning beyond GDP growth.
- The hostility and lack of trust towards the planning process from the public and many politicians.
- The low morale of young practitioners, who find a striking gap between the principles of planning education and limitations of professional practice.
- The need for a new and positive set of values about both the purpose of planning and the ethics planners should bring to the table.
A return to values-led planning
There was broad agreement on the foundational principle that planning should be about achieving sustainable development, in the long-term public interest.
Other key ideas included:
- intergenerational equity and the welfare of future generations,
- achieving social equity,
- achieving genuine community participation in the decisions which affect their lives through a genuine shift in power,
- the promotion of social justice,
- the promotion of race and gender equality,
- supporting economic models which demonstrate the creation of social value, and
- ensuring that planning systems address the climate and biodiversity crises and recognise environmental limits in their decision making.
The Sheffield Declaration
The Sheffield Declaration brings together a new Purpose for Democratic Planning and Ethical Code for Planners.
We hope it is the beginning of a journey to restore the ideals of town planning to be a creative, democratic and visionary practice which can build the foundation of a peaceful, sustainable and inclusive future.
