With new towns higher up the agenda than they have been for decades, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) has published updated practical guidance to help local authorities understand how ambitious new communities can be delivered and paid for.
Large scale developments are needed to tackle the UK’s housing shortage. But without the right approach, councils risk creating soulless, car-dominated suburbs rather than thriving new communities.
The answer lies in the Garden City development model – a proven way of funding, creating and maintaining successful high-quality places. It is underpinned by the Garden City Principles, a framework for creating thriving communities, with easy ways to get around without a car, local jobs, green space and affordable homes.
Finance and Delivery Vehicles for New Communities is the first of the TCPA’s practical guides for creating 21st century Garden Cities to be updated. It sets the ambition for the Garden City development model in the context of current policy and legislation.
The Guide is aimed at local authority officers and elected members considering the delivery of an ambitious new community (a new town, urban extension or other large-scale housing and regeneration project) in their area.
It is designed to help people understand more about how to deliver and finance the project in a way that will contribute to achieving the Garden City Principles.
Not everywhere aspires to these principles, but the TCPA’s practical guides will help anyone attempting to create great places, regardless of whether they are trying to deliver a new ‘Garden City’.
The guide aims to demystify the development process and outlines options for finance and delivery including development corporations and other local delivery vehicles. It offers case studies and principles for success, and opportunities for funding, finance and investment including from new institutions such as the National Housing Bank and National Wealth Fund.
This guide has been supported by Hyas Associates, AtkinsRéalis and the Lady Margaret Paterson Osborn Trust.
Katy Lock, Chief Executive of the TCPA said:
“Developing a new community is a uniquely complex and long-term project requiring up-front, and patient investment for long-term benefit. History has shown that proactive public-sector land assembly, strong development standards and delivery organisations with sufficient control of land are essential for successful delivery at this scale.
“We hope this guide will help communities to choose the best option for them and support those who wish to leave a legacy of well-connected, healthy and highly sustainable new communities.”
Steve Hill, Director at Hyas Associates, said:
“Getting the delivery model right from the start can make the difference between a housing development and a thriving community. The TCPA’s guidance helps ambitious local authorities understand how to plan, fund, support the delivery of and manage new places for the long term.”
Dr Deb Upadhyaya, Director of Placemaking and New Communities at AtkinsRéalis, said:
“The delivery of new communities at scale brings complex challenges around planning, design, investment, infrastructure and partnerships. Integrating these elements right as from the outset is essential to turning ambitious plans into places where people genuinely want to live and work.
“As trusted integrators, we’re pleased to support the TCPA’s work in helping decision-makers understand the available approaches and make informed choices that support high-quality development and long-term success and positives future legacies.”
To read an executive summary version of the guidance, click the image below.
You can access the full web-based guidance here.
For further information about the guides, including opportunities to partner with the TCPA on updates to other guides in the series, please contact Lachlan.Anderson-Frank@tcpa.org.uk
