Town and Country Planning Association

In-person seminar: Creating town centres in new communities
2022-07-05 12:30 - 15:15 (Europe/London) | TCPA, TCPA, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AS, United Kingdom
This event will be held at the Town & Country Planning Association, 17 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AS

Thriving town centres should be places where people can work, shop, eat, drink and play. Too often in new developments, housing comes first, and town centres are left until later or deemed too difficult to deliver. However, their creation and evolution should be viewed a priority which creates a vibrant heart for the new place.

Successful delivery of town centres in new communities requires early alignment of infrastructure investment, programming, and public engagement. It means maximising opportunities for ‘meanwhile uses’ – temporary, flexible and interchangeable uses of empty property and land – throughout the development process, which may take up to 30 years.

Design of community buildings should be sufficiently flexible to allow for adaptation to meet different needs and to provide a range of opportunities for income generation as part of a wider stewardship strategy.

Getting this alignment right remains a challenge for those delivering new communities. What can we learn from those delivering new communities right now? What transferable lessons are there from the regeneration of our existing town centres?

This seminar will hear from those who are delivering town centres in new communities from both the private and public sector, as well as from those who have delivered them in the past, and will allow plenty of time for discussion and networking.

Programme12:30Registration and networking A light lunch will be available 13:00Welcome and introduction from the Chair Jackie Sadek, Director, Urban Strategy 13:10What is the future for new local and district centres?James Scott, Group Director of Strategy and Planning, Urban & Civic13:25What are data trusts and why do they matter for successful town centre design and management? Richard Ford, Partner at Pinsent Masons13:40 Q&A 14:00Tea and coffee 14:20Case study 1: Whitehill & Bordon – re-imagining the town centre Clare Chester, Head of Regeneration, Economy & Assets, East Hampshire District Council14:35Case study 2: Homes England and new neighbourhood centres in the MidlandsSarah Taylor, Head of Planning and Enabling – Central and Guy Scott, Project Director, Homes England 14:50Q&A15:10Conclusion from the Chair15:15Close

TCPA Members get discounted tickets – explore membership options here.

This event is free to New Communities Group members – check if your local authority is a member here.

Supported by:
