Neighbourhood Planning and the

Historic Environment

A Wolverhampton

Perspective

The Presentation

• The Wolverhampton context, and the story so far

• The Neighbourhood Plans• Emerging Issues • Principles and Approach• Case Study: Heathfield

Park• Lessons • Next steps• Questions

Part 1 – The Wolverhampton Context

Strategic Planning Context

– Black Country Core Strategy adopted February 2011 based on reversing population decline, supporting economic growth and environmental enhancement.

– Target of 14,000 new homes, improved employment areas and vibrant City Centre by 2026 for Wolverhampton.

– Core Strategy identifies a Growth Network of the City Centre and Regeneration Corridors where new development will be focussed.

• Area Action Plans being prepared to promote development in the Growth Network.

– Neighbourhood Plans will also support the Core Strategy by providing a detailed planning framework for some areas outside the Growth Network.

Neighbourhood Planning – the story so far

• Bid for Frontrunner status in March 2011 for three Plans.

• DCLG award of £20,000 to progress each plan

• Cabinet approval to progress the Heathfield Park and Tettenhall Plans secured in June, and Bilston in September 2011.

• Plans largely based on Local Neighbourhood Partnership areas and Neighbourhood Forums established December 2012

• Draft Plans produced April 2013

Tettenhall Neighbourhood Plan• Attractive western suburban fringe

location with areas of Green Belt, outside the Growth Network

• Population of 22,000 and high proportion of professional households

• Strong community interest in planning with existing LNP Planning and Conservation Group

• Area sought after by property developers to build high quality homes

• Pressure on back-land development out of character with the area

Heathfield Park Plan

• Small and densely populated area on the edge of the City Centre.

• Population of 7,320 with high levels of deprivation, dominated by Heath Town Estate and New Cross Hospital.

• Focus for housing renewal activity, improve image and access to open spaces and community facilities.

Emerging Issues….

• Very different areas with variable detail in Strategic Planning context

• But strong commonality on the issues for the Plans to address:– Traffic and congestion– Providing a better choice and mix of housing, but with limited

opportunities for new development– Protecting environmental assets, local character and

distinctiveness– Better access to employment opportunities– Protection of community facilities and better local services– Reconciling competing priorities

Governance arrangements and the role of the Council

• Governance arrangements and WCC support – Community directly supported by Local Neighbourhood Partnership Officers

on a day to day basis as well as regular liaison with Planning Officer – Sign off of work by the Local Neighbourhood Partnership Board– Approvals currently required from WCC Cabinet at key stages– WCC Financial support for evidence, consultation and Examination /

referendum £50-70K per plan in addition to CLG grant.– WCC Professional support of 2.5 FTE between Planning and LNP Service

for the three Plans

• Community Resource– People committed to the Plan, some with Planning skills others dedicating

time– Monthly Steering Group meetings to progress Plans, with additional

meetings during busy periods– Steering Group essential, with sub-groups where/when needed

Part 2 –The Historic Environment – Principles and

Approach

Getting Started • Prince’s Foundation Workshops

• Presentations

• Break out discussions

• Summary report

Extract from Prince’s Foundation report:

HLC

Data was already Data was already available. available.

Black Country Black Country Historic landscape Historic landscape Characterisation.Characterisation.

BUT – no value BUT – no value judgements …judgements …

Whetting the community appetite!

• Historical development

• Current knowledge – LBs, Cas, Local List, HER etc

• Concepts of character and local distinctiveness

Community Characterisation

• AAPs – characterisation ‘Top down’

• NPs – ‘Bottom up’

• http://www.placecheck.info/

Community Characterisation – the challenge

• Tettenhall & Heathfield Park

• Different areas• Different

communities & capabilities

• Different agendas and concerns

• Value their heritage• Care about the places

they live in

• Need help and guidance to do their own characterisation.

Tettenhall• Attractive, leafy suburbs,• Relatively affluent

residents,• Recognised heritage – 6

CAs, 94 LBs etc.

HeathfieldPark

Reputation & image closely associated with

a large complex of 1960s flats

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Need for regeneration: could this be based on

‘hidden’ heritage?

– Recruit volunteers

– Training : archives

– Training : fieldwork(Oxford Toolkit)

– Research / fieldwork

– Report

Approach

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Issues

– Not enough volunteers

– Volunteers already overworked

– How to score positive & negative character?

– Process took much longer than anticipated (July to June)

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Keyviews

50% increase in heritageassets

ProductsCharacter Zone profiles

Part 3 – Next steps and lessons learned

Next steps

• Policy development Jan-May 2013 – turning the evidence into Policy

• Finalisation of draft plans for consultation May-June 2013

• Neighbourhood Forum approval Summer 2013• Consultation on Draft Plans Autumn 2013• Examination early 2014• Referendum Summer 2014

• Historic characterisation needs to start early in the Neighbourhood Planning process, and put a lot of effort in early to make sure project management arrangements are fit for purpose.

• It’s part of getting to know the area: Local people think they know their area but even long-standing residents found things they didn’t know.

• Volunteer involvement is not necessarily a cheap way forward – it’s rather a way of engaging communities

Lessons 1

Lessons 2

• Understand how the evidence will be used to inform the Plan, not to reinforce existing pre-conceptions.

• It’s been a positive experience for all parties.• Buy-in at all levels and across all organisations

is critical.• Celebrate short-term wins to make it real.• Success should be measured in a number of

ways – appreciate the ‘soft’ wins and not just the end product.

Questions

• Contact details:

ian.culley@wolverhampton.gov.uk

sue.whitehouse@wolverhampton.gov.uk• Website links:

Wolverhampton LDF www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/ldf

Tettenhall Neighbourhood Plan www.ourplaceourplan.org.uk

Heathfield Park Neighbourhood Plan - www.wton-partnership.org.uk/heathfield-park