COMMENT The government is showing a real urgency to reform the planning system but just removing the policy barriers will not be enough to boost development; we also need to win the trust of local people.
Over the past few years, we have seen a positive shift in how our industry engages with communities. Public “consultation”, which was often a tick-box exercise for developers to present their plans, has been replaced by “engagement”, a more iterative process which involves really listening and designing around local needs.
Technology has helped democratise the planning process too. By using smartphone platforms such as Give My View developers can engage with people in real-time via social media, and the “silent majority” – often young people, working parents, or those with mobility issues that would not ordinarily attend public exhibitions – can help shape developments.
This all means we are designing and delivering better, more inclusive places, but what happens after completion?
Putting promises into practice
In the typical model, the developer that engaged with and listened to local people is not involved in the long-term curation or management of the place. As a result, no one is really accountable for the commitments made through the planning process, be it pledges made around jobs and skills, biodiversity or support for local culture. The focus is on the short-term – securing planning consent and delivering the buildings – rather than the long-term success of the place.
It should be said there are some exceptions that prove the rule. The Great Estates in London are able to maintain a long-term outlook and ensure that developments achieve their goals. The same can be said for areas in majority ownership, such as King’s Cross.
But in most cases places are not managed by the same people that designed and delivered them. Local people will find that places are now overseen by a different company, with a different vision, outlook and investment horizon. Over time it can feel that the promises made during the planning phase have been broken.
This is a difficult problem to overcome.
There is an argument that local authorities could have a more active role in ensuring the long-term success of developments but this responsibility would fall between council departments — and would put a further strain on severely limited resources.
Architects do post-occupation studies in some cases but this is not mandatory and there is no incentive or obligation to act on the findings.
BIDs can apply pressure to ensure places are meeting the needs of businesses and supporting the local economy, but would not measure the success of a place against the commitments made in the planning process.
A solution
This is why we are proposing our own solution, Populate, a new place management specialist that will work with investors and asset owners to create the operational infrastructure to ensure that the social, environmental and economic benefits of mixed-use developments are fully realised over the long-term.
Commitments made during planning must be embedded in everyday operations. For example, environmental goals will only be delivered if leases have green clauses, and tech is installed to monitor and collect data. Similarly, it isn’t enough to just attract occupiers to boost a local economy, we need to actively create business communities, networks and innovation hubs and make sure local people have access to skills, apprenticeships and work experience.
Populate will provide continuity from completion of development through to long-term management. Working with our sister company Socius – as well as other developers – we will ensure that the right infrastructure is designed in. Post-completion, we continue to support the asset owner to curate, activate and “stabilise” the place, and test how it is operating, until we are comfortable that the social, environmental and economic goals will be achieved.
This should help build trust with local people and support the reputation of the development sector as a whole. It is critical that if we make promises in development we keep them.
Olaide Oboh is managing director of Populate and a director at Socius
