THE ESTATE AND SOCIETY
and the private sector, will need to work more closely together, moving towards a multi-agency approach to placemaking and the promotion of wellbeing.
Improving the policy environment for healthy placemaking Research carried out by Mace identifies some of the main barriers to this objective being achieved. Public service provision is often too ‘siloed’, with housing policy, for example, rarely in touch with the needs of adult social care. The planning process for major developments, even those with clear and obvious health and wellbeing benefits, can be slow and cumbersome. The development finance environment is unclear for investors, and particularly those entering the market from outside the UK. We have therefore identified a series of potential policy improvements that could help boost investment in developments based on placemaking principles that can make a significant contribution to reducing health inequalities.
‘Supercharged’ corporations Firstly, we highlight the potential of ‘supercharged’ development corporations to improve the relationship between the public and private sectors. Following the government’s recent announcement of a Development Corporation Competition, we could and should go further – promoting the establishment of special zones, selected by local authorities, anchor institutions such as the NHS, and development partners – where planning processes are speeded up, and funds allocated to target specific health and wellbeing objectives. Small companies and start-ups could be attracted through the Enterprise Investment Scheme, and housing associations brought in as partners to ensure a long-term commitment from an organisation rooted in the local area. By opening development opportunities in selected sites in this way, there is an opportunity to develop a range of new communities in a variety of contexts, all centred around the promotion of healthy outcomes.
Promoting financing
Secondly, we recommend reforms to development financing to encourage investment and promote collaboration across the public and private sectors. There is a role for the Department for International Trade in promoting foreign direct investment in some of the most ‘left behind’ communities in Britain, as well as the booming city centres to which it most often flows. For domestic investors, Homes England could promote health outcomes by ensuring that loans are available to all developers that meet certain placemaking conditions. These loans would be repayable, and secured against the new homes developed on
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these mixed use sites, at no additional cost to the taxpayer. Establishing clear placemaking criteria for securing these loans will help to promote best practice principles, and ensure high quality development.
Reform of the planning system Thirdly, reform of the planning system is needed to accelerate development and promote the kind of developments we aspire to. With 300,000 new homes needed every year in the UK to keep up with demand, there is an urgent need to ramp up the pace of housing delivery. However, this cannot be at the expense of good design. One potential solution is to develop an accelerated planning process, with a fixed timetable for a decision if a scheme fulfils a specified placemaking purpose. Investment to increase local authority planning services and to help speed up the overall planning process could be provided in part through a placemaking levy derived from long-term empty properties. This levy could be set by local councils, and placed into a special national fund which would be used to support placemaking interventions in areas with the most need. It could, for example, be used to attract investors to an innovation hub located in an area with poor health outcomes and low rates of employment, to promote economic and social regeneration. Planning guidance should also be amended to encourage place-based sustainability and wellbeing, through, for example, providing a more comprehensive framework on how housing can promote healthier lifestyles and reduce demand on public service provision.
Not priced out of housing Last but not least, we must ensure that health workers are not priced out of the housing market. This is a problem in areas of acute housing demand in London and the South East of England, where nurses and allied health professionals are being forced to commute increasingly long distances to their place of work due to the rising cost of living. Staff shortages in the NHS risk being exacerbated in precisely the areas where health workers are most needed if this situation is not dealt with. Local authorities and developers should work together to provide discounted homes on sites with good public transport access, for sale or to rent for healthcare professionals. Failure to tackle this emerging crisis will only worsen the healthcare postcode lottery.
Conclusion
Ensuring that health inequalities do not continue to widen means ensuring that the most ‘left behind’ parts of the UK can play a greater role in the nation’s economy. However, simply throwing
money at physical and social regeneration will not be sufficient. As set out here, a more considered approach to development will reap the rewards, both economically, and in terms of health outcomes. Development hubs, such as innovation districts, can play a substantial role in promoting wellbeing through good quality design, the utilisation of placemaking principles, and targeted investment from central and local government. The healthcare sector, as a major employer and investor in research and development, also has the potential to contribute significantly to better place outcomes. Bringing these elements together will be crucial to promoting healthier outcomes and the benefits they will deliver.
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Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly leads Mace’s Strategic Advisory business, supporting public and private sector clients to convert their business objectives into deliverable programmes with beneficial outcomes. He has 30 years’ experience shaping public-private partnerships, with a focus on urban investment programmes that include the delivery of long-term, positive economic and community impacts. He draws on his background in the sector – which includes time as group director for Facilities Management and Commercial Assets at Places for People, as well as senior roles at Bovis Lend Lease and KPMG – to inform his advisor approach. He and his team are supporting several of Mace’s high-profile clients with the planning, development, and implementation of improved programmes and services. This includes developing the business case for enhanced public sector assets and services in the North of England, strategic planning for major London development projects, and delivering change management programmes for central government.
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