living places newsletter | May 2009
This month’s newsletter keeps you informed of what is happening across the country with regard to the living places Programme. It focuses on the press received from the launch of the Culture and sport planning toolkit as well as other activities across the country.
Launch
The Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit was launched on the 31st March 2009. Since then the following publications have mentioned the toolkit:
Property Week, Planning Resource, 24dash , Regen.net
Roy Clare, MLA's Chief Executive said, " Great places to live are those with real strength, pride and opportunity in culture and sport. Creating living places for people and communities demands the most imaginative plans and the very best facilities we can afford. Now, at last, we have advice and support that is organised and brought together in one kit to fill a gap in the planning process. Regeneration authorities, local planners, housing developers, government officials and agencies can now tap into a wealth of information, guidance and examples of ‘best practice’."
Trevor Beattie, Director of Strategy, Policy, Performance and Research at the HCA, said of the toolkit, "The HCA’s new Single Conversations with local authorities and their communities will take a broad overview of investment in housing and regeneration. Culture and sport will be an important part of this dialogue, recognising the central role that they play in creating cohesive, quality places."
"This is a ground breaking toolkit that will be invaluable to all those planning the provision of art, sport and cultural facilities in their local communities," said Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive of Cornwall Council.
The toolkit has received very good coverage to date. We are working with DHA Communications to ensure that going forward living places and the toolkit are promoted effectively to key stakeholders.
CSPT regional events
living places are planning 9 seminars in each of the regions to disseminate the CSPT to both planners and cultural professionals. The seminars are being carried out in partnership with the Town and Planning Association (TCPA ) and will be targeted at the planning, development and cultural sectors in each of the nine regions to disseminate information on the toolkit and facilitate relationship development between the sectors. The seminars will include a demonstration of the toolkit; how to use it and its role in helping to integrate planning for culture and sport into existing infrastructure.
TCPA will be contacting the living places Network Chairs at the beginning of May to start planning these events which should all be completed by December 09.
For more information please contact Leah Whittingham.
Shaping Places in London through Culture
The London living places Partnership and the Greater London Authority have jointly published “Shaping Places in London through Culture”. The publication showcases a selection of case studies of good practice in embedding culture and sport within regeneration projects.
Andrew Holden, Chair of the London living places Partnership and Interim Director of MLA London said, “Alongside the new Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit, these case studies are a valuable resource for local authorities to learn how to overcome the barriers to successful planning for culture from examples of best practice across London.”
The case studies demonstrate the need to embed delivery from the beginning of a project and acknowledge the time it takes to do this.
The London living places Partnership worked closely with the Mayor’s Office in the development of the publication. “We are extremely grateful to the Mayor’s Office for supporting the production of the case studies and their continued support of the London living places Partnership,” said Andrew Holden.
3 region meeting
The 3 regions that do not have a priority place met in York at the beginning of April to continue discussions on scoping ways of working together. The group is looking into a process that will enable the regional living places networks to support the Culture & Sport Planning Toolkit and develop their advocacy work in the area of placemaking.
For more information please contact Leah Whittingham.
Building schools for the future
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) is a large capital investment programme designed to rebuild and renew all 3,500 secondary schools in England. On the 15th April, living places National Partners met with Elizabeth Crump, Cultural Adviser for Building Schools for the Future at Partnerships for Schools. Elizabeth's post is co-funded by MLA and the Arts Council.
This initial meeting gave partners the opportunity to discuss the potential for developing a closer working relationship between BSF and the living places Programme. Individually many of the living places Partner organisations are already working with the BSF programme. The discussions centered on the benefits that the LP programme can bring to these existing projects, by looking at areas where we can add value as a joint programme.
For more information please contact Leah Whittingham.
Culture and sport-led regeneration
For an interesting and inspiring perspective from Canada on the role of cultural facilities take a look at this article. It highlights the role that building projects for major Ontario cultural institutions are having in the revitalisation of Toronto.
Independent Member for Planning Committee
The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation are recruiting for an independent member of the Planning Committee. Planning Committee members play a crucial role in east London’s growth and regeneration by considering planning applications, such as large-scale housing developments. This requires a range of decision-making skills, so in addition to possessing experience of the town planning process, applicants need to demonstrate a track record of making measured and objective judgments on complex issues.
The position requires one day of work per month, including attendance at a monthly public evening meeting. Independent Members are paid £250 per half day. More information and an online application are available at www.ltgdcjobs.co.uk. The closing date for applications is 5 May 2009.
Planning for non-planners
The British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) and HCA are running a series of courses for people from non-planning backgrounds who work with planners to help deliver their objectives. The course enables participants to understand how their day-to-day responsibilities are affected by planning issues, identify how they can engage better with spatial planning and to gain a better understanding of how far the planning system can contribute to successful and sustainable regeneration.
Follow this link for more information and a booking form.
Information for partners
Sign up to use the living places partners’ area on the website. The living places website has an area dedicated to its partners. In this area you can view work-plans and schedules and obtain contact details for all partners.
Sign up at www.living-places.org.uk
If you would like to include any information in the newsletter then send your contributions, by the second week of each month, to the living places Programme Support Officer, Helen Cooper.
We are looking in particular for updates on activity, information on events and training in your area that other members might be interested in attending and the sharing of best practice. This could take the form of a case study, for example. This newsletter is for you and we would like to make it as interesting and relevant as it can be.
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