Events

Blueprint - Winchester City Council

Planning process award commendation 2011

Summary

The Blueprint toolkit is designed to enable community groups to define what is special about their area, and what their needs and aspirations are. It is imaginative and brings an element of fun to the process of engaging people in plan-making. It is highly transferrable both within planning and elsewhere.

Background

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The Blueprint toolkit was designed and developed by a Winchester City Council team, led by the planning department. It was created in 2010 in response to the announcement that the RSS was to be revoked, which would leave a void in planning guidance particularly relating to housing targets. The toolkit was developed within 6 weeks using in-house staff.

Project description

The toolkit uses a set of six carefully described characters, which represent typical people within their communities, and people are encouraged to think about what different members of the community will need in the future. They are given core information about their areas and asked to look forward and think about what types of housing, jobs, social facilities etc. people might need in 15-20 year’s time. All of the information generated is used either to inform the preparation of LDF documents or, if not relevant to planning, it is referred to the relevant part of the Council.

Planning achievement

The response from the community has been very positive with several parish councils, Winchester Area Community Action and other local organisations using the toolkit to organise discussions with a wide cross section of the community. It has ensured that a greater range of participants have been involved in plan preparation than ever before;
It has changed the debate from the negative to the positive, because it has helped people to understand what the City Council is trying to do and it has brought planning closer to them;
It has created a more joined-up approach within the Council, with officers from right across the Council involved in the process;
The toolkit is imaginative and inventive and brings an element of fun to the process of engaging people in plan-making;
It is particularly commendable that it was developed by planners to a tight timetable and at little cost. It is highly transferrable both within planning and elsewhere.