GPN5: Delivering Healthy Communities

30-Jun-08

GPN5: Delivering Healthy Communities
RTPI (June 2009)

Highlights the crucial role planning has to play in developing sustainable and healthy communities. Includes summaries of the key issues relating to:

Partnership and inclusion;
Healthy neighbourhoods;
Planning for active lifestyles;
Protecting the environment; and
Design for safety and wellbeing.

It goes on to make a series of recommendations for improved ways of working. This guidance is relevant to both the planning and health communities across the UK.

Supporting Policy Paper

Outlines the evolution of public health policy and its relationship with local government and planning across England, Wales and Scotland. It then considers the legislative framework of each country before outlining key planning guidance documents.

Transport Planning Paper

Supporting paper detailing the inter-relationship between transport and health. It includes a checklist of questions that should be considered when assessing the health implications of transport policies or proposals.

Sources of further information

Provides direct links to a regularly updated and comprehensive list of sources of further information, including:

Briefings/evidence,
Case studies,
Guidance and manuals,
Networks and programmes,
Research, and
Strategies.

Research and policy background

This guidance is being developed by members of the Healthy Communities Task Group (part of the RTPI Environmental Planning and Protection Network). The Task Group comprises of a mixture of health and planning professionals who are interested in helping the two professions work more closely together. The Task Group has contributed to several Department of Health documents, including the effect of Climate Change on Health and two key documents; A Guide to Town Planning for NHS Staff and A Guide to the NHS for Local Planning Authorities.

The development of this guidance follows the release of a Health and Spatial Planning Policy Statement by the RTPI in 2007.

Contributors

Rob Ballantyne - Health and Social Care Consultant
Dr Martin Birley – Birley HIA Health Impact Associates
Neil Blackshaw – NHS London Healthy Urban Development Unit (HUDU)
Dr Caroline Brown - Heriot Watt University
Dr Amelia Lake and Tim Townshend – University of Newcastle
Fionnula Lennon – Homes and Communities Agency
Brian Sore – RTPI
Paul Tomlinson - Scott Wilson Ltd

Feedback

If you have any comments or suggestions, including a case study to recommend or suggestions for future developments, please contact practice@rtpi.org.uk

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