Events

We'd love to hear from you .....

Planning for Housing Network events are tailored to members interests, and we often develop events in response to suggestions and offers from members. Our events range from simple lunchtime meetings for sharing practice information, to visits to see good practice on the ground, and one-day events covering topics of special interest. Obviously every event can contribute directly to everyone's Continuing Professional Development. Above will be details of current events on offer (if none shown we are 'between events'); below are some details of recent and archived events - which may spark another good idea!
Suggestions are more than welcome to housing@rtpi.org.uk

2012 EVENTS:

We must fix it: Delivering reform of the building sector to meet the UK's housing and economic challenges
The thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) has been conducting wide-ranging research into housing policy. The latest in their series of reports looks at housing supply -. In the long run, the only way to end the UK's chronic housing crisis is to build many more homes. But, the report asks, are Britain's big builders willing and able to deliver the new houses we need?
The author of the ippr report Matt Griffith and ippr Senior Research Fellow Andy Hull outlined their research and led a discussion of its findings and their implications. A note from the meeting including additional presentation material used is available here.

2011 EVENTS:

Second visit Newhall, Harlow 
Newhall is a new community of approximately 6,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Harlow. The publicity describes it as a neighbourhood where design, community and ecology work as one. A second visit in September (see also below) was arranged in view of the number of people unable to be included in the first visit.

Planning & its Role in relation to Housing Supply
The Institute of Public Policy Research (ippr) is currently undertaking a fundamental Review of Housing Policy and within this work they are looking at the role that planning can play in assuring housing supply. Andrew Hull, who is leading the research for the Review, presented ippr current thinking on the topic at a Network meeting in June and he invited Network member input to inform the ippr work and potentially influence the findings.

Study Visit to Harlow
Our first Network event for 2011in March offered the chance to see first-hand a new neighbourhood development at Newhall that is described as where design, community and ecology work as one. Many thanks to Studio Real, the Newhall masterplanners, who facilitated the visit. Photos of the visit can be seen here.

EVENTS FROM 2010:
NETWORK EVENTS IN OCTOBER & NOVEMBER:

Study Tour of Park Hill - Friday 5th November, Sheffield - The opportunity to see progress with the  Urban Splash refurbishment of this iconic, streets-in-the-sky blocks attracted a large group of network members all of whom were impressed by the attention to detail that is being afforded this major project on the hillside adjacent to the City centre; see the photo-page from the visit offered by Dean Wishart.

Tour of Lightmoor - Monday 11th October: there was a member visit to see the exemplar urban village that Bournville Village Trust is building in Telford - see the photo-page derived from member pictures

The Planning System: Making it Work for Housing- Wednesday 6th October in Glasgow. This was a CIH & RTPI in Scotland Joint Conference and the papers can be read via this link.

NETWORK EVENTS FOR AUGUST & SEPTEMBER:

Right to Build - Thursday 9th September
Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced proposals for a Community Right to Build "to allow local people to deliver the homes and development that they really want, without being told that their own expansion doesn't fit with their local Council's plans". The detail is yet to be resolved and so members of the Network's Rural Housing Interest Group and others were invited to come together to discuss the proposals and their implications. The University of Gloucestershire kindly agreed to host this discussion event at it's Cheltenham campus. A note from the meeting is now available in the Members' Area.

HiMOs and Article 4 Directions
Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced proposed changes in the way that small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HiMOs) would be addressed within the local planning system. Changes of use from single to small, multiply-occupied houses would become permitted development but local authorities could seek to take a control in problematic areas by means of an Article 4 Direction suspending these permitted development rights.
On Tuesday 10th August at the RTPI HQ, Matt Thomson, Head of RTPI Policy & Practice was Chair for a discussion of current thoughts on how Article 4 directions might be used in this context which encourage thought-sharing in the development of best practice - please see here for the note from the meeting.

Network events offered in June:

Mix, Density, Housing Viability & Affordability
The National Housing & Planning Advisory Unit (NHPAU) funded research led by the Heriot Watt University to look at a model to assess the viability and affordability of new housing. The study Report authors Prof Glen Bramley and Kathleen Dunmore of consultancy Three Dragons presented the issues and led the discussion on the findings from the research.

Affordable Housing: simplicity and consistency in s106 drafting
The HCA (Jamie Ratcliff, Head of Intermediate Markets and Tony Davis, Policy and Strategy Manager) shared experience of working with mortgage lenders and Local Authorities to ensure the mortgageability of Low Cost Home Ownership homes subject to planning restrictions. The experience and views of housing and planning professionals involved in the drafting of affordable housing terms in s106 Agreements informed a lively discussion. The discussion will feed into the production of a guidance and good practice note to be published shortly by the HCA.

The Presentations from these events are available in the Members' area.

Events in May:

Arrested Development: Are we building houses in the right places?
The Centre for Cities produced a Report with the title adopted for this event which argues that the UK's housing problem has become an economic problem. Our Network event with the author Tom Aldred considered the content of the Report and discussed the recommendations in some detail - see the Presentation here.

Events in March

Members met at the CIH London office to consider, in the morning, 'Housing Supply & Planning Controls' the recent NHPAU research and in the afternoon, 'How would a Conservative Government shape planning a housing', a briefing by staff from PPS. Both events were very well attended and the related presentations are now available in the Resources section of the Members' Area.

Joint Event with TCPA

Network Members had the opportunity to meet with TCPA Members to consider 'Delivering Sustainable Housing for Eco-towns'. The Presentations for the event were collated on the TCPA website and can be accessed via this link.