Interview: Chris Poulton

Chris Poulton is Team Leader of International Planning Policy at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). He is the UK's representative on the ESPON Programme's monitoring committee, and was recently named in Planning magazine's list of the top 20 high-flying planners.

Chris kindly took some time out of his busy schedule to speak to the UK ESPON Contact Point (UK ECP) about his work at DCLG, and share his thoughts on how ESPON findings can be useful tools for UK planners and policy-makers.

UK ECP: Before you joined DCLG you were working at a regional scale for London. Could you tell us a bit about that work?

CP: Before joining DCLG I spent six years as a planning policy officer with the Mayor of London working on the Mayor's Spatial Development Strategy - the London Plan. I specialised in housing and economic development including town centres, retail and industry. I then moved to the Government Office for London overseeing government input to the Mayor's planning powers. In 2010 I came to DCLG as Team Leader on International Planning Policy. I have always worked at the 'strategic' scale, thinking about places, how they fit together and the issues that affect them, and feel as though I can bridge the academic-practitioner mindsets fairly well. I spent some time working at GOL eleven years ago - my German boss was an inspiring strategic thinker and I managed to get involved in European planning then with Interreg and the North Weat Europe spatial vision (and London's fairly critical response to it). I also spent some time studying at the Royal Technical College in Sweden and did some work with Metrex, the European cities network. So I've been interested in how strategic planning issues fit in a European context for some time.

UK ECP: You've been in your role for about two years - how have you found it? What have been the highlights and challenges?

CP: Working in this role is not without its challenges. A lot of my work is leading on government input on territorial cohesion. Getting to grips with the complex range of views on the issue was a challenge at the outset. Working on ESPON has also been challenging, in particular the strict structures for projects and complex terminology. A lot of time is spent managing the financial aspects and the policy side is regularly spent repeating calls for the programme to be more clearly focused on policy-makers' needs. Ensuring continuity in the international role is also a challenge - as something which is long-term and strategic, it can be difficult to show why involvement is so important in a world where resources are under increasing pressure. Making the case for an international link, in the context of increasing domestic demands, is always a tough challenge. But the international work has been a highlight - working with academics and officials from a wide range of countries, and identifying  common issues and potentials. Being able to show how UK researchers have received over €3,000,000 funding for research, and how stakeholders have received over €1,300,000 targeted analysis from ESPON is also positive. It was also a highlight to find myself listed as one of twenty eminent planners in the recent Planning Magazine supplement!

UK ECP: As Team Leader of International Planning Policy, how wide is your remit? We know it includes ESPON, but what else? How do you work with the devolved administrations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast?

CP: I lead on territorial cohesion which is now a shared competence between European and Member State levels. I have worked with the Devolved Administrations through the British Irish Council and on various international matters. It would be good to have the time to work more closely with them on a range of issues which go on through ad hoc discussions across the department. There is also broader international engagement  through my role, including bilateral discussions. As well as leading on international planning I also lead on planning policy regarding major accident hazards, including implementation of the recently agreed Seveso III Directive. We operate a flexible working policy and am often involved in other planning matters too. I find that, in a lot of my work, strategic thinking and diplomacy are two key skills that are vital alongside my professional planning and civil service skills.

UK ECP: What are your impressions of ESPON? Are there aspects that would have helped you in your previous role?

CP: ESPON and the research it produces are useful but at times a little challenging. Since taking on this role I have pushed for research to be more focused on the needs of policy-makers. It's a programme whereby policy can initiate and seek to be informed by experts. Although there's a challenge in that we don't always speak the same language, and more needs to be done to bridge that gap. The research needs to clearly embed that link to policy. The research can be challenging in terms of identifying lessons. Cliff Hague and the Contact Point team do a great job of identifying those gems of advice, findings and case studies from which policy-makers can benefit.

I think lessons that would have been particularly useful in the past come from research undertaken on agglomeration economies, which included New Economy Manchester as a stakeholder, and integrated strategies, for example. The recent project on smart specialisation has some really key lessons for how we invest in places - the kind of messages that are important for future Cohesion Policy programmes and Local Enterprise Partnerships. It's been good to see the project on secondary cities making its way into the work of government and being well received by UK policy-makers, even if it needs a little translation from the European level to make clear links to domestic agendas. The work done for us on understanding territorial impacts also has benefits - it shows how the complex concept of 'territorial impact assessment' can be brought into a real-world context for policy-makers who need to understand what the potential territorial implcations of policies being brought foward, in particular by the European level.

UK ECP: What do you feel are the main messages for the UK of research done by the ESPON projects?

CP: Identifying the key lessons for the UK can be challenging. We have a particular territorial and geographical context and differences in how we deal with some European concepts to other member states and a lot of challenges to deal with from the domestic agenda. I am often emphasising at EU level how there's no 'one size fits all' approach, and trying to show UK policy-makers the value of research that, unless somewhat translated to a UK context, can seem somewhat removed from the direct and clear issues we face day to day. England doesn't operate regional level governance in the same way as strict ESPON boundaries map it - that's quite a challenge.

But there are important lessons that ESPON can bring out for us. One is that there is often a wider perspective to the issues we face - other places face similar challenges and we can learn from each other. Some of the key messages revolve around the unique territorial assets that UK places have and should make use of to deliver growth (or smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in EU 2020 language). London's role as a gateway city, for example, can be used by other cities. Rather than being seen as a threat, agglomeration economies matter and can be developed by using territorial potential, alongside the enhancement of attractive regions. Benchmarking is a key issue for UK cities and local authorities and we have been encouraging the Contact Point to make more use of this.

UK ECP: DCLG is the stakeholder for an ESPON targeted analysis project looking at how to make territorial impact assessment a practical tool (EATIA). Can you tell us something about the project, and how the results will be used?

CP: The project looks at how a participatory approach to understanding the territorial impacts of EU proposals could help policy-makers. A key requirement of the project has been that it should not seek to introduce new procedures or demands, but be light touch and voluntary. The project was innovative in that it was developed in a participatory way with an 'interactive learning track', learning from local planning authorities. We need to think about how we can use the results without creating additional burdens for local planning authorities. Importantly, however, we have moved the debate on 'territorial impact assessment' beyond the data-heavy and slow processes that were seen as providing such an assessment in the past, and encouraged the Commission to do more to understand the territorial impacts of their proposals themselves.

UK ECP: This is not an easy time for those in the planning and development professions. How can international engagement help?

CP: It is a difficult time for planners and development professionals, but it is important to take the opportunities to learn from each other - ESPON, as a network, is a positive tool to enhance knowledge through collaboration and mutual learning. Understanding the international context, exploring opportunities and evidence of what works elsewhere and understanding territorial potential and fit into the territorial structure are important to encourage growth. The cooperative approach to strategic planning is a clear thrust of the current government, as is localism (building on local strengths, or territorial potential), and the international dimension can enhance these. Some of the key things that it can bring are context, experience and positive relationships with other places. Territory matters more in a globalised world. A key challenge for me now is framing the next ESPON Programme to deliver UK priorities in order that UK practitioners in all sectors, and at all levels, can benefit from it.

Chris will be chairing the next UK ECP event in Newcastle on 23 November which is focused on urban and rural development and cross-border issues. Follow him on Twitter (@ctpoulton) or email him at chris.poulton@communities.gsi.gov.uk