L11 - Grass roots Planning

XI. Towards Grass-Roots Rural Planning: ‘Ordinary’ Voices

  • Key Sections:

    • Making the case

    • Initiatives:

      • Planning for Real

      • EU LEADER

      • Common Ground

      • Village Appraisal

    • Conclusion: reflecting on ‘community empowerment’

1. Making the Case

  • T&CP system: successful yet critiqued.

  • Challenges in accountability.

  • Controversies over housing and wind farms.

    • Polarised positions & vested interests.

    • Need for transparency in decision-making.

3. Levels of Community Involvement (Tricker 1997)

  • Approaches:

    • Top Down (Agency-led)

    • Bottom Up (Community-based)

    • Community Involvement Spectrum:

      • Informing, Consulting, Involving, Enabling, Empowering.

4. Grassroots Case

  • Originated in 1960s with Skeffington Report (1969).

  • Emphasises need for local consultation.

  • Aims: reduce remoteness of local government, enhance information base, educate public.

5. Recognising the Village Unit

  • Standardised planning impacts the unique character of villages negatively.

  • Importance of distinctive character in rural planning.

6. E.g. Local Distinctiveness (2011)

  • Lymington adopted guidelines after public consultation to ensure local character in new developments.

7. Local Agenda 21 (1992)

  • Emerged from Rio Earth Summit promoting sustainability.

  • Focus on local scale for effective grassroots change.

8. Rural White Papers (1995-2000)

  • Increased government attention on rural needs.

  • Encourages local initiative and community involvement; leads to Localism Act 2011.

9. Initiatives: i. Planning for Real

  • Community planning using 3D models.

  • Engages residents in shaping their neighbourhoods.

12. Initiatives: ii. EU LEADER

  • Aims at rural economic development.

  • Focus on local culture, participation, and development plans.

16. Initiatives: iii. Common Ground

  • Charity promoting local character through arts.

  • Focus on campaigns emphasizing local expertise and distinctiveness.

24. Initiatives: iv. Village Appraisal

  • Key tool for community development.

  • Documents past, present, and future needs of communities.

    • Empowers local voice in planning processes.

30. Conclusion: Community Empowerment

  • Defined as a positive goal, yet raises critical questions:

    • What constitutes ‘community’?

    • Who controls the agenda and planning decisions?

    • Concerns about realism and sustainability in practice.