Lecture 11 - Grass-roots Planning_20242025

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.