Elaine Paterson

Perspectives on utilising Community Land Trusts as a vehicle for affordable housing provision

With lack of affordable housing being clearly identified as a social and economic exclusion issue for most communities, innovative ways of addressing this deficiency should be considered. Increasingly local communities are engaging with the possibility of direct provision themselves and discussion around this notion has profound implications for community cohesion. One community-based solution gaining popular support within communities, and with government ministers, is the Community Land Trust mechanism. This involves control and ownership of land to help ensure affordable housing is built and remains affordable in perpetuity for the community. The language and difficulties with definition of terms, together with the complexity of engaging relevant stakeholders in a changing policy and legislative framework can be problematic. This may lead to apparent lack of consensus within communities on the way forward. Perceptions of local housing issues and ways to address them are sometimes vague, sometimes diverse but rarely apathetic. This paper includes data from two case studies in North East England, which are examined using interviews with key players, as a means of seeking some practical solutions.

Quality New Development in English Market Towns: Case Studies Examining the Role of Town Planning

The role of town planning (development control in particular) in urban design issues relating to new development is poorly understood and undervalued. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the planning process made a difference to outcomes, and what factors relating process and use of policy were more likely to lead to positive outcomes. Views of key players in the statutory planning decision-making process, in four case-study towns, were obtained through semi-structured interviews. The case-study towns included Ludlow, Dorchester, Chichester and Durham. An example of a ‘successful’ and an ‘unsuccessful’ major new development was examined for each town. The findings indicate that planning can play a significant role in securing a successful outcome, but organizational and political issues, as well as varying skill levels, can hinder the role and give rise to negative perceptions. It is clear that many factors have to work together to help ensure good outcomes, and there is no quick fix. Opportunities for improvement in the design input by planning, including local development frameworks, are considered.