Joe Howe

Flooding and the Role of Planning in England and Wales: A Critical Review

In this paper the authors raise some important questions about the extent to which planning is fostering an environment susceptible to flooding. They argue that severe UK flooding incidents in recent years should result in the government re-examining the planning system to ensure relevancy and effectiveness in dealing with such problems in the future. They identify where the current policy and practice weaknesses lie in planning to limit both flood source and flood impact areas and suggest ways in which the government and the profession could take remedial steps to increase local and regional sustainability.

Urban food growing: The experience of two UK cities

This paper is concerned with urban food growth. Highlighting the resurgence of urban food growth in developed nations, the case for urban food is made and unpacked through an empirical examination of initiatives in two adjacent cities in the north of England. Copyright

POLICY AND PRACTICE: Planning and the European union water framework directive

This paper is concerned with stimulating debate amongst land-use planning practitioners and researchers in relation to the possible consequences of the European Union Water Framework Directive. The potentially far-reaching ramifications for the Town and Country Planning system in England and Wales are examined in detail, presenting the case that planning, at all spatial scales, may have to give both water and environmental concerns greater consideration than has hitherto been the case. Furthermore, in the imminent future the planning system will need to begin the process of formulating policies in line with the aspirations of the Directive.

The Potential Implications of the European Union Water Framework Directive on Domestic Planning Systems: A UK Case Study

The transformation of planning across Europe in recent years has been characterized by new processes at different spatial scales that reach across traditional boundaries. This Europeanization of planning processes is reflected in the emergence of cross-border initiatives, new spatial relationships and the enhancement of regional policy-making. In using the case of the UK this article analyses the possible ramifications of adopting the European Water Framework Directive (WFD). It is demonstrated that the WFD, despite its apparent focus on water regulation, is symptomatic of wider European Spatial Planning processes that are seeing a reshaping of attitudes, witnessing the emergence of new networks and challenging traditional sovereignties of planning.

Stakeholder participation and the water framework directive: The case of the Ribble Pilot

Abstract The Water Framework Directive is the most significant piece of European water legislation to date. This paper looks at the Directives stakeholder participation requirements, which are crucial to its successful implementation, and represent one of its most novel and potentially far-reaching elements. The Ribble catchment in northwest England is part of a European pilot river basin network tasked by the European Commission with testing the Directives common implementation strategy guidance, which is designed to aid member states in meeting its requirements. The Ribble pilot, managed by the Environment Agency, is responsible for testing the stakeholder participation element of this guidance. This paper provides an overview of the early stages of the Ribble pilotsapproach, and discusses stakeholder participation in the context of the Water Framework Directive more broadly.

Flooding: are we ignoring the real problem and solution

The damage of the recent storms has been well documented, but arguably, the reasons for the level of devastation and possible future solutions have not. This article critically examines both the areas accused of causing, or contributing, to the flooding and the solutions mentioned so far. It then suggests an alternative solution, which could be the answer to our recent problems.

Unpacking the barriers to sustainable urban drainage use

Abstract In this paper we raise some important questions about the extent to which barriers within the development control process inhibit the use of sustainable urban drainage systems. We argue that despite factors such as the severe UK flooding incidents in recent years, the introduction of Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) 25 and a rise in awareness of the environmental and social impacts of surface water, there are still significant barriers to the sustainable management of surface runoff. The impediments are categorized into pre-application, consultation, decision and appeal stages, providing a comprehensive account of areas that need to be addressed to enhance the sustainability of the built environment.

Growing Food in Cities: the Implications for Land-Use Policy

There has been much social, political and academic debate about the growing of food in recent years. These debates have been mirrored by a surge of academic interest concerning the ability of cities to produce enough food to feed their inhabitants. To date, research has tended to bypass or perhaps even ignore food that is grown within urban areas and the land-use policy implications of such activities. The purpose of this article is to explore the implications of this oversight. Having discussed this neglect, international examples are used to illustrate the nature of the relationship between land-use policy and urban agriculture. The article proceeds to detail the findings of an Economic and Social Research Council-funded research study investigating land-use policy and urban agriculture in the UK. This is primarily concerned with detailing the attitudes to and knowledge of urban food production of land-use officials, and an examination of the land-use regulatory framework utilized for urban food production. In conclusion, the article utilizes the evidence presented to demonstrate that, whilst urban agriculture is extensively practised, the urban land-use policy implications of urban agriculture deserve more attention by both land-use officials and researchers than has hitherto been the case.

Flooding, Pollution And Agriculture

There has been a noticeable silence amongst environmental studies concerning the relationship between agriculture, flooding and pollution. This paper, which emerges from research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and United Utilities, attempts to redress this neglect and stimulate both debate and research in to this important area. Utilising research undertaken in the UK, the contention underlying this paper is that much of current agricultural policy and practice is fostering an environment susceptible to flooding and pollution. The paper highlights a number of issues concerning the ways in which certain agricultural practices exacerbate the risk from both flooding and pollution, drawing linkages with current legislation and policy. Finally, an attempt is made to identify agricultural policies and practices that could help to reduce the incidence of flooding and pollution.

Re-use of small airfields: a planning perspective

Abstract The English countryside has, in recent years, been subject to an array of development pressures, many of which have been the focus of both national and local debate. Local planning authorities (LPAs) have been handed the task of negotiating these pressures and navigating a difficult path between the need to permit necessary development and the desire to sustain environmental quality and local amenity. It is within this context that less contentious development sites have been sought which also offer sustainable solutions. Wartime airfields have, in many instances, been seen as suitable sites for redevelopment and it is patterns of land re-use on such sites that provide the focus of this research monograph. Through a national survey of local planning practice on wartime airfields, and a series of local case studies, the research which is reported within this monograph explores both the ways in which re-use has been regulated by the UK planning system and the nature of re-use on different sites. Maintaining the rights of aviation groups is an added pressure upon this process. More specifically, the monograph focuses attention on current uses on these sites, the regulatory role of the planning system and the compatibility of new and established uses.