Nearly everyone criticises the planning system, but isn’t one of the biggest problems, literally, much closer to home?
Are we looking at development, and specifically housebuilding, through the wrong end of the telescope and overlooking the positives? The reality is we all need a place to live, and it changes throughout the stages of our lives – society needs to accept that. We need flats, starter homes and family homes, as well as smaller homes suitable for downsizing in
later life.
For too long we’ve overlooked the positives of housebuilding and demonised the developer. Too many people view housebuilding at best as a necessary evil, while others think developers are simply evil. This negative starting position too often makes its way to the Planning Committee. We need to try and change perceptions and reset the conversation.
Repositioning housebuilding
Think of housebuilding as ‘factories for jobs’ that also reduce our environmental impact and strengthen the local supply chain, and it starts to become a more positive conversation. Shouldn’t we think of housing in the same way as infrastructure and how investment in transport schemes unlocks economic development, creates growth and supports local jobs?
Think like a local
Wouldn’t it be more positive for more in the development industry to properly engage with the community, sit down with stakeholders, listen to their views and seek a consensus? Many developers have made great strides when it comes to engaging with the community, but to many, it’s still a tick-box exercise.
The planning system is incredibly complex, leaving many residents feeling disconnected and believing that development is something that is simply done to them, which leads to opposition.
To most residents, a Local Plan, covering an entire district for the next 15 years, isn’t local, and they are more concerned with what’s actually on their doorstep over the next couple of years. So, those in the development community need to look through local lenses. At Maxim, we think like local residents, and that often requires research and strong local knowledge when articulating the case for a proposed development.
Get prepared
When any development proposal breaks cover, the local community invariably focuses on the impact on roads, healthcare, education and the loss of open space. The key to more positively managing public reaction is to put in the preparation work early and show how the proposals would sustain the community. This requires early engagement with those organisations and individuals who have influence and to have the answers ready for the inevitable questions.
Start a new conversation
Now this might be a pipe dream, but shouldn’t we try and find a better way of engaging – one that reduces antagonism and mistrust, based on a new conversation? You never know, it might even work, and as an agency, Maxim is always happy to try something different. One thing is for certain, when it comes to new homes, we need a new way of thinking.
