Five places across
England have been announced as participants of a new programme to recognise and
support high quality placemaking.
The Future Place programme
is an initiative run by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA),
Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), Local Government Association (LGA) and
the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).
The five ‘Future
Places’ selected as exemplars based on their overarching placemaking visions
and innovative approaches, are:
- Bradford (City of Bradford
Metropolitan District Council)
- Greater Exeter (Exeter City Council, East
Devon District Council, Mid Devon District Council and Teignbridge
District Council – supported by Devon County Council)
- Great Yarmouth (Great Yarmouth Borough
Council)
- Gateshead (Gateshead Council)
- North Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire County
Council, Corby Borough Council, East Northamptonshire Council, Kettering
Borough Council and Borough Council of Wellingborough)
All five Future
Places are determined to deliver meaningful change which will enhance people’s
lives, improve community wellbeing and create sustainable environments. While
each place is very different, they all work in collaboration with public,
private or voluntary sector partners to develop and advance innovative
placemaking strategies.
The five selected
places will now take part in a programme to develop visions for their areas,
with training and expert advice from each of the Future Places project
partners.
Homes England
will join the RIBA, CIH, LGA and RTPI as a partner and will offer all Future
Places their expertise and professional skills. The selected local authorities
will benefit from a single point of contact at Homes England to support their
vision and receive access to the agency’s frameworks to help reach the
specialist services they need to create places where people really want to
live.
Homes England
Deputy Chief Executive, Tom Walker, said: “The Future Place programme provides
an excellent opportunity to work with exemplar councils to understand not only
the needs of each place, but how best to break down the barriers and get more
homes built where they are needed most. I welcome this collaboration and look
forward to the agency getting involved.”
RIBA President, Ben
Derbyshire, offered his congratulations: “Local authorities play a vital role
in creating happy, healthy and sustainable communities, and I am proud to be
part of this initiative which encourages engagement with communities and collaborative
approaches to planning and designing the best possible environments.
"The commitment
these authorities have shown, despite financial and political barriers, is
highly commendable. I look forward to working with all five over the next phase
of the programme, learning lessons as they develop their visions, and celebrating
their success.”
