SKILLS FOR w e i v e SUSTAINABLE R n a g COMMUNITIES E e h T Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Eland House Bressenden Place London SW1E 5DU Telephone 020 7944 4400 Website www.odpm.gov.uk © Crown Copyright 2004 Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. This publication, excluding logos, may be reproduced free of charge in any format or medium for research, private study or for internal circulation within an organisation. This is subject to it being reproduced accurately and not used in a misleading context. The material must beacknowledged asCrown copyright and the title of the publication specified. For any other use of this material, please write to HMSO Licensing, St Clements House, 2-16 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ Fax: 01603 723000 or e-mail: [email protected]. Further copies of this publication are available from: RIBA Enterprises Ltd 15 Bonhill Street London EC2P 2EA Tel: 020 7256 7222 Fax: 020 7374 2737 E-mail: [email protected] or online via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s website at www.odpm.gov.uk/eganreview ISBN 1 85946 142 5 RIBA Product Code no. 35230 Printed in Great Britain on material containing 75% post-consumer waste and 25% ECF pulp. April 2004 Reference no: 04UPU1892 Front cover image reproduced courtesy of Gallagher Estates– ‘the master developer for Bathgate’ Photographs from left: ODPM/Murray Grove, Cartwright Pickard Architects/© Photograph, Peter Karry/ www.JohnBirdsall.co.uk/Construction Photography SKILLS FOR w e i v e SUSTAINABLE R n a g COMMUNITIES E e h T TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD BY SIR JOHN EGAN 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 Introduction 7 Summary of Recommendations 11 CHAPTER ONE: THE COMMON GOAL: DEFINING AND MEASURING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 17 CHAPTER TWO: RESPONSIBILITIES AND PROCESSES FOR DELIVERY 31 CHAPTER THREE: THE RIGHT SKILLS FOR THE JOB 51 CHAPTER FOUR: THE WAY FORWARD 63 ANNEX A: TASK GROUP BIOGRAPHIES 90 ANNEX B: SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES INDICATORS 92 ANNEX C: OCCUPATIONS INVOLVED IN PLANNING, DELIVERING AND MAINTAINING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES 100 ANNEX D: DEFINITIONSOFGENERIC SKILLS 103 1 FOREWORD BY SIR JOHN EGAN When the Deputy Prime – places that are safe, clean, friendly, and Minister invited me to prosperous, with good amenities such as undertake a Skills Review, education, health services, shopping and green the focus was very much spaces. These priorities are widely known, on the professional, built andhave been shown to work in successful environment skills communities that have built up over hundreds necessary to deliver ofyears. They are reflected in the ideal goal sustainable communities. assetout in the Government’s Sustainable Professional skills are CommunitiesPlan (and in the first Chapter of vitally important, but thisreport). But in too many places our current simply upgrading these in isolation will not, approach and systems are failing to deliver what Ibelieve, deliver the outcomes the Government people want. isseeking – communities in which people want There are some good examples of where tolive and work, and which are sustainable for wegetitright, principally in the renaissance future generations. ofcitycentres and in some individual places, The Government’s concept of the ‘Sustainable butingeneral development is not resulting in Community’ is, in my view, an exceptionally good communities in which people can live wholesome one, but making it work across the country will and prosperous lives, let alone experience a require the active engagement of more than just sustainable twenty-first century. built environment professionals. A wide range of There are too many housing estates simply occupations – from planners, architects and dumped into spaces with no amenities and no surveyors, to staff from central, regional and thought for their future governance. Too many localgovernment, to retailers, educators and uglyretail parks serving no other purpose than policeofficers will have an essential role to play shopping by car. Too many hospitals and schools inmaking communities attractive, safe places to isolated from the communities they serve. Too live. This approach will require new skills and many business parks, pristine and splendid, but newways of working for everyone involved. hermetically sealed from the outside world, thus Why do we need a new approach? People are very effectively relieving business from the need to clear about what they want from their communities giveleadership to the communities they serve. 3 The Egan Review: Skills for Sustainable Communities The reasons for this are complex – planning governance of communities, economic planning guidelines have, in the past, often led to single forprosperity, communication (especially listening purpose developments because it was easier for to and selling to communities), risk taking, and all concerned, except of course for the community above all leadership and partnership working. at large; the highly regulated development process Local authorities and local agencies will need has resulted in guidance on matters such as todemonstrate high levels of competency in the highways acting as straightjackets on good latter two, as much of the work to develop and development making it impossible to deliver safe retrofit communities will need to be done locally – and attractive places; successive governments it cannot be done from the centre simply because have vied with each other to emasculate the itneeds to be supported by local people. This authority of local government, often resulting in presents as much of a challenge for national as poor leadership and vision for the local area; and forlocal government. Central departments will some developers have delivered lowest common need to demonstrate risk taking and delegation denominator sites because there has been no skills to free up local agencies to deliver on incentive to do otherwise. theground. To turn things around we need a common goal, Upskilling the broad range of core and associated aclear understanding of the sort of communities occupations with a role in planning, delivering and we are trying to achieve; strong and empowered maintaining sustainable communities represents leadership at local level that will drive a vision avery significant challenge, but it is one that we forward in conjunction with all key partners; must take on if things are to change and real efficient, transparent processes for delivery progress is to be made. Ensuring that all (including creation of the vision, development of participants have competencies in the generic aSustainable Communities Strategy detailing skills at levels commensurate with their roles, infrastructure requirements and development willrequire political determination, finance, and opportunities, arrangements for engaging the engagement from everyone involved. I believe localcommunity, and cost effective pre-application thata new national body is needed to lead on this and planning processes); and above all skilled complex skills agenda and I urge the Deputy Prime committed individuals working together to make Minister to establish this as quickly as possible. people’s priorities a reality. This Skills Review is only a starting point; the Delivering better communities requires not only direction it advocates will need to be developed by the professional skills of planning, architecture the proposed National Centre for Sustainable andsurveying, but also a broad range of generic Communities Skills, and informed by research into skills, behaviour and knowledge – such as sustainable communities as a common goal. 4 Foreword by Sir John Egan We have some major opportunities ahead of This was a new and broad area of work for me, ustotry and get this right. These include the and as expected it proved challenging. It needed lowdemand pathfinders in the North of England anequally broad range of knowledge and expertise andthe growth areas in the South East. The to assist in the formulation of the ideas I have put involvement of the Prime Minister in chairing forward, and I drew together a Task Group to thecabinet sub-committee on the Thames support me. All members of the Group gave me Gateway and other growth areas demonstrates their full commitment and dedication and I thank thestrength of Government commitment to this them all, with special thanks to those members agenda. I hope that the processes set out in this who chaired sub-groups on particular issues. report will be followed and the legacy of the cabinet sub-committee will not only be magnificent new communities in the Thames Gateway and elsewhere, but also a leading example of how joined-up working canbe achieved at all levels ofGovernment. Sir John Egan Chair of the Review 5 The Egan Review: Skills for Sustainable Communities LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CABE Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment DEFRA Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DETR Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions DfES Department for Education and Skills IDeA Improvement and Development Agency LDF Local Development Framework LGA Local Government Association LSC Learning and Skills Council LSP Local Strategic Partnership NRU Neighbourhood Renewal Unit ODPM Office of the Deputy Prime Minister RCE Regional Centre of Excellence RTPI Royal Town Planning Institute SEEDA South East Regional Development Agency SSC Sector Skills Council SSDA Sector Skills Development Agency 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION Such organisations have clear goals, efficient delivery processes, effective systems for constant Places where people want to live – and that are process improvement, good leaders who can make sustainable – do not happen by chance. They are connections between skills in different professions, the product of visionary thinking and commitment and staff with the right skills who are focused as by highly skilled civic and national leaders, ateam on delivering the common goal. developers and professionals, with the full engagement and support of local partners Common goal (Chapter One) andcommunities. We have developed a definition of the ‘sustainable To understand the skills needed to deliver community’ which we propose should become a suchcommunities, we need first to have a good common goal for everyone involved – central and grasp ofthe meaning of the term ‘sustainable local government, service providers, communities, community’, and the processes by which such the private and the voluntary sectors. It is based on communities are delivered. We also need to know the criteria in the Sustainable Communities Plan,1 that our concept of a sustainable community is which have been tested by MORI focus groups and broadly supported by the people. which are supported by a wealth of historic and Our approach to this Review has been to ask a research data. Our definition is: series of questions: what sort of communities arewe trying to create, and how should we Sustainable communities meet the diverse measure achievement; what are the most effective needs of existing and future residents, their delivery processes, and who is responsible for children and other users, contribute to a these; and finally what skills are needed to make high quality of life and provide opportunity the processes work effectively, and how do we and choice. They achieve this in ways that bridge the gap between our current skills base make effective use of natural resources, andthe skills we want? enhance the environment, promote social cohesion and inclusion and strengthen We believe that delivery of sustainable communities economic prosperity. and the skills necessary to support delivery have much in common with the way that successful organisations operate and the skills that they display. 1 ODPM (2003) Sustainable Communities: Building for the future 7 The Egan Review: Skills for Sustainable Communities This definition is backed up by a set of seven authorities have the right blend of local knowledge, components and associated sub-components, presence and accountability to make this work. andtogether they constitute the ‘common goal’. We propose that the mechanism for engaging all Webelieve that once adopted by all stakeholders, key stakeholders in developing the vision should the definition and indicators for measuring be a SustainableCommunity Strategy. We feel that progress, can be a means of securing more the current approach to Community Strategies effective joining up of policy agendas in national, often lacks clear direction and is insufficiently regional and local government; provide a comprehensive to deliver our common goal. We framework for delegating much more performance believe that existing and future Strategies should related responsibility from national to local be aligned better with the objective of delivering government; create a mechanism for identifying sustainable communities, and should articulate essential components in very significant new clearly how sustainable development can be used developments; and provide a framework within to promote economic prosperity, social cohesion which skill sets can be developed. and environmental quality in their area. Progress towards a more sustainable future will In particular, Sustainable Community Strategies need to be tracked, and we have identified a small and their associated action plans need to identify number of performance indicators that could be infrastructure requirements to support used to demonstrate achievement. development opportunities and growth. They need to balance the cost of investment with the longer Responsibilities and Processes term wealth that will be generated by sustainable for Delivery (Chapter Two) development opportunities. Such Strategies should We examined the processes required to achieve give a greater degree of confidence to developers our common goal and where responsibility for co- and investors, and should help the community to ordinating and orchestrating delivery should lie. see the positive effects and wealth creation We were immediately struck by the success of benefits of major development. local authorities that have visionary leadership – Successful delivery of the vision will require atmember and officer level. We believe that local effective planning processes, including pre- authority chief executives and leaders, with the planning application discussions for very support of their cabinets, are best placed to significant developments that engage all key develop a vision for the future of their area based players from theoutset of the process. We want to on the sustainable community components we see developers, councillors, local authority staff, identify, and to secure the buy-in of the community infrastructure providers, community groups and other stakeholders. Regional bodies must be andbuilt environment professionals all working key partners in the delivery process, but only local 8