(5) Planning

Here's another example: planning.

We have a real problem with the planning process in our country.

Whether it's building new housing developments or giving the green light to new business parks or leisure facilities, the whole process can be divisive and frustrating...

...with developers, residents, councils and all interested parties fighting it out and things either never getting built or causing massive resentment when they do.

But imagine if we put local people in real control over the look, shape, feel and character of the community.

Imagine if we let them decide how many houses they want build or whether they want a new park or playground.

And imagine if we made all this collaboration possible by removing the obstacles to community engagement and giving local people a real incentive to get involved.

In the post-bureaucratic age, that's what the planning system should look like - and that's the planning system we're going to create. We're launching this, online, today.

We're going to replace the entire planning system with a new system of Local Plans.

We'll remove the hassles of people getting involved with the planning process by making sure every household is invited to a neighbourhood meeting.

Here, they can discuss with their neighbours how they would like to see their neighbourhood feel in the future.

Each neighbourhood plan will then be submitted to the local council, which will combine them to form an overall Local Plan.

Once the Local Plan is agreed, lengthy negotiation with the council will be a thing of the past.

If it's in the Local Plan, you can build it

And to give an extra incentive, neighbourhoods will get cash payments for new development, and the right to decide how this money is spent.

Our Local Plans represent one of the biggest shifts in power for decades.

It's genuinely one of the most radical and transformative policies that a Conservative government - or any government - can introduce.

Suddenly, you can see how a system that was controlled by a few can be run by the many.

You can see how it's possible to get neighbourhoods to come together to solve problems together.

So this won't just help to improve our broken planning system - it'll help to build stronger communities and help to mend our broken society too.

Today, one of the most innovative councils in the country, Conservative-controlled Windsor and Maidenhead is piloting how we could extend this sort of co-operative action further through participatory budgets...

...with local people deciding exactly on what projects council money should be spent on.

I'm pleased that you'll be hearing from them later.

But the lesson of the post-bureaucratic age is clear:

We shouldn't always think that the answer to every problem is some detailed policy or bureaucratic scheme.

We should instead search for new and creative ways to achieve social change.
PAGE NAVIGATOR(Help)
-
The Post-Bureaucratic Age »The Post-Bureaucratic Age
PBAge.org Conference Participants »PBAge.org Conference Participants
David Cameron's PBAge.org Speech »David Cameron's PBAge.org Speech
(5) Planning
How can we overcome the problems with our Planning system? »How can we overcome the problems with our Planning system?
Real problem with the planning process in our country »Real problem with the planning process in our country
+Commentaar (0)
+Citaten (0)
+About