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New planning powers allow businesses and residents to shape communities together

The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP has today formally announced the ‘frontrunners’ of a Government scheme that will give all businesses a stronger voice in the planning system.

Speaking at an event¹ organised by the British Property Federation (BPF) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) this morning, the Minister of State for Decentralisation confirmed the creation of eight Business Neighbourhood vanguards – areas where businesses, working with residents and their Local Authority, can play a key role in shaping their communities.

Changes to the Localism Bill tabled this week will open up membership of Neighbourhood Forums – local groups that will be empowered to draw up planning documents for their communities – to companies large and small with links to the area. In predominately commercial areas, such as High Streets and Business Parks, this will allow firms to put forward development plans for approval by the Local Authority.

The BPF had argued in favour of the changes since the publication of the Bill, making the case to ministers that businesses have a key role in any thriving community, and was asked to help find a number of Business Neighbourhood frontrunners. They comprise:

• Milton Keynes Central
• Bankside, home of the Tate Modern
• South Bank and Waterloo
• The West End of London, including Oxford Street and Regent Street
• Aldershot Urban Extension

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “We have long argued that businesses and land owners are just as important to a thriving community as residents and have campaigned hard for them to have a real voice in local planning.

“Greg Clarke’s announcement today is a real statement of intent from the Government as the country pins its hope on a private sector lead economic recovery.

“Designation as a business neighbourhood should allow these areas to realise their enormous potential as locations where business can grow and thrive whilst providing employment to thousands of people.

“We hope that many other business neighbourhoods will follow their lead.”

Greg Clark MP, minister of state for decentralisation, said: “Local businesses are vital to stimulating growth and benefit their communities way beyond just providing jobs. They can revive neglected neighbourhoods, support schools or make a significant contribution to community facilities.

“We need to involve local companies more explicitly in neighbourhood planning decisions for business areas if communities are to get the most out of them. Businesses have access to skills, resources and expertise that can give a real boost to getting the right kind of growth underway in many areas. Business Neighbourhood Frontrunners are about residents and businesses shaping their neighbourhood together.

“Ensuring all members of a community are involved in driving development in their neighbourhood is central to our planning reforms and local businesses are an equally important part of many communities.”

Commenting, David Frost, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Businesses are a key part of our local communities, and it is right that they are able to play an active role in neighbourhood forums. Giving business owners a voice in neighbourhood planning will allow them to help set the agenda for business growth, rather than being impeded by an overly bureaucratic system. The BCC has long campaigned for a more pro-business approach to planning, and we are pleased to see that the Government has listened to the business community on this important issue.

“Getting the planning system right is crucial if we are to continue to see a private sector-led recovery, and these changes are an encouraging step in the right direction.”

Ted Inman, chief executive of the South Bank Employers’ Group, organiser of the South Bank and Waterloo application, said: “Building on the consensus of the established organisations in the area, the South Bank Employers’ Group is delighted to be selected as a ‘business neighbourhood front-runner’.  We are keen to see how the provisions of the Localism Bill can be used to further our vision to promote and improve the South Bank neighbourhood for the benefit of employees, residents and visitors alike.”

Peter Williams, chief executive of Better Bankside, organiser of the Bankside application, said: “Thursday’s event is being held at the HQ of IPC magazines, one of many businesses who, having considered the alternatives, chose to locate in Bankside.

“As recognition of the commercial advantages of being here translates into development interest, the opportunities and challenges are unfolding. Over the past decade London’s newest and most interesting mixed use neighbourhood has emerged here. The approach within this pilot will complement the other mechanisms that we are putting in place to craft a path for the benefit of all.”

In a joint statement the political group leaders of Milton Keynes Council said: “We welcome this initiative as a common sense approach to planning that takes forward the localism agenda in a real and meaningful way for both the businesses and general community of Central Milton Keynes. We all recognise that this area will be the one to lead the country out of recession and developments such as this can only help us achieve that objective.”

ENDs

Patrick Clift, Media and Public Affairs Manager, on 07834 439 505 or at pclift@bpf.org.uk

Paul Sweeney, Media Officer, on 07841 732 194 or at psweeney@bpf.org.uk

Notes to editors

1.The event, Empowering Business Neighbourhoods, was held at the IPC Media Headquarters, The Blue Fin Building, 110 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0SU at 11am Thursday 19 May 2011

2.South Bank and Waterloo - is bounded to the east by the Blackfriars Rail Bridge, to the south by Lambeth Road and to the north and west by the Thames.  It is a complex mix, including a major transport hub, international business headquarters, world-renowned cultural institutions and visitor attractions, a major teaching hospital, two universities, and a strong and diverse residential community.

West End of London - is the world’s top shopping destination and represents 600 retailers and all major landowners in Oxford Street, Regent Street, Bond Street and a range of surrounding streets. 36,000 people live in the district; 100,000 work there; and there are 200 million visits each year. The new Crossrail Stations at Tottenham Court Road and Bond Street are estimated to bring an additional 70 million visits into the West End each year.

Milton Keynes Central - is the main location in Milton Keynes for retail, office and leisure development with the largest concentration of jobs (27,000). It serves both as a sub regional centre and as a local centre with 2,300 estimated population. The centre:mk and Midsummer Place shopping centre plus Xscape together provide more than 300 shops, cafes and restaurants, attracting more than 52 million visitors each year. The University Centre Milton Keynes, a new university founded in September 2008 supported by Milton Keynes Council, Homes and Communities Agency (Milton Keynes Partnership), SEEDA and GOSE is based in also Milton Keynes Central.

Bankside - sits in the London Borough of Southwark, across the River Thames from the City of London. Recent estimates put the residential population of Bankside at 6,000, the number of employees who commute into the area each day at 60,000 and some 6 million tourists who visit the main visitor attractions in the area annually. In total there are approximately 1500 individual businesses in Bankside.

Aldershot Town Centre – is a new development of 4,500 homes to the north of the town centre that extends to 148 hectares. It is largely developed with barrack and ancillary accommodation, much of which was built in the 1960s. The army has now vacated more than half of the accommodation and the whole site will be empty by 2014.

3.    The British Chambers of Commerce nominated three business neighbourhood ‘frontrunners’. They include:

•    Trafford Park, Manchester
•    Innovation Park, Liverpool
•    Team Valley Trading Estate, Gateshead

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