Fixing Our Broken System?

Quote of the Day:

  “I am neither bitter nor cynical, but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking.”                                                                                                         Franklin D. Roosevelt

 Something a little less sarcastic and a little more serious from me for a change. Along with everyone else, I am watching the fallout from the Westferry decision continue to run and run, in part fascinated and in part horrified. Fascinated as, lets face it, we all like a bit of politicking laid bare from time to time. But horrified because, whatever the eventual outcome on both Westferry, and now the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, no one wins.

We have, for many years, been told by politicians and policy makers that we need to ‘fix our broken system’ whether it is planning focused or housing focused. The implication has always been that the system needs to be improved to stop the sector taking advantage of loopholes or not delivering what the country needs.

The constant push me, pull me approach to planning and development has meant that the public perception of developers and housebuilders is exceptionally poor (not helped by Persimmon style bonus announcements); this is something which government has done little to change, finding it preferable from a political perspective to deflect blame onto the private sector rather than acknowledge the basic issues with the way in which we approach planning and development as a whole.

This is further exacerbated by the constant shuffling of the deck within the MHCLG ministerial team, it is a running joke in the sector with bets placed on how long a new Secretary of State or Housing Minister will last but really, how can successive governments convince anyone that they value housebuilding when there is barely a minister in long enough to get their head round their brief (with the implications for those who do and who challenge the system usually meaning they also get shuffled out fairly quickly).

From initial soundings, we seem on the verge of some very positive policy announcements focused around placemaking and stewardship, where the recognition that the built form is actually only a fraction of what makes a successful development is finally seeping through to legislation. And yet, we now found ourselves in a situation where the last stop gatekeepers themselves have shown themselves to be so incompetent/na?ve/opaque (delete as appropriate) there risks being a complete collapse in confidence in the system from all those involved.

We are in the midst of an economic crisis like we have never seen. We went into the crisis with a huge need for housing, now we are likely to face mass unemployment and major social and welfare issues, many of which are rooted in poor quality housing. The Conservative MP, Robert Halfon, has been fighting a brilliant and critically important campaign highlighting the terrible consequences of PDR developments and the disproportionate effect this has on poorer families and their long-term prospects.

Never has there been a greater need for a homebuilding programme which can deliver homes of all types and tenures, well-designed, embedded within good placemaking principles which can be supported both by communities and politicians at every level. What hope is there to progress this agenda in the collaborative way which is essential for its success, when trust is at rock bottom. Whether there is anything of substance behind either the Westferry decision (was it more of a dig at Sadiq Khan by going against the Mayors office at a key point rather than anything financial, or was it all completely coincidental) or whether the statement that the Whitechapel Bell Foundry application has been refused was simply a misunderstanding really doesn’t matter anymore, the damage has been done and, in the court of public opinion, we are all indicted.

Now is the time for a radical new approach, which genuinely puts community, place and quality of life at the heart of the planning agenda, which has transparency embedded at every stage and which can be supported by all parties. No one expects to be able to develop large scale housing and new communities without facing opposition – much as we would like to think that effective community engagement can overcome all opposition – democracy doesn’t require 100% consensus, but it does require a basic faith that the system works.

As a country, we cannot afford to get this wrong, it is time for change.