Over 50 organisations — including councils, professional bodies, trade associations, charities, developers and designers — are calling on the Government to reinstate a reference to Garden City principles in the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The current NPPF requires local authorities to consider whether large-scale development (such as new settlements or extensions to existing villages or towns) which follows the principles of Garden Cities is ‘the best way’ of achieving sustainable development in their area.
The NPPF provides essential guidance for local authorities in their decision-making processes and is vital in securing high placemaking standards. A commitment to the Garden City principles is not set out anywhere else in government policy.
TCPA Chief Executive Kate Henderson said: “Meeting the nation’s housing needs involves more than just delivering housing units; we need to create beautiful places which offer a wide range of employment opportunities and genuinely affordable homes, while enabling more sustainable lifestyles. The Garden City principles can deliver all this and are underpinned by a financial model which not only enables fast delivery but puts people at the heart of delivering new places and provides resources for the long-term stewardship and maintenance of a high-quality public realm and high-quality community facilities.
“Re-committing to the Garden City principles in the NPPF is the starting point to unlocking a new generation of highly sustainable places that meet housing, employment and quality of life needs while promoting innovation. We recognise the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to building communities the nation can be proud of, and we urge the Government to ensure the Garden City principles are reinstated in the NPPF.”
