ROOT & BRANCH
T HE NEWSLETTER OF R OYAL T OWN P LANNING I NSTITUTE Y ORKSHIRE
SERVING PLANNERS IN CITY OF KINGSTON UPON HULL, CITY OF YORK, EAST RIDING OF YORKSHIRE, NORTH
EAST LINCOLNSHIRE, NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE, NORTH YORKSHIRE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, AND WEST YORKSHIRE
ISSUE 126, 2014 CENTENARY SPECIAL
WELCOME FROM THE CENTENARY CHAIR
Simon Smales introduces our special Centenary Year Root & Branch
In this special issue:
Creating Places: The
Centenary Lecture
2
Centenary Reception
3
Reports on Centenary
Seminars
4 - 11
Centenary Volunteering
11
President’s Regional Visit
12
RTPI Yorkshire Excellence
Award 2014
13
The ‘Learning from
Experience’ Project
14
Yorkshire Conference
Series 2015 programme
16
In the RTPI Centenary Year it’s been a privilege to be the
Regional Chair. What I perhaps underestimated was how
much pleasure was to be derived from the position.
Meeting old colleagues for the first time in years, touring
the region, liaising with RTPI HQ people and watching
planning take centre stage on more than one or two
occasions were all enjoyed to the full by my good self.
As always the support from the RMB and RAC has been
first class and the work put into essentially a voluntary
organisation by others put my meagre efforts well into
the shade. In particular, Bob Wolfe, as Hon Secretary,
and Trish Cookson, our Regional Co-ordinator, have
been outstanding. Many thanks.
The programme of Centenary visits and events we organised, which highlighted each of the decades, was rightly
lauded nationally and really picked up on the vitality of
the Yorkshire Region over the last 100 years. It also reminded many of the pre-eminent role
that planning has played in the county and how significant the county has been in the
development of the profession and planning in the country and indeed across the world.
The Centenary Lecture delivered in an impressive manner by Sir Terry Farrell was a real
highlight and many professionals in the region were reminded of what a brilliant career
looks like and how to be true to your principles. The idea that simple planning values, such
as integrated transport, that were writ large across Terry’s portfolio of work, struck home
with me.
We hosted a Centenary reception at the National Railway Museum in York in the summer
and with gracious support from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Savills many enjoyed
seeing the regional awards and other notable presentations delivered and handed over by
Cath Ranson, the RTPI President.
The evening at the museum was part of a two day visit from the President, on which she
commented most favourably in a recent edition of The Planner. We went to Waverley and
York and even took tea in Bettys......there, I told you it was enjoyable. Fat rascals all round
was the cry!
© Crown Copyright. Used with permission.
Visit our website:
www.rtpi.org.uk/yorkshire
So, good luck to Jennifer Winyard, the 2015 Chair, and to you all as you develop your own
professional skills and share your knowledge and experience in the region. It’s always a
challenge being the only planner at ‘the party’ in the village isn’t it? But I bet we give as
good as we get and certainly the ones I count as friends are still standing at the end of the
evening offering wise counsel to be listened to and, who knows, even acted on. Here’s to
another 100 years!
Simon Smales, Yorkshire Region Chair, 2014
Follow us Twitter:
@RTPI_Yorks
Join our group:
RTPI Yorkshire
2014 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Our Annual General Meeting was held at Leeds Civic Hall on 18th November 2014. The
annual report was presented, which highlighted all our special Centenary activities. The
annual report, business plan and minutes of the meeting are available on our website at
www.rtpi.org.uk/yorkshire , together with details of membership of our 2015 Regional
Management Board and Regional Activities Committee.
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CREATING PLACES: THE CENTENARY LECTURE
Tony Ray reports from the Centenary Lecture, held in Leeds in May
One of the highlights of our Centenary celebrations was the Centenary
Lecture: Creating Places. This was held at the Rose Bowl in Leeds on
15th May and delivered by Sir Terry Farrell CBE. 200 delegates attended and had opportunity to ask questions, ably facilitated by Kelvin
MacDonald from the University of Cambridge and former RTPI Director of Policy.
Sir Terry Farrell’s lecture was supported by a well illustrated power
point presentation. He introduced himself as an Architect and Planner
who believed in a cross disciplinary approach as there were no clear
dividing lines between the disciplines despite government ‘silos’. He
had attended a Civic Design course in the USA in the 1960s which had
also emphasised the need for a balance between the public and private
sectors and drew attention to the seminal books ‘Silent Spring’ and
‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’ as early influences.
He referred to the organic growth of cities and places for people with
Britain being the first to reach an urbanised population of 50%. Now in
the 21st century we were witnessing a global explosion of urbanisation.
He quoted an example in Shenzhen in China, where he had designed a 440m skyscraper, which had grown in population
from 130 thousand to 9 million in 36 years.
Lively debate:
Sir Terry Farrell (L) and Kelvin MacDonald (R).
He emphasised the importance of infrastructure and stated that China had built in 20 years more high
speed train lines than the rest of the world put together. Once again he had experience of building multilevel station developments there.
The Centenary
Lecture was kindly
sponsored by:
Turning closer to home, he described regeneration projects in Leeds (Quarry Hill), Newcastle
(Quayside), Birmingham (Brindley Place), and London (Royal Albert Dock). He then went on to develop
the concept he called ‘Urbiculture’, treating existing landscape as the ‘first infrastructure’ to be considered in any development and described his approach to Greater London and in particular the Thames Estuary. He also gave examples of applying the same approach to smaller places such as Cambourne and
Bicester.
Finally, he applied some of his global experience to reorganising and integrating potential high speed rail networks with the
airports in the South East with development based on green ‘petals’ rather than green belt around London.
With this background of his working life he concluded by discussing his recently published review of architecture and the
built environment called ‘PLACE’, an acronym for Planning, Landscape, Architecture, Conservation and Engineering. He
defined ‘place’ as ‘a holistic way of viewing the built environment and the people who use it’.
He explained that there were four elements to it:

Education – teach elements of the built environment across all subjects in schools and
a common foundation year for all ‘place’
students.

Planning – make the planning system more
proactive starting with a ‘place’ review and
strategy. Every town and city should have
an ‘urban room’.

Public Realm/Conservation – strengthen the
role of public realm in making great places
and English Heritage and the Design Council should speak with one voice.

PLACE – promote our built environment
professions globally and form a Place leadership council that works with local netFull house: Centenary Lecture audience, Rose Bowl, Leeds Beckett University.
works.
Finally, Sir Terry noted that the built environment has been continuously and variously divided between government departments, being an impediment to achieving a coherent approach over time.
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CENTENARY RECEPTION
An evening of celebration and networking at the National Railway Museum, York
Over 100 members attended our premier networking event of the
year, the Centenary Reception, which was held on 9th July at the
iconic National Railway Museum in York. The RTPI President, Cath
Ranson, was our guest of honour and she told us how delighted she
was to be in the Region, particularly so soon after the Tour de France
had passed through. She thanked everyone for the warm Yorkshire
welcome she had received and said that she felt that planning in
Yorkshire was up there with the best she had seen. Cath also said a
special “thank you” to the talented young planners who so successfully organised the 2013 Young Planners' Conference in Leeds. Trudi
Elliott, the RTPI Chief Executive, followed the President with the
keynote speech of the evening.
Headline sponsor for the Centenary Reception:
Sponsorship for the
Centenary Reception was
also provided by:
We held our awards ceremony at the Reception and this included a
number of presentations by Cath Ranson. The first was the award of
lifetime honorary RTPI membership to Sue Taylor, former Chair of the
RTPI's National Association for Planning Enforcement (NAPE). Full
details on the RTPI Yorkshire Excellence Award 2014 are on page 13.
Cath presented a Certificate to John Hocking (Joseph Rowntree Foundation) and two residents (one young and the other aged 92) in recognition of the contribution of New Earswick (a Rowntree's development)
"to the evolution of the science and art of spatial planning and all that is
involved in the development of communities that thrive". As part of its
Centenary celebrations, the RTPI has been keen to acknowledge and
mark the historically important achievements of planned communities
RTPI Chief Executive delivers the keynote speech.
to the theory and practice of planning within each Region.
Drinks reception: Planners catch up with colleagues over drinks.
Amongst the Royal Trains: An evening of celebration.
RTPI President Cath Ranson presents Sue Taylor with
lifetime Honorary Membership.
John Hocking of JRHT and New Earswick residents
receive special RTPI Certificate marking the
contribution of the settlement to planning.
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THE CENTENARY SEMINARS
Ten events marking ten decades of planning achievement in Yorkshire
Our special Centenary seminars looked at Yorkshire’s greatest planning achievements over the past 100 years and were
very popular, with over 380 delegates attending across the year. Each of the ten events focused on a decade of progress.
In the next few pages we present the edited highlights. You can read the full reports online at:
http://www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/rtpi-yorkshire/events/yorkshire-practice-seminars/centenary-practice-seminars/ .
PLANNING: ORIGINS AND EARLY YEARS (1910S)
26 February 2014, Saltaire — Andrew Matheson reports
When the final conclusion from the final speaker at an event advises that, to be successful at town planning, one needs to
‘get lucky’ some may have wondered about the potential of learning from experience! But to others it will be reassuring that
there had been important elements of serendipity about the making of a World Heritage site such as Saltaire. We learned that
in the absence of any willingness amongst the public authorities to embrace the concept of town planning, it fell to philanthropists, by default, to improve working and housing conditions. In the event the improvements evidenced at Saltaire were
very radical and involved the planning and creation of a self-contained community.
The benefactor at Saltaire was Titus Salt who, in consolidating his manufacturing enterprises onto one greenfield site, recognised that he had both the need and the opportunity to bring the workers along with him. But in an era when a moral code
tempered the commercial ambitions of many industrialists, Salt set out with enormous ambition to create an exemplar community. Well designed and built
houses were provided with community buildings in
abundance, but there was not a public house to be
seen.
Of course, in this well ordered and well integrated
settlement, when the industrial mill buildings lost
their purpose, the community as a whole suffered
and across several decades from the 1930s Saltaire
languished whilst it ‘repurposed’. But as luck would
have it, along came a second philanthropist and entrepreneur, one Jonathan Silver, also driven by a
competitive instinct for improvement. With his help
the mill buildings once again thrive but now with
arts, tourism, office and residential uses, the characterful housing has entered into a new, owneroccupied era, and the train station that brought in the
original workers has now become a starting point for
commuting out to places such as Skipton, Leeds and
Bradford. Intriguingly, this rebirth energised the bid,
successfully executed, for the World Heritage recogManufacturing legacy: Delegates at the seminar look on to Salts Mill.
nition for the foundation community.
As one speaker noted, Saltaire has benefitted twice from having the right person in the right place at the right time. It was
established as an exemplar now recognised as being of world significance. We were left to ponder whether there is today any
inkling of the serendipity of person, place and time coming together again to give rise to a new exemplar and revived interest
for new communities for the 21st Century.
“HOMES FOR HEROES” (1920S)
13 March 2014, Leeds — Bob Wolfe reports
If we needed reminding, not only was there abject poverty and atrocious housing conditions at the end of World War I,
there was also much evangelical zeal in the way in which returning heroes should be rehoused. But in Leeds, in particular,
there was a pressing need because of the continued insistence on building back-to-back housing until 1920.
The early socialist and anarchist movements were pioneered by some of the best known names in UK town planning. Raymond Unwin and Edward Carpenter, who took a radical approach to the housing issue, were part of William Morris’ Socialist League. This campaigned for fair rents and for a completely new housing system, in order to break away from the monopolistic profiteering of private landlords prevalent, particularly throughout northern cities. On the other hand Ebenezer
Howard backed a more “return to nature” approach within his vision for a new economic order. For example, Leeds industrial cooperatives. formed around bicycle making and electrical repairs. were much more unstructured and community-based
and it was from this incentive of social enterprise on which his vision of the Garden City movement at Letchworth took
place.
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In the late Victorian period, the Tenants Defence League organised pickets and mass protests against private sector landlords. It was the mass movement engendered by this activism that eventually led to the enactment of the Housing of the
Working Classes Act in 1895. Meanwhile, in 1914, just as soldiers were preparing for war, landlords in Leeds raised the
rents in the inner city district of Burley by 6p per week. This led to a city-wide rent strike and a clear demand for affordable
rented housing. This became the clarion call for the City Council to commence building council houses.
There was general concern in Parliament with the political ferment that was gathering in Ireland, Europe and Russia in the
middle of the second decade. In 1915, 30,000 tenants in Glasgow went on strike. There were street committees and mass
pickets which led to landlords deducting rents they were owed directly from the Govern ship workers’ pay packets. As a
result the Government feared a national dock strike and this quickly led to the enactment of the Rent Restriction Act, which
forbade any further rent rises and introduced rent controls for the first time.
It is recorded that in 1914 there were 78,000 back-to-back properties in Leeds, which represented 70% of the housing stock.
The oldest type I properties were built at a density of between 70 and 80 dwellings per acre, type 2 between 50 and 60
dwellings per acre and type 3 back to backs with small front gardens and yards were built at 40 dwellings per acre.
During World War I, 10,000 soldiers from Leeds were killed and there were 80,000 who returned home looking for a better
life. It was estimated that between the wars 54,000 homes were required, principally to replace the slums of the type I back
to backs. Following the rent strikes that had taken place before the war, the Housing and Town Planning Act (the Addison
Act) 1919 gave Councils both the powers and the impetus to commence major slum clearance programmes and to provide
“Homes for Heroes”.
Leeds, being a compact city, chose to provide the majority of houses under the Act on greenfield sites on its periphery. Initially dwellings were designed around garden city-style development but these were not cost-effective and building and design standards soon slipped. In total, between the wars, it is estimated that only 3300 or 16% of new houses were built under
this regime. However, by 1924 it was estimated that the Addison Act style developments accounted for 62% of all new
properties built. These included developments at Crossgates, Hawkswood, Meanwood, Middleton and Wyther Park.
However, with the additional costs associated with travel and increased rent, whilst the properties built under the Addison
Act were clearly of a higher quality than those they replaced, this was at the expense of community life. Very few, if any,
facilities including shops banks and social facilities were provided in the new developments. In addition, residents found
there was a two shillings increase in rent and 16 shilling increase in rates that they had to find in addition to travel costs.
In order to provide the right framework for the new development, Councillors in Leeds got the best advice they could from
Garden City movement pioneers and from the Town Planning Association, before embarking upon the Hawksworth estate,
which was the pioneer for what became known as the “parlour house” dwelling types. They also visited New Earswick in
York.
However, whilst these new communities built under the Addison Act formed the beginning of much larger Council estate
developments that were to be created following the Second World War, because of the lack of community facilities, they
always lacked the heart that had been provided in the close-knit areas of back-to-back housing that adjoined the city centre,
written about by Richard Hoggart famously in recalling his Hunslet childhood.
CITY CENTRE TRANSFORMATION (1930S)
2 April 2014, Leeds — Tony Ray reports
John Thorp MBE, the Leeds Civic Architect, described how the ambitions of the 1930s were implemented during that decade and how they have influenced developments to this day. The Leeds Corporation’s ‘Tercentenary Handbook’ of 1926 stated
that ‘The science of town planning has indeed arrived, teaching us to look ahead’........Through its
new roads and its town planning scheme generally,
the community is now able to guide the growth and
control the building development of its own city’.
The new roads included the outer ring road, arterial
radial roads and, most significantly in the city centre, The Headrow. The existing properties on the
north side were demolished and replaced by a grand
unified frontage designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield. His neo-classical design, notably the arched
entrances to side roads, was based on the remodelled Quadrant on Regent Street in London. The
section in front of the Library/Art Gallery was not
implemented however, as in 1937 a vast new museum and art gallery was proposed with a ‘garden of
rest’. Because of the second world war this too was The Headrow: Sir Reginald Blomfield’s 1930s masterpiece under construction.
not implemented and, later in the 1980s, John Thorp
became involved in redesigning the entrance and facade to the original Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute facing the
now Victoria Gardens.
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To link the city centre to the proposed City Circle Road (inner ring road), Calverley Street was widened in a curved northwesterly direction and provided a new street frontage. The Civic Hall designed in an eclectic classical style by Vincent Harris was completed in 1933 and the Brotherton Wing to the Infirmary with its ‘ocean liner’ design, later in the 1930s. Both
related to this new street frontage and both were dressed in Portland Stone.
Another significant intervention in the 1930s was the merger of Wellington Station and New Station to create the City Station and the Queens Hotel in City Square. The new station concourse and hotel were designed by W.H. Hamlyn, architect to
the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in Art Deco style, with classical influences, and with hotel again faced in Portland Stone.
The first phase of the utopian Council flats at Quarry Hill at the eastern end of the new Headrow was opened in 1938 and
went on to house over 3,000 people. It was in complete contrast to the ‘garden suburb’ estates elsewhere in Leeds and was
based on Vienna’s Karl Marx Hof. It used prefabricated blocks of steel and concrete and incorporated the French ‘Garchy’
automatic waste disposal system. The estate included communal laundries, kindergartens, and courtyard gardens with playgrounds.
REBUILDING HULL:
THE ABERCROMBIE PLAN AND BEYOND (1940S)
13 May 2014, Hull — Christine Naylor repots
So many people drive through Hull en-route to the
ferry terminal and the continent but too few stop,
and don’t know that this is a 13th Century town
bought by Edward 1st in the 1290s (hence Kingston
upon Hull) and where the route of the city wall can
still be made out and followed. A 'potted history' of
the city includes the whaling and fishing industries;
shipbuilding; and the importance of the transmigration from North and East Europe through the port en
route to North America. In 1939 the port was the
third largest in the UK by tonnage. It was a very
proud city and the people were proud to be citizens
of Hull. That pride is building again as the city
moves to becoming the City of Culture in 2017.
Following the pride of the late 30s came, of course,
the devastation of WW2 and the scale of that devastation on Hull can be seen in images in the Abercrombie Plan. The City's response was to think, as
early as 1941, about how to rebuild and thus AberRenewed focus: Hull old town today.
crombie and Lutyens were appointed during the war
and reported back to the Council in 1944. Abercrombie said it was the best report he had been associated with. It was certainly comprehensive - addressing the city centre, industry, residential areas and green belts even with a proposed satellite
town on the garden city model to be built at Burton Constable. It looked at 17 new 'self centred' neighbourhoods of up to
10,000 people. In total 54,000 people were to be moved from slums to suburbia of modern estates and green parks. The Plan
included spectacular images of the transformation of the city centre. Abercrombie seemed uncertain about demolition of key
buildings that had escaped the bombing but also thinking that the opportunity for transformation by new development
shouldn’t be compromised by retention. So the plan was radical and the Hull Aldermen decided that it was up to the public
whether they would accept it or not. Unfortunately for Abercrombie the local businessmen and traders did not!
Why not? Probably local criticism and practicalities; strength of chamber of trade opposition; lack of funding and even
shortage of building materials after the war. And interestingly for us, as planners, was the recognition by the Council at the
end of the 1940s that although they had a big plan in 1944/5 they had missed out by not having a planning department or
people to implement it! So in 1948 Udolphus A. Coates was appointed, the first chartered planner appointed by the City, and
who became RTPI president in 1958/59. The businessmen, owners and investors of the city centre essentially won the day
against the Abercrombie Plan in the 1950s by rebuilding and expanding the shopping centre in its previous location and extending it northwards. That impacted on other aspects of the plan including for example the ring road.
Nevertheless the new development plan approved in 1954 did follow many of the ideas and ideals of the Abercrombie Plan.
Coates was in fact taught by Abercrombie. The neighbourhoods approach was developed, out of centre estates were laid out
with schools, playing fields, and libraries - at Langhill, for example, where much of the original layout and facilities are still there. The housing form followed the traditional Hull 'court' This seminar was kindly
sponsored by:
housing effectively moving people 6 miles across the city to housing of the same form but
with more space. One of the famous sons of Hull, Sir Tom Courtenay, was one who made
that move as a boy with his family.
The old town, left as a dark block of land in the Abercrombie Plan, started to be looked at in
the early 70s and declared as a conservation area in 1973 and at the same time the future of
the docks was starting to be looked at. But at that time innovation was in the new buildings
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of the university. Impressive buildings, such as a
large warehouse comparable to the Baltic at
Newcastle, were lost from the docklands.
The new local plan, is now out for consultation.
The Council has reacted and worked to facilitate
the Humber Enterprise Zone where the renewable energy investment led by Siemens at Greenport Hull should provide 1,000 jobs with an anticipated further 3,000 to 4,000 jobs in the supply chain. Local Development Orders are being
used to ease the planning process. Other major
investment is planned in the city centre and the
Fruit Market with City of Culture status coming.
The level of involvement of the private sector
has been very instrumental in winning the City
of Culture project. This perhaps contrasts with
the private sector undermining the Abercrombie
Plan back in the 1940s. Much of the debate in
planning in the city now revolves around the
Scale Lane Staith: Delegates admire the new public square adjacent to the new
need for enabling development in the centre but and award-winning Scale Lane Footbridge.
from the planners’ perspective not at all costs.
YORKSHIRE’S NATIONAL PARKS (1950S)
26 June 2014, Helmsley — Pat Sutor reports
The designation of the National Parks was part of the great movement of post-war national reconstruction, with the Moors in
1952 and the Dales two years later. Early planning was done through the county planning departments. Two later key dates
were 1974 when local government reorganisation saw most parks develop into being separate county council departments
and 1997 when all became separate and independent national park authorities (NPAs).
Derek Statham made an invaluable contribution
to both parks. He came to the North Riding CC
as National Parks Senior Planning Officer in
1964, with responsibilities for both the Moors
and the Dales. He was the first National Park
Officer (NPO) for the Moors from 1974 to 1994
and then became very active in the North Yorkshire Moors Association, latterly as president.
His fascinating memoirs describe many big
planning issues including the 1970s potash inquiry when he was in the delicate position of
having to argue against his employer, the
NRCC. Many of the early NPOs and other senior staff were chartered planners as back in 1974
there were few other professions or qualifications appropriate for national park management.
Now, forty years later, there are many staff in
the national parks from other backgrounds, with
valuable and relevant experience.
Early challenge: Ramblers approach the former radomes at RAF Fylingdales in
1980. Photo credit: © Syd Young on flickr, used with permission.
Early planning issues in the North York Moors
had included RAF Fylingdales, the Boulby potash mine and the proposed Farndale reservoir.
Affordable housing provision is a current planning success. Future planning challenges are potash mining again, gas exploration, wind farms on the park boundaries but no fracking - yet. There are fears about how the government's growth agenda
can be translated in these areas of extensive wild landscapes and a lack of understanding from the centre and lack of resources.
The Yorkshire Dales faces many of the same issues as the Moors, including high house prices, an economy dependent on
farming and tourism and cut or reduced services. 20% of the housing stock is second homes. There are development pressures on its special qualities (heritage, landscape, dark skies, tranquillity and ecology). The Dales is noted for its many field
barns (6,000). The NPA is particularly concerned at new PD rights proposed for their conversion, and has so far succeeded
in resisting them. Instead it has developed the concept of the barn pod - a package of internal works developed by Bristol
architects for appropriate new uses and needing minimal external alteration. The NPA generally aims at a positive and proactive approach to development management, and focuses on the quality of outcomes rather than process.
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ICONIC ARCHITECTURE AND THE NEW BRUTALISM (1960S)
10 July 2014, Sheffield — Andrew Towlerton reports
No visitor to Sheffield can have failed to
notice Park Hill Flats - for some they are an
'eye sore' but for many they are a thing of
beauty, and one of the best examples of
1960s 'new brutalism' architecture. The latter view was shared by the (then) Department of Culture, Media and Sport, which in
1998 awarded the Flats Grade 2* Listed
Building status.
Designed by Jack Lynn and Ivor Smith, the
Flats were designed as a radical and ambitious scheme to rehouse a whole local community of about 3,000 people. Consisting of
1-4 bedrooms flats, it was intended to be self
contained with its own shops, primary
school, and community and social facilities.
Its design was heavily influenced by the
work of French architect Le Corbusier, in
Park Hill Flats: Part of the Brutalist icon that has been redeveloped by Urban Splash.
particular his concept of "streets in the sky" Photo credit: Matt Collins on flickr.
a style often known as 'Brutalism'. When
completed in the early 1960s, Park Hills
Flats received international and national applause, and a positive response from its new tenants. Things began to change in
the 1970s and 80s when the popularity of the Flats began to generally wane and issues began to come to the fore with its
design.
In response to the concerns about the Flats’ on-going viability and vitality, Sheffield City Council, the former English Partnerships and other stakeholders and interested bodies came to together to put in place a plan of action to regenerate Park Hill
Flats. It was noted that other similar flats experiencing similar challenges had been demolished, such as the nearby Hyde
Park Estate. But whilst this had been considered for Park Hills Flats it was considered inappropriate, in particular due to its
Listed Building status. The City Council then sought private sector partners to lead the regeneration.
The starting point was the development of a masterplan for the development. This had at its heart retaining the architectural
character of the development and the creation of a vibrant community with a mix of tenures - owner occupation, socially
rented (approx. a third) and affordable for sale, together with some non-residential uses including bars and cafes and offices.
The development of this 'Masterplan' was the subject of extensive consultation with Sheffield City Council, partners such as
English Heritage and the Home and Communities Agency, as well as the local community. The funding for the project came
through a variety of sources, both public and private. It was noted however that when the project commenced, funding for
such projects was perhaps more easy to obtain than in these more austere times.
A phased approach was taken. The first stage commenced in 2007, and involved the development
This seminar was kindly
of over 300 apartments plus a nursery, all set within a high quality public realm. Great care was
taken with the design of the flats, in particular its facade. The aim was to blend the best of the new sponsored by:
with the old; for example, introducing 'loft living', and seeking to soften some of the 'brutalism' of
the original architecture through the innovative use of glass and other materials and landscaping.
Phase 1 of the project is proving to be popular. It has won national and international recognition,
and demand for properties is good, from former tenants as well as new tenants. However, like
Marmite - you either love or hate it!
"WE'VE GOT THE POWER!"
THE GOLDEN AGE OF INFRASTRUCTURE (1970S)
24 September 2014, Drax Power Station, Selby — Christine Naylor reports
The Drax plant is such as we will never see again—essentially 'gold plated' with back up after back up provided. The main
chimney stack is 259 metres high, there are 12 cooling towers—each 114m high, and 6 boilers each as high as a 15 storey
block. The power station provides 7-8% of UK electricity (8% means electricity for 6 million
homes!), and the first phase of the station became operational in 1974, with the second stage coming This seminar was kindly
sponsored by:
along in 1986.
It is here because of the Selby coalfield, but now 3 of the 6 turbines are being converted to biomass.
New structures on the site are domes for biomass storage. The biomass process is fuelled with
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bamboo, willow and eucalyptus but the major source is
now waste from North American forests formed into pellets. The sustainability of this element of the process at
Drax had just come under criticism with articles in the
press and television.
There is a new White Rose Carbon Capture and Storage
Project proposed immediately to the north of the current
Drax site. Impressive statistics again – this will be the
largest oxy-combustion project in the world and the plant
will capture 90% of the 2 million tons of CO2 produced
which will be transported through the National Grid's
proposed pipeline for permanent storage under the North
Sea.
An interesting look at the new national infrastructure
planning regime and back to the 1970s gave food for
thought on how best we can deliver these nationally important projects in a 'reasonable' timescale whilst giving
enough time for everyone to be consulted. Discussion
was led by Dr Jim Doyle of Drax power station and
Richard Glover of Squire Patton Boggs. There was some
nostalgia for what seems like the simpler, mainly nation- Immense: Cooling towers at Drax Power Station, near Selby.
alised, era of the 1970s. Perhaps that’s why so much was Photo credit: Les Haines on flickr.
achieved during the decade.
The tour of Drax power station is truly fascinating, and if you get the opportunity it is well worth a visit. Tours are available
to organised groups.
SOUTH YORKSHIRE COALFIELD “BACK IN BUSINESS” (1980S)
3 October 2014, Advanced Manufacturing Park, Rotherham — Stan Driver reports
The 1980’s was a time of drastic changes – high unemployment was accepted to keep inflation down, and deindustrialisation led to losses of 73% of jobs in deep coal mining, 34% in textiles, and 62% in iron and steel. The planning
profession was quiescent – seen as part of the problem. In South Yorkshire various solutions were tried, from Urban Development Corporations and an Enterprise Zone to various local authority led initiatives, and later European Union funds.
However the collapse of coal mining has left a continuing sense of loss and grieving.
The Advanced Manufacturing Park is on part of the Orgreave site, notorious in the miners’ strike on 18 June 1984. It was
conceived as a world-class manufacturing technology park in 2000, with an ideal site close to the M1, and in the heart of
South Yorkshire, eligible for European funding. 100 acres (40 ha.) of land have been reclaimed. The Advanced Manufacturing Park Technology Centre is one of three national assets
passed to the HCA on the closure of Regional Development Agencies. There are several other buildings (with
more under construction), and recently the Rolls Royce fan
blade manufacturing facility has been set up. Starter units
are occupied by small-scale dynamic companies.
The site as a whole is owned by Harworth Estates, the
land-holding company spun out of UK Coal. It occupies
the site of the former Orgreave colliery and coking plant,
subsequently reclaimed by open cast coal working. It covers 740 acres (almost 300 ha.), of which 300 acres (120
ha.) is green. Development of the remainder will include up
to 3,900 homes. 3 house builders are currently on site
building 220 homes, and land for a further 280 has been
sold. There will be a local centre, and hotel and commercial development. The HCA lent £10M for initial infrastructure.
In the 1980’s Doncaster had 12 collieries, with a further 4
just outside its boundaries. By 1985 there were 9, now
there is only one. Mining employment fell 96% in only 4
years. The skill profile has been poor, as in the past people
were given jobs and then trained, whereas now they are
expected to be trained first. The area’s assets include motorway connections and flat land for uses such as wareTransformed: The Advanced Manufacturing Park at Orgreave.
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housing. They also include the former RAF Finningley, now Doncaster’s Robin Hood Airport. Colliery tips (600 ha.) have
been mostly reclaimed as green space; the majority of pit yards are now housing sites. Colliery heritage includes Woodlands
Model Village at Adwick le Street. Major developments include the Redhouse/Chase Park at Brodsworth (warehousing), the
Waterfront development in Doncaster town centre, and a new rail-served inland port at Rossington. Part of the High Speed
Rail College is to be based in Doncaster. There are challenges in dealing with the pattern of dispersed settlements related to
former collieries, and in defining the future functions of Doncaster.
The modern architecture of the Advanced Manufacturing Park is quite impressive, but also very eclectic in that most of the
buildings differ from one another in appearance, even ones designed by the same Architects. This partly reflects the different
funding packages available when each came to be developed. The infrastructure (roads, drainage, etc.) is very extensive.
Housing development is quite conventional in appearance, but is seen as value for money compared with developments in
parts of Sheffield, for example. In conclusion, it seems fair to say that the South Yorkshire coalfield is “Back in Business”,
but there is more to do before the benefits spread right across the region.
REBIRTH OF LEEDS RIVERSIDE:
BY ACCIDENT OR DESIGN? (1990S)
20 November 2014, Leeds — Tony Ray reports
The rebirth of the Leeds riverside had been a long
term process, one involving both places and people and with respect for the past. Leeds’ history is
intrinsically linked to the river. Leeds Bridge is
particularly important, acting as a market place for
cloth until it moved to Briggate by the C17th. The
river was vital for the movement of goods and
with the growth of trade to the continent it was
made navigable all the way to Hull by the early
C18th (the Aire and Calder Navigation), followed
by the construction of the Leeds and Liverpool
Canal in 1777. As the Industrial Revolution took
off during the C18th and C19th, warehouses and
mills were built extensively along the river bank
with a new dock built in 1830.
However, by the second half of the C20th decline
had set in and in 1972 Ian Nairn made a film mak- New Dock: Delegates hear about the new plans for Leeds Waterfront.
ing the case for the need to regenerate the riverside. The first substantive response to this took the form of a plan of action called ‘City Centre Riverside’ (1985). In 1988
the Leeds Development Corporation (LDC) was established and the first regeneration scheme got underway – the Design
Innovation Centre on the north bank.
Two new Conservation Areas were designated in Holbeck in 1991 and the Eastern Riverside in 1994 and a Planning Framework for the Swinegate area prepared, including a proposed new bridge over the river to Meadow Lane (still not built). The
LDC lasted until 1995 and obtained significant grant funding for regeneration schemes along the waterfront. Much of the
new development was traditional in style with red brick and pitched roofs but there remained a lack of active frontages to
the river, as highlighted in the Leeds Civic Trust report in 1999 entitled ‘Whose Waterfront is it?’.
In 1996 the Royal Armouries opened at Clarence (now Leeds) Dock
with a new pedestrian bridge link across the river. In the 2000s
Clarence Dock was fully developed, together with Brewery Wharf
and its Millennium Footbridge, and later, Granary Wharf. In 2002
the Leeds Waterfront Strategy was published addressing broader
issues such as accessibility to the wider city centre. This was extended further in 2011 with the South Bank Planning Statement.
Allied London (the new owners of Leeds Dock) have a number of
proposals including ‘The Engine’, previously a casino but to be
completely refurbished externally and internally for a variety of
quality workspaces and ‘The Hello Hub’, a flexible co-working
shared facility, part of a national network of similar hubs. New retail and leisure facilities, including a gym, are also to be added to
the eastern side of the dock, with more ‘green’ public realm. Allied
London also has an events programme, including regular markets,
Catalyst: 1990s Leeds Development Corporation plan for the particularly at weekends, which will enhance the Dock’s role as a
primary destination within the city centre.
Royal Armouries site. Courtesy Leeds City Council.
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REMAKING THE PUBLIC REALM FOR THE MILLENIUM (2000S)
4 December 2014, Sheffield — Bob Wolfe reports
A small, and if I may say it, select band of RTPI enthusiasts were treated to an engaging and passionate presentation with
associated study tour of the Sheffield Gold Route and Heart of the City public realm improvements that have done so much
to reinvigorate the city centre, following decades of decline through disinvestment and manufacturing decline. On a cold
winter’s evening in December delegates were privileged to hear from Simon Ogden who has led the regeneration process in
Sheffield for some 30 years.
Sheffield’s Gold Route is a series of spectacular spaces and streets, centred on the Heart of the City project, which has come
to symbolise the city’s economic and cultural renaissance. It provides a network that takes the visitor arriving at the train
station to the University of Sheffield campus. This includes Sheaf Square, Howard Street, Millennium Galleries, Winter
Gardens, Millennium Square and Peace Gardens and Barkers Pool, which provides a functional yet elegant backdrop to the
beautifully refurbished City Hall, one of the finest auditoria in the county.
Each space in the Gold Route provides its own distinctive character with focal elements including water features, lighting
and public art. However the skill and vision that has
been bought to the spaces enable each to belong to a
family with common themes and materials including flowing water, finely crafted metal and Pennine
sandstone. These elements provide the fundamentals of Sheffield’s history and character.
The Gold Route provides an important axis which
links both of Sheffield’s universities. It was initially
identified in the 1994 city centre strategy master
plan. It provides a focus for a large amount of new
development that has, and is, taking place along its
entire length. Where it crosses Sheffield’s main
shopping spine defines the Heart of the City.
Sheffield City has shown great vision and determination in carrying out and persevering with a design
concept which has withstood the passage of time
and the vagaries of the development process. Design concepts and quantitative implementation have
ensured that the translation from master plan to the Peace Gardens: People enjoy the summer sun in Sheffield city centre.
delivery of the concept has been highly successful. Photo credit: IzaD KasmijaN on flickr.
CENTENARY VOLUNTEERING
Alyson Linnegar reflects on a day with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
In our Centenary year we offered members the opportunity to volunteer with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust with
woodland planting and other environmental improvements. RTPI member Alyson Linnegar wrote about her day:
I received my instructions - report to the Field Officer at 9am, wear suitable clothing, stout footwear and bring a packed
lunch. Apart from that I had no idea what my day would entail. I had decided to spend a ‘practical conservation day’ with
the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT) as part of the RTPI Centenary commemorations.
I asked to volunteer at Potteric Carr, a nature reserve on the south side of Doncaster, an area of managed marshland. I arrived to find at least 12 other volunteers (none from the RTPI!) chatting and drinking coffee and awaiting instructions from
the YWT Field Officer, Mark. Some of the volunteers are retired people, others unemployed young people looking for a
job, and others just wanting a time out from their ‘day job’. I was soon made to feel welcome and was ‘shown the ropes’ by
Mark and the other volunteers, some of whom have been volunteering for many years.
We were told that our day would comprise the final stage of clearing parts of the reed beds, a job that other volunteers had
been carrying out for several weeks. Reed cutting is carried out on a 10-year rotation with different blocks cut each year of
the cycle to increase structure and diversity and prevent the invasion of scrub. We collected a variety of tools from the shed
and set to work. This involved cutting back the willow growing within the reeds, strimming and collecting the cut reeds and
making huge piles which were then set alight. I tried to ignore some of the tales about other volunteers singeing their eyebrows from previous fires. Apparently reeds can burn fiercely once alight and fires can get out of control.
3 hours after starting we stopped for a welcome break for lunch but were soon back working in the afternoon until we saw
water at the end of the reedbed – a welcome sight after our 6 hour day. My day was enjoyable, I spent 6 hours outside in the
fresh air, chatting to new and interesting people, and carrying out a worthwhile job to improve the reedbeds on the reserve. I
was tired though, and various parts of my anatomy ached for several days afterwards. Still I reckon my fitness has improved, and it was definitely preferable to a workout in the gym. So I would recommend members who have a day free, to
volunteer and do something different to show your commitment to the environment.
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PRESIDENT’S REGIONAL VISIT
Report on Cath Ranson’s visit to Yorkshire in July 2014
Each year the Regional Chair hosts a visit by the RTPI President to the Region. For 2014, the purpose of the President's
visit to Yorkshire was




to meet planners and other built environment professionals in the Region;
to see some significant planning projects within the Region;
to attend the Region's set-piece networking and celebration event of the year, the RTPI Yorkshire Centenary
Reception at the National Railway Museum in York; and
to present the 2014 RTPI Yorkshire Planning Excellence Awards.
Here we report on the President's trips as part of her visit to Yorkshire.
Visit to Waverley, 9 July 2014
The RTPI President, Cath Ranson, accompanied by the RTPI
Yorkshire Chair, Simon Smales, visited the Waverley housing
scheme and Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham.
Waverley in many ways symbolises the past, present and future of
the economy, planning and businesses in South Yorkshire, from its
time as a colliery at the centre of the miners strikes to the huge
investment of public funds and private sector finance and the attracting of Boeing and Rolls Royce to the site. It has many complicated planning, environmental and inward investment issues and
the nature of the mixed-use development illustrates how many sec- Big plans: Duncan Armstong-Payne of Harworth Estates
tors and professions have worked together on an iconic and exoutlines to the President future development proposals at
tremely difficult site and project.
Waverley.
Cath met with Duncan Armstrong-Payne (Project Manager at Harworth Estates), Jane Hunt (Waverly Project Manager for
the Homes and Communities Agency) and Bronwen Knight (Head of Development Management at Rotherham Council)
who presented the Council’s corporate and planning views on the development over time and in the future.
Roundtable at Derwenthorpe, 10 July 2014
The President attended a roundtable, with presentations from Philip Barnes (Barrett Developments), Philly Hare (Joseph
Rowntree Foundation) and Paul Murrain (Paul Murrain Urban Design) in order to discuss some of the key planning issues
within the region with Chief Planners and heads of planning consultancies.
The meeting was hosted by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JRHT) and included a visit for delegates to the Derwenthorpe housing development, accompanied by Nigel Ingram (JRHT) to demonstrate affordable and sustainable housing.
Paul Murrain provided a perspective on urbanism and the role of planners. Simon Smales (RTPI Yorkshire Chair) chaired
the roundtable discussion which saw the exchange of views, comments, questions and deliberations, including challenging
whether planners are doing enough and exploring what can be done better.
After a tremendously successful visit the President then left York for her very long train journey back to Pembrokeshire,
having been very impressed by the projects she viewed and the people she met.
Justly proud: Nigel Ingram of Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust shows
the Presidential delegation around Derwenthorpe, York.
Award winner: Derwenthorpe was winner of the RTPI
Yorkshire Planning Excellence Award 2014.
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RTPI YORKSHIRE EXCELLENCE AWARD 2014
Celebrating great planning in our region
The RTPI Yorkshire Planning Excellence Award was presented by RTPI President Cath Ranson at the Centenary Reception
in York (page 3). The award celebrates and recognises the highest quality planning work in the Yorkshire Region. As is
fitting in the RTPI's Centenary year, the competition in 2014 was fierce, with a high number of entries received, drawn from
across the region.
Competition entries were judged by a sub-group of the Regional Activities Committee on criteria including originality,
regional significance, community involvement and the creation of economic, social and environmental benefit.
The 2014 award was won by Richards Partington Architects for its ground breaking Derwenthorpe scheme in York.
This is a mixed tenure, multi award winning sustainable community of 540 high quality, energy efficient homes on the periphery of York, being developed on behalf of the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust (JHRT). The first phase, consisting of 64
homes, was completed in March 2013 and construction of the next phase is underway. The design draws on the rich architectural legacy of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's century-old model village at nearby New Earswick. Careful choice of
materials and detailing, combined with large steeply pitched roofs, painted brickwork and striking dormer windows, create a
distinctive sense of place. Priority is given to pedestrians and the extensive public landscape is integral to the development.
All homes are designed to 'Lifetime Homes' standards and Code for Sustainable Homes level 4/5.
Excellence Award Winner 2014: Derwenthorpe, York Photo: Tim Crocker.
Nigel Ingram of JRHT collects the Excellence Award for
Derwenthorpe on behalf of Richard Partington
Architects.
Sheffield City Council was 'highly commended' for its Nur ser y Str eet and Edwar d Str eet Br eathing Spaces pr ojects.
This was a combined entry for Nursery Street Park and Edward Street Park; one new and one remodelled public space within Sheffield city centre. The parks were submitted in their own right as examples of high quality public realm completed in
the past two years, with the benefits that they bring to local communities, quality of place and future regeneration. They are
exemplars of the strategic approach that SCC has adopted to delivering a network of local spaces across the city centre.
John Stonnard and Maria Duffy of Sheffield City Council
collect their Highly Commended award certificate from
Cath Ranson.
Highly Commended: The Nursery Street Park in Sheffield.
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THE ‘LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE’ PROJECT
Members from around the Region share their experience
In our Centenary year we asked some of our longest serving members and also some of our young planners to tell us about
their planning experiences and the lessons they have learnt during their careers. An edited selection is presented below but
read them all in full on our website at:
http://www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/rtpi-yorkshire/rtpi-centenary-2014/learning-from-experience/ .
PETER SPAWFORTH MBE
Peter Spawforth MBE was born in Wakefield in 1936 but
moved to Leeds before WW2.
What was your first planning job?
Dewsbury Architecture and Planning Department 1962 –
creating a town centre master plan.
What was it that got you interested in planning in the first place?
Ian Nairn’s issue of Architectural Review in 1955 entitled
‘Outrage’.
Who, if anyone, inspired you to get into planning?
Conrad Smigielski, Head of the Town Planning School and
Lecturer at the Leeds School of Architecture
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
The wholesale pedestrianisation of central Leeds (including the
upper level walkways) and the creation of the Wakefield Planning Department with its enthusiastic staff, in 1974.
How would you say that the challenges
now differ from those when you started
out?
Little freedom to implement radical
change or innovate now due to the
extent of Planning rules and regulations.
What would you say has been the highlight of your career?
Receiving in Berlin, with the rest of the team in 1984, the
European top award for the development of The Ridings
Shopping Centre in Wakefield
What has been your greatest disappointment?
Much of the ineffectiveness of sixty years of development
control; huge areas of post-war development remain
environmentally blighted.
MIKE CROFT
Mike was born in 1937 in Nottinghamshire and educated in
Leeds.
What was your first planning job?
Planning Assistant, Leeds City Engineer’s Dept (in 1960;
weekly pay packet with 11 pound notes and some loose
change).
What was it that got you interested in planning in the first place?
University lecture series called “Geography and Planning”.
Plus sheer terror at the thought of the imminent implementation of my original career choice (school teaching).
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
Perhaps managing the first ever metropolitan county structure
plan (South Yorkshire, 1974-77); or simply sustaining an inspecting career for 27 years (so far).
What, if anything, do you regret?
Not always getting the work-life balance right. Not getting some interesting jobs along the way. Not studying
interview techniques till it was too
late.
Which two individuals would you invite
to your ideal dinner party?
Richard Dawkins and (assuming current state of health is no
bar) King Henry VIII – I wonder where their minds might
meet.
How would you say that the challenges now differ from those when
you started out?
The need to be so much more adaptable as the pace of change
increases.
EMMA LANCASTER
Emma is a young planner who began her planning career in
2006 at Hambleton District Council and currently works for
Spawforths.
What got you into planning in the first place?
My undergraduate degree in Geography left me with a keen
interest in the development of towns and cities, urban design
and sustainable development.
What would you say has been the highlight of your career, so far?
Being promoted to Team Leader of the Strategic Development
Management Team at East Riding of Yorkshire Council in
2012, at the age of 26 and after 5 years in the planning profession.
Which three words best describe what you feel about your role in
planning?
Challenging, Accountable, and Varied
If you had the ear of the Planning
Minister, which piece of planning
reform would you advocate or ask to
be ditched, and why?
I would ask the Minister to
reconsider the criteria for
designation.
Looking forward, what would you see as the greatest challenges
facing the environmental and planning professions over the next
ten years?
Meeting the needs of an aging population; Accommodating
and supporting economic growth in a truly sustainable way;
and Managing energy demands and the environmental effects
of energy infrastructure (including public perception of these).
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CENTENARY FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT
Matt Gibson reports on the Centenary Football Tournament, held in Leeds
The Region’s first 5-a-side football tournament for
several years was held on 13th September with 8
teams competing for the coveted trophy. This year’s
tournament was proficiently hosted by the team at
Goals Soccer Centre off Kirkstall Road in Leeds.
The morning saw the group stages of the event with
some tightly contested fixtures. The top two teams
from each group then progressed through to the semifinals. The teams Barratt and David Wilson Homes
and Harron Homes, unbeaten in their respective
groups, won their games and were matched in what
promised to be a compelling final. After a hard fought
battle the superior finishing and desire from the Harron Homes team, led by captain Daniel Starkey, saw
them victorious.
The runners up received medals presented by GVA’s
Victorious: The Harron Homes team celebrate their win.
Chris Jones who kindly sponsored the event, followed
by a presentation of the winners trophy all followed by a few celebratory drinks and a plentiful buffet at the centre.
The event will be staged again in 2015 and it is hoped that, with a few format changes, the tournament will continue to
grow. So dust off your mouldies and get your team together in readiness for what should prove to be a popular yearly event
on the Yorkshire planning calendar.
CENTENARY PUB QUIZ
Fierce competition as teams from across the Region battled it out
The Centenary Pub Quiz was held on 3rd April at the Bierkeller in Leeds. This was a tremendous
success with a sell-out crowd of over 100 participants. Planners from across the Region battled it
out in a closely contested event that tested knowledge of the region in a popular picture round as
well as planning and general knowledge rounds.
This event was kindly
sponsored by:
Congratulations to the winning team, led by Jonathan Brown of South Yorkshire PTE.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE YEAR AHEAD
A note from our 2015 Chair, Jennifer Winyard
As our Centenary Year has drawn to a close we have reflected on a very successful
year. 2014 was a very special year for the RTPI and it was fantastic to see the Yorkshire
region engaging passionately in the celebrations. I am keen to build on this success
through the coming months and the Committee are excited to be looking ahead on a wide
range of local activities.
Whilst we are optimistic about the future of the industry we are still facing a serious
skills shortage owing to demand from the growing economy twinned with companies
laying off staff and not hiring during the recession. A key initiative this year is to promote the planning profession and to successfully develop our links with the other institutions in the built environment. We are looking to you as members to support us in doing
that and participating in carrying forward the work of the Institute and in raising our
profile as Planners amongst our professional peers.
We want as many of you as possible to contribute to this work and we are excited about
the new opportunities the new year will bring. Our committee is continuing to grow and
we welcome Phil Crabtree as this year’s Vice Chair. We have achieved many great
things as an Institute in 2014 and I am keen to continue to build on our achievements in
2015 and beyond.
To get more involved with RTPI Yorkshire we would love to hear from you. Please
contact me at [email protected] .
RTPI YORKSHIRE CONFERENCE SERIES
Our 2015 programme
Affordable local CPD developed in the region by RTPI Yorkshire in partnership with Leeds Beckett University and
Sheffield Hallam University in response to your suggestions. For full details and booking forms available online:
www.rtpi.org.uk/the-rtpi-near-you/rtpi-yorkshire/events/yorkshire-conference-series/ .
Thursday,
19 February
Leeds
Forward Planning: Regaining the initiative
Wednesday,
18 March
York
Constructive Conservation at the Heart of Place-making
Wednesday,
29 April
Sheffield
Moving Forward against the Housing Crisis
Thursday,
21 May
York
The Development Management Law Conference
Wednesday,
17 June
Leeds
Improving the Design Quality of Housing Developments
Wednesday,
15 July
Sheffield
Economic Growth: Are we ready?
Thursday,
24 September
York
Professional Practice: Adapting to current changes
Wednesday,
21 October
Sheffield
Regenerating Town Centres
What can planners do to reclaim a central role in strategic and spatial plan making? This conference takes an overview of the evolving picture, invites ideas from key thinkers and looks at examples of good practice in strategic
thinking, forward planning and cooperation in this region and beyond
At this conference, discover how Constructive Conservation has brought the sustainable management of heritage
assets into mainstream planning activity. With great historic towns and cities, national parks and world heritage
sites, Yorkshire is well placed to understand the lessons of positive heritage and landscape planning throughout town
& country.
The increase in housing prices in certain regions of the UK (notably London) has led to large value mortgages and a
disparity between housing supply and demand. This conference considers government schemes, the ‘right to buy /
help to buy’ initiative and the role of planning to find more local solutions to the housing problem. The impact of
welfare reform will also be considered.
At this time of many changes, this conference addresses a range of different, topical aspects of development management from a legal perspective. It is presented by planning solicitors DWF LLP, with added input from No 5
Chambers, and will be of interest to planners, planning lawyers and others engaged in planning “at the sharp end”.
Given the pressures upon local authorities to deliver housing allocations and a 5-year supply, it is more important
than ever to ensure future residential developments and proposals are of high quality design. Focusing on best practice, design guidance and case studies, this conference explores the ways in which good, sustainable housing design
can be encouraged, approved and built.
This conference explores growth strategies and fostering growth in the UK. The overall strategy for economic development will be debated, as well as consideration of how planning supports growth through the preparation of local
plans, the role of strategic planning and development plan preparation.
At a time of great change, and after the General Election, it is essential for the planning practitioner to have the right
skills, knowledge and aptitude. This conference considers recent reforms including the National Planning Policy
Framework, National Planning Practice Guidance, neighbourhood planning and new procedures for appeals. We are
especially pleased to welcome the Chief Planner at DCLG to this important conference.
The need to make our town centres more social places with vibrant evening economies, as well as offering more
exciting experiences, is an issue for planning and regeneration professionals. This conference explores mixed uses
and the challenges of developing and managing town centres.
Annual Planning Law Update
Thursday,
12 November There is currently a great deal of change in English planning law. The annual planning law update reviews significant statutory changes, important appeal and court decisions and other developments. This has been one of the highLeeds
lights of the RTPI Yorkshire conference programme for over thirty years for planners, lawyers and built environment specialists. It is presented in association with Squire Patton Boggs LLP.
Wednesday,
9 December
Leeds
Planning for and by Communities
Public participation has been the hallmark of planning policy for decades, but deep-rooted tensions continue between
the aspirations of local communities and the requirements of strategic and market-led development. This conference
explores these tensions through the experiences of communities and practitioners engaged in 'bottom-up' planning
initiatives.
R O OT & B R A N C H
T H E
N E W S L E T T E R
RTPI Yorkshire
c/o 41 Botolph Lane
London
EC3R 8DL
O F
R T P I
Y O R K S H I R E
REGIONAL CO-ORDINATOR
Trish Cookson
020 7929 8192
07738 023302 (not Fridays)
[email protected]
YORKSHIRE REGION CHAIR 2015
Jennifer Winyard
[email protected]
ROOT & BRANCH CENTENARY
EDITION EDITOR
Richard Crabtree
Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) is a charity
registered in England 262865 and Scotland
SC037841.
Registered office: Royal Town Planning Institute,
41 Botolph Lane, London, EC3R 8DL