‘World Class Places’ – Minimum design standards for all new public buildings
On 12 May 2009 the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
Hazel Blears and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport launched a new
Government strategy, 'World Class Places - The Government's strategy for improving
the quality of place'. This new strategy aims to look at ways in which the Government
will build on its record of promoting good architecture and conserving the historic
environment.
The World Class Places strategy urges councils and developers to put good planning,
local character and high quality design at the heart of development in order to
create environments which provide places of quality to live, work and bring up a
family.
This cross-government strategy aims to bring together the different elements of
the built environment from new public buildings and regeneration, to heritage and
conservation, and envisages the coming together of a wide range of public and private operators, who each have a role to play in the development process.
In order to assist this process Government will also be establishing an integrated
set of design quality standards for homes and neighbourhoods to ensure ongoing quality
of design.
The Quality of Place Strategy outlines seven key objectives to:
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Strengthen leadership on quality of place at national and
regional level. Actions include boosting the role of ministerial design champions.
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Encourage local civic leaders and local government to prioritise quality of place.
Actions include improving support and training on quality of place for civic leaders
and planning committee members.
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Ensure relevant government policy, guidance and standards consistently promote quality
of place and are user-friendly. Actions include introducing new planning policy
on the historic environment and green infrastructure.
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Put the public and community at the centre of place-shaping. Actions include promoting
and funding more user engagement in the design of new public buildings.
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Ensure all development for which central government is directly responsible is built
to high design and sustainability standards and promotes quality of place. Actions
include establishing design thresholds for all new government funded building programmes.
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Encourage higher standards of market-led development. Actions include developing
and promoting the business case for investing in high quality development.
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Strengthen quality of place skills, knowledge and capacity. Actions include strengthening
the Government's regional offer to local authorities, public services and developers. |
As part of the World Class Places strategy, the Government pledges to provide new
government-funded building programmes, including social housing, schools, and health
centres. There is also a pledge from the Commission for Architecture and the Built
Environment (CABE) that their team of design experts will be available to assist
in advising or reviewing upcoming significant public sector projects in order to
assist public bodies in meeting the aims under the initiative.
The Department for Culture Media and Sport, CABE and English Heritage will be working
in partnership with Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Homes and Communities
Agency on developing an action plan as to how the strategic objectives and actions
set out in 'World Class Places' can be delivered. This action plan is to be published
summer 2009 and will include delivery plans and timetables.
For more details and to read the World Class Places strategy paper in full please
visit
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/worldclassplaces.
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For More Information Contact:
Pav Jawanda
TPP Law Limited
53 Great Suffolk Street
London SE1 ODB
t 020 7620 0888
f 020 7620 0778
e info@tpplaw.co.uk
Email: Pav
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