Creating A Constructive Interface Between Community Planning and Land Use (Spatial) Planning

Professor Greg Lloyd and Gavan Rafferty (Ulster)

With the emerging Local Government (Reform) Bill, Community Planning offers an innovative way to consider how public services are planned and delivered. In appreciating how this new function aligns with the main aspirations of the Programme for Government, Community Planning should be considered in relation to the wider programme of local government modernisation and public service reform to articulate a new arena within which to integrate service delivery and spatial practices across differentiated scales. The recent Planning Act (Northern Ireland) 2011 provides for the transfer of the majority of planning functions from central government to district councils. The transfer of functions and new powers are to be introduced as part of local government reorganisation to promote greater collaborative working, the creation of shared spaces and services, and deliver significant social change, chiefly under the strategic objectives of building a stronger and shared society (Programme for Government, 2012). While two distinct activities, community planning and land use (spatial) planning have similarities, for example, creating and promoting strategic visions for development, service provision and social change. This presentation will draw on a synthesis of research evidence and policy documentation from community planning models elsewhere to inform how a constructive interface between land use (spatial) planning and community planning could be created in the new governance landscape to ensure the processes are complementary and symbiotic.

Date of seminar: 28 November 2013.