2020 Vision: Planning in a post-COVID world

England’s newly launched National Planning Forum (NPF) 2020 Vision explores Planning in a post-COVID world, featuring contributions by 28 leading planning-linked bodies - from the Woodland Trust and Historic Houses to the Home Builders Federation and Natural England, alongside IHBC Chair David McDonald calling for a ‘structured rebellion’ against demolition.

The NPF writes:

Over the summer the Forum has been asking organisations across the planning, development and environmental fields to set out the changes that they think will be necessary to respond to the challenges and opportunities faced in a post-COVID world.

Organisations were encouraged to think holistically and both inside and outside their own ‘box’ not only in the light of the current planning system but also about how the Government’s ‘Planning for the Future’ might meet those challenges.

28 organisations, from across the sectors embraced by the Forum, responded to the call and the Forum then invited seven commentators from across the planning spectrum, to respond from various perspectives such as health and well-being, the law, housing, infrastructure, local government and non-governmental organisations.

Planning in a post-COVID world needs to be very different to be able to respond to post COVID challenges and opportunities, eg. support and boost the economy, respond to new ways of working and travelling, create places that work for the new normal and address health and wellbeing.

The Forum has asked organisations from each of the five sectors embraced by the Forum’s membership, to set out the changes they consider are necessary to respond to the challenges and opportunities that are faced

Contributions were received from the following organisations:

• Academy of Urbanism
• Alan Law, Deputy Chief Executive, Natural England
• Association of Consultant Architects
• British Chambers of Commerce
• British Property Federation
• British Retail Consortium
• Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation
• Country Land & Business Network
• County Councils Network
• CPRE
• Create Streets
• Design Council
• District Councils Network
• Friends of the Earth
• Historic Houses
• Home Builders Federation
• Institute of Historic Building Conservation
• Landscape Institute
• Locality
• National Federation of Builders
• National Farmers Union
• Place Alliance
• Royal Town Planning Institute
• RSPB
• Theatres Trust
• Town & Country Planning Association
• Urban Design Group
• Woodland Trust

Commentators

• Jan Bessell, Strategic Planning Adviser, Pinsent Masons
• Professor Sir Malcolm Grant
• Hashi Mohamed, Barrister, No 5 Chambers
• Liz Peace CBE, Chairman, Old Oak & Park Royal Development Corporation
• Steve Quartermain CBE,
• Dame Fiona Reynolds
• Mark Southgate, Chief Executive, MOBIE

Download The 2020 Vision

Watch the launch event

This article was originally published in the IHBC NewsBlog on 23 October 2020.

--Institute of Historic Building Conservation

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Commons Committee report on High Street support addresses evidence submitted by IHBC.
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