Pink zones
The Centre for Policy Studies is a non-profit-making organisation, which ‘…develops and promotes policies to limit the role of the state, to encourage enterprise and to enable the institutions of society’. It is right-leaning, and has strong links to the Conservative Party.
On 20 May 2016, it published 'A Convergence of Interests', a report written by Keith Boyfield and Daniel Greenberg.
The report is a response to the housing crisis, which in 2015, saw just 136,000 new homes completed in England, well below the need for 250,000 new homes a year if the Government is to meet its target of 1 million new homes by 2020.
The report argues that all the pre-conditions are in place to allow a rapid increase in house building:
- The prevalence of ‘nimbyism’ (not in my back yard ism) is in decline as people increasingly appreciate the need for more housing.
- Institutional capital is more interested in investing in housing and infrastructure.
- Local authorities are more prepared to consider ambitious developments.
The report suggests that Government should exploit the opportunity created by this mixture of conditions by creating ‘Pink Zones' which bring together, through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), all the local interests necessary to ‘…found stable and attractive communities’. The concept already exists in the USA, and has been implemented in cities such as Phoenix, Arizona.
Pink Zones are areas with a ‘diluted’ regulatory regime which:
- Provide a streamlined planning system.
- Work from the bottom up, not the top down to bring together residents, developers and councils to achieve a consensus about new development.
- Increase competition, bypass many current planning regulations and improve design standards.
The report proposes that rolling out pink zones would involve the re-designation of some green belt land, suggesting that the area of greenbelt has more than doubled since 1979, and much of this land ‘is hardly green’.
Designated pink zones could use Compulsory Purchase Orders where necessary and offer direct compensation for those affected by any proposed development.
Report author Keith Boyfield, a leading economist and research fellow at the Centre for Policy Studies said, “Ultimately Pink Zones would create more and better homes for people throughout the country and tackle the poverty of aspiration which typifies much residential construction in this country. Our Pink Planning proposals create a mechanism whereby a convergence of interests can be taken forward. By encouraging Special Purpose Vehicles to emerge, Pink Planning, with its streamlined planning framework and a single consenting regime, can bring together all the relevant parties to create new developments that are finely tuned to the needs of individual communities.”
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles and news
An introduction to WERCS and WEEE responsibilities
Dealing 2 million tonnes of waste equipment a year.
Global BACS Market: analytics and optimisation
A BSRIA glance at building automation and control systems.
What it is and how to use it.
Types of insulating plaster by binder and insulant.
Investors in People: CIOB achieves gold
Reflecting a commitment to employees and members.
Scratching beneath the surface; a guide to selection.
ECA 2024 Apprentice of the Year Award
Entries open for submission until May 31.
UK gov apprenticeship funding from April 2024
Brief summary the policy paper updated in March.
For the World Autism Awareness Month of April.
70+ experts appointed to public sector fire safety framework
The Fire Safety (FS2) Framework from LHC Procurement.
Project and programme management codes of practice
CIOB publications for built environment professionals.
Sustainable development concepts decade by decade.
The regenerative structural engineer
A call for design that will repair the natural world.
Buildings that mimic the restorative aspects found in nature.
CIAT publishes Principal Designer Competency Framework
For those considering applying for registration as a PD.
Introducing or next Guest Editor Arun Baybars
Practising architect and design panel review member.