Working Together A Guide for Planners and Housing Providers

Planners and housing providers have to contend with very different constraints on their activities - inevitably leading to a certain amount of disagreement and tension. It is not always easy to reconcile the demands of local public opinion and government policy on the one hand with financial demands on the other. Working Together endeavours to help ease these tensions. It examines the working relationships between housing providers (private housebuilders, registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authority housing departments) and planners. Based on research conducted by the Bartlett School of Planning, the guide identifies and explains the motivations and constraints of the different groups involved in providing housing. The aim of this publication is to help all parties meet their own objectives in a mutually supportive and positive manner and to promote sharing of ideas across organisations. This is achieved through the assembly of twelve in-depth good practice examples, which have identified five routes to better practice. The guide offers practical solutions to overcoming the stresses inherent in housebuilding. More positive working relationships will deliver more efficient and effective development and planning processes as well as creating better quality housing. Working Together is supported jointly by The Royal Town Planning Institute, The Housing Corporation, House Builders Federation, National Housing Federation and Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. It is their belief that by adopting the principles outlined in Working Together, benefits will accrue not only to housing consumers, but also to all the parties involved in housing development.