Planners as visionaries: the need for strong planning partnerships | Policy blog

An evidence-based approach to planning for accessible homes has the potential to strategically promote inclusive design through the adoption of specific Local Plan policies, which marry identified need with minimum requirements, says Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) chartered member and Policy and Practice Advisor, Claire Stafford.  Read on to learn why she believes availability of accessible homes is pivotal to overcoming barriers to personal independence.

At present, building regulation M4(3) Category 3: Wheelchair user dwellings sets out optional technical standards which local authorities can apply through local planning policies where a local need has been identified, and where viability is not compromised.

The situation is more specific in London, where London Plan Policy D7 requires at least 10% of dwellings to meet this building regulation across all tenures. Outside of London, however, the adoption of policies stipulating minimum requirements has been disappointingly low.

Build accessible from the get-go

Local authorities are repeatedly failing to adequately plan for wheelchair accessible homes, meaning disabled people are facing long housing searches, which often result in poor quality homes that undermine their health and wellbeing. This issue is stark within the rented sector, and directly impacts on individual daily lives, leaving certain sections of society unable to visit friends or relatives due to steps at the principal entrance of dwellings.

This situation is exacerbated by the wider context of the housing crisis, in conjunction with de-regulated permitted development rights, which, as emphasised within the Healthy Homes Campaign, is resulting in poor quality and unsuitable housing.

Despite the broad consensus that the provision of affordable housing for vulnerable groups can lead to improvements in social, behavioural and health-related outcomes, research from the Equality and Human Rights Commission notes that viability appraisals are often barriers to increasing the build-out of accessible housing.

Nevertheless, as acknowledged in Government guidance, it is better to focus on building out accessible housing from the outset, rather than making adaptions at a later stage, both in cost terms and the immeasurable value of people being able to remain safe and independent in their home.

Partnerships & local policy making

Crucially, to ensure that planning for wheelchair user homes moves into a more central position at the national level, there needs to be a more collaborative partnership between public health, social care and the planning profession.

An obvious way in which to foster greater partnerships is to promote an evidence-based approach, to ensure that demand and supply are much more closely monitored.

With research highlighting how health and wellbeing evidence is often siloed, Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNA) offer a particular opportunity to ensure that  crucial data about a community’s health needs is more effectively and prominently fed into the development of Local Plans.

JSNAs include key insights into current and future needs of wheelchair users, bringing together local authorities, NHS partners, public health and social care services. Accordingly, these assessments should be regarded as a key resource in aligning the agendas of local policy and practice towards inclusive design.

Inclusive design is more likely to be achieved when it is considered at every stage of the development process from inception to completion. As noted within Government guidance, the most effective way to maximise accessibility for everyone is for all parties to consider inclusive design from the outset of the process.

Breaking down barriers through inclusive design

The promotion of inclusive design, facilitated by an enhanced evidence-based approach, can break down unnecessary physical and psychological barriers and exclusions caused by the poor design of buildings and places.

A shift to increasing the build-out of wheelchair user homes would provide individuals with invaluable independence and agency, which has been proven to foster greater mental wellbeing.

Independent living also alleviates social care costs and reduces barriers to access to the job market. Indeed, studies have shown that the cost of making new homes accessible and enforcing this is ‘de minimis’ compared to the economic gain over time.

As such, there is an urgent need for planners to assume a co-ordinator, and indeed facilitator, approach to consciously promote inclusion and social justice, considering the myriad of social and economic rewards of addressing the pressing need for homes that are suitable for wheelchair users.

The RTPI continues to emphasise the potential of planners to become ‘visionaries’ in addressing such key issues.