First, I discussed some of Shared Assets’ approaches to designing governance, highlighting the complexity often present and that there is no one size fits all, along with some key challenges and considerations; particularly around ensuring all stakeholders are engaged at an appropriate level depending on their interest and the context.
Next, Robin Smale from Vivid Economics talked about approaching green infrastructure by examining and articulating its value rather than costs, setting performance metrics, and how it has an important role to play in different urban networks, such as; green blue networks, street networks, and transport networks rather than just being seen as open access space.
Andy Jackson from the Heeley Trust talked about their success story as a group of residents who came together to regenerate a piece of land, and their journey over 20 years of diversifying income streams in the face of no maintenance dowry, and remaining accountable and in dialogue with the community.
Finally, Sally-Anne Logan shared lessons from Chilmington Green, a new Garden Suburb initiated by Ashford Borough Council where they have taken a very proactive and collaborative approach from the outset to set design codes and carried out detailed early-stage work on how the community-led management organisation will be run and funded. Her presentation included a lot of advice on partnership working and key considerations for the early stages of planning a new development.
My feeling, only strengthened from these interactions, is that each situation is unique but there are transferable lessons and we are all learning and iterating as the dust settles from these years of austerity, leaving a changed and still evolving landscape. I think it is important we continue to engage in dialogue and sharing as new challenges and opportunities emerge, and am now looking at how local planning could drive this thinking.
If you are interested to be part of the conversation or have ideas/challenges you would like to discuss please get in touch.