How can local authorities contribute to a better built environment?
The House of Lords Committee on the Built Environment will this week take evidence from council leaders on the challenges facing local authorities in delivering their planning responsibilities and supporting housing growth.
The Committee will also hear from organisations focused on public health and how a better built environment can lead to a healthier population.
The evidence sessions will start at 10:10am on Thursday 26 November in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords. The witness details are:
10:10am:
- Cllr Gillian Brown, Leader of Arun District Council and planning lead for the District Councils Network.
- Cllr Sue Derbyshire, Leader of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council and planning/housing lead for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
11:15am:
- Dr Laurence Carmichael, Coordinator, World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Healthy Urban Environments.
- Dr Ann Marie Connolly, Deputy Director, Health Equity, Place and Mental Health, Public Health England.
- Dr Matt Egan, Senior Lecturer, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
In the first session the Committee will focus on the impact on local authorities of the government's planning policy reforms including the presumption in favour of sustainable development and the duty on planning authorities to cooperate with neighbouring local authorities. The session will also cover how local authorities can support desperately needed new housing supply and whether the planning system provides for the adequate delivery of infrastructure to support new housing.
In the second session areas that will be covered include the role that public health should play in planning decisions, how planners and health professionals can work together on building projects and how good design can promote public health.
