Lord Matthew Taylor gave the keynote address at this year’s annual Building Garden Communities Conference on Tuesday 23 April at RIBA, 66 Portland Place, London. Lord Taylor authored the 2006-8 Government rural planning review Living Working Countryside and his Garden Villages proposal was adopted as national policy at the March 2016 Budget as the Garden Communities programme. In his address, Lord Taylor stressed that Garden Communities should be “modern market towns” with a focus on mixed use, with shops, cafes and open space, since it was places where people interact that truly create communities.
At the conference, attended by more than 200 delegates, the expert panels covered a range of topics including Modern Methods of Construction; Build to Rent; Data and AI in the Planning Process; Environment, Neutrality and Net Gain; Stewardship and Social Value and Building Through Change.
The opening panel session focused on Modern Methods of Construction, which Jackie Maginnis, CEO of the Modular & Portable Building Association suggested should be renamed Mature Methods of Construction, since it has been in use for over 50 years. Andrew Carpenter, CEO of the Structural Timber Association, highlighted the environmental benefits of timber framed buildings. As UK construction accounts for 40% of all emissions and MMC is carbon neutral, the advantages are obvious. For each tree cut down, three are planted and new trees absorb more carbon than old ones.
The panellists on the Build-to-Rent session discussed the growing demand for Build to Rent properties given the high interest rates. David Reid, MD of Legal and General Suburban and Build to Rent sector, stressed that he viewed Build to Rent as a long term engagement which went long past the build phase.
The session on Data and AI provided practical examples of innovative ways of engaging with local communities. Panel members including Sam Terrell, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, agreed that better use of data can improve decision making and therefore improve quality of life for residents. Digital tools and platforms can help reach a wider audience and interactive workshops facilitate real time feedback and discussion. The panel agreed that AI will never completely replace human involvement but helps to reduce the vast amounts of paperwork which planning applications generate.
The Building Through Change breakout session highlighted the importance of creating good communities. Naisha Polaine, Director, Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, explained that her Garden Town adopted an investment model which allowed them to front fund infrastructure, which helps to build communities.
The Environment, Neutrality and Net Gain session covered disciplines from ecology to sustainability. The panellists agreed that incorporating environmental considerations into development plans should happen as early as possible. Carol Somper, SoSustainable, stressed the importance of considering environmental habitats early in the planning process and speaking to residents early in order to find out which aspects of their locality they most valued and enjoyed.
In the session on Stewardship, the panel agreed that early engagement with communities was vital in ensuring successful, long term maintenance of garden communities. SallyAnne Logan, Otterpool Park, pointed out that it is essential to ensure that everyone is looking through the stewardship lens from the outset, since people most value what they need, so it is important to understand what the community needs and ensure it is included and costed at the planning phase. Early engagement also fosters trust and can help save costs by avoiding conflict at later stages.
As closing keynote speaker, Fionnuala Lennon, Head of New Settlements & Garden Communities at Homes England, gave a fascinating account of how the ancient Roman principles of placemaking – holistic, ambitious and people centred – are still in evidence in garden communities today.
Feedback from the conference included the following comments:
“Excellent event and engaging conversation.”
- Jo Davis, Principal, Managing Director Place, UK Executive Chair, Avison Young
“Excellent conference and thanks for giving me a platform.”
- Fionnuala Lennon, Head of New Settlements & Garden Communities, Homes England
“I really enjoyed it – it was a thoroughly interesting day, with a good balance of interesting (and well chaired) panel discussions and networking breaks. The organisation was very smooth, and everyone involved in running it was very helpful.”
- Jack Ithell, Evolve Housing
“It was great. Super insightful to get perspective from so many different sectors in one day.”
- Hani Salih, Senior Researcher, Quality of Life Foundation
Watch our round-up video here or take a look at the full photo gallery here.
