Next London mayor urged to champion community involvement
Whoever is elected the next mayor of London in May should champion community involvement in planning, development and regeneration, according to a leading think tank.
A manifesto published by the Centre for London, ahead of the mayoral election on 6 May calls on the mayoral candidates to all agree to involve local people in the decision-making process about new developments.
It also calls on the mayoral candidates to commit to:
- Publishing a draft Mayoral Statement of Community Involvement and establishing Mayoral Community Advocates who can support public involvement at every stage of the process;
- Setting up a scorecard to help local councillors assess the quality of community engagement in planning applications and support them to make better decisions;
- Developing and launching an accreditation scheme for planners and developers to recognise and reward good public engagement;
- Funding a training programme for local authority officers, councillors and community champions to help them work with residents to develop and enhance local plans;
- Using place-based audits to recognise and value the knowledge and expertise of local people in the planning process.
‘Every Londoner should be able to have a genuine say in what happens in their local area. But this doesn’t mean development needs to be slower or stunted,’ said research director, Claire Harding.
‘Our manifesto shows that engaging Londoners early on in the planning process, making use of local knowledge, and valuing our city’s diversity would help the next Mayor build back better, greener and stronger.’
Clare Richards, director at ftwork and co-founder of Collective Community Action added: ‘Our next mayor must ensure that future development involves Londoners. The experience and opinions of those who live and work in a community represent its unique character and its capacity for change and growth.
‘Only by working with them to deliver a shared vision can we build trust, a joint sense of agency and a thriving city.’
Photo Credit – Free-Photos (Pixabay)
