The playing field of planning policy, Q&A on Education with Mike Jones.

Q1: Are there any notable changes in the current consultation document of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) pursuant to Education and or Schools?

MJ: Education remains identified at para 20 of the NPPF under the definition of ‘community facilities’ requiring strategic policies to set out an overall strategy for the pattern, scale and design quality of places. However, we now have the new additional wording of ‘to ensure outcomes support beauty and placemaking’. Otherwise, its business as usual with only paragraph rewording with the most important text at para 95 now para 97, which establishes the weight that should be attributed to planning decisions.

Q2: What are the implications of these changes?

For education the changes are minimal if notable at all. However, the added vagueness of the overarching text ‘support beauty’ is unhelpful. What planning doesn’t need is anymore ambiguity and terminology that is subjective and hard to measure. Like any civic building, design is of significance importance in planning terms, but it is also highly subjective. Furthermore, school design is in many cases highly prescriptive from the Department for Education (DfE) guidance, Building Regulations and in many instances faculty and curriculum led.

Q3: What improvements do you feel could be made?

MJ: MJ: Greater clarity on design and the meaning of beauty would be helpful. Additional National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) or more specific references to how District Design Guides/Codes will address design/beauty and or specifically school design would be welcome. Many Local Authorities already have Design Guidance, which includes provision for Schools.

As alluded to earlier paragraph 95 (soon to be 97) is the fulcrum for any educational scheme.

Q5: What good practice can be followed to avoid or address these issues?

MJ: Forward planning is vital, too often education projects progress through to stage 3 design without planning input. Local knowledge is always helpful, particularly bespoke policy and guidance particular to a local area, which is often missed.