Involving yourself in shaping planning policy can mean the difference between unlocking millions in funding or facing costly delays.
While town planning policy might seem like a dry subject, it has a direct impact on your estate strategy and the wider NHS; it can be the deciding factor for where and how a new hospital or GP practice is built. That is because town planning policy governs how land is used and developed within a town or city to meet community needs like transport, housing – and in our case – healthcare in the area.
Engage early to shape planning policy
By engaging early with the town planning system, you can better influence the planning policy to consider better outcomes for the NHS. There are many benefits to involving yourself in the process, including:
- Unlocking more in developer contributions
Developer contributions are funds paid by a developer to mitigate the impact of a new development on the community. These funds are used for improving roads, parks, schools, or in our case, healthcare, in the area. Having early sight of upcoming developments gives you more time to prepare a strong business case and negotiate enough funding for your estate projects from Section 106 (S106) and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) pots. Learn more about developer contribution funding here.
“Being involved in these conversations early on has been incredibly impactful, as we’ve secured over £40 m in developer contributions funding for NHS projects over the last three years, and built a further £60 m pipeline.” – Aahsan Rahman, Head of Town Planning at NHSPS
- Uplifting the value of your estate by securing site allocations
A site allocation is when land is formally identified as suitable for future development. Allocated sites typically have higher market value, because they’re easier to secure planning permissions for.
By using the planning policy process to strategically promote our sites, we’ve secured site allocations for 14 NHSPS sites over the last three years, increasing the latent value of our estate by over £20 million.
- Shaping the future of the NHS estate
Getting involved in the planning policy process not only has financial benefits, but also provides an opportunity to shape the future of the NHS estate. By engaging early, you can influence key decisions that will impact the delivery of your estate strategy. Our town planning team monitors over 800 planning consultations across England each year, responding where need to, to drive positive changes for the NHS. On average, it takes 3-5 years for local planning authorities to develop emerging plans which will shape the area for the next 20 years. There are very specific consultation stages during the process of plan-making., so it is critical for the NHS to have a voice in these decisions.
We also participate in the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) Town Planning Working Group. To support discussions between the DHSC and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), we’re drafting proposed changes to national planning policy, so it better meets NHS needs.
How can you get more involved?
1 Identify opportunities to respond to local planning policy consultations
The local planning authority will publish details of any live or upcoming opportunities to respond to local planning policy consultations, including ‘call for sites’ opportunities for the area on the council’s website. It’s important to engage with these where you can, as it can make a big difference to NHS estate planning in your area.
2 Join NHSPS town planning updates
The NHSPS Town Planning team will be running a meeting series on town planning which will look at how town planning engagements can help support NHS activities. We’ll share more information about how you can get involved in these soon.
3 Ask the experts
We’re monitoring all planning policy consultations across England, and are happy to alert ICBs or Trusts of opportunities to engage. Find out more about how we can help in your Introduction to Town Planning Handbook.
Our award-winning town planning team has a lot of expertise, and the right relationships within the system to help you – so please do get in touch.
