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Research conducted by Gallent, Morphet et al has revealed a lack of understanding among planners, local authorities and public sector infrastructure providers about the key shift in spatial planning in England since 2004 towards integrated deliverability. This, plus further UCL research work suggesting appropriate means to redress this lack of understanding, led to the development of Infrastructure Delivery Planning (IDP) which has, in turn, had significant impacts on government policy and legislation for local plans. Since 2008, all 346 English local authorities have used IDP, a change that has supported the more effective and sustainable use of land, buildings and facilities, and given greater confidence to communities by demonstrating committed local investment.
The research has impacted for over a decade via contributions to changes in planning legislation, policy, guidance and practice in both Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland. Now as the framework for local government reform is being developed in NI, planning is undergoing structural change to enable powers to be devolved to the new councils. In an advisory capacity to the Minister for the Environment on the Ministerial Planning Advisory Forum and also to the Northern Ireland Assembly, specific contributions have been made to the development of the Planning Act (NI) 2011 and a new single planning policy statement which will inform planning decision making. Impact is also manifested in the preparation of government guidance for plan-making in the Republic of Ireland. The research impacts upon all aspects of urban and rural planning decision making in the jurisdiction of NI (population 1.8 million) and also on design based urban and rural planning decision making in the Republic of Ireland (population 4.58 million).
Research undertaken by Monro from the Centre for Research in the Social Sciences (CRISS) into the continuing marginalisation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has influenced UK and international policymaking and practice. Addressing key issues concerning relationships between LGBT people and state institutions, the research findings have helped to shape the development of practice in central government departments, local authorities, housing associations, healthcare and community organisations and voluntary sector associations. This impact has resulted in improvement to the material and social conditions of LGBT people, enhancing their ability to contribute to society and the economy, in line with the EU Horizon 2020 theme of promoting inclusive, innovative and reflective societies. The case study provides evidence that the research has raised awareness about LGBT issues. This cultural shift is crucial to improving the life experiences and economic productivity of LGBT people, given the lack of understanding that they commonly face, and the negative impacts on their wellbeing of prejudice and social erasure.
Planning obligations are used by local government to capture some of the financial windfall that accrues to land owners and developers when planning permissions are granted. University of Sheffield research into the incidence of planning obligations, their financial value, and variations in related local policy and practice has made a significant contribution to national policy development. This includes the shaping of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and the improvement of obligations policy implementation throughout the UK. The three main impacts of the research have been: (i) to provide evidence that has resulted in a much larger proportion of sites now contributing to infrastructure provision than was initially intended in national policy; (ii) to provide evidence that influenced the decision to restructure affordable housing grants, resulting in better use of around £2.8bn per annum of public expenditure and a greater supply of new housing for lower income households than would otherwise have been possible; and (iii) to inform best practice within local authorities, enabling many of them to use obligations to capture increasingly large contributions to infrastructure provision.
Research undertaken in Geography and Earth Sciences at Aberystwyth University has directly led to changes in the powers and regulatory structures of parish, town and community councils in England and Wales, through legislation (Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011), and to new guidance and modifications to the Quality Parish and Town Council Scheme in England. These changes have empowered parish, town and community councils to play a greater role in service delivery and community development; promoted wider citizen engagement in community governance; and increased the democratic accountability of local councils.
Research at Newcastle has made a significant contribution to the development of strategic and local planning practice in the UK and globally. It has also shaped concepts and expectations of spatial planning and place governance. Based on a concerted approach to the theorisation, analysis and transfer of ideas through teaching, research and engagement with practice, the role of collaborative planning as a key element of urban governance, to bring different interests and communities together, continues to influence debates about the nature of development processes and their future role in place-shaping.
Following extensive ethnographic research in South Asia, Durham Anthropology highlighted the pressing need to include indigenous knowledge (IK) in development practice and sustainable resource management. As part of our research we helped establish an NGO-based network with an explicit remit to promote and implement our research insights in Bangladesh. This network has had far-reaching effects, empowering local people and helping to promote agricultural resilience and sustainable livelihoods (e.g. in preserving seed bio-diversity). Development practitioners in Bangladeshi universities are now trained using methods based on our research. IK-aware development based on Durham research is also internationally recognised and implemented by UNESCO.
The Local Governance Research Unit (LGRU) undertook a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), a not-for-profit local government association that provides policy and operational advice to over 300 councils. This partnership informed APSE's strategic policy review, co-producing a new model of the Ensuring Council, which was adopted by its national council, and used to brand and position APSE within local government. Seven evidence-based policy tools were created through the partnership and taken up and used by APSE for consultancy and membership services. Externally, APSE used these outputs to increase its influence over national policy.
University of Glasgow research advanced a new conceptual and practical approach to housing systems analysis used by local authorities across the breadth of the UK. The research was instrumental in the drafting of new legislation which required all local authorities to produce evidence-based housing strategies founded upon the approach developed through the Glasgow research. As well as forming the basis of Good Practice Guides used by housing professionals and practitioners, the research underpinned extensive training programmes for housing planners and policy-makers in all 4 countries of the UK.
The importance of this impact relates to how it changed policy and practice in regard to spatial division in Northern Ireland's contested society by linking planning, regeneration and reconciliation. Beneficiaries include: north Belfast communities (33,000 population) which have a new planning framework and knowledge to improve their regeneration; a network of reconciliation agencies, which has endorsed a policy manifesto based on the research; the main government department concerned with planning and development which has embedded reconciliation into its legislative and core policy framework, and Belfast City Council, which has been guided about how best they can tie their `good relations' strategy to their emerging powers around planning and regeneration.