Strategic Residential Development: Delivering Placemaking, Net Zero, and Sustainable Growth

From a planning policy perspective, the coordinated delivery of residential development alongside transport infrastructure, employment/ retail provision, renewable energy networks and community facilities is well established. These themes directly accord with the core principles of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in England and the objectives of Future Wales and Planning Policy Wales (PPW) Edition 12 in Wales with the overarching aim of creating sustainable places to live, work and play.

Placemaking and Sustainable Communities

Both the NPPF and PPW recognise placemaking at the heart of the planning system. The NPPF emphasises the creation of “high quality, beautiful and sustainable buildings and places,” while PPW defines placemaking as a "holistic approach to planning" that considers people, movement, the built and natural environment, and economic resilience.

Coordinating residential development with supporting infrastructure is fundamental to delivering these placemaking objectives. This approach helps to ensure new development can be effectively integrated to existing communities and in doing so further enhance the overall sustainability of such areas. Most notably that includes opportunities to deliver improvements with regards to local facilities including health care, public open space, education and transport provision.

From a practical standpoint prioritising the delivery a diverse mix of uses also supports concepts such as walkable neighbourhoods, social inclusivity and local enterprises – which collectively align with Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

At a strategic level identifying opportunities for logical extensions to existing settlements enables growth to be concentrated in areas well services by infrastructure. This enables more effective use of the land in order to respond to local need whilst simultaneously protecting more sensitive areas (such as those identified within AONBs, Green Belt/ Green Wedge and other similar designations) from encroachment as a result of speculative applications for piecemeal development.

In theory prioritising strategic development, and by extension of which good placemaking principles, provides local authorities greater control to strategically manage the urban form. Whilst ensuring sufficient levels of residential-led mixed use development is delivered to ultimately meet the needs of local communities both now and into the future.

Supporting Net Zero and Climate Resilience

Delivering homes in locations that reduce the need to travel by private vehicles supports key environmental objectives in both England and Wales. The NPPF highlights the need for more sustainable patterns of development that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote public transport, and endorses renewable and low carbon energy.

In Wales, PPW and Future Wales clearly sets out the ambition to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 . Whilst there are a number of ways to make positive steps forward in that regard, from a planning perspective a key priority is maximising  development opportunities near public transport corridors, active travel infrastructure, and low-carbon energy networks. At a strategic level when designed effectively these factors help reduce transport emissions and supports opportunities sustainable energy generation thus enabling the delivery of net-zero communities.

Conclusion

Aligning residential development with infrastructure, transport, employment, and other services is fundamental to meeting the placemaking and sustainability aims of the NPPF in England and PPW and Future Wales in Wales. It enables planners to:

• Deliver well-designed, inclusive and sustainable development;
• Make more effective use of land well served be existing infrastructure;
• Accelerate the shift toward net zero carbon emissions;
• Enhance the effectiveness of Development Plans to meet the needs of local communities both now and into the future.

Strategic planning is not only best practice—it is essential to creating sustainable places which directly respond to the needs of current and future generations across both England and Wales.