Businesses, planners, academics, local councils, civil society groups, indeed, anyone living or working in the north of England are being invited to share their thoughts about whether we need a Great North Plan, and their ideas about what it should look like.
The people behind it, a partnership between IPPR North and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), will also be holding a series of five regional roundtable events in northern cities in June and July 2015 to feed into this process, culminating in a ‘Northern Summit’ in Leeds in November.
The plan has three objectives.To initiate discussions about the nature and scope of a strategic spatial planning framework for the north of England.To solicit proposals for greater integration between transportation and spatial planning and to explore and develop advice about the appropriate governance needed to take this agenda forward.
In 2014 a number of organisations came together to hold two events in the North West under the banner ‘Framing the Future’. At each of these events, participants expressed a clear sense of frustration that, at a national level, matters of planning and economic development were not being given the attention that they deserved, and that spatial planning processes at the sub-national level were fragmented.
There was agreement that, in the absence of any serious national spatial plan, the north of England needed a plan of its own: a Great North Plan.
The call for evidence is open until 30 September 2015. Submissions, of no more than 5,000 words, can be made in writing and sent to infrastructure@ippr.org.
In order to move the conversation forward generate wider interest in this initiative, you can also tweet your ideas on any aspect of these key questions, using the hashtag #GreatNorthPlan. The best of these will also be featured on the Great North Plan website.
Plans are in place to hold five regional roundtables in Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield in June and July 2015;
Sheffield
2–4pm and 4–6pm, Wednesday 24 June 2015
Halifax Hall Hotel, Endcliffe Vale Road, Sheffield S10 3ER
Leeds
2–4pm and 4–6pm, Monday 13 July 2015
Eversheds LLP, Bridgewater Place, Water Lane, Leeds LS11 5DR
Liverpool
2–4pm and 4–6pm, Tuesday 14 July 2015 No. 1 Mann Island, Liverpool L3 1BP
Newcastle
2–4pm and 4–6pm, Wednesday 15 July 2015
Claremont Tower, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
Manchester
2–4pm and 4–6pm, Wednesday 22 July 2015
DAC Beachcroft, 3 Hardman Street, Manchester M3 3HF
If you would like to attend a roundtable, please book your place by contacting Nicola Burt at RTPI at Nicola.Burt@rtpi.org.uk.
