The planning process and planning issues Essay Example

participation process. The same group that is perceived lack of citizenship causes such concern to many. Whilst they are often token involvement in community regeneration projects, empirical research with children suggests they are capable of the same involvement as adults. Many of the barriers to adult participation may have been avoided if they had been encouraged to be involved fully as children.

Arguments for their involvement, not only in a token way, with playground design projects, as this is often the case but to the same degree as adults, with the decision making structure. As Horelli (1998) pointed out, there is a scant study or literature on children's participation. What little there is to show the increasing marginalization of children from the decision making process in most cases (Chawala, 1997). Whilst there is some acceptance of children's involvement in urban design (Ward, 1990 and Simpson, 1997) or the environment (Freeman, 1996).

A need for a new concept of children as agents at all levels in urban neighbourhoods, however for this to happen, those steering this concept will need to know more of the children's capabilities and understanding, in order to incorporate their needs and abilities into urban policy. The Newcastle Initiative (TNI), a business led initiative, sought to add value to the public sector regeneration efforts on inner city estates in Newcastle, by focusing the attention on Cruddas Park a neighbourhood of noticeable disadvantage.

A study was taken between December 1998 and February 1989, based consultation entirely with adults amongst residents, businesses and the local authority. The consultation process highlight issues of concerns to adults ranging high crime, high level of long term unemployment, low level of confidence

and skills, lack of facilities for children and young people, poor shopping facilities, poor health indicators, high level of void properties, dissatisfaction with housing and repair services, low income and related problems and poor image of the area and stigmatisation of estate.

With these issues TNI wanted to address these issues by working together with the local residents and the local authority. A steering group of local people established to take ownership of the initiative, which is called The Cruddas Park Community Development Trust, the group did not include any children or young people. However this was one of the first initiatives in which active participation of residents at all levels and was seen as central to any success it may achieve. Yet a decade later a number of difficulties came to light that are now recognized as barriers to participation in such initiatives (Wood, 1995).

The main issues consisted the fragmentation of the community - the residents did not see themselves within the same framework of the community as was perceived by the other members of the initiative. The other issue was about territorialism; the community was split by physical and geographical boundaries of streets and small neighbourhoods, with the dominant families controlling the estates. Most important of all was the low self-esteem of residents and inability to communicate with or participate on equal terms with professionals.

Through out the whole consultation process of the Cruddas Park Community Development Trust and its work children were regarded not as active residents and citizens in their own right. Even though the nursery school on the estate became the central meeting place for meetings. Much of the work of the

Trust was orientated towards children; in the form of creche facilities and school play schemes, the children were still viewed as either property to be taken care of or as problems to be controlled. 997, the estate was revisited with the view of offering the children of the neighbourhood the opportunity to respond to the consultation process similar to that of the adults had been through. The children where then asked to comment on issues important to them about their neighbourhood. The study came up with responses similar to the adult responses as with the adults, also as with the adults the children were invited to consider how they could be involved in their own governance by making their voices heard by the local authority.

The whole part of the study was about what the children liked and didn't like about their neighbourhood. This was intended to set up their spatial awareness and feelings about their area, Cruddas Park and also an element of trust and understanding between children and researcher. The focus of the work was to explore the potential for involving children in the decision making process within participative community regeneration with a view to developing in them the skills needed for greater participation as adults.

All through out the study a series of discussion was conducted with the children of Cruddas Park, to help establish their understanding about what was going on in their area. The CPCDT, was explained to them as being a way for those who lived in the area to have some control over their neighbourhood and also the ability to speak more easily to the council about issues which were

important to them. (See appendix 1). The study found that they had no problem with speaking out about general issues but had more difficulty speaking to the council about poverty and unemployment, which were the key issues behind the CPCDT (see appendix 2).

This then progressed to discussions about the possibility of using the council to talk to the government, many of the older children in the class, those aged 10 and 11 understood this (see appendix 3). From what was explained above the reader can now have a much clearer understanding of getting people involved in community participation, from an early stage with simple discussions about what they want and don't want.

Within the study and what was mentioned earlier, the discussions also launched the children's understanding about the concept of community structure and collective voice (see appendix 4). This began to give the children a notion of developing a way to be heard from, writing letters to local councillors and MPs. The letters expressed their views in writing and pictures of their desires and concerns for their local neighbourhood and its management.

From this came the notion of a school forum, which an individual might make his or her feelings known to the governing powers of the community. Which is on the same lines on what was set out in the 1968 Town and Country Planning act, the act required the local planning authority adequate publicity to the report of the survey that must be carried out, to inform anyone who might want to make representation on the subject and that they have the opportunity to do so and actually provide that opportunity.

However before the act

was even passed, the Skeffington committee was set up by the ministry of housing and local government 'to consider and report on the best methods, including publicity of securing the participation of the public at the formative stage in the making of development plans.

The report suggested that the people should be kept informed through out the preparation of a structure or local plan (or major development) for their area, representation should also be considered through out as plans are made or being prepared but with breaks to give a positive opportunity for public participation to take place and identify where alternative course of action are available, the authority should put them to public and say which it prefers and why.

In conjunction with this the local authority should consider arranging meetings (or consultations) in their areas for setting up community forums. The forum would provide local organisations the opportunity to discuss collectively planning issues and others of importance to the area. The forums may have administrative functions such as receiving and distributing information on planning issues and promoting the formation of neighbourhood or (community) groups.

Within this community development officers would secure involvement, of those who do not join organisations, their job would be to work with people to stimulate discussion so to inform people and give the peoples views to the local authority and with this they would be told what they represent has been achieved or why they have not been accepted. For this to succeed people should be encouraged to participate in the preparation by helping with surveys and other activities.

Now moving aside from the 'Top Down approach' to the 'Bottom Up approach', while

concentrating on what was mentioned earlier the committee's assumption was that participation must start at the beginning of the process and continue through out. From the study it seems clear from the evidence (see appendix 1-4) that the children from the ages 5 to 11 are concerned about the similar issues to their parents, clearly they understand the concept of government and the notion of public participation in the management of their estate.

From this study Newcastle City Council has made a firm commitment to improve services, in line with local people's needs and priorities. The only way they can do this is in partnership with the local communities. With this the council has developed a community participation plan, this plan describes how we will develop community participation in Newcastle now. Community participation is a live issue, and the things people want to be involved in, and the ways they want to be involved.