NLP was retained by England’s Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) over a four year period to support them in their planning and housing roles.
Our role included preparing responses to policy consultations on behalf of the RDA network and advising on a range of economic, regeneration and housing matters.
As part of this work, NLP worked on a number of key policy areas:
- Planning for Employment Land – NLP’s study on the then- Planning Policy Guidance 4 (PPG4) was instrumental in the RDA case to update government policy, leading to the issuing of Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4).
- Mortgage Availability Index – NLP developed and applied a methodology for appraising the impact of mortgage rationing on house-building rates. The Mortgage Availability Index tool is now used in planning decisions and has been afforded weight at appeal.
- The Future of Regeneration - NLP led the RDA response to the All Party Urban Development Working Group Inquiry on Regeneration and the Recession which recommended some of the principles underpinning the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).