{"id":59820,"date":"2019-07-10T14:03:40","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T13:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=59820"},"modified":"2019-07-10T14:03:40","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T13:03:40","slug":"building-better-building-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/building-better-building-beautiful\/59820\/","title":{"rendered":"Commission outlines steps to transform retail parks into communities"},"content":{"rendered":"

Town halls should encourage the redevelopment of retail parks and large supermarkets into communities that include homes, shops and businesses, according to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission<\/h2>\n

The new \u201cmixed-use\u201d communities suggested in the Building Better, Building Beautiful commission\u2019s report, should be supported by new public transport to reduce reliance on cars \u2013 and are part of plans to revisit these \u2018boxland\u2019 developments.<\/p>\n

The proposals are contained in the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission\u2019s interim report,\u00a0\u2018Creating space for beauty\u2019<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The report examines the fundamental reasons for ugly developments and public mistrust, and also calls for communities to be given an earlier say in the development process<\/a>, encouraging greater use of masterplanning \u2013 rather than communities engaging in town \u201cplanning by appeal\u201d.<\/p>\n

Interim Chairman of the commission, Nicholas Boys Smith said: \u201cRedeveloping abandoned out of town retail parks and ugly old supermarkets would deliver something much more beautiful in the form of thriving new communities where people can raise a family, work or settle down.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur initial report sets many ways we can make our country more beautiful while fulfilling the needs of future generations who will need a roof over their head.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to move the democracy up-stream from development control to plan-making.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeauty should not be just a property of the old buildings or protected landscapes but something we expect from new buildings, places and settlements. We need to deliver beauty for everyone, not just the wealthy. This will require, ultimately, some fundamental changes. Hopefully, our report will start part of that important debate with the public and the professions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are draft proposals at this stage, and we would welcome further feedback before we put a final report to the government in the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n

The interim recommendations to the government include:<\/h3>\n