New guidance launched to help local authorities promote health through Local Plans

New practical guidance to help local authorities in England create places that promote health has been co-authored by a UWE Bristol academic.

Dr Emma Bird co-authored the guidance which has been launched by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and the TRUUD research programme.

Local Plans are key statutory documents through which local planning authorities set out a vision and framework for how an area will change and develop. The new guidance was created in response to research that found that while Local Plans have the potential to create healthy places, they can be weak and inconsistent on how exactly this can be achieved.

‘Planning for healthy places: a practical guide for local authorities on embedding health in Local Plans and planning policies in England’ includes clear guidance, evidence and recommendations (with specific examples from adopted Local Plans) that should be considered when developing health-focused Local Plans and policies.

Co-lead author Dr Bird, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at UWE Bristol, said: “Our research identified a clear gap between what local authorities want to achieve in terms of creating healthier places and available guidance on exactly how to do this. As well as being a user-friendly guide for planning and public health officers and elected members, it will be useful for other local and national stakeholders such as people working in transport, sustainability and community engagement.”

Co-lead author Gemma Hyde, Projects and Policy Manager at the TCPA, said: “We know from our work with local authorities that there is a desire to better embed health and wellbeing into local plans, but often officers find it difficult to know where and how to begin. This guidance, which is evidenced based, practical and inspirational, offers a process and support for creating healthy local plans, signposting to resources and highlighting examples of high-quality adopted policy.

“The TCPA is committed to supporting local authorities and can offer free training, support and facilitated workshops to places and communities looking to plan, design and build places for healthy lives.”

The guidance was created with planning and public health officers from seven local authorities in England – Bristol City Council, Guildford Borough Council, Medway Council, Northumberland County Council, Southampton City Council, Surrey County Council, and Walsall Council.

It will updated as appropriate and in response to any changes in national policy.

Dr Bird is a member of TRUUD (Tackling the Root causes Upstream of Unhealthy Urban Development). Based at the University of Bristol, and with researchers across six different universities, TRUUD is a £10 million research project, looking at how urban places can be planned to reduce non-communicable diseases such as cancers, diabetes, obesity, mental ill-health and respiratory illness.