Planning for Equality

National planning strategy is never going to be a topic which fans the flame of revolution or brings protesters to the barricades. This time, however, we need to make an exception, and it's for an important but rather technical document called the National Planning Policy Framework. This sets the rules for councils across England in terms of what their planning can and cannot do and a new draft has come out for consultation.

But we're not interested in what is in it, but what is not. Because - despite two recommendations from important government strategies and enquiries - there is nothing about Violence Against Women and Girls, specificially the idea that we need to design safer spaces.

Which is where we need you to come to the barricades. Please can all of you, every single one who reads this, write to the Planning Inspectorate - PlanningPolicyConsultation@communities.gov.uk - to ask them to include it as a top level requirement. And when you do, please also send a copy to your local MP and ask them to write to Matthew Pennycook, who is Minister for Housing, and Jess Phillips, who has responsibility for VAWG prevention.

Below is a template for a short letter - I will be adding to this blog shortly with a longer one, for a planner or other specialist who really wants to get stuck in. Amend as you like, but please write - and the deadline is March 10th.

A shorter letter

Dear Planning Inspectorate,

I am writing in response to the consultation on the new National Planning Policy Framework, and specifically on the absence of any mention of designing safer spaces in response to what the government itself has called 'an epidemic' of Violence against Women and Girls.

This omission is even more surprising given that two recent and important goverment publications have recommended including a requirement to design safer spaces in goverment planning policy as an important step in reducing VAWG.

1. The government's own strategy on VAWG, published in the same week as the NPPF, specifically recommends that to reduce risk:

   "By embedding considerations of VAWG into planning and transport guidance, we can ensure that safety is built into the fabric of our communities, making public spaces welcoming and secure for all. To support this, we will update national design guidance to reflect a VAWG perspective, ensuring that safety considerations inform how public spaces are designed."

2. Part two of the Angiolini Report into the death of Sarah Everard made similar recommendations, but also singled out the NPPF as a potential vehicle for these:

   "The Inquiry considers that there would be an opportunity to place a greater focus on preventing sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces if this priority were reflected in planning guidance and principles."

In a world where women are four times more likely than men to experience stalking, and where 83% of women do not feel safe in some public spaces after dark, these considerations are not just abstract but directly affect women's lives. But at the moment their safety is a postcode lottery, dependent on the attitude taken by their local council.

The government has the aim of halving violence against women and girls in the next decade. But this cannot happen without structural change, and including women's safety at a top level in the NPPF is a key part of that. This absence needs to be addressed.

Have fun with this and please do let me know if and when you have sent a letter - and also if you get a response from your MP.