Breadcrumbs
What tasks can Quality of Life Assessment help with?
- settlement planning
- management planning
- developing site briefs
- comparing implications of change on alternative site
- developing plan policies
- establishing a base line to inform decisions
- involving the public in decision making
Some examples are described here:
Comparing sites
QoL Assessment can also be used to compare the benefits and disbenefits of alternative possible development sites.
Site briefs
By identifying what is important about a particular site, QoL Assessment can provide a secure basis for site briefs and for setting planning conditions and obligations.
Integrated settlement planning
QoL Assessment provides a framework for articulating what matters about a place. For example the Future of Winchester study used the ‘benefits and services’ approach to structure people’s views about what was good and bad about living in Winchester, and which characteristics should be protected and enhanced. This included social and economic qualities of the town as well as environmental. Many of them revolved around Winchester’s compactness, which made amenities accessible and linked Winchester strongly to the surrounding countryside.
Plan policies and monitoring criteria
QoL Assessment can provide a basis for policies and monitoring criteria in county and district level plans. For example it justified policies to protect urban greenspace in Sefton’s UDP.
Scoping
QoL Assessment can offer a systematic process for identifying what matters, and why - for example, groundwater or access to tranquil countryside
Baseline for decisions
This can also provide a ‘baseline’ to inform decisions in a particular area. For example in the South West Region 11 generic character ‘types’ have been defined, and their environmental benefits and services identified
Potential to accept change
QoL Assessment can be used to assess character areas and their services - and their ability to accept further development (including housing.) Kent is using a modification of the approach for this purpose across 16 urban areas.
Tool for public involvement
QoL Assessment can be a powerful tool for involving the public in planning and environmental decision taking. People understand and respond positively to the question ‘what do you value about your area?’ and QoL Assessment provides a framework for collating and synthesising their responses, translating them into aims and policies, and reporting on their achievement. Examples include Stroud and Stevenage.
