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Decisions made about planning are normally contained within strict council boundaries. But in Northamptonshire five local authorities have decided to break down the barriers and work together to deliver the growth in housebuilding that the government wants.

The decision to come together just over a year ago won a warm welcome from planning minister Yvette Cooper, but what does it mean in practice and how is it working out? Here are the answers.

Who is involved in the joint planning approach?

Five local authorities in North Northamptonshire got together just over a year ago to create the country鈥檚 first Joint Committee for Strategic Planning. The collaborative approach was adopted by Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, East Northamptonshire and Northamptonshire County Council.

Why did the local authorities decide to join forces?

The approach by the five districts has been driven in part by the sheer scale of expansion earmarked for the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth Area. North Northamptonshire must accommodate 52,100 new homes, that鈥檚 equivalent to a city the size of Worcester, and 43,800 new jobs over the period 2001-2021. This growth, which is to be focused on the 鈥済rowth towns鈥� of Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough, is more than any other part of the growth area.

How will the joint approach work?

Development control powers remain with the individual districts, but the councils are seeking to pool efforts and sort out problems together. This, they believe, will give the best chance of producing a winning overall plan for the area. Chairman of the joint planning committee, councillor Bob Seery, is clear about its objectives:

鈥淚t is essential that new housing goes hand in hand with investment in jobs, infrastructure, services and the environment so that growth benefits existing communities as well as new residents.鈥�

How will the joint planning committee make this happen?

It is producing a joint core spatial strategy, which should be submitted to the government by the end of October. This will provide the overall development framework for North Northamptonshire, setting out where development should go and what standards it should aim to achieve. It will provide the strategic context for the more detailed plans being prepared by the districts. The core strategy is being prepared by the Joint Planning Unit team, staffed by a full-time planning manager and planning officers from the five authorities, which supports the decision-making joint committee.

What else will the core spatial strategy do?

In addition to coordinating growth, the strategy considers the roles and relationships between settlements, as well as the issue of infrastructure provision. The JPU is grasping the opportunity provided by growth to bring about a step-change in the quality as well as the quantity of new development.

A supplementary planning document on sustainable development will highlight the important contribution to be made by those involved in designing developments. It will assist in the creation of high-quality schemes that are cheaper to run and more secure, developments that minimise environmental impact and provide healthy living conditions, while at the same time respecting the area鈥檚 rich heritage and distinctiveness.

What does the JPU make of its achievements in these early stages?

The head of the JPU, Andrew Longley, says considerable progress has been made: 鈥淚n the space of 18 months we have pulled together a team of officers and members from a diverse group of authorities and worked with other stakeholders to tackle the big issues facing North Northamptonshire. This has included setting out town centre, employment, transport and green infrastructure strategies and identifying the location of sustainable urban extensions (including greenfield).

We are awaiting the results of further studies in relation to transport and water infrastructure before we finalise the strategy prior to further consultation and submission to the secretary of state."

Who else is JPU working with?

The unit is working closely with the North Northants Development Company (NNDC), the urban regeneration company established in May 2006 to manage the growth and regeneration planned for Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire. Research carried out by the NNDC will be vital in making the case for infrastructure development, and overcoming challenges related to transport strategy 鈥� in particular, highways capacity.

And once the joint core spatial strategy is agreed鈥�?

Its ultimate delivery will depend largely on the ability of NNDC to lobby for resources and infrastructure development. It will need to display all the skills of its predecessor, urban regeneration company Catalyst Corby, in engaging providers and local and regional agencies to make sure the development not only happens, but does so in the areas determined by the core strategy.