Marie Avril Berthet Meylan

PGR Placement 

Introduced by the British government in 2011, neighbourhood planning is a policy that allows local communities to set land use on a plan that emerges from a democratic process. In 2020, the Government has initiated a reform to significantly overhaul the planning process in England, of which NP is a part. Government are now actively seeking views on how NP can continue to play a role in a reformed planning process.

East Street Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Leeds, is currently acting as leading body for the NP emerging in Mabgate, Lincoln Green and Burmantofts (MLGB). Inner-city, highly diverse neighbourhood such as MLGB are typically left out of NP, an issue recognised by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

In this project, my role will be to look at how arts and culture are being used as tools to boost local engagement in the planning process and provide an insight into alternative approaches to participation.

Collaborating with both ESA and the local planning authorities, I will support the solidification of the engagement process through capacity building and potential training and offer a reflexive process with a focus on the importance of representativeness in the engagement process.