Southampton: Barton Wilmore: Not a landmark Budget

Robin Shepherd, of planning and design consultancy Barton Willmore, said: “This wasn’t a landmark Budget but there were some interesting elements which could play a part in how communities of the future develop – if local authorities have the ambition and vision to make the most of them. 

“The abolition of PFI, which has been controversial but nevertheless has delivered schools, prisons and hospitals which may not have otherwise been funded, was unexpected – although in reality there will have been very few (if any) PFI projects in the pipeline. It will be interesting to see what replaces it – without the private sector driving major projects, it will be up to councils and government departments to rise to a very considerable challenge.

 “The £675 million Future High Streets Fund was a surprise – especially the proposed relaxation of town planning laws around use classes and the use of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) to make it easier for under-used retail areas to be repurposed as residential. The Chancellor was keen to push the benefits of this in terms of increasing footfall to the remaining shops, but retailers may be very wary about how this is applied. Once shop fronts are lost, they never come back. Again, it will be up to councils to bid for money from the fund, which means the onus will be on them to come up with a vision that works – and this could take more time than retailers would want. I would rather have seen this funding go to business improvement districts – like the ones in Southampton and Bournemouth – that perhaps have more potential to take a wider view to drive change. 

“I was pleased to see the continued commitment to the housing infrastructure fund, with £500m given – the south hasn’t had as much from this fund as it should have in the past, and there is a huge amount of competition for this money. Local authorities will need to make strong bids for their share, and this means they will need to make a strong case if they are to be successful. Amid the uncertainties and challenges of Brexit, it’s clear that responsibility falls upon local as well as national government to have the vision and ambition to sustain and build communities that are fit for the future.

The key questions are: With so much depending on councils, do they have the resources available to deliver? And how can businesses influence their thinking and help deliver the speed of change that is needed?”