This week the government launched its action plan and vision for making homes and neighbourhoods high quality, safe and more sustainable places to live in.

Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw and housing minister Ian Austin published the action plan which details how the government intends to work with its partners, in particular the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), CABE and English Heritage, as well as with the industry, to deliver the ambitions set out in its World Class Places document.

‘Success depends on strong vision and leadership,’ state the ministers. ‘Also vital is investment of thought, time and expertise at the design stage through good partnership working between the local authority, developer, urban designer, architects and the community so that ultimately we create places that work for everybody’.

Key actions set out in the plan include:
• Ensuring that policy and standards on quality are consistent and easy to understand through revising and refreshing existing planning policy on green space and heritage, and developing new quality standards for the homes to be delivered by the HCA;
• Helping local authorities set clear quality of place ambitions in local development frameworks through a comprehensive training programme;
• Putting the public at the centre of decision making by enabling greater public ownership of local assets such as parks and open spaces through, for example, the Advancing Assets and Community Builders programmes.

Download the action plan on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website.