About ATLAS
ATLAS was set up in 2004 as a pilot scheme by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM - now Communities & Local Government, CLG) to provide an independent advisory service to Local Authorities experiencing the pressures of increased development activity. The team is hosted and delivered through the new Homes & Communities Agency.
As a result of the success of the pilot scheme, ATLAS has been expanded considerably from 2007 to 2010, in terms of the number of staff, its geographical area of coverage, and scope of technical expertise. For the very latest news and views from the ATLAS team pleaseclick here.
Objectives
ATLAS has the following vision:
"To secure the timely delivery of high quality sustainable development through effective planning processes, collaborative working and the promotion of good practice.”
ATLAS will operate in a way to achieve the following objectives:
- Improving the speed and quality of outcome in bringing forward major housing led planning & regeneration projects;
- Acting as an independent advisor to Local Authorities and their development partners and an independent reviewer of major applications and related issues;
- Increasing the knowledge and expertise across the wider development community to handle large scale housing growth proposals and the delivery of high quality sustainable communities;
- Helping local planning authorities to develop better and more consistent interaction with the development industry and key stakeholders;
- Ensuring the lessons learnt from ATLAS's work are disseminated widely to local planning authorities and the wider development community; and
- Contributing to the establishment of a collaborative planning system based on the principles of holistic sustainable development, spatial planning and development management
How does it operate?
ATLAS will engage at any stage of the development process when requested by the Local Authority. The only specific selection criteria for ATLAS involvement are that sites are generally large or of strategic importance.
ATLAS currently has approximatley 30 dedicated staff with extensive planning and development experience. The majority are qualified planners supplemented by a range of topic experts in areas such as urban design, transport planning, social infrastructure, regeneration and environmental assessment.
To make best and most efficient use of ATLAS staff its approach is to provide advice rather than acting as an extra staff resource. Inevitably there will be cases where it will be appropriate for focused pieces of work to be undertaken by ATLAS staff. However, in most cases the Local Authority would be expected to undertake the work supported by ATLAS guidance. This may mean ATLAS would also help Local Authorities identify and manage external consultants where work cannot be undertaken in-house.
The ATLAS offer
ATLAS can offer Local Authorities advice on a broad range of issues relating to the delivery of large housing projects and aim to provide a service which will build capacity and improve relationships. This can range from general project management advice, advice on the planning process, dealing with topics and addressing project issues.
ATLAS has had considerable success in providing independent advice and assistance on a variety of projects in the past year. Feedback from these projects suggest that the earlier ATLAS is engaged in the process the greater the impact on the outcome of the project. Local authorities also appreciate ATLAS ability to access all levels of government agencies to assist the outcome of a project.
ATLAS is able with the consent of Local Authorities to become involved with private sector Developers, this can assist the delivery process by improving communication and mutual understanding and can help to strengthen relationships.
More information relating to the scope of ATLAS work can be found in the linked pages to the right.
Related Downloads
Related Links
The 'About' zone introduces the scope and purpose of the Guide together with a set of critical success factors that ATLAS believe should underpin the progression of large scale development projects through the town planning process. It also introduces ATLAS.
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