Practice Note
Surveying Places
How can planning be based on a better understanding of existing places and uses?
Land surveys can be a powerful tool for local authorities to map what assets exist in their local area. Surveys can also be a useful way to connect with local communities and understand how they relate to sites, existing structures and the built environment more broadly.
However, it is increasingly common for surveys to be outsourced to external consultants rather than undertaken by local authorities. Over time, this approach risks contributing to an erosion of local knowledge and knowhow within authorities.
This Practice Note recommends authorities carry out their own in-house surveys to build in-house capacity and capture valuable information on local communities, economies and structures. Drawing lessons from an industrial audit of the Bexley Riverside Opportunity Area, the Practice Note sets out a series of practical recommendations for how local authorities can design and deliver affordable and efficient surveys.
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