Successful stewardship leads to well-managed public spaces and a growing sense of community. To get there requires a willingness for stakeholders within the community, as well as local government and developers, to work together to deliver schemes with a sense of place that bring benefits for residents in the long term.

This is key when it comes to creating successful new developments. In order to deliver successful stewardship outcomes, local authorities, developers, and the communities involved all need to be supported to design and implement stewardship models that ensure both residents and public spaces are looked after.

Local authorities are often no longer able to adopt community assets, such as parks and play areas or a new village hall, due to the cost of their upkeep. With traditional models no longer viable, and an increasing over reliance on private management companies, stakeholders responsible for delivering major new developments are looking for new approaches. New practices across the country include:

• Community assets being built to a higher standard from the outset to lower maintenance costs, ensure longer-lasting infrastructure and a better experience for residents.
• Involving residents in decision-making and being open about how money is spent and decisions are made, often through the creation of community trusts.
• Local authority planning teams are increasingly asking developers to provide plans for stewardship, in some cases stipulating conflicting expectations. For example, a 20 per cent biodiversity net gain alongside a minimal level of service charge.

Developers contributing the most to the supply of housing are doing so in a challenging economic climate that can make up-front investment challenging. Whilst local authorities want to see long-term quality, developers need to balance the commerciality of each scheme they are involved in. 

In social housing, where significant additional grant funding is about to flow into the sector, many registered providers (RPs) are placing stewardship high on their agenda. However, affordability and delivery costs remain key barriers, and interest in Section 106 (S106) homes has arguably declined in recent years, partly due to concerns around build quality and long-term durability. As demand for affordable housing continues to grow, it is essential that the drive to deliver more homes does not come at the expense of ensuring they remain affordable to manage and maintain over the long term. By prioritising stewardship and collaborating closely with all local stakeholders, councils can prioritise strategies that will deliver long-term benefits, aligned to the needs of local communities.

At Anthony Collins, we helped Chelmsford City Council to put in place a new ‘stewardship strategy’ for the planned development of 6,500 new homes at the North East Chelmsford Garden Community. This involved early-stage discussions with the council, developers and other stakeholders (including local residents) about what stewardship should look like, and a report was produced outlining options to be considered as part of the planning process. It was decided that there was a key role for the new community-wide Parish Council, with costs being met through a range of sources including service charges, but also including income generated from endowed assets.  

Our team supports future-proofed approaches to placemaking, helping diverse communities to plan and implement long-term development management agreements that protect assets.

It is important that local authorities think strategically about how they can drive the agenda on stewardship in their area, embedding requirements as part of planning processes. A clear master plan is needed to provide certainty, consistency and transparency to prospective delivery partners looking to deliver distinctive, sustainable places to live. 

By prioritising stewardship from the outset and collaborating closely with all local stakeholders, councils can prioritise strategies that will deliver long-term benefits, aligned to the needs of local communities.

Key takeaways:

• Stewardship must be considered from the earliest stages of development to ensure new communities are well managed and responsive to residents' needs over the long term.
• Long-term affordability needs to be prioritised, ensuring community assets and public spaces can be maintained.
• Successful stewardship relies on collaboration between councils, developers, registered providers and local communities.