'Tools of the Trade' was launched by South East Excellence in November 2006, as an essential resource for Councillors, local authority officers, developers, and others involved in the built environment. It is intended to enable users to access the best guidance and help maximise effectiveness in decision-making.
The grid interface helps users to locate the most appropriate toolkit according to the stage or type of project. Each toolkit has therefore been assigned to the square on the grid where it was deemed to have the highest overall relevance. Other toolkits in adjacent squares may be equally of interest to users. In addition, the Urban Design Compendium is recommended as a comprehensive toolkit which may be of use in a large number of contexts.
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Brief Development |
Feasibility Stage |
Scheme Design |
Construction/ Delivery |
Evaluation & Management |
Economy
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The Local Area Agreement Toolkit Highlights some of the challenges that can arise as an LAA develops, and how these might be resolved |
Housing Corporation Economic Appraisal Tool to model residential and mixed-use developments which seek social housing grants alongside developer S106 contributions |
The Cool Sea overs common issues facing urban waterfront areas, particularly relating to urban design, community participation and links between the waterfront and the wider urban fabric |
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NAO Efficiency Toolkit Provides practical guidance on assessing an organisation's current approach to achieving efficiency |
| Environmental |
Down your Alley to enable local residents to form small community groups to turn neglected alleyways into shared community spaces |
| Active Design to improve the health of the nation, by putting sport and opportunities to be active, in relation to the planning and design of new housing and community developments, eg re cycling & walking |
| The Brownfield Guideto show how brownfield sites may best be considered for reuse |
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| Biodiversity by design to provide guidance on how to maximise the opportunities for biodiversity in the planning and design of sustainable communities |
| Green Roof Toolkitsets out the benefits of green roofs and presents a range of evidence supporting their use |
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Rural Proofing for Health Toolkit to identify the issues of concern in rural areas, and produce a resource to help Primary Care Organisations consider the needs of people living in rural communities |
Achieving Excellence Design Evaluation Toolkit (AEDET) to improve and achieve design quality in NHS buildings and looks at their impact, functionality and build quality |
| Equity |
Community Development Toolkit to support government, industry, and community efforts to realize more sustainable community development around mining and mineral processing operations |
Preventing Homelessness targeted at local authority officers working on homelessness issues and housing more generally |
Higher Density Toolkit to achieve a holistic and integrated approach to the delivery of high density homes according to eight different aspects of equity |
Building a Successful Community Project nine self-contained modules dealing with aspects of delivering environmental improvement schemes |
Working with Wildlife a Practical educational training pack on nature conservation and biodiversity issues |
| Services |
Water Services Infrastructure Guide to explain how the planning process can be used to promote the sustainable development of water services infrastructure |
Consultancy Assessment Toolkit a framework for reviewing the extent to which an organisation is achieving value for money from its use of consultants |
Sustainability Checklist to guide the design of new developments by making sense of current policy |
Integration Toolkit a step-by-step guide to the management of the supply chain and integrated project team through a multi-layered online tool |
Estate Inspections Matrix to be filled out by local residents to determine how they rate their surrounding environment |
| Transport & Connectivity |
Regional Spatial Strategies to help improve the quality of regional transport studies by providing the necessary linkages between transport, spatial and economic planning at the regional level |
DIY Streets Toolkit (SUSTRANS) to help residents develop low-cost capital solutions to making their streets safer and more attractive |
Sustainable Energy by Design to show how sustainable energy can be integrated into the planning, design and development of new and existing communities |
Delivering Community Benefits from Wind Energy to help to make meaningful community benefits more routine and systematic in UK wind energy projects |
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| Governance |
Community Land Trust Urban Toolkit offers a path through the maze of urban policy and legal complexities to show how Community Land Trusts can contribute to place-shaping in urban communities |
Project Development Toolkit a series of project development tools designed to be used in conjunction with community representatives, agency or delivery organisations and professional services |
Preparing Design Codes for anyone working in the built environment who is using, or contemplating using design codes |
London BIDs Toolkit to assist areas in establishing a Business Improvement District (BID) as a strong and credible delivery vehicle |
Ethical Governance Toolkit To help local authorities assess how well they are meeting the ethical agenda and to improve further their arrangements |
| Social & Cultural |
Heritage Works a practical guide for developers, owners, practitioners or community groups for creating successful heritage-led regeneration projects |
Planning & Engaging with Intercultural Communities a report for planning, built environment and community development practitioners about engaging with intercultural communities |
Sustainability Checklist to guide the design of new developments by making sense of current policy |
Arts Development Slough: Community Arts Training Scheme to help local authority arts officers to see the impact that the Community Arts Training Scheme has had in Slough, and how they can adapt the course to run in their own area |
RAISE Social Audit Toolkit a portfolio of tools and techniques for measuring, understanding, reporting on, and ultimately improving an organisation’s performance |
| Housing & the Built Environment |
Creating Excellent Buildings: A Guide for Clients how to commission a building project successfully for those new to process, divided into the four main stages - preparation, design, construction and use of the building |
| One Million Sustainable Homes to provide clear guidance for housebuilders seeking to address a wide range of sustainability issues |
| Extra Care Housing Toolkitto assist in the development of extra care housing in the context of the wider accommodation and service needs of older people |
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Jephson Design Brief update to Jephson design guide, covering management, design, construction, sustainability, standards and legislation |
Delivering Successful Higher Density Housing to evaluate proposals for higher-density, mixed tenure housing schemes |
Design Quality Indicators a web based tool which allows everyone involved in the briefing, design and use of a building to input their views about its design |