Introducing TRUUD Guidelines for Building Healthful Environments

Introducing TRUUD Guidelines for Building Healthful Environments

The Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) and the TRUUD research programme have launched a new practical guide for local authorities in England, aimed at creating places that promote health. The guide, titled 'a practical guide for local authorities on embedding health in Local Plans and planning policies in England', was created in response to research that found Local Plans can be weak and inconsistent on creating healthy places.

The guidance offers options to meet the diverse needs of district and borough authorities. It was developed with participation from seven local authorities in England, including Bristol City Council, Guildford Borough Council, Medway Council, Northumberland County Council, Surrey County Council, Southampton City Council, and Walsall Council.

The guide outlines the importance of planning in creating healthier places and provides practical frameworks and case studies illustrating how health can be embedded effectively. Key steps from this practical guide typically include:

1. Incorporating health evidence and local health priorities: Using data on health inequalities and local population needs to inform planning decisions, ensuring policies support health equity and address social determinants of health.
2. Engaging health stakeholders and communities early: Collaborating with public health teams, NHS bodies, and community groups to align health goals with planning outcomes.
3. Embedding health-promoting design principles: Including policies in Local Plans that encourage active travel, green spaces, accessible community facilities, and environments conducive to physical and mental wellbeing.
4. Using health impact assessments (HIA): Systematically assessing the health effects of proposed developments and policies to optimize positive outcomes and mitigate risks.
5. Making health a cross-cutting theme: Ensuring health considerations are integrated across housing, transport, environment, and economic policies rather than treated in isolation.
6. Monitoring and reviewing health outcomes: Setting up mechanisms to track the impact of planning policies on local health and adjusting plans as necessary.

Co-lead author Dr Emma Bird, Senior Lecturer in Public Health at the University of the West of England, stated that the guide aims to fill a gap between what local authorities want to achieve in terms of creating healthier places and the available guidance on how to do this. Co-lead author Gemma Hyde, Projects and Policy Manager at the TCPA, stated that the guide will be useful for planning and public health officers, elected members, and other local and national stakeholders.

The guidance is organized under three themes: universal, policy, and implementation. It is available for download and offers free training, support, and facilitated workshops to places and communities looking to plan, design, and build places for healthy lives. The guide will be updated as necessary in response to changes in national policy.

In addition to the surge in inclusivity efforts across the built environment, this approach aligns with broader government and NHS strategies, such as the NHS 10-Year Plan and statutory duties under the Health and Social Care Act 2021, which encourage local government collaboration to address health inequalities and improve population health through integrated, preventive approaches.

In summary, embedding health in Local Plans involves using local health data, multi-sector partnerships, health-focused policies in planning frameworks, and ongoing evaluation, supported by the TRUUD and Town and Country Planning Association's practical guide as a resource to implement these strategies effectively.

1. The practical guide, created by the TCPA and TRUUD research programme, focuses on implementing strategies that embed health in Local Plans, addressing health inequalities and promoting social determinants of health.
2. To create healthier places, local authorities can use evidence-based strategies such as collaborating with health stakeholders, incorporating health-promoting design principles, and conducting health impact assessments, as outlined in the TCPA and TRUUD guide.
3. In line with the NHS 10-Year Plan and statutory duties under the Health and Social Care Act 2021, embedding health in Local Plans is essential for sustainability and promoting health-and-wellness and fitness-and-exercise opportunities within the community.

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