Incorporating equality: Why Equality Impact Assessment is the blueprint for fairer planning

When we think about planning our cities, towns, and neighbourhoods, we tend to focus on visible changes: new buildings rising from the ground, transport links weaving communities together, and the inclusion of green spaces that bring life into urban areas. However, amid these important aspects, one crucial factor is often overlooked – ensuring that developments are inclusive and equitable for everyone.

This is where Equality Impact Assessments (EqIAs) come into focus. These assessments can profoundly shape the built environment, ensuring that it meets the needs of all people, regardless of age, gender, ability, ethnicity, sexuality, religion or socioeconomic background.

The Equality Act 2010 requires public authorities to consider how their decisions affect people with protected characteristics. Despite this legal duty, many planning processes still fail to meaningfully reflect the diversity of the communities they serve. EqIAs provide a structured way to address this gap. At their core, they evaluate how different groups may be affected by a proposed development, especially those who are often marginalised or underrepresented. From new housing schemes to parks or commercial sites, EqIAs encourage planners to move beyond traditional engagement strategies and focus specifically on issues of equity, diversity and inclusion.

What sets EqIAs apart from other assessment tools like Statements of Community Involvement or Health Impact Assessments is their direct focus on the social impact of development decisions. While community consultations are important, they can be dominated by the most vocal or well-resourced groups. EqIAs ensure that the voices and needs of less visible or less powerful community members are not only heard, but prioritised where necessary. They help prevent planning outcomes that reinforce inequality or overlook the everyday challenges faced by certain groups.

The importance of EqIAs becomes even clearer when we look at past planning decisions where their use might have made a difference. Take the redevelopment associated with the London 2012 Olympics, although it brought regeneration and investment to East London, it also contributed to rising property prices and the displacement of local residents. An EqIA, if properly undertaken, could have helped identify these risks in advance, prompting planners to implement stronger safeguards for affordable housing and accessible community amenities.

Another example comes from Birmingham in 2011, when the city council proposed widespread library closures due to budget cuts. These libraries provided vital services such as internet access, educational support and safe community spaces, especially for the elderly, children, disabled people and low-income families. The backlash was significant. An EqIA could have highlighted the disproportionate impact these closures would have on vulnerable groups and encouraged the exploration of alternative cost-saving measures that preserved access in key areas.

Similarly, in parts of the North-East of England, large-scale housing developments sparked concern among elderly and disabled residents about accessibility and connectivity. With an EqIA in place, planning decisions could have been guided toward incorporating more inclusive design features, such as step-free access, accessible transport links and communal spaces that foster social inclusion across generations.

Of course, EqIAs have also been used successfully in planning. At the University of Leicester, a campus redevelopment project was informed by a thorough EqIA. The assessment led to design improvements that made the campus more accessible for students with disabilities and more welcoming for those from ethnic minorities or lower-income backgrounds. For women specifically, the improved transport links and safer pedestrian pathways enhanced personal security, particularly during evening hours– an issue disproportionately affecting women. Well-illuminated, accessible routes and entryways also supported women with mobility restrictions or those balancing caregiving responsibilities, such as navigating the campus with prams or young children. Moreover, spaces for cultural expression allowed students from diverse backgrounds to feel a greater sense of belonging and visibility, which is crucial for wellbeing and academic success.

In Manchester, the regeneration of the Great Northern area was guided by an EqIA that identified potential inequalities in housing and services. As a result, the scheme included affordable homes, providing secure and independent living options for single parent families for example. The inclusion of accessible healthcare facilities has also enabled better reproductive, family planning and mental health services. Enhanced public spaces such as parks and communal areas, were designed with safety, accessibility and mixed-age uses as a priority, creating environments where women could feel more comfortable socialising, exercising and or supervising children. These developments not only improved quality of life but it also allowed more women to engage in public life and local decision-making processes.

These examples show that when EqIAs are taken seriously, they can shape planning outcomes that are not only more equitable and sustainable, but also responsive to the diverse needs and lived experiences of women across different stages of life.

However, despite their potential, EqIAs are too often treated as a procedural requirement rather than a meaningful part of the planning process. Many assessments lack real analysis or failing to propose concrete actions. There is a clear need for a more detailed and proactive approach, one that goes beyond generic forms and instead guides planners and developers through a thoughtful evaluation of how different people will experience a development. This refreshed approach should encourage the inclusion of measurable impacts, real-world examples, and specific strategies for addressing the needs of underrepresented communities.

We must build cities and communities that reflect the people who live in them. EqIAs are a vital tool in achieving this vision. By making them a standard and properly integrated part of planning policy and practice, we can help ensure that development does not perpetuate inequality but actively works against it. This is not just about ticking legal boxes or avoiding criticism, it’s about recognising the social responsibility embedded in planning and using it to create environments where everyone feels welcome, respected and empowered.

By embracing a renewed approach to EqIAs, one rooted in empathy, evidence and action, we can move closer to building a future where the built environment serves all of us, not just the few.

Sophie Stanton is a Chartered Planner at P4 Planning and a leading advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the built environment. Since joining the profession in 2021, she has championed inclusivity through both her professional work and voluntary roles, including Chair of the RTPI North West EDI Action Group and member of the RTPI Young Planners and Regional Activities Committee. In recognition of her impact, she was named The Planner’s Woman of Influence 2025 and RTPI North East Young Planner of the Year 2023.

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The views and opinions expressed in this blogpost are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy position of the Women’s Budget Group.