Rachel attended the Town and Country Planning Association Annual Conference on Thursday 27th November, at Regents University in London. At Edgars, we encourage engagement with our professional network, and champion curiosity as a core value of the Edgars culture. For our apprentice planners, this is particularly pertinent as they shape the planners they want to be in the future, find and develop specialisms, and build their professional network.
Here is Rachel’s summary and the takeaways she took from the conference:
I knew I would be in for a treat attending the TCPA Annual Conference to hear from some of the UK’s leading planning experts and practitioners, and the day did not disappoint…
Kicking off the morning session was a panel discussion to address the question ‘What is the purpose of planning?’. With input from the private sector, government advisors and academics, one thing could be agreed upon – whilst government and policy changes feel like a regular occurrence, the statutory purpose of planning should transcend political parties. Instead of dictating outcomes, planning creates a common understanding of purpose, values and direction, especially in an environment where uncertainty is the only constant. The discussion served as a refreshing reminder that we must constantly challenge ourselves to consider why our work matters to ensure that we are heading in the right direction.
Further discussions around issues such as community involvement in planning and the management of nature recovery and green spaces provided valuable insight into what is happening ‘on the ground’ and demonstrated how positive outcomes can be achieved when collaboration and communication are key factors within planning procedures. On a personal level, I was particularly inspired by the presentation about developing community-led development at scale in Frome which demonstrated how communities should be seen as an essential ingredient in planning and sustainable development – 1,500 supporting comments speaks for itself as to how the community felt heard, valued and prioritised within the process!
The afternoon sessions brought insight into the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill alongside ‘hot off the press’ announcements regarding Planning reform, notably regarding the new regulations for Local Plan creation. With new Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) already published for flooding, Local Nature Recovery Schemes, Heritage and Green Belt, we can expect updated guidance around transport, renewables, viability and climate change to follow. It was announced in the Budget the day before that additional funding has been allocated to MHCLG to support their ‘Pathways to Planning’ programme – yet the feeling from the conference was that whilst this is a positive step to support and encourage new planners within the public sector, with the announcement of Level 7 Apprenticeship funding cuts earlier this year, there is still likely to be a deficit within the private sector.
A lively Q&A session saw the panellists grilled about the seeming lack of meaningful consultation and community engagement under the new Local Plan system, something that seemed particularly topical in light of the earlier presentation advocating the involvement of local communities. Georgina Brightwell, representing the Local Government Association (LGA), also raised concerns over the penalties Local Planning Authorities face when they fall short of their 5-Year Housing Land Supply, despite the fact that they are often not in the driving seat when it comes to the build-out of sites allocated for housing – a call to incentivise build-out was made as, after all, people cannot live in planning permissions.
Discussion throughout the day served as a reminder as to why planning matters, and also crucially, why investing in new talent is essential. I was encouraged to see a good number of apprentices, graduates and early-career professionals in attendance alongside those in more senior and advanced positions. As an Apprentice myself, I left feeling challenged and inspired by the conversations I had engaged in, committed to developing my skills as a planner, and excited to be working in a field that holds such enormous potential to drive positive change.
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