Royal Town Planning Institute Archives

New talent, new expertise, New Year

28th November 20226th December 2021 by Gary Stringer

As we look ahead to the new year and the new opportunities it will bring, Planning & Design Practice Ltd is expanding and excited to announce new additions to the team, with new recruits joining our planning, architectural and heritage teams.

Joining our approachable and experienced team of RIBA Chartered Architects and architectural assistants is Project Architect Manik Karunaratne. An Architects Registration Board (ARB) UK registered architect, Manik qualified in 2018 at the University of Nottingham, following an architectural journey comprised of several universities, having studied at the University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University and De Montfort University.

Having worked on commercial architecture practices previously, Manik has experience on office buildings, high rise apartments buildings, housing developments and barn conversions. Currently he is working on a variety of vernacular and domestic projects liaising closely with clients and further developing his knowledge in heritage and conservation.

Andrew Stock joins us as a Principal Planner, having spent over 7 years in local government. Andrew previously worked in development control as a Planning Officer at Herefordshire Council and, since 2016, as a Senior Planning Officer at Derbyshire Dales District Council.

During his time in local government Andrew gained a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of planning applications including residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural developments of various scales. Andrew will utilise his wealth of experience and local knowledge to assist the company in the preparation, submission and management of all types of planning applications going forward.

Having recently completed a Master’s degree in Public History and Heritage at the University of Derby, Ruth Gray joins our Heritage team as Heritage Assistant. Ruth will assist an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conservation) planner and a Specialist Conservation Architect, carrying out research and helping to prepare heritage assessments, listed building applications and planning applications in conservation areas, and within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site, where we have worked on a number of successful projects. Prior to joining Planning & Design, Ruth was a heritage assistant at a charity in Nottingham supporting sector entrants to find their first role in museums and cultural institutions.

Continuing a tradition of encouraging and supporting emerging talent, we are also pleased to announce the addition to the team of: Joshua Bunce and Matthew Kempster as Junior Architectural Technicians; and Katy Francis, Emily Anderson, Caitlin Holton and Shaun Hyde as Graduate Planners.

Richard Pigott, Director said “We are excited to be growing the team again following the restructuring earlier in the year and the appointment of the new management team. This is in response to continuing demand for our services and demonstrates our confidence in the future in both our Derby and Sheffield offices, reflecting the positive economic outlook in these two great cities.”

Since being founded in 2002 Planning & Design Practice Ltd has earnt an excellent reputation for winning approvals and for creating attractive and viable proposals. The company has generated over £200m of uplift in land values for clients through its consents and proposals. The architectural side of the business boasts true international expertise having worked on large scale projects in Russia, Germany, Spain and the United States as well as across the UK. The company is able to design award winning proposals for a wide range of clients across the country.

The company’s heritage team can advise on listed buildings and developments in sensitive locations whilst maintaining a strong planning consultancy team. In 2019 our heritage work was recognised and awarded the Highly Commended Certificate for Excellence in Planning for Heritage & Culture at the recent RTPI East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence 2019. The Highly Commended Certificate was for our work on the redevelopment of the ‘East Site’ at John Smedley Mills, Lea Bridge.

Pragmatic and prepared – The planning profession’s response to Covid-19

19th June 202318th May 2020 by Gary Stringer

The latest RTPI research paper “Pragmatic and Prepared for the Recovery” sets out the findings from a recent survey of members of the Royal Town Planning Institute on how planning departments have been responding to this unprecedented situation. During March and April of this year, over a 1000 members of the RTPI responded to an online survey on COVID-19.

The report aims to contribute to the immediate need for guidance on how to maintain effective planning services in a much changed environment and will inform the RTPI’s continuing work with governments across the UK and Ireland. It reviews early lessons and starts to assess how the profession can prepare to support the delivery of a sustainable economic recovery.

The full report is available for download HERE

Following the introduction of social distancing measures in the UK and Ireland in March 2020, planning departments were confronted with the unprecedented task of maintaining decision making without the usual face to face planning committee meetings. The RTPI have seen a multitude of responses and heard a range of suggested approaches to take through the RTPI survey such as delegating to officers or holding virtual planning committees.

The responses by Governments to Covid-19 are clearly fast moving and the overarching approach to relaxing lockdown restrictions was announced for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland in early May 2020. The various National governments that make up the RTPI Nations of UK and Ireland have taken varying actions affecting the planning system in response to the crisis. Concerns raised by RTPI members related to the expiration of planning permissions, the barriers preventing officers progressing an application in the usual ways and the difficulties of processing new applications during the sustained period of remote working.

The protocol around how or indeed whether to conduct site visits and uncertainty on how to deal with statutory publicity procedures through the posting of site notices for planning applications were questions that came up time and again in the survey.

Fascinating insights were provided about working from home, the use of technology and health and wellbeing, with a mix of views on how the profession has been coping with these matters.

Major themes to emerge were the productivity challenges when working from home alongside the opportunities it provided, an appetite to review the problems and capture the benefits of the accelerated use of technology in planning during the crisis. The importance of access to green/outdoor spaces for both exercise and general well being was seen to have taken on even greater importance during the crisis. The difficulties of maintaining a ‘business as usual’ approach where redeployment of planners was also raised with the potential delays this could cause to the planning system.

We would like to reassure our clients that in these unusual times, it is business as usual at Planning & Design Practice Ltd. We are Covid secure, and remain committed to keeping both our clients, and our staff safe, working within the parameters of government advice to ensure that existing deadlines and commitments to our clients are met.

We are still happy to conduct site visits, and have an agreed set of safety measures in place for when our colleagues are required to meet clients on site.

RTPI launch Diversity Action Plan

2nd March 2020 by Gary Stringer

On Tuesday 25 February, the President of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Sue Manns launched a 10-year diversity action plan intended to make the planning profession more inclusive.

This follows the launch in January 2020, of the RTPI’s new Corporate Strategy 2020-2030 which sees Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity as one of four integrated Pillars.

Ms Manns, who became president on 22 January 2020, said “The RTPI is committed to working with members to continue to promote a diverse and inclusive profession at all levels”.

The RTPI commissioned specialist diversity and inclusion consultancy Brook Graham to look at how the planning profession currently performs and to identify a series of bespoke actions that could be taken forward to achieve this commitment. They found that whilst the RTPI performs ‘above average’ in terms of equality, diversity and inclusivity, when compared to others in the built environment sector, there is still much work to do.

Ms Manns launched the action plan ahead of delivering a lecture on equality, diversity and inclusivity at the University of Birmingham.

She said: “For us to be an effective and sustainable profession, we must be genuinely representative of the society in which we work. This includes recognising and addressing the need for broader visibility of diversity at all levels of the profession, from entry to the most senior. We need to be accessible and inclusive, adaptable to change and proactive in our support for members, wherever they may be.

“The action plan – CHANGE – has been developed to help guide both members and employers as they work to achieve a more balanced profession. This bespoke action plan represents the means for the profession to achieve this.

“I hope that CHANGE will be transformative and will not just benefit planners but will also positively impact on how people view the profession.”

Stuart Affleck, director of Brook Graham, said: “In a summary of research studies published in 2018, Deloitte stated that organisations with diverse and inclusive cultures are twice as likely to exceed financial targets, three times more likely to be high performing and six times more likely to be innovative.

“At Brook Graham we define diversity as all the ways in which we differ: age, gender, skin-colour and physical appearance as well as underlying, invisible differences such as thinking styles, nationality, values, education and sexuality. Inclusion is about creating a workplace where differences are authentically valued, where people feel involved, respected connected and where the richness of talents, ideas, backgrounds, perspectives and skills are harnessed to create business value.”

According to the RTPI’s UK Planning Profession 2019 study, membership is currently 61% male, 39% female and 6% BAME. Across planning schools and new entrants to the profession there is generally a 50:50 split between men and women. Student membership is growing rapidly, especially across BAME groups.

Call on government for stronger direction on climate action

18th November 2019 by Gary Stringer

A recent survey by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), has revealed that an overwhelming majority of UK planners want the next government to give stronger direction and more resources to enable local planners to deliver net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

With 79% of respondents agreeing that climate action should be a top priority for the profession, only 17% felt their nation’s planning system or policy framework was well equipped enough to deal with the current climate crisis.

Nearly 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that there needed to be stronger direction from central government and greater resourcing, training and capacity for local authority planning departments to enable more effective local planning for net zero carbon.

Victoria Hills, Chief executive, of the RTPI said: “The government’s own advisory body, the Committee on Climate Change, has acknowledged the role of planners in taking decisive and effective climate action, but without strong direction from central government and an increase in resources and capacity at a local level, it will be impossible for planners to meet the challenges of climate change and achieve the target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“These challenges are so significant and long-term that widespread and fundamental changes in the way our societies are organised and managed will be required. Planning can’t resolve this issue on its own.”

Ms Hills also confirmed that the RTPI has recently joined the UN’s Planners for Climate Action Campaign, which aims to catalyse and accelerate climate action through responsible and transformative urban and territorial planning practice, education and research.

At its annual conference earlier this year, The RTPI launched its Resource Planning for Climate Action campaign, which calls on government to take radical climate actions around buildings and transport, and to develop a tool to help local authorities gauge the carbon impact of existing and emerging local plans.

The campaign calls on the next government to:

ensure that all new build homes are zero carbon and that measures and resources are put in place for existing homes to be zero carbon and to begin a major national retrofitting programme for existing homes;
roll-out SCATTER, a tool for assessing the carbon impact of existing and future local plans, on wider scale;
ensure that climate change mitigation is a vital component of wider planning and infrastructure policy and that government listens to the planning profession in formulating that policy;
give more resources to local planning authorities;
empower devolved national governments and local authorities to lead on climate change mitigation in the devolved nations at local level and give them the resources to do so;
invest in UK infrastructure for smart energy heat and sustainable mobility, including greater collaboration between the ministries of BEIS, DfT and HCLG, as well as devolved governments.

A total of 994 out of the RTPI’s 25,000 members responded to the RTPI’s climate change survey. Respondents came from across the public, private and third sectors.

“Town planning is increasingly important across the world as climate change bites,” said Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“With climate change the provision off public transport must increase, the use of the private car should be reduced and our homes should be built to zero carbon. This means building at greater densities and making the best use of land in our urban areas. It means co-ordinating development with public transport and building in locations of greatest accessibility so that people have a choice of transport options, to do this will give young people and the elderly autonomy in their lives, reduce inequality through better access to work and public services and in doing so create greater well-being for all.“

Respondents of the survey also called for zero carbon targets to be set in Building Regulations, more collaboration with other industries in the built environment sector, greater subsidies for retrofitting and more focus on transport planning.

World Town Planning Day 2019

6th November 2019 by Gary Stringer

Friday 8 November marks the 70th anniversary of World Town Planning Day.

World Town Planning Day brings together planners and communities every year on this date to celebrate how we shape our world and make it a place where people want to live, work and play together.

World Town Planning day was launched by Professor Carlos María della Paolera of Buenos Aires in 1949 in order to promote the value of planning all over the world.

In the 70 years since then planners from over 30 countries have celebrated their achievements in helping to create more sustainable communities and places with lectures, children’s competitions, fund raising and charity events, planning awards and street festivals.

This year the President of The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), Ian Tant will be dedicating a ‘blue plaque’ in London to Sir Patrick Abercrombie, best known for his post-Second World War replanning of London.

In addition Ian will be joining Presidents and Chairs of other planning associations from across the world to call on planners to continue to champion the causes of equity, diversity and inclusivity in their work.

The RTPI will also be running its Planning Day Schools Competition. This is designed to inspire students to take a closer look at both their local and wider environment and the many decisions that impact it. The competition is open to all UK secondary schools, with winning schools receiving prizes for the individual student and the school. More information can be found HERE.

“Town planning is increasingly important across the world as climate change bites,” says Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“Putting development in the right place makes urban development more robust in a changing climate and it makes it possible to deliver services on a low carbon model. In many countries there is no effective land use control and the latest wildfires in California are a case in point. Suburban and ex-urban housing has been built to a very low density in forested and scrub areas that are vulnerable to fire. These places are often very difficult to reach and to supply adequate water. They should not be built on and this is in a first world country. In Britain development does not take place in such sensitive locations. These include the uplands, areas liable to regular flooding, and areas of importance to nature conservation. Development densities in the UK are generally high and we take care to consider the impact of development on local communities.

With climate change the provision off public transport must increase, the use of the private car should be reduced and our homes should be built to zero carbon. This means building at greater densities and making the best use of land in our urban areas. It means co-ordinating development with public transport and building in locations of greatest accessibility so that people have a choice of transport options, to do this will give young people and the elderly autonomy in their lives, reduce inequality through better access to work and public services and in doing so create greater well-being for all.“

Comprising town planners, architects and architectural assistants our staff bring a wealth of experience from a range of backgrounds and various parts of the UK. Our planners have worked in the public & private sectors, and have excellent working relations with Local Planning Authorities. In our work we seek to realise the development potential of land and buildings to the benefit of the client and the wider community.

For more information or to discuss a specific project please contact us.

Queen’s Speech plans on climate change welcomed

15th October 2019 by Gary Stringer

The government has unveiled plans on building safety, the National Infrastructure Strategy and a goal for the UK to lead global action against climate change in the Queen’s Speech of Monday 14 October.

Given the very real issues around climate change and the environment Planning & Design are very pleased to see the following in the Queen’s Speech yesterday.

“My Ministers remain committed to protecting and improving the environment for future generations. For the first time, environmental principles will be enshrined in law. Measures will be introduced to improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive. Legislation will also create new legally-binding environmental improvement targets. A new, world-leading independent regulator will be established in statute to scrutinise environmental policy and law, investigate complaints and take enforcement action [Environment Bill].”

This means, that for the first time, environmental principles will be enshrined in law. Measures will be introduced that improve air and water quality, tackle plastic pollution and restore habitats so plants and wildlife can thrive, increasing biodiversity. Legislation will also create new legally-binding environmental improvement targets. A new, independent regulator will be established in statute to scrutinise environmental policy and law, investigate complaints and take enforcement action.

This commitment to the environment is endorsed by the RTPI but they make the point that without well-resourced planning teams it will be difficult to deliver on this pledge.

RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills said “The Royal Town Planning Institute welcomes the government’s intentions announced in today’s Queen’s Speech for a white paper on more decision-making powers to be devolved in England, to deliver a national infrastructure strategy, to create a new scrutiny body for environmental ambitions and to lead global climate change action.

“We remind Government that the planning system and planning professionals are essential to make all these intentions a reality, and that local authority planning needs to be resourced appropriately.

“The RTPI, which represents 25,000 planning professionals, looks forward to working with the Government to find the spatial solutions to deliver its ambitions.”

At Planning & Design we have seen a real reduction in the planning service available to us and our clients, but we hope that this will improve as we move forward and embrace the formidable challenges and additional responsibilities ahead of us.

“As architects and planners we are in a good position to use our professional skills and experience to design buildings which can better cope with climate change, which is going to affect everyone, says Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design.

“This means being aware of the latest research, developments and materials in order to design buildings which are highly insulated to be warm in winter whilst cool in summer, generate energy through solar power, have heating systems which use very little energy and do not use gas, oil or burn coal or wood.”

Government funding secured for enforcement handbook

23rd September 2019 by Gary Stringer

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has announced that it will work in partnership with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to update the England Enforcement Handbook.

Funding for the new handbook is part of a £1.5m government package for the 2019/20 financial year with the aim of helping local authorities deal with unauthorised development.

The RTPI say that the handbook, which will be reviewed and updated by RTPI network the National Association of Planning Enforcement (NAPE), will help ensure local authorities have access to the latest best practice advice on how to deal effectively with a range of enforcement challenges.

NAPE Chair Neill Whittaker said:

“We’re really pleased to be working in partnership with MHCLG to refresh the National Association of Planning Enforcement handbook for England.

“The updated handbook will support enforcement officers in carrying out their roles covering a range of topics including the Proceeds of Crime Act, lone working, the General Permitted Development Order and advances in technology.

“The NAPE project team are currently working on the details for the updated handbook and three launch events are due to be held across England in Spring 2020.”

In addition the RTPI and Connected Places Catapult (CPC) have launched a shared vision for the digital future of planning. They have been working over the last few years to understand how better data, tools and systems can support the creation of sustainable, resilient and inclusive places.

The new shared vision reflects key messages that have emerged from this work, drawing on contributions made by planners, academics, civil servants, community groups and technology experts. It outlines a shared ambition for a planning system built upon clear structures for the collection, use and sharing of data, and sets out principles which can guide the ongoing development, use and governance of PlanTech.

‘We want to harness the power of technology and direct innovative thinking towards improving the planning system so that our members can work more efficiently, effectively and collaboratively under conditions of complexity and rapid change,’ said RTPI policy manager James Harris

‘We hope that this vision can provide those involved in PlanTech with a common agenda for empowering planners and delivering great places,’ he told the CPC’s PlanTech conference in London.

Planners have always been at the heart of the digital transformation of the planning system that the Catapult is trying to bring about, according to Stefan Webb, CPC director of digitising planning.

‘This new vision and the principles that underpin it should act as a signpost for those in government and industry who are designing, procuring and building the digital planning system of the future,’ Webb added.

RTPI report finds planning is out of sync with net zero-carbon future

19th August 201924th July 2019 by Gary Stringer

A new report published by the Royal Town Planning institute (RTPI) states that planning needs to change in order to support a smooth transition to a net zero-carbon future.

The recently published report highlights the lack of attention given to ‘smart energy’ in national planning policy and guidance and the gap between what happens on the ground and the opportunities offered by smart energy.

“Nothing should be planned without demonstrating it is fit to take its place in a net-zero emissions future… It makes no sense for what is planned and built today to be delivered in a way, or in places, that will require costly retrofitting tomorrow,” says the report.

The report finds notable strides have been taken to cut emissions using the existing planning toolkit, but the pace of change is out of step with the ambitions set out in the Clean Growth Strategy and what is needed to meet the UK’s legal commitments to decarbonise.

The perceived lack of attention given to cutting carbon emissions by MHCLG has pushed energy down the list of priorities for many local planning authorities, it finds.

The report is calling for a refresh of the National Planning Policy Framework or, with greater immediacy, a written ministerial statement, to give greater national political clarity that smart energy and climate change have equal status with planning for housing, transport and economic growth.

It also urges the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to work better together and devise a joint action plan that allows energy policy to be informed by planning and land use considerations, and carbon reduction to be achieved more effectively through local planning policy and implementation.

In the absence of nationally robust trajectory for achieving zero carbon standards for domestic and non-domestic buildings, the report recommends that the Government allows local authorities to set much higher local standards.

The report highlights the good work that is underway locally to drive forward smart energy through planning including in Milton Keynes, Cornwall, Bristol and Greater Manchester, but on the whole finds such examples are the exception rather than the rule.

It reminds local authorities of their legal duty to ensure their development plans contribute to mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, and asks MHCLG to send a clear message to the Planning Inspectorate that local plans should be examined on their climate change mitigation ambitions as much as their housing provision.

The report follows closely the launch of the Institute’s Resource Planning for Climate Action campaign last month, which calls on the Government to take radical climate actions around buildings and transport, and to develop a tool to help local authorities gauge the carbon impact of existing and emerging local plans.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design welcomes the RTPI report and the premise that “nothing should be planned without demonstrating it is fit to take place in a net zero emissions future.”

Jonathan said “this means preventing future retrofitting. In a net-zero future housing construction should fix carbon, energy should be produced and stored to meet occupants needs and provide energy for transport. Properties should not emit CO2 during everyday use, and components need to be recyclable so that materials can be re-used in future construction.”

“This is a very tall order which confirmed with the needs to produce zero carbon in the community, at work, in education and at leisure; the magnitude of change is substantial.”

“The RTPI report is a first step and the need to cut carbon emissions must be built into the NPRF Local Plans and in the decisions made by Local Planning Authorities.”

RTPI to form part of new ‘high streets task force’

19th August 20198th July 2019 by Gary Stringer

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has been named as part of an expert group, a ‘high streets task force’ which will support local leaders to regenerate England’s towns and city centres.

The government-funded High Streets Task Force, run by the Institute of Place Management, will be made up of a range of experts with a wide range of knowledge and insight.

The group will provide tailored guidance and advice to local authorities seeking to breathe new life into their local high streets and town centres as they battle against changing consumer habits.

RTPI’s Deputy Head of Policy and Research Prof Aude Bicquelet-Lock said:

“We’re really excited to be part of this exciting new task force, and are looking forward to the opportunity of helping councils, businesses and communities put high streets back at the heart of local communities.

“The future of our ailing high streets and town centres is a priority in our research programme this year, and we are planning to appoint suppliers to undertake research on best practices around high street rejuvenation in the next few weeks.”

One of the RTPI’s primary roles in the new group will be to chair the Professional, Research and Data Group which will pool the collective research resources and knowledge of professional membership bodies, UK academics and data providers to provide a state-of-the art review of the issues with policy recommendations.

Announcing the new Task Force, High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP said: “High streets and the way we use them are changing, and this government is committed to helping communities to adapt. We want to see vibrant town centres where people live, shop, use services and spend their leisure time.

“But in order to evolve successfully, high streets must meet the needs of their local community and the key to this is strong local leadership. This is why we are providing additional support through a High Streets Task Force, drawing on the best expert advice, training and data that’s available.”

Degree apprenticeship for town planners gets green light from Government

19th June 20233rd April 2019 by Gary Stringer

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has announced that the first degree-level apprenticeship to train Chartered Town Planners in England has been approved by the Government, with employers in England able to recruit candidates immediately to start the programme this autumn.

This is a new route into the profession that combines academic education with practical experience to equip future employees with vital skills as well as a degree. Existing graduates or employees with no planning qualifications may be eligible. There is strong interest for the scheme, with over 80 employers interested in employing apprentices and at least six universities working to offer the apprenticeship from this September.

Victoria Hills, RTPI Chief Executive, said:

“I am delighted that we can finally boost the training of planners that the country so desperately needs, and make this exciting profession accessible to many more people who might not have considered it before. The fact that we have successfully embedded our tried and tested route of assessment for Chartered membership in the degree apprenticeship testifies to the RTPI’s role and expertise in assessing professional competence, and is especially timely as we prepare to celebrate 60 years of our Royal Charter.”

Here at Planning & Design we are keeping a close eye on this new route into Planning as we have had a number of successful apprentices in the design team over the years and know how beneficial apprenticeships can be for both employer and employee.

New talent, new expertise, New Year

Pragmatic and prepared – The planning profession’s response to Covid-19

RTPI launch Diversity Action Plan

Call on government for stronger direction on climate action

World Town Planning Day 2019

Queen’s Speech plans on climate change welcomed

Government funding secured for enforcement handbook

RTPI report finds planning is out of sync with net zero-carbon future

RTPI to form part of new ‘high streets task force’

Degree apprenticeship for town planners gets green light from Government

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