December: Planning
Guidance review published, Resources and Performance in
Scotland
The Government published Lord Taylor's review of planning guidance.
Colin Haylock, RTPI President, welcomed the announcement. In Scotland, the
Government made a number of announcements addressed in RTPI
Scotland's paper Resources and Peformance - both of which are
significant steps towards one of Colin's main aims for his year as
President of getting a workable planning system in place in England
and Scotland.
Pictured right: Colin Haylock, RTPI President.
November: Sweeping changes, sweeping responses: the value of
planning in the 21st century
Mitchell Silver, President of the American Planning Association,
gave an inspirational RTPI Annual Nathaniel Lichfield Lecture in
November. Entitled 'Sweeping changes, sweeping responses: the value
of planning in the 21st century', Mitchell drew on a wealth of
fascinating, and at times surprising, evidence from the U.S.,
Mitchell showed that good strategic planning can add significant
value to investment, and argued that communities need planners to
"fall in love with planning again".
October: Launch of the Map for England pilot
The RTPI, in conjunction with software specialists Idox,
launched a pilot website for the Map for England in
October. Despite the generally recognised and accepted need to
ensure a joined up approach to planning infrastructure and
services, there is remarkably still no single place or data source
within government that makes all of these maps available to view -
the Map for England project seeks to address these issues. In
addition to being discussed on Radio 4's flagship consumer
programme You & Yours, evidence from the Map for England was
drawn on by BIS Minister the Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP and Shadow
Planning Minister Dr Roberta Blackman-Woods MP in debate on the
Growth and Infrastructure Bill demonstrating its worth to
policy-makers.
September: Nick Boles MP, Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP & Rt Hon
Don Foster MP at our Party Conference events
Kindly sponsored by Savills and Local Dialogue, the RTPI ran six well-attended events over a three week
period in late September and early October featuring one of the
first public appearances of Planning Minister Nick Boles MP,
a bravura performance by the Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, and a
speech by the then newly appointed LibDem CLG Minister the Rt Hon
Don Foster MP.
August: RTPI tells BIS Select Committee evidence-based approach
to regeneration is essential
The Olympics and Paralympics dominated the headlines in July and
August but the RTPI continued to influence policy-makers throughout
the year. In August the RTPI's written evidence to the BIS Select Committee
was published, emphasisng the need for an evidence-based approach to regeneration.
Throughout the year the Institute has sought to influence
Government and policy-makers through written and oral evidence to
Select Committees, written briefings to politicians, and responses
to consultations.
July: Government confirms Planning Aid England funding
The then Decentralisation and Cities Minister, Greg Clark MP, announced that further funding will be
available to enable four organisations and their partners,
including Planning Aid England, to continue to offer practical and
bespoke advice and assistance to communities undertaking
neighbourhood planning.
June: Planning Convention, Parliamentary reception, new website
launched
Supported by headline sponsor Bircham Dyson Bell, the Planning Convention's innovative one day
format was a sell out, bringing together big picture plenaries and
special interests sessions focusing onmembers' professional
training and development needs. The highlight of the
Parliamentary reception at the House of Commons, kindly hosted by
the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP and sponsored by British Land,
was a speech by the Secretary of State for DCLG, the Rt Hon Eric
Pickles MP who thanked the Institute for its constructive approach
to the National Planning Policy Framework and for suggestions the
RTPI made which the Government adopted. Earlier in the month, the
RTPI launched its new website-a major project for staff across the
Institute.
May: Presidential visit to East London
Colin Haylock, President of the RTPI, visited every region
and devolved nation this year, visiting East London in May. Organised by RTPI London,
the visit focused on some of the large scale infrastructure
development that has taken place in the area.
April: Defending and explaining the planning system in the
media
The RTPI regularly defends planners and the planning system in
the media, and plays an important role explaining how good planning
improves lives. Just in April, the RTPI Cymru appeared in
the the Western Mail, on You & Yours, and on local radio-but this
is just a fraction of what we do. The RTPI regularly appears on
national TV such as Sky news, specialist publications such as the
Times Educational Supplement, international TV, on the Guardian's online debates and in the national papers.
March: NPPF in England, Planning Modernisation in Scotland
In England the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was
published, and addressed many of our concerns. RTPI President
Colin Haylock said: "Overall, the Government has listened to the
RTPI and others and the NPPF is a significant improvement on the
draft." The Scottish Government also published its proposals for
modernising the planning system.
February: Tayplan scoops Planning Awards
Original and visionary in scope and style, TAYplan's Proposed
Strategic Development Plan scooped the top prize in the Royal Town
Planning Institute's (RTPI) National Planning Awards.
January: Colin Haylock becomes RTPI President
Colin set himself a demanding set of priorities for the year
including getting a workable planning system in place in England
and influencing planned reforms in Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland; making sure planners are fully equipped with the right
skills, training and resources; demonstrating the immense
contribution planners and planning can make to help get us out of
recession; securing the future of Planning Aid England (PAE);
continuing to shape attractive and successful places and
environments.
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