Notes of the meeting of the Regional Activities Committee on 10 July 2008

• Richard Woolley Chaired the meeting, which was an informal meeting as insufficient members attended for it to be quorate. The first action was to congratulate Phil Grant on the award of his MA.
• Daniel Durrant of Inspire East gave the members a brief introduction to the aims and work of Inspire east. IE are promoting the use of Best Practice by professionals delivering sustainable communities, concentrating on generic skills and the ability to work towards influencing attitudes and behaviour patterns to create sustainable communities. IE is interested in holding a joint event within our 2009 Conference Programme and as planning for this is just about to start the presentation came at the right time.
• Members discussed the Region’s Business Plan for 2009–2011, identifying the core activities and assessing the resources available. The main constraint is the amount of time volunteers can give to the Institute at Regional level and the activities proposed have to recognise that limiting factor.
• The Committee discussed a paper prepared by Trish Cookson, the RTPI Networks Manager, on the operation of the National Association for Planning Enforcement. The Committee members wholeheartedly endorsed the concept and expressed support for NAPE. A representative will be invited to the September RAC meeting to explore ways and means of working closely together.
• The Treasurer reported that the Region was on track in meeting its income projections but reminded members that more difficult times are ahead as we will have to bear the costs of the lease on the Regional Office in Thurston.
• The remainder of the Conference programme is progressing well, although the proposed conference on Enforcement has been deferred until next year. An additional half-day seminar is being organised for September, a joint event with the Highways Agency investigating travel behaviour change and how it can be of benefit to urban regeneration and growth areas .
• Suggestions and proposals for the 2009 Conference Programme were put forward and these will be considered by the Conference Programme Group. Further discussions on pricing policy will take place at the September RAC, as this meeting could not take binding decisions.
• Robert Hobbs submitted a report on Young Planners activities in the Region and he was congratulated on the success of recent events and thanked for his commitment and enthusiasm. Robert noted that the western half of the Region is not so active and asked that young planners in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridge contact him or Tina Jessup if they are willing to become involved in organising Young Planner events in their areas.

Author:

Tina Jessup

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

24-Nov-08

Categories:

Nations & Regions 

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