Business and enterprise

Planning is part of the solution in helping to drive and enable much needed development, economic growth and job creation, and to give businesses the certainty they need to make investment decisions.

The RTPI needs your help!

As part of the RTPI’s forthcoming Centenary, we are preparing a series of topic papers, including ‘Planning for Economic Growth’. This particular paper will consist of case studies, best practice, informed dialogue and forward thinking for the profession. We are therefore looking for member support, in providing case studies for inclusion at this stage.

If you have an example of where a planning professional has made a difference to economic growth, through conventional or unconventional means, we would like to hear from you. The RTPI sees planning as central in unlocking growth and facilitating development; this is a unique opportunity to showcase our successes across all our regions and, of course, internationally.

Please respond to our Policy Officer with your contributions, no matter how small. We also ask members to confirm whether or not they would be happy for the RTPI to make contact to discuss contributions, if necessary.

Latest news

• Unique Enough? Paul Scriven from the Guardian looks at what makes economic strategies suceed.

• Core funding boost: Government offers £25 million for England’s 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships.

• Closing the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs): This BIS report considers the lessons from the RDA transition and closure programme.

• Report: Treasury poised to reignite planning policy row? The Treasury is considering an autumn push to further water down planning rules in an attempt to stimulate growth in the economy, according to reports in the Telegraph.

• The RTPI has said that Local Enterprise Partnerships need to be alert to the importance of supporting local plans and the necessary cooperation between local planning authorities.

Policy changes and consultations

Since 2010 the Government has announced 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships and 24 Enterprise Zones in total across England. A map of Local Enterprise Zones and Partnerships can be found on the CLG website.

Read the House of Commons briefing paper on Local Enterprise Partnerships here.

Practice

• Opportunity knocks what prospects for the new breed of Enterprise Zones? A paper by Dr Paul Greenhalgh.

• Signposting to more enterprise practice advice.

Networks

The RTPI has a range of Networks committed to representing and supporting those who work in planning. Find out more about the RTPI Networks.

RTPI projects and research

• The RTPI has issued a policy paper Local Plan Delivery in England which provides more information about what the Institute is seeking to achieve regarding encouraging local plan making and engagenet with LEPs.

Our viewpoint

Good planning enables and supports economic growth by providing the necessary infrastructure, by allocating land and by working along side various economic development initiatives to enable businesses to expand and invest, as well as supporting communities and protecting the environment. Planners are critical to business development and economic growth.The RTPI will continue to seek to work with ministers to help produce solutions to problems and to secure a workable planning system in the public interest.

More information/events/CPD

• The RTPI will be present at the 'World Cafe of Ideas' exhibition on Wednesday 24th October 2012 at Birmingham Town Hall. This is a FREE event, including the sharing of best practice, showcasing of the best of Town Centre Management, master classes and surgeries. You can book your place here.

•  See the RTPI events calendar for all RTPI events.

• Get involved. Email policy@rtpi.org.uk