Dorset Young Planners started in 2017 and have gone from strength to strength organising activities and events for Young Planners based in or nearby to Dorset. Annual event favourites are the Boat Social in August and the infamous quiz night around Christmas time.
We are always open to welcome new members onto the steering group, as long as you are happy to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in with ideas and helping to organise an event, we would be delighted for you to join. We are a fun and supportive group and often get together informally on the beach or a local bar for a catch up.
We look forward to meeting you at an event soon. If you are interested in getting more involved with event planning and representing the needs of Young Planners in the area then please complete a registration form..
Join us at the next Young Planner event in the South West
Recent events
12 March - Spring quiz night
"Last Thursday, Emily Jeffries and I had the pleasure of organising and hosting the RTPI Dorset Young Planners Spring Built Environment Quiz - and what an incredible turnout we had!
A huge thank you to everyone who came along, and made the evening such a success - and a massive thank you to Carrington West for their generous sponsorship.
Big congratulations also to our winners tor&co 🏆 and our second and third place quiz champions 🥈🥉
Looking forward to seeing you all at the next event!"
Clare Bolton, Member of RTPI Dorset Young Planners
Festive fun with the Young Planners, 27 November 2025
We wrapped up the year of Dorset Young Planners events with a brilliant Christmas Quiz.
Huge shout-out to everyone who joined and made it such an enjoyable evening. Always great to see some familiar, as well as new faces!
Wishing everyone a restful break and an inspiring start to the new year.
Looking forward to our upcoming events schedule in 2026!
Bridging the Gap - Gender Inclusive Planning Online Seminar, 17 September 2025
Dorset Young Planners were thrilled to be joined by four fantastic and inspiring speakers in their most recent CPD Event: Bridging the Gap between theory and practice: Gender Inclusive Planning. We were delighted to be joined by so many enthusiastic attendees.
- Jenna Dutton Policy Advisor at RTPI kicked off the event with a thought provoking analysis of women in planning vs women and planning, before going on to provide global attempts of integrating feminist concepts in urbanist practices.
- Veronica Barbaro at Avalon Planning & Heritage provided us with an insight into how big data can be used to tell a story to support inclusive design, and the need for practitioners to reflect on where data has been obtained, and recognise whose story it is telling. It highlighted the importance of considering how our own lived experience can inform on urban design.
- Becky Rayner at Savills highlighted the importance of creative engagement with women when designing or regenerating open green spaces. Her insightful case study of regenerating Southampton Central Parks provided recommendations that can be used by the wider professional body, including listening, creative engagement and design for experience not just safety.
- Jennie Savage from Studio Jennie Savage also emphasised the need to move rhetoric and discourse away from safety, and instead towards co-design and a focus on places that make use feel good. Jennie’s creative collaboration and exploration of a wide range of data collection techniques, informed on substantive policy and guidance for Towner Hamlets in London, to be used accessibly by policy makers, development management officers, the public, urban designers and developers alike.
We are so grateful to each of our speakers for their time and preparation for this event. Thank you also to our Dorset Young Planner Steering Group – we are looking forward to our next event… watch this space!
Joint professions quiz, 5 March 2025
The first event of the 2025 new year began with a joint professions quiz night with CIOB, RIBA and RICS on 5 March.
Quiz night, 8 November 2024
The 8 November was the return of the their annual festive quiz night.
Halloween Ghost tour of Poole, 30 October 2024
"Dorset Young Planners had a very fun and spooky evening on Wednesday night on our guided ghost tour of Old Town Poole and The Quay Our guide shared some really interesting and scary tales of the history of Poole. We had a great turn out with both new and familiar faces and learnt a lot from the tour (alongside a few jump scares!).
"A big thank you to Barratt Homes for sponsoring and making the event possible and also a huge thank you to Sophia Dykes for organising such a brilliant event.
"The event sadly concluded with Lucy Morgan stepping down as Dorset Young Planners Co-Chair – Lucy has done an exceptional job co-chairing Dorset Young Planners with Phillippa Gatehouse, and we are extremely sad (and jealous) to see her go, and wish her all the best in her travels🧳🌎 Sophia Dykes will be taking her place and, if this event is anything to go off, we've got some great things in store 🤩."
Clare Bolton, Chapman Lily Planning
Waste water treatment works tour, 14 June 2024
"On the 14 June we had a great waste water treatment works tour in Holdenhurst. It was a great opportunity to follow the process round the treatment works and understand each critical stage.
"A huge thank you to Tim Stevens, Jack Potter, Douglas Goodacre, and Jonathan Rayers for speaking at the event and sharing their invaluable insights into the world of wastewater management, and it's connection to planning and the wider environment 🌍
"Thank you also to Phillippa Gatehouse and Jack Higson with whom I co-hosted the event, and to tor&co for sponsoring"
Clare Bolton, Chapman Lily Planning
