What can I do?

PAE's email advice service offers a limited amount of free, general planning advice to the public who contact us via the 'submit a request form' on www.planningaid.co.uk. The advice service is manned by a panel of MRTPI volunteers, each of whom respond to enquiries on a rota basis – taking a morning, afternoon, or evening slot on a weekly basis.  Volunteers interested in helping to deliver this service must initially complete a full day of training.

Casework volunteering involves providing planning advice on specific proposals or projects to individuals or groups deemed eligible for casework support. Advice can be provided over the phone, in writing, or in person, depending on the requirements of the case. Advice may be sought on a range of issues including making appeal applications, advising on enforcement issues and making effective representations on planning applications. 

This volunteering activity involves producing new or updating existing content for PAE's advice website www.planningaid.co.uk to ensure that it is kept up to date and reflects any changes to the planning system.

This volunteering activity involves providing a neutral facilitator role in support of local communities in deprived areas (defined as top 30% most deprived in England according to the Government's Index of Multiple Deprivation) to help them engage effectively with public consultations associated with Local Plans or large scale planning applications.  It could also involve delivering capacity building workshops or specific community engagement exercises.

This volunteer activity may involve delivering general training on neighbourhood planning to community groups and/or councillors. It could also involve providing bespoke support to a group working on a neighbourhood plan in an area of multiple deprivation - such as assisting with a community engagement activity or providing technical advice.

You don't need to be a Chartered member of the RTPI (i.e. MRTPI) to volunteer with PAE but, for professional indemnity reasons, only Chartered members of the RTPI can give professional planning advice on behalf of PAE. This means that whilst we welcome RTPI members of all membership classes, there are fewer PAE volunteering opportunities for those who a re not MRTPI.

If you’re interested in volunteering for PAE, but not yet registered click here.