It was a pleasure for me to Chair RTPI Cymru' s annual spring conference this week where we discussed and debated the "Value of Planning".
Speakers ranged from Sioned Edwards and Georgia Crawley (Young Planners Cymru) who told us of their inspiration to enter the profession, values and the future for us all (we are in safe hands incidentally) to the President of the RTPI for 2016 Phil Williams, Director of Planning and Place at Belfast City Council where an emerging planning system in place of an imagined "gap" it is starting to create confidence in the Value of Planning to secure delivery of investment in the City Centre. Dr Mike Harris captured the audience's attention running through his fascinating research on the Economic Value of Planning. Sarah Lewis of Arup set out the stark findings of research for the RTPI on impacts of austerity and cuts in Local Government planning services in the North West of England. Neil Hemington, Chief Planner at the Welsh Government gave us his personal perspective on the value of planning and how in 2016 planners need to lead quickly to ensure we influence Local Wellbeing Plans.
John Davies MBE ran us through the launch of Wales Best Place where the RTPI is seeking nominations for those places shaped, protected or improved by planners and the planning system. Dave Chetwyn of Urban Vision showed us, with his study of Liverpool City Waterfront (the winner of England's Best Place in 2015), that WalesBestPlace has much to live up to. Trust us England, it will.
A key conclusion of the day was Planning can be seen as a barrier to economic development whereas it is in fact a facilitator. We just don't shout about it enough.
As Chair I threw out the challenge that the we should try to put some numbers on the Economic Value we "generate". At a simple level say, one Local Authority approves 300 domestic extensions a year at an average cost of perhaps £20000 per extension.
£6million folks: It creates jobs for brickies, plasterers, roofers, joiners, for people making and selling supplies, even for architects. Im not counting in "permitted development" which the planning system allows by default. So shall we double it? £12million? Just on domestic extensions in one modest local authority. Per Year. Directly into your local economy. Put that to your Councillor when next they begin to question the need for planning staff and service funding.
PLPlanning does its bit too. Scanning through one folder on my Mac for the last 12 months. I put a very rough "guestimate" that this single planning consultant has advised on £54million of development proposals with perhaps another £15-20million in the immediate pipeline. A very conservative back of fag packet 5 minute guess too.
I throw the Challenge out there. Do you value your planning?
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