Planner pen portraits
Number nine: The planning planning consultant
My Dad used to play golf with a planner so I thought it would be a good option for me. I considered working in a local authority after university, but I was put off by their recruitment practices. It was probably a lucky break because of the dysfunctional organisational and political dynamics in so many councils, albeit I like employing former local authority planners because they’re well rounded and know how to get a permission. Saves money on training too.
The purpose of planning is to deliver development, but hopefully good development that helps regenerate places and benefit current and future generations. Right now, that means building more homes, and I have little time for members of the public who can’t see that.
I’ve worked on lots of appeals too and it can be good planning: you can’t sit around waiting for local authorities with their time-consuming democratic processes. I’ve also helped to work through conditions to ‘value engineer’ permissions because planning should be about delivery; problem solving and fighting the corner for my clients is not a bad thing.
Both sectors have their role in the process; it’s good to keep local government on their toes. I’m opinionated and I like to work hard. You can progress a good career in the private sector but that’s not just for my own benefit, I think I’ve helped make things a little better than they might otherwise have been.
Quotes
"I’ve always seen planning as … an invented system with a purpose to make sure that development is, in a broad sense, in the public interest and that private interest doesn’t completely overawe that … even though I’m now on the side that’s trying to promote the private interest over the public interest, it is clear that that is what the system stands for."
"To a certain extent, planners are their own, worst enemies. We ask too many questions of the public …We’ve got an aging population, so we need to build more houses just to stand still."
"I’m not sure I got a very strong feeling where you would expect it in the local authority that it was all about serving public interest. I wasn’t overwhelmed by that as the main driver."
"I say ‘I make everybody’s life a little bit better’ and I think that is the role of planning… with my master-planning regeneration strategic planning policy hat on, that’s absolutely what it’s all about … it’s slightly different if you’re talking from a development management point of view because it’s at the minutiae of achieving that, but putting the right stuff in the right place with the right infrastructure is all part of that bigger picture."
"I guess, to be a good planner, you need to have a lot of understanding of the industry … part of the problem with planning is that your average person does not understand the system."
"I do think that sometimes, I would think ‘actually d’you know what, I can’t make that argument because I am a RTPI accredited town planner, I signed up to a Code of Conduct’."
"We’re always very good at pointing at fabulous, successful developments in Europe, but look at the power the chief planner has there. We don’t have that culture in the UK anymore, the planners have become the whipping boys … I think planning has managed to undermine its professionalism over a number of years. I think the profession has lost confidence."
Notes
Works for a planning focussed consultancy
May have worked in a local authority briefly or may only have ever worked in the private sector
Views likely to vary considerably between consultants and consultancies
Likely to have a sense of their expertise and believe in planning’s professional expertise more than the views of local communities. Probably believes in the importance of there being a planning system and may in private express concerns about some government reforms
May see getting planning permission as a bit of game to be played
Quite possibly drives a nice car and thinks about traffic a fair bit both ‘on and off duty’
Can construct a good argument as to why any development can be considered beneficial