Aisling Byrne is Senior Public Affairs Officer at the RTPI
Just over a month into 2025 and “growth” is cementing itself as the buzzword of the year with a steady streamline of announcements, consultations and policy papers setting us up for a key year in planning reform. Built environment organisations, including the RTPI, have been busy submitting responses to the succession of working papers and consultations that have been published in advance of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which we are expecting in the Spring.
At the RTPI we have been discussing the fundamentals that parliamentarians should ensure are front and centre when scrutinising the Bill. The aim is to create a piece of legislation where planners and the planning system are supported and fully resourced with the skills, capacity and funding to deliver the reform that is central to this Government’s growth mission.
The RTPI will be publishing a think-piece outlining how we’d like the Bill to be approached, with key areas for consideration throughout the legislative process as well as specific legislative asks to be refined and developed throughout the passage of the Bill. A lens the RTPI will be encouraging parliamentarians to examine the legislation through is that of appropriate funding and resourcing to carry out the reform that the Government is intent on seeing. We are yet to see what the Bill will be asking of the planning sector, but one thing for sure is that we need legislation that reflects the current and future resourcing context of the planning system. A full and comprehensive understanding of resourcing constraints is needed, and a long-term resourcing and capacity building strategy will be essential to achieving and continuing the Government’s desired growth ambition.
The RTPI will be engaging with parliamentarians, policy makers and stakeholders over the legislation scrutiny period to champion the voice and experience of planners across Parliament. Kicking off our parliamentary engagement this month, our chief executive, Dr Victoria Hills met with Shadow Secretary of State, Kevin Hollinrake MP and Shadow Minister, David Simmonds MP to discuss the RTPI’s priorities in a year of major planning reform and what we’d like to see coming through in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Dr Hills also gave evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee, detailing how environmental sustainability and housing growth can go hand in hand in a plan-led system.
The RTPI will continue to advocate and engage with parliamentarians and stakeholders throughout the preparation and passage of the Bill for the principle of a plan-led and well-resourced system to deliver reform, as well as specific legislative asks that reflect the priorities of our membership. As Dr Hills stated to MPs of the Environmental Audit Committee, “Our members stand ready to deliver, but they need resourcing, certainty and clarity.”
