Aneurin Môn Parry is the RTPI Cymru Chair for 2025. He currently works for Gwynedd Council as a Planning Enforcement Team Leader.
I can’t quite believe we’re already almost at the end of February, and this is my first blog of the year! Actually, its my first ever blog!
When I accepted the position of junior vice chair of RTPI Cymru, little did I realise what significance 2025 would be for us as a nation within the wider RTPI family. Jump forward almost two years later, and I find myself on a train heading south to RTPI HQ at Botolph Lane for an induction session with other incoming chairs and convenors from the nations and regions for the coming year. We were fortunate to hear from our President Helen Fadipe MBE about her themes for the year, and on the way home I found myself thinking of my own aims and goals. I reflected on Helen’s themes of championing collaboration, investment and inclusivity for a resilient planning profession.
One of the aims I have for the year is increasing our membership numbers here in Wales, and I’ve already started talking with Mark, our Director, on ways we could go about this, including the possibility of potential members being able to apply for membership using Welsh language. We currently have approximately 1250 members here in Wales and I am eager to see this number increase in the future. I’m sure we are all aware of people out there who are more than eligible to be members of our wonderful organisation. We’ve also had initial discussion about our theme for this year’s conference, and I also submitted observations to Rhian, our Policy Officer, in response to the consultation paper on the new regulations on preserving trees and woodlands.
In the next few weeks I will be chairing RTPI Cymru’s Planning Law Update, which is being kindly delivered once again by Francis Taylor Building, and on 8 April I will also be attending a follow-up event to the RTPI Cymru North Wales Conference held in the autumn, which will focus on an additional report that has been published following last summers' Empowering communities, strengthening the Welsh language report by the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities. I would encourage you to attend.
Finally (for this blog at least), I would mention that although I’ve only been Chair for a few weeks, I've quickly realised just how much hard work Mark, Rhian, Dorine and Georgina put in organising conferences, consultation responses, the RTPI Cymru Awards, attending meetings and conference, and for this year at least, our 25th anniversary dinner. It really is impressive, and I’m certain this won’t be the last time I mentioned them or the work they put to making RTPI Cymru what it is during my year.
