Lorraine Mullings is Governance Manager at the RTPI
We were certainly on the very edge of being able to say happy new year when your General Assembly (GA) came together on January 22, but it felt like a time of endings and new beginnings. As is traditional this was the final GA chaired by our immediate past president Lindsey Richards before she handed over to our new president Helen Fadipe MBE at the inauguration ceremony later in the afternoon.
Lorraine placing the Presidential Chain on 2025 RTPI President Helen Fadipe MBE
But just because it was the final GA did not mean it was insignificant. This meeting was another example of how this group is engaged with the very latest of topics in the planning world.
Catriona Riddell and Hannah Hickman presented their research into Strategic Planning which is very much at the heart of shaping Government thinking around devolution and planning reforms. They highlighted that their research suggests that the lack of statutory or policy requirements were the biggest blocker to strategic planning being adopted. Therefore, it is rewarding to hear that Government are said to be considering both of these things for future legislation.
Continuing Lindsey’s annual focus on what is happening in the devolved nations the GA were given a view from Wales with a presentation from Tom Evans the Placemaking and Strategic Planning Manager for Swansea Council and Chair of the Planning Society of Wales. He talked through the reform agenda that is taking place in Wales and the introduction of Strategic Development plans.
As you would expect the resourcing, capacity and capability of the planning system remains front of mind for many of the General Assembly as well as the RTPI as a whole.
This has not changed with the change of Government, but some of the expectations of the planning system certainly have. To give the GA a full overview of all the activities that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MCHLG, formally DLUHC, formally MHCLG) Lindsey ran through an update provided by the department.
She provided a full view of the various efforts that MHCLG are making to ensure that the pipeline of planning professionals is robust, that practicing planners have the resources and funding they need in this reform environment and gave an insight into the general direction of travel for our new Labour Government.
Your GA then broke out into table discussions to provide further insight into what issues are affecting planners around the country. Examples of challenges across the UK emerged along with examples of emerging and new practice and ideas for how we can help to address the capacity issue ourselves.
However, it was not all discussion about things that are happening to planning professionals, it was an opportunity to understand what we, as a profession do to help ourselves. This meant an update from the RTPI Trust trustee, and past president John Acres. Details of the Trust’s activity can be found on our website. If you would like to make a donation to the trust I would thoroughly recommend it.
