The Scottish Government

Name

Petra Biberbach

Job title

Executive Director

Organisation

Planning Aid for Scotland

Address

11a South Charlotte Street Edinburgh

Telephone

0131 220 9730

Fax

0131 220 9735

Email

petra@planningaidscotland.org.uk

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Development Plans Development Management Development on the Ground Community Involvement

Title of entry

Planning for People - a dual purpose training programme

Professional knowledge Innovation Management Sustainable development

Partnership Community interest Regeneration Customer satisfaction

Planning for People is a dual purpose training programme aimed at planning professionals and at members of the community. It is designed to help people make better and more informed choices about planning decisions that will affect them for years to come. At the same time it gives planning professionals first hand experience of working with communities over one whole day. Planning for People raises awareness of the importance of early public participation in planning while simplifying the complex process and policies in a way that helps the participant to feel more confident about becoming actively involved in planning matters. Planning for People focuses on significant developments such as wind farms, regeneration or large scale housing to encourage people to carefully consider proposals before making decisions to support or object.

Planning for People evolved out of an earlier training programme, CLEAR. Planning for People draws on many years of experience of working with community groups throughout Scotland. It is based on recommendations made by external evaluators of our previous training programme, and suggestions made by participants, adding more awareness raising and practical exercises geared to help people understand how best to consider and respond to planning applications. Planning for People targets people from all walks of life, faith groups, local access panels, tenants, residents associations and community councils.

That wide range enables the planning professionals to become engaged with a greater diversity of people than would normally be possible in their professional life.

Planning for People aims to encourage active participation in planning by

• providing confidence in participation and active citizenship
• building partnerships between communities, local authorities and developers
• demystifying the planning process
• clarifying the role of planners
• re-building trust between planners and communities
• raising awareness of competing demands; and
• creating respect for diversity of views

Since 2004 Planning for People has been operating in three stages

1. Following previous recommendations Planning for People delivers awareness raising events designed to stimulate interest in planning.

2. Since 2005 training and awareness raising events have been held across Scotland. Continuous monitoring of delivery and project evaluation help to continuously improve delivery.

3. In its final stage the programme has become a robust and location sensitive training programme which has attracted repeat demand across Scotland.

Recruiting and training volunteer RTPI members to act as Planning for People trainers and facilitators.

• Promoting project through awareness raising exhibitions, speaking engagements and running ten 1-day workshops a year throughout the country from Shetland to Dumfries & Galloway.
• Evaluation and monitoring.
• Follow-up - continued support to participants through Planning Aid for Scotland's advice service.

The key partners are:

• Local authorities - who show their commitment to community participation in planning by supporting Planning for People events. Their role is to set the local context by explaining how their department works, what their timetable is and to encourage collaboration and joint working. Combining local knowledge and expertise with professional services.
• RTPI members (our volunteers) who use their skills and experience to help demystify the planning system and clarify the role of the planner.
• The community - members of community councils, amenity groups, residents and community activists who learn about the planning system and cascade their knowledge into the community.

Positive feedback from participants (and local authorities) indicates that people respond to planning proposals in a more focussed and meaningful way. Participants learn they can support as well as object to proposals. People are encouraged to see the bigger picture as they learn to weigh up issues and seriously consider the pros and cons before making their minds up.

For planning professionals the opportunity to work in a neutral environment with members of the public and learn various forms of community engagement, which many have little opportunity to do in their professional role. There is a steady demand to participate as trainers in our workshops, to help with their CPD and to access new skills.

Planning for People is the only dual purpose training programme on planning matters benefiting the professional planners and the communities of Scotland. It delivers a training programme geared to promoting the positive role of people in the planning system.

The training programme brings together people from all walks of life - miners, teachers, crofters, taxi drivers, faith groups who for the first time come together under the same roof to dispassionately debate planning issues and consider how they can use their knowledge and work with planning professionals to create better places to live and shape their future.

Planning for People is the most effective and useful means of promoting active participation, instilling confidence and creating trust in the system. It demonstrates Best Practice through its unique approach and winning the Scottish Quality Award in Planning would help to show case effective community engagement.

September 8 2006