1 | Mar / Apr

Editor – John Acres, Ripon Cottage, 5 Manor Road, Kilsby, Near Rugby, Warks, CV23 8XS Work: 0121 234 9106 • Home: 01788 824343 • Email: acresclark@lineone.net

InsideChairman’s report 2

Sustainable Development 3– Coalition Style

‘This is a local shop 4for local people’

Birmingham and Black 5Country ‘Nature Improvement Area’

Green Infrastructure 5

An experience of 6Berlin & Freiburg

Freiburg – the 7sustainable city

Child’s Play 8

Managing Environmental 9Change at the Rural Urban Fringe

The Sustainable Urban 9Neighbourhoods Network(SUNN) Publishes Final Report

Planning Aid England 10

Planning Aid – Stop press 10

RTPI launches Map 11for England debate

RTPI Planning 11Leaders Award

David Jones: 1952–2012 12

CPD events 12

M A G A Z I N E O F T H E R . T . P . I . W E S T M I D L A N D S

Issue 69 March/April 2012

Special Sustainability Edition

After the fantastic success of last year’sglamorous Brits Awards party, the RTPIWest Midlands is delighted to announce

that this summer all members are invited toour very own Summer of Sport Awards Ball forPlanning Achievement.

Why not help celebrate planning excellence inthe region and join the sporting extravaganza onFriday 13th July 2011 at the wonderfulBirmingham Botanical Gardens. Partners andguests are very welcome to join us for dinner,the presentation of regional awards by theInstitute’s President, Colin Haylock, and dancing.

In addition to the main award for PlanningAchievement (and possible commendations),there will be awards for the Best Consultancy,Best Local Authority, Team of the Year, YoungPlanner of the Year, Chairman’s Award, andnew for 2012, Planning Leaders Award. Detailsof how to make nominations can be found onthe flier attached to this magazine.

Tickets are now available from Sue Griffith-Jones on 0121 709 1599 or emailwestmidlands@rtpi.org.uk Book & pay beforethe 15th June to take advantage of theearlybird rate of £45 per person. Tables of tenare also available at £450. Ticket prices willincrease from 15th June.

RTPI West Midlands are very grateful to GVAfor taking the lead sponsorship package, andto Alliance Planning, DLA Piper, JMP and No5Chambers for taking other sponsorshippackages.

The Summer of Sport Awards Ball will be ablack tie event. There’ll be music and dancing,good food, warm company and a real chanceto see the West Midlands at its best! See youthere!

Please book early to avoid disappointment.We anticipate demand will be high for thisevent. �

Let the games begin! The RTPI Ball andAnnual Awards. Friday 13th July 2012

2 | Mar / Apr

Welcome to this environmentallythemed Tripwire. It is excellent thatwe have the opportunity to show

diversity within our profession andpersonally, with an Environmental Sciencebackground, it is good to see how this fieldis growing.

In any profession it is important not developcliques or become too self-indulgent orinward-looking and indeed to move forward,whilst appreciating from where we havecome. Specialists need to be aware of awider world, being able to adapt andmodernise and to embrace change. It appliesto all organisations and individuals. The newRTPI website will be coming soon.

It has been a hectic couple of months sincethe last edition of Tripwire, with newinitiatives, progress and success on allfronts. The Budget was quickly followed bythe National Planning Policy Framework. Thefinal version of the NPPF is much improvedon the draft, in my view, with the new 12month transition period, but overall it couldhave been a lot worse. At least some of theprincipal concerns appear to have beenaddressed. But some of the definitions willstill need to be closely monitored. (seecomment elsewhere in this edition)

Obviously HS2 is in the Budget, but in termsof infrastructure, I considered that projectsfor the West Midlands were very limited incomparison to other regions such as thenorthwest and southeast (for example).

Improving our connectivity, especially withinthe region is an absolute must. As for thesouth east airport debate, I am sure anumber of people will be looking at that withinterest – in particular Birmingham Airport.

Messages from Government are once againthat planning is seen as a barrier toinvestment and harms the economy.Whether true or not, what is clear is that we,as a profession, need to prove our value, usethe powers we have got fully and moveforward quickly. We need to show our addedvalue and our right to be at the table.

We need to show the world that the criticsare misguided about the planningprofession. To do this we must work as one,share best practice, learn from mistakes andwherever possible lead.

To assist you there are a number of thingsthat RTPI West Midlands are doing:

• CPD Season Ticket – keep yourself up todate and at the forefront of what ishappening around us. The next fewevents will be on 16th May, 1st June and20th June.

• Share and discuss issues of the day –both the RTPI West Midlands and RTPIcentrally are on LinkedIn.

• Nominate best practice – we are lookingfor nominations for regional awards.Show us all how good you all are.

And above all socialise with each other andhave some fun. Our Annual AwardsCeremony on 13th July 2012 at the BotanicalGardens is shaping up to be a fantasticevent. We are looking for nominations (forawards) sponsors and tickets are going fastso don’t forget to book early.

By the time you read this I will be inRome…… but please feel free to contact me ifyou feel inclined to give feedback or want toknow more. �

Andy ThompsonRTPI West Midlands ChairEmail: thompsonaj@walsall.gov.ukor via my LinkedIn Profile

Chairman’s report

Upcoming Events16 MAY – LEPs & REGENERATION

21 MAY – RTPI MIDLANDS AGM (see below)

1 JUNE – NPPF & THE FUTURE OF STRATEGIC PLANNING

20 JUNE – ROLE OF COUNCILLORS IN QUALITY DESIGN

Contact: westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

The RTPI West Midlands AGM, which is free to allmembers, will be held on 21st May 2012 at 6.30pm atThe Welcome Centre, Parkside, Coventry. The AGM willbe followed by a presentation by RTPI DevelopmentPlanning Network Manager, Andrew Matheson,entitled “Open Source Planning – The Reality”.Refreshments will be provided. No need to book.

––––––––––––––––––––

Tripwire Editor; John Acres is now Residential BusinessDirector at Turley Associates; 9 Colmore Row,Birmingham. B3 2BJ Telephone; 0121 234 9106Email: jacres@turleyassociates.co.uk

3 | Mar / Apr

So the waiting is over and with thepublication of the final NationalPlanning Policy Framework (NPPF)

we now have a ‘significantly enhanced’definition of sustainable developmentand even a policy specifically designedto ensure that Sustainable Developmentcan secure a consent in the absence of adevelopment plan. Whatever your viewof the definition or the content of theNPPF might be, there can no doubt howthe Government views the NPPF and therelationship between planning andsustainable development. The Ministerialforeword is quite clear;

The purpose of planning is to helpachieve sustainable development.

For someone who believes in the conceptof sustainable development is this nowan unambiguous steer from Governmentthat it is serious about sustainabledevelopment and it will live up to itsclaim to be The Greenest GovernmentEver.

The waiting may well be over but thedebate can now start! What does theGovernment mean by SustainableDevelopment and does this mean thatimplementing this in practice will requireus to develop new systems and tools todemonstrate that our applications aresustainable?

No doubt there will be many differentviews on this as the NPPF is scrutinisedand then put into practice. Here aresome of my thoughts!

What does the Government mean bySustainable Development?

I think we can answer this question veryeasily. Ever since the draft first appearedin July 2011, I have felt that too muchemphasis was being placed on thedefinition of sustainable development. Itis important of course, but it was anrealistic expectation to have developed adefinition that could be applied inpractice given the largely subjectivenature of sustainable development andthe unique social, environmental andeconomic characteristics that eachproject displays.

I believe greater focus should be on whatthe Government thinks sustainabledevelopment should look like in practice.For the planning profession thistranslation of policy into physical andspatial characteristics of plans andprojects is one of our principalobjectives. Paragraph 6 of the NPPFstates

The policies in paragraphs 18 to 219,taken as a whole, constitute theGovernments view of what sustainabledevelopment in England means inpractice for the planning system.

I think there can be little debate that inthe draft version the Government placedmore weight on the economic aspects ofsustainable development although thefinal document has sought to rebalancethis with the social and environmentalaspects through a number of additionalpolicies and by reaffirming that allelements should be sought jointly andsimultaneously through the planningsystem.

It is interesting that there are noreferences in the NPPF to some of themore traditional metrics of sustainabilitysuch as BREEAM or Code for SustainableHomes. There is a direct reference toapplying the governments zero carbonbuildings policy which is interestinggiven the fact that we do not yet have allof the information on the GovernmentsZero Carbon Buildings policy! We doknow that this is being implementedthrough Building Regulations and thatthese are continuing on a rapid timetableof improvements toward the eventualZero Carbon standard. Is the NPPFimplying that local authorities shouldsimply use Building Regulations as theiradopted metric for carbon emissionreductions in new build? One couldargue this with greater effect based onthe draft version but the introduction ofparagraph 96 in the final NPPF suggeststhat local ‘Merton rules’ or carbontargets could still exist although anevidence based viability study will stillbe required.

As planners and sustainabilitypractitioners the NPPF creates anexcellent opportunity for us to continueto positively shape the builtenvironment. As an example the NPPFgives great weight to design quality as asustainability indicator and our urbandesign colleagues can use this to createnew communities and places thatpromote low carbon living throughhomes that meet increasingly stringentbuilding regulations requirements andthat facilitate sustainable transportationeither through site selection or through asustainable travel plan. There is a clearreference to the importance of mitigatingand adapting to a changing climate andso we see policies supporting thedevelopment of renewable and lowcarbon infrastructure (an absolutepriority in my opinion!) and the use ofgreen infrastructure as an adaptationfeature. Biodiversity protection and

enhancement is still there along with anintroduction to the concept of GardenCities which was a surprise, but welcomeaddition. Conversations with my urbandesign colleagues excites me about theprospect of being involved in such aproject and one would hope that themarket will respond to this opportunityas it did with the Ecotowns policy.

So now that we know that the policieswithin the NPPF are effectively theGovernments blueprint for SustainableDevelopment, what does this mean inpractice for the sustainability andplanning professions. Do we have toadopt a completely new approach tosustainability and set new expectations,or is there a mechanism fordemonstrating that a scheme issustainable?

In truth the NPPF still promotes a rangeof sustainability features that we havebecome accustomed to integrating intoour projects, so we can continue topromote these in our schemes.Sustainable Development is now at theheart of the planning system and theplanning community should seize thispositive opportunity to continue to makea real difference. Within TurleyAssociates we have already had manyinteresting discussions on implementingSustainable Development – CoalitionStyle – so we look forward to thechallenge!

Finally, I thought a word search of theNPPF might be interesting. A quickappraisal of the policy text suggests thatSustainable is mentioned 91 times,Economic 43 times, Environmental 30times and Social 24 times. Does that tellus anything more? �

Colin Morrison Head of SustainabilityTurley Associates

Sustainable Development – Coalition Style

4 | Mar / Apr

Reflections on the future of planningeducation in an era of localism.

Given the coalition government’sambition to ‘radically reform’ theplanning system by placing a

strong emphasis on ‘localism’, whilstsimultaneously seeking to relaxplanning legislation in an effort tostimulate economic development, it istimely to consider what these proposalsmight mean for the future teaching ofplanning. Arguably, planning education– at least in the short-term – will have toprovide aspirant planners anddevelopers with the multifunctionaltechnical and personal skills andknowledge(s) to both supportneighbourhood planning whilstdelivering on the onerous set ofprovisions outlined in the NPPF.Crucially, at a moment when planningand the environment are seen bygovernment as the ‘enemy ofenterprise’, the wider public also needto be reminded of the importance of astrong planning profession to helpenable their needs and aspirations inemerging local plans.

However, as academics we can andshould do more to help championplanning both in terms of promoting thevalue of the discipline and the profession.The silence of academic criticism withinthe draft NPPF last year was deafeningand does reflect a gap between theagendas of planning academics and thewider policy community. First, there is aneed to embark on a thorough criticalassessment of how planning educationand planning itself engages with, and isunderstood by, the broader public.Planning schools, therefore, shoulddevelop strategies that are more‘outward-facing’. These could include agreater level of critical engagementthrough participatory work, advocacy,user guides and knowledge exchange ofresearch and consultancy through moreaccessible media. Of particularimportance to the future of planningschools is the need to engage withschools and colleges alerting students tothe potential of a career in the builtenvironment professions. Here, planningschools should combine forces withpublic, private and voluntary sectorplanners to deliver powerful messagesabout the opportunities and challengesof a planning career. In short, theproduct that is being delivered should beattractive to and, more importantly,distinctive to prospective students. Forexample, Birmingham School of the BuiltEnvironment is developing its own uniqueidentity within the environment planning

and development theme. Here we stressthe way planning interacts with thenatural environment and howdevelopment is as much about the socialand environmental improvement as GDP!

Second, course teams teaching onplanning courses should seek to activelyencourage, promote and develop mediacontacts through existing regional RTPInetworks, university marketing andpress officers, careers advisers andidentify spaces in the (national andlocal) media calendar when they mightbe more receptive to stories relating topositive aspects of planning. Byrecognising the potential opportunitiesfor encouraging news stories that havean ‘everyday’ significance is particularlyrelevant given the recent attention thathas been focused on the participatoryaspects of planning. This raises therather obvious question over the needfor planning education - and thoseacademics involved with the creation ofresearch projects – to consider howthese projects will be communicated inways that can genuinely stimulategreater levels of public interest in thediscipline. Oxygen should also be givento the promotion of those stories wheregood quality local development hasbeen successfully achieved - not justbecause of high levels of local publicinvolvement but also because a‘strategic’ and ‘joined-up’ planningsystem allowed for the development toflourish. For example, Birmingham CityUniversity have recently developed aninnovative set of Video Policy Briefs andan interactive learning tool ‘Rufopoly’under recent research on the rural urbanfringe funded by the Research CouncilsUK Relu programme.

Finally, some emphasis should beplaced on ensuring that websites andother multimedia (websites, blogs,podcasts, and other forms of socialnetworking) are used more successfully

to publicise and communicate whereplanning has been successful. Whilstthe internet is cited by many as theprime source for information, this is apassive form of communication andengagement. More needs to be done byplanners for planners in terms of raisingthe profile in TV and media interviews,blogs and the like. Academic plannerscould do much more here to showcasethe findings of successful researchprojects using the power of digitalmedia technology. This approach hasthis obvious and immediate advantageof circumventing the ‘traditional’ tabloidprint media agenda - which perhapscurrently gives more attention to thelimitations or the failings of a‘dysfunctional’ planning system - toreach those potential audiences forwhom newspapers may not be the mostimmediate source of information.

Whether academic planners aremotivated by reasons of disciplinarysurvival and job protection, dedicationto pedagogy - or any mixture of thesefactors - it is argued that we need toseriously consider how to communicatein different registers for wider audiencesand broader impact. The government’sLocalism Act and the publication of theNational Planning Policy Frameworkrepresent two of the most significantpieces of legislation to affect theplanning system since the 1947 Act. Therhetoric accompanying these pieces oflegislation has done little to enhancethe public perception of the discipline.If the approaches outlined above wereembraced, these small and subtle shiftsin practice could go some way tochanging such negative representationsof planning. �

David Adams and Alister Scott, Birmingham School of the Built EnvironmentBirmingham City University, MillenniumPoint, Curzon Street. Birmingham.

‘This is a local shop for local people’

5 | Mar / Apr

In response to Professor Sir JohnLawton’s report ‘Making Space forNature’, the Natural England White Paper

initiated a competition to select 12 NatureImprovement Areas (NIAs). These wouldbecome the foundations of an England-wide network of landscapes managed withbiodiversity in mind. It appears that theinitial entry of 76 proposals took DEFRAsomewhat by surprise – not least becauseof the quality of the great majority. Whatfollowed was a long, and rather gruelling,process which reduced the field to 20, then15. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the final12 are well known ‘countryside’ landscapesthat one might expect to fulfil such a role –the limestone around Purbeck, the SouthDowns and the Dark Peak. Yet there is onename on the list that is very different;Birmingham and the Black Country hasbecome the only totally urban NatureImprovement Area.

The Birmingham and Black Country NIAbrings together many existing initiatives,such as the Black Country Urban Park, with a

targeted approach to improving greenspaceand encouraging biodiversity with a genuinewill to engage local people in the work. Insome rural areas there was fear that NIAstatus could stifle development; in contrasturban planners embraced the proposals.They recognised that investment in greeninfrastructure and improving the quality ofthe environment are critical to attracting newbusinesses and driving urban regeneration –indeed the NIA seemed an obviousextension of aspirations and policies alreadyin place across the area.

So what made the project stand out? Thepartnership brought together by theWildlife Trust for Birmingham and the BlackCountry to develop the project hasimpressive credentials. The support of allfive local authorities was key, as was that ofGovernment agencies. But the presence oflarge and small voluntary sectororganisations and businesses (includingtwo of the biggest environmentalconsultancies) added to the credibility ofthe bid. A second factor was innovation. For

example, the project was the only one topropose a co-ordinated approach toenhancing the ground flora of plantedurban woodlands, for example, it seemseveryone is in favour of planting trees, butthere is a strange reticence when it comesto adding the smaller flowers and plantsthat make characterless plantations intothriving woodlands. Finally, and perhapssurprisingly, the quality of the data thewildlife and habitats across the NIA isexceptional, allowing a sophisticatedspatial approach to targeting delivery.

The long term aims of the NIA includerestoring the scattered remnants ofheathland across Walsall and Birmingham,restoring the management of neglectedgrasslands and improving the wetlandnetwork of river and canal corridors thatplays a crucial role in linking wildlifehabitats across the area. �

Neil M. WyattChief Executive, Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust

Birmingham and Black Country ‘Nature Improvement Area’

Green Infrastructure

“When we see land as a community towhich we belong, we may begin to use itwith love and respect”. Aldo Leopold

The term ‘green infrastructure’ isincreasingly becoming established aspart of the planning language in much

the same way that ‘green corridors’ were invogue several years ago.

In the same way that terms such as ‘greencorridors’ and ‘green wedges’ meant verylittle to local communities, the term greeninfrastructure probably means very little tothe everyday person who would see it (veryreasonably) as a jargon expression of the

many green features which already exist inour towns and rural areas such as trees,woods, football pitches, road verges,gardens and fields.

The value that using the term ‘greeninfrastructure’ brings is that it is anunderstanding and approach to greenfeatures as a joined up and strategic matrixof ‘natural’ features relating to and part ofthe man made environment that help makegood and successful places.

This in essence is green infrastructureplanning.

The use of the term ‘green infrastructure’ isa huge and important philosophical andconceptual step in placing natural featuresin the frame along side the other importantcomponents of the man made environment.It takes green features such as arboriculture,biodiversity, open space provision, streettree planning, Sustainable urban drainage,(SUDS) etc. and places them as part of theurban design of places. �

For more information on greeninfrastructure planning please contact:

Michael VoutChair of WM RTPI Urban Design Forum

6 | Mar / Apr

A different shade of green

An experience of Berlin & Freiburg

As well as all the ‘eco-savvy-ness’our Birmingham City Universityfield trip to Germany displayed,

the element that struck and impressedme the most was the social dimensionof sustainable living. After all, if a placeisn’t desirable to live in, it’s not going tobe sustainable.

Berlin appeared to be an anxious city,constantly in a state of churn,attempting to cherry-pick a version ofthe past to carry forward into yetanother reinvention of the future.Restless and vibrant, it wasnevertheless, an attractive place, andnot just to visitors. During an effortlessconversation with an economicsgraduate on a railway journey betweenthe Berlin and Freiburg (the majority ofGermans speak very good English), Iasked the young Berliner what hethought about this seemingly neverending change. He smiled and said,“But it will always be home”.

By contrast, Freiburg felt smart, green,cool and confident. The rebuilt citycentre, all but flattened during WWII,

bristled with activity. We visited new,outlying housing areas served by publictramways and all manner of communal,commercial and social facilities andservices, built long before the houseswere completed. In what we wouldconsider areas of high density housing,with structures of 3-5 storeys in height,never more than a short walk away fromcommunal open space, shops andefficient public transport, fences werefew and far between. Boundariesbetween ‘private’ gardens andcommunal spaces were defined byvirtually transparent (in springtime) lowhedges of planting, the wood stores andkids toys there for all to see but,evidently not touch.

More particularly, these open areasbetween the houses were far betterused, by all members of theneighbourhood. There was trust andrespect. There was a real sense ofcommunity and togetherness. It wasinstantly alluring, and heart warming tosee.

So here’s a thought. Far be it from meto suggest you deprive deserving folk aliving but, instead of driving your car to

the nearest former filling stationforecourt or ex-industrial unit to watchunderpaid migrants wash your car thisweekend, why not pull it down the driveand wash it yourself (using no morethan two buckets of water, of course).As you’re doing so, chat to theneighbours and passers-by. They maythink you’re mad but, if nothing else,the exercise will do you good.

Better still, when you’ve finished, pull thecar up against the garage – which, if it’sanything like mine, is still full of junk, themajority of which hasn’t seen the light ofday since you last moved house. If youcan find them in there, get out a gardenchair or two, and maybe a table, and setthem up on your drive or in the frontgarden. Have a glass of somethingrefreshing; after all, you’ve earned it.Chat some more to the neighbours, ifthey’re not now eyeing you with deepsuspicion. They may even join you.Watch the kids play in the street. Dreamof how it could be. I’m lucky enough tohave seen the reality... �

Dan Roberts

Images of Berlin

7 | Mar / Apr

Freiburg – the sustainable city

In October 2008, Andrew Purvis for theObserver wrote an article asking thequestion; ‘Is Freiburg the greenest City

in the world? It is described variously as‘the Green City’, ‘the Most SustainableCity’ and a ‘Model City’.

At the end of March, a group of studentsfrom the Birmingham City University MASpatial Planning Course, together with ahandful of RTPI planners, visited Freiburgto find out. Here are some of the students’impressions.

Freiburg: A green city for people. Freiburgrebuilt their city after the Second World Warlike other cities in Europe. But Freiburg hasdone something extraordinary, somethinggreen and unique to be proud of. Freiburgdidn’t build for cars, but built for people:Bike lanes, pedestrian streets, fantastictrams and small canals that run down thecentral city’s streets. Freiburg is called thesolar city because of its unusual work withsolar panels based every where on the roofsof houses, churches, schools, city halls- andthe inspiring work in SC Freiburg footballstadium. There is a high level ofunderstanding of sustainability culture inFreiburg’s people and their commitments.Simply, this makes Freiburg an outstandingcity for people. Heyam Kesham

Transport integration. The first thing Inoticed on arriving at the station inFreiburg was how seamlessly integrateddifferent forms of transport were. Placingmy suitcase on a conveniently positionedconveyor belt running parallel to the stepsleading to a bridge above the station onwhich a tram took us to our hotel. Thisease of movement theme continued withbicycles seemingly the only form oftransportation to take priority overpedestrians. The sustainability culture hasbeen instilled into Freiburg’s inhabitantsover generations. They also possess awillingness to share space and interactwith each other rather than fence off landas domestic gardens increasing socialcohesion. Freiburg is unlike anything I’veexperienced in the UK. It serves as anexample of what could be achieved. PeteAttwell

A Sustainable City. Freiburg is an amazingcity. The city planners have demonstratedhow the implementation of sustainable

development measures can help reducethe amount of carbon emissions generatedand reduce energy usage. The measuresadopted and the lifestyle and communitiescreated in Freiburg are completely alien tothe life I live in England, yet one that, asplanners, we need to incorporate intoplanning for the future. Freiburg screams‘sustainability’; From incorporatingsustainable transport strategies toadapting the existing 1960’s housing stockthe city of Freiburg has demonstrated thatcities can become sustainable, that whatwe do today can meet the needs of futuresocieties’. Vicky Stone

Achieving social equity. In Freiburg socialequity is the most obvious aspect ofBrundtland’s tripartite definition ofsustainability. When walking through thesettlement there is an unmistakable feelingof community; from the communal pizzaoven to the well used (and wellmaintained) play area. There are toyscasually cluttering the public space andpeople on bikes and scooter at everyviewpoint. The design of the settlementfacilitates social interaction and the peopleof Freiburg have embraced this opportunityand the notion of communal living hasbecome a way a life. How this conceptcould be transferred to the UK? In order tocreate a sustainable city there needs to beactive participation by local residents anda passion to embrace community values.As planners we need to ensure that we arebuilding not just homes, but communitiesfor the future. Rosie Paget

Building a community. It felt like they hadreally thought about and been considerateto building community and promoting strong

relationships and community spirit whendesigning in shared open space, communalfacilities like restricting use of vehicles inresidential areas, providing a pizza oven forcommunity gatherings and allowing childrento play freely and giving residents moreopportunity to meet and interact. However, Idid wonder if you lived here this might get abit too much at times, and you would crave abit of solitude’. Jen Towers

Regeneration and recovery. I really hadn’texpected to be looking back to the past somuch or feeling so much discomfort atdiscovering the full effects of Alliedbombing in Freiburg - almost totaldestruction, as the ‘before, during andafter’ maps and photographs made clear.But the determination of the city torecover, following old layouts and formsbut rebuilding and planting for the future,with sustainability in mind, was veryimpressive’. Ruth Benson

Bedlam of Bikes. Freiburg has set theglobal standards for encouraging,supporting and implementing sustainableforms of transport. It appears that the cityplanning transport strategy has placed anemphasis on facilitating cycling as the keymode of sustainable transport due to thesheer volume of bikes on the streets ofFreiburg. In many areas there was aconstant stream of bikes, users of differingages, doing differing speeds and withdiffering needs. However, whilst thehighway layout has been designed tosegregate cyclists and pedestrians, as avisitor to the area (not being familiar withthe highway layout), there was almost aconflict over the use of public spacebetween the pedestrian and the cyclist. Attimes you could not walk on the pavementswithout feeling overwhelmed by thenumber of bikes and without our highwaysafety being compromised’. Vicky Stone

A new utopia? Are the new Freiburgdistricts of Vauban and Rieselfeld really‘sustainable development utopia’, or canwe find our own UK ways of achieving zerocarbon living? It seemed that even poorlybuilt postwar ‘modernist’ buildings can bemade into new sustainable and attractivehomes if there is enough will. Withbuilding sites and a good buzz everywhere,sustainable urban regeneration anddevelopment was clearly helping theGerman economy’. Ruth Benson �

8 | Mar / Apr

Any urban designer will tell you,it’s a dream when a clientapproaches you with a project

where a single mark is yet to be madeon the paper and you are involvedright at the beginning. For someonelike me, with an aptitude forengaging communities in theplanning and design process and forworking with young people, if thatclient also says “and by the way, wewant the design to be community-ledand engage local schools” then it’s aheaven-sent opportunity.

This was the case when I becameinvolved with a housing associationthat owns a piece of grassed land inWalsall where Caldmore VillageFestival takes place each spring. Theland remains fenced off and unusedfor the rest of the year – with theexception of a range of anti-socialbehaviour.

The housing association wanted tochange this by designing a communitygarden, accessible to all and owned byall. But how to achieve this withoutcreating a space where anti-socialbehaviour could continue as it doespresently without locking it awaybehind security fences and gates?

The answer lay in ‘self-policing’ –creating a place that feels safebecause it is well populated andregularly used. For this to happen the

garden needed to have a purposethat made it relevant and useful tothe local community. The key toinforming how that would beencouraged was inspired by thegeography of the site: it lies in closeproximity to five infant and juniorschools that had agreed to take partin the design process. We woulddesign a Learning Garden that wouldbe frequented by school pupils, theirteachers, parents and family.

Crucially, all parties were on boardwith this concept and this providedthe framework for designing thecontent of the school engagementactivity days, which would take placeon three separate days with Year 2pupils (ages 6-7) and Year 5 and 6pupils (ages 9-11).

The beauty of working with youngpeople of these age groups is thattheir creativity is largely unfetteredby peer groups or being expected tobe sensible. This makes themfantastic people to generate ideas fordesigners to use as a starting point.By making the activities fun andallowing for expression accordingpersonal ability and flair every schoolevent produced measurable,meaningful raw data that we can startto build up into a design.

Year 2 pupils focussed on expressinghow they wanted to feel in a garden.

Year 5 and 6 were able to developthis further and take the emotionsthey wanted to feel and design agarden around this theme. Buildingon this and by producing 3D models,drawings and songs, all groupscreated ideas for gardens that couldprovide learning resources fordifferent lessons and effectively ‘takethe classroom outside’.

The next stage is to interpret theseideas into something real by workingwith the landscape designers.Facilitating that is a skill in itself. Onegroup of pupils wanted a “TreeProtector”, a giant pea-like characterto watch over the garden and lookafter people while they are there -perhaps not all that dissimilar to thevolunteer City Centre Ambassadorswho are so effective in caring forSheffield’s people and award-winningpublic realm?

Its very early days in this project,which is precisely why the publicparticipation has the scope to be soinfluential and contribute towards alocal resource that is much loved andowned by the community. Watch thisspace. �

Katy CraddockUrban Designer and CommunityFacilitatorPlanning Aid West Midlands RegionalAdvisory Panel and volunteer

Child’s Play

9 | Mar / Apr

SUNN was established in 2009 by theJoseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) toexplore first hand the experience of

developing new urban neighbourhoods inEngland. Based on ‘looking and learning’ inthirteen new communities in ten Englishtowns and cities, the report shows how tobuild more homes, better neighbourhoodsand stronger communities in both growthand regeneration areas.

Most SUNN new communities are urbanextensions, mainly on brownfield sites, butsome also involve estate renewal. Eachcommunity is at least partially constructedand new residents have moved in, giving asound empirical base for drawingconclusions based on full and frankdiscussion within SUNN about what worksand what doesn’t in the development ofsustainable urban neighbourhoods.Representatives from the neighbourhoodsthat participate in SUNN include local

councilors, local government officers,architects and planners, land owners anddevelopers, community activists and stafffrom housing associations.

SUNN’S report looks at the design ofsustainable urban neighbourhoods,summarising what SUNN learnt from a reviewof existing research and during field visits.This learning is summarised in a series of‘tests and guidelines’ for new communities.The report also focuses on how local partnersin the development process can work bettertogether to foster localism and realise theaspirations of the National Planning PolicyFramework. Finally the report sets outrecommendations for government and otherorganisations arising from the analysis.

The key findings of the report include:

• Identification of the characteristics of asustainable urban neighbourhood;

• Stress on the importance of a largespatial planning framework to underpincommunity building;

• Demonstrating the crucial importance oflocal vision and leadership in the localauthority; and

• Highlighting good practice in design, localgovernance, community facilities,management of public space, retailprovision and long-term stewardship.

SUNN’s final report can be downloaded forfree from the website of the JRF in a shortand a long version: www.jrf.org.uk/publications/local-government-sustainable-urban-neighbourhoods. �

Michael VoutChair of West Midlands RTPI Urban Design Network

This 18 month research project1,involving 20 researchers andpractitioners from 11

organisations/institutions, recently reportedon 29th February at Birmingham, CityUniversity. A workshop format showcasedthe research outputs through an innovativeseries of policy brief videos made by theteam. These videos captured the key themesof the research which used a series ofworkshops and visioning exercises inHampton (near Peterborough) and NorthWorcestershire as the principal evidencebase. Uniquely, the event made use of CiscoWeb Ex to allow over 150 delegates toparticipate and interact in an exciting blendof video, plenary and keynote activities.

• Re-discovering the rural urban fringe • Reconnecting the built and natural

environment divide in the rural urban fringe • Understanding connections by crossing

boundaries in the rural urban fringe • Managing contested values in the rural

urban fringe• Adapting for the long-term in the rural

urban fringe2

This interdisciplinary research focussed onimproving the foundation for decision makingin the rural-urban fringe; a forgotten space.A conceptual bridge was developed throughacademics and practitioners workingtogether to link the disparate areas of spatialplanning and the ecosystem approach. Theimportance of working together as one teamorganically within a managed researchprocess enabled what we believe is

grounded, accessible and intelligible yetrobust and credible outputs.

One high profile output that engaged theimagination of media, professionals andpublics alike was Rufopoly. Conceived as anaccessible and fun learning tool it allowsplayers to make a hypothetical journeythrough Rufshire answering similar questionsthat the project team faced over the course oftheir research journey. Through the roll of adie, people are engaging with complex messyproblems which characterise the rural-urbanfringe and their decisions allow them toconstruct (and reflect on) their own visions.

Eight key lessons emerged from theworkshop with the need to:-

1. Identify the rural-urban fringe as anopportunity space - based on anassessment of the needs of the people,place and environment of the fringe itself.

2. Consider proactively the rural componentof the fringe rather than conventionalreactive, urban-centric ideas.

3. Link the institutional architecture of the builtand natural environment more effectivelymoving away from the policy disintegrationevident between DCLG and Defra. GreenInfrastructure and Community InfrastructureLevy have considerable potential here.

4. Reduce jargon to more understandablelanguage so that other professionalsectors and the public can interact andparticipate more effectively. Thedevelopment of our videos/Rufopolyhelps facilitate this.

5. Connect policies across scales andsectors in order to secure joined-upplanning. The rural-urban fringe crossesmany boundaries and consequently canbe marginalised and/or under-resourced.

6. Think about the long term in policy-making about the fringe. Strategies needto build confidence for long terminvestment that will realise newopportunities. Current planning cycles aretoo short term and political, leading touncertainty.

7. Learn from the past in order to plan forthe future. We often fail to have adequatemechanisms to capture this institutionaland human capital. The abolition ofregional planning provides a salutatorylesson here.

8. The way we value the rural-urban fringe iscomplex and messy but those valuesneed to be unpacked using inclusive andeffective mechanisms. There is a dangerthat we only value what we measure asopposed to measure what we value.Moving away from hard economicallydriven data is important as many aspectsof the fringe that are most valued escapeor refute monetary measure. �

Alister Scott and Claudia CarterBirmingham City University

––––––––––––––––––

1 ESRC –RELU grant, Number ES/H037217/12 Videos can be accessed via web sitewww.bcu.ac.uk/research/-centres-of-excellence/centre-for-environment-and-society/projects/relu/policy-briefs

Managing Environmental Change at the Rural Urban Fringe

The Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods Network (SUNN) Publishes Final Report

10 | Mar / Apr

DCLG has formally agreed the fourmonth continuation to their grantto the RTPI under the Supporting

Communities and Neighbourhoods inPlanning scheme. The grant period hasnow been extended until 31 July 2012and the focus of the work has beenmodified to reflect the final provisionsof the Localism Act and in light of thenew Neighbourhood Planning powersthat have come into effect.

For the next four months Planning AidEngland (PAE), working with PlanningAid for London, will focus more on whatFront Runner communities need to helpthem to progress their neighbourhoodplans. Importantly, we were also able topersuade the Department to fundsupporting communities within the top20% of the Index of MultipleDeprivation, to engage in planning theirarea. In this way we can ensure that allcommunities have a voice and anopportunity to influence plans using thenew powers.

Overall, our new contract will mean thatwe will widen the offer of support toinclude the ‘Wave 5’ Front Runners, whichbrings the total of Front Runner areas to233. We will be aiming to help thesecommunities to ‘get over the line’ and tomake measurable progress towardsgetting neighbourhood plans in place.

DCLG would not fund the PAE advice lineduring this period but RTPI has

undertaken to do this. The Institute isappointing staff to support the contractcontinuation and will be shortlyannouncing, in more detail, both thestaffing structure and workingarrangements. �

Professor Gavin Parker MRTPIDirector of Professional StandardsRoyal Town Planning Institute

Planning Aid in the West Midlandshas been making good progresstowards meeting both its own

Business Plan objectives, and its shareof the national outputs agreed withDCLG in respect of the contract grant.

While the National Advice Line hascontinued to provide an essentialservice for development relatedenquiries, we have been reaching out tolocal authorities and communitiesinterested in neighbourhood planning.This has included very well receivedtalks to community forums, parish andtown councils, initially those inneighbourhood planning front runnersacross the region in places such asShropshire, Telford, Wolverhampton andBirmingham, but also where possiblefocussing on our objective of helpingthe 20% most deprived communities.

These discussions have beensupplemented with approaches to localauthorities setting out the contributionwhich Planning Aid volunteers can maketowards their own developingobligations on neighbourhood planning,although this has been less successful(something which local authorityreaders might like to discuss withintheir organisations).

Towards the end of March we also helda very successful (and over subscribed)event for community groups, Parish andTown Councils - “Are You Fit forNeighbourhood Planning”, whichgenerated considerable interest not onlyin the potential of neighbourhoodplanning, but also in the role whichother parts of the local planning systemhave to play and the importance ofcommunity engagement in these.

Future progress nationally had beenuncertain, despite the best efforts of theInstitute, following the end of the currentgovernment funding contract for PlanningAid at the end of March. At the time ofwriting though, ministerial approval hadjust been given for a four monthextension of the contract, pending afuller review of funding objectives andmechanisms by DCLG. The RTPI has hadverbal confirmation of the extension andis awaiting written confirmation and aformal contract. This means that for theimmediate future, activity on communityand neighbourhood planning support willcontinue once the contract is in place andstaff are reemployed, in addition to theNational Advice Line which the RTPI hadalready agreed to maintain. Please checkwww.rtpi.org.uk/planningaid for updatednews and developments.

Changes in the national contract havealso coincided with changes here In theWest Midlands. Bob Keith, the RTPI’s“outreach co-ordinator” who has workedso hard in this region to keep PlanningAid a credible concept, is now leaving totake up a policy planning post withDaventry District Council. I know thatBob has many regrets about leaving atthis stage, and has said that he hopes tocontinue to support Planning Aid in areduced capacity. Through this article, Iwould like to thank Bob, on behalf of theRegional Activities Committee, for theprogress which he has made, and towish him all the best for his new role.

The RAC’s Planning Aid Sub-group will be meeting shortly to consider theimplications of all these changes (Ed.Including the implications arising fromthe Stop Press article below), and we willkeep you in touch through this column.

In the meantime if you are interested inbecoming a volunteer, then please stillregister on the Planning website:www.rtpi.org.uk/planningaid/volunteer/how_to_apply/ �

Dave MarrChairman of the WM Planning Aid Sub-Group

Planning Aid England

Planning Aid – Stop press

11 | Mar / Apr

Are you a leader who is making adifference in planning?

The RTPI is celebrating the successof planners who are leading theprofession in creating great places

to live and work. The success of ourprofession is due to the hard work,dedication and professionalism of ourmembers. RTPI President Colin Haylockhas launched the Planning LeadersAwards to celebrate members who areleading and inspiring the profession,creating the places of tomorrow.

Who are the awards for?

The awards are open to any RTPImember who can demonstrateoutstanding leadership in the field ofplanning. You could be new to theprofession and making your mark with agreat project, or maybe you are a

successful manager leading a planningteam. We want to celebrate leadershipin all its different forms and we arekeen to receive nominations fromplanners at different stages in theircareers.

There will be one award winner in eachRTPI Region.

How are the winners selected?

Members are asked to nominatecandidates by region. Each candidatewill fill in a nomination form setting outtheir achievements. The nominationswill then be reviewed by a judging paneland a winner selected.

The judging panel

The judging panel will be made up ofGeneral Assembly members, Regions

and Nations Panel representatives andpast presidents.

What happens if you win?

You will be presented with a framedcertificate by the RTPI President as partof his Presidential visit to the AnnualBall in July. You will also be nationallyrecognised in Planning Magazine and inyour Region.

How do I enter?

All you need to do is complete theattached nomination form and send itthrough to Charles Veal(charles.veal@rtpi.org.uk). If you haveany questions or queries please contact020 7929 9477. Please return allcompleted nomination forms by 18thMay 2012. �

The RTPI has recently launched adebate on the benefits of having a‘Map for England’ to plan

infrastructure and services and toenable decision makers at the locallevel to make more informed policychoices.

New research commissioned by the RTPIfrom Manchester University shows thatindividual government departments nowhave more than 100 major maps forEngland relating to policies andprogrammes on the economy, transport,communications, housing and theenvironment. None are available in oneplace or through a single data sourceand can be very difficult to find as theyare scattered across web sites andwithin departmental reports.

The RTPI President, Colin Haylockargues that with a Map for Englandpolicy makers could make betterjudgments about how individual policyproposals interact with and affectdevelopment of the country as a whole.He feels that such an initiative wouldalso increase consistency in theappraisal of policy, improve security andresilience, and provide a betterunderstanding of sectoral issues thatmight complement or conflict with eachother.

Colin said “A Map for England offers theopportunity of a truly joined up

approach to planning infrastructure andservices, perhaps by way of a singleportal. We are launching a debate onthis proposal to see if others share ourviews and to ask what mappinginformation should be included.”

A Map for England would also help tomeet the pledge in the CoalitionAgreement that data published bypublic bodies is published in an openand standardised format.Stakeholders are being encouraged tosend their views on 5 key questionsabout the initiative and can do so bygoing to www.mapforengland.co.uk.

Analysis by the Centre for Urban Studiesat Manchester University reveals that infully 2/3 of maps the implications fordifferent places are not made explicit.By overlaying a number of these mapsand diagrams together, the researchersdemonstrated that some policies andprogrammes, when considered againsteach other in relation to different partsof the country, may have unintendedconsequences, eg. the study revealedthat there is considerable overlapbetween broad areas where housinggrowth is projected in the future andwhere there are the greatestenvironmental and policy constraints togrowth. These constraints include therisk of flooding and expected futurehousehold water shortages.

Additional benefits of a ‘Map forEngland’ include:

• Helping to boost growth. Housing,industry and business would be ableto make quicker and better informedinvestment decisions which are moreclosely aligned to public sectorinfrastructure funding plans.

• Being much more transparent. Localcommunities would be able to findout about how government plansaffect their areas and to influencethem.

• Saving time and money. Whenwriting new strategies, governmentdepartments could see the existingplans for different parts of thecountry and relate their newstrategies to them. Datasets driveinnovation.

• Helping to coordinate infrastructureacross borders with Scotland andWales.

Throughout the rest of 2012 the RTPIwill be holding various events tostimulate a debate on the Map forEngland. Join the debate on the Map forEngland on Twitter @rtpiplanners or#map4england. �

John AcresEditor

RTPI launches Map for England debate

RTPI Planning Leaders Award

Charity Registration Number: 262865 • Scottish Charity Registration Number: SC 037841 • Registered Office Address Royal Town Planning Institute 41 Botolph Lane London EC3R 8DL.

Continuing Professional Development: : : : : : : : : : Events Ca lendar : : May > June : : : : : : : : : :

REGIONAL PROGRAMMENon-members of RTPI welcome to attend

WEDNESDAY 16 MAYLEPs & RegenerationVenue: The Council House, Lichfield Street,Walsall Time: Afternoon (includes lunch)Cost: £50 + VAT for RTPI members, £60 + VAT fornon-members. Less if purchased as part of the RTPIWest Midlands 2012 Season Ticket Programme. Full-time students & the unwaged £20 + VAT. Details & bookings: Sue Griffith-Jones Tel 0121 709 1599Email westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

MONDAY 21 MAYRTPI West Midlands AGMplus presentation on NPPF & Related Matters byAndrew Matheson, RTPI Development PlanningNetwork Manager.Refreshments provided.Venue: The Welcome Centre, Parkside, Coventry Time: Evening Cost: FreeDetails & bookings: Sue Griffith-Jones Tel 0121 709 1599Email westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

MONDAY 1 JUNENPPF & The Future of Strategic PlanningVenue: The Council House, Lichfield Street,Walsall Time: Afternoon (includes lunch)

Cost: £50 + VAT for RTPI members, £60 + VAT fornon-members. Less if purchased as part of theRTPI West Midlands 2012 Season TicketProgramme. Full-time students & the unwaged £20+ VAT. Details & bookings: Sue Griffith-JonesTel 0121 709 1599Email westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

WEDNESDAY 20 JUNEThe Role of Councillors in ensuring Quality DesignVenue: Council Chamber, Lichfield Time: Afternoon (includes lunch)Cost: £50 + VAT for RTPI members, £60 + VAT fornon-members. Less if purchased as part of theRTPI West Midlands 2012 Season TicketProgramme. Full-time students & the unwaged £20+ VAT. Details & bookings: Sue Griffith-JonesTel 0121 709 1599Email westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

OTHER EVENTSTUESDAY 15 MAYA new approach to Community EngagementVenue: Royal Haskoning, Rightwell House, Bretton,PeterboroughTime: 9.30am – 1pmCost: £30 + VATOrganiser: RTPI East MidlandsDetails: Sue Slack Email eastmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

THURSDAY 17 MAY2012 RTPI/MPA Minerals Planning ConferenceVenue: Edgbaston Cricket Ground, BirminghamCost: £140/£150 + VATOrganisers: RTPI & MPADetails: catherine.middleton@rtpi.org.ukTo Book: Tel 020 7963 8003; Fax 020 7963 8001;Email: mary.burling@mineralproducts.org

THURSDAY 17 MAYLearning from the OlympicsA Landscape Institute event open to all.Venue: Department of Architecture, BirminghamInstitute of Art & DesignHolte Street, BirminghamTime: 7.15pm – 8.45pmCost: TBCOrganiser: Landscape Institute Midlands RegionDetails: Sue Griffith-Jones Email: westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

WEDNESDAY 27 JUNE2012 Planning ConventionPlanning 2012: Making It Work!!!Venue: The Royal Society of Medicine, OneWimpole St, LondonCost: RTPI member £195 + VAT, non-member £295+ VAT. Some reduced price places for students &licentiates.Organiser: RTPIDetails: www.theplanningconvention.co.ukTo Book: Tel 0845 082 1171Email: services@rtpiconferences.co.uk

Many planners around the region whohave worked with David or know ofhis work for Stratford-on-Avon

District Council, will be saddened to hear ofhis death after a short illness.

David started at the District Council back in1974 before going to Belfast University togain his Masters Degree and returning totake up a planner post in 1979. David’s worktook up a large part of his life. He wasinvariably first in and often one of the last toleave the office each day because he wasdedicated to what he did.

David particularly enjoyed the opportunity tocontribute to projects that made a differenceto the quality of the environment around us.His involvement in the Cotswolds Area ofOutstanding Natural Beauty ManagementPlan and the Sub-Regional HabitatBiodiversity Action Plan are two such areas ofwork which gave him much satisfactionbecause he loved the countryside andwildlife.

But David’s main area of work – for whichmany of us will remember him by – washousing monitoring. Now that may soundrather boring to many of us but someone hasto do it and it is a critical part of a localauthority planning service – how manyhouses have got planning permission, havebeen built, and how many more are needed?

David did this for nearly 30 years and hiswork was acknowledged by colleagues,councillors and developers alike for beingthorough and meticulous. At PlanningInquiries, while various parties would arguethe toss over how figures were interpreted,they knew the figures themselves wereaccurate – because David Jones hadproduced them. He had many enjoyabletimes at Public Inquiries defending his work!

David embraced new Information Technology– he knew what it could do but he wasn’t aslave to it. He also used the old methods that

worked for him. So, while he developed acomprehensive computer database ofhousing applications, he also kept using histried and trusted manual reference system.

David gave advice and support to manycolleagues in other local authorities who didsimilar work – and this was greatlyappreciated.

David was an invaluable member of theDistrict Council’s Planning Policy Team.People came and went but he was thefoundation stone around which we worked –providing extensive knowledge of the localarea.

He was also the Royal Town PlanningInstitute’s Office Convenor at the DistrictCouncil for many years – circulatinginformation and the regional magazine tocolleagues in the office. The RTPI places onrecord its thanks to David for his service inthis capacity.

David’s colleagues at the District Council(past and present) - and from many otherlocal authorities and organisations - will misshis wisdom, experience, support and calmpresence. Above all, we will miss him as afriend. �

Paul Harris

David Jones: 1952–2012

David Jones: 1952–2012.

On your marks, get set… GO!RTPI West Midlands is proud to present the West Midlands Summer of Sport Ball

What:

When:

Where:

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Awards and Submissions

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Tables and Tickets

westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

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13th July 2012 Botanical Gardens, Birmingham

The following awards will be presented:

- The Regional Award for Planning Achievement sponsored by Alliance Planning

- The Chairman’s Award sponsored by DLA Piper

- Local Planning Authority of the Year sponsored by JMP

- Consultancy of the Year sponsored by No5 Chambers

- Team of the Year

- Young Planner of the Year

Plus, a new award for 2012, Planning Leaders Award

NOMINATIONS ARE INVITED FOR: LOCAL PLANNING

AUTHORITY OF

THE YEAR

Local Authority

Planners –

Have you excelled?

Consultants –

Have you found an

LPA excellent

to work with?

There are many

examples of

good local

authorities and it is

our desire to

recognise the hard

work that goes on

within Planning

Departments in the

region.

CONSULTANCY OF THE

YEAR

Consultants - It has

been a difficult year

and yet there are

many good news

stories.

What has your

consultancy

achieved? Tell us why

your consultancy has

succeeded.

Local Authority

Planners –

Who are the

consultants you

have used or worked

with who have

excelled?

We are looking to

celebrate

success stories from

the region and those

who have delivered.

TEAM OF THE YEAR

Have you been in a

team or do you know

a team that has

delivered (a

project, plan or

planning document)?

The team can be a

LPA, Regeneration

body, Consultancy.

In a challenging

time co-operation

and collaboration is

encouraged.

We are looking for a

team that has

produced the goods

and delivered

something of quality

that will last into the

future.

If you are proud of

something you have

done and work you

have achieved let us

know.

YOUNG PLANNER OF

THE YEAR

This award is intended

to celebrate Young

Planners in the West

Midlands.

This could be in

planning practice,

innovation,

enterprise or

philosophy.

Nominations are

welcomed for the

brightest Young

Planner involved in the

profession in the West

Midlands.

Nominees must be 35

or under.

PLANNING LEADERS

AWARD

Planning creates

great places to live

and work. The

successes of our

profession are due to

the hard work,

dedication and

professionalism of our

members. The

Planning Leaders

Awards celebrates

RTPI members who

are leading and

inspiring the

profession and

creating the places

of tomorrow.

The initiative is led by

President Colin

Haylock and follows

on from the

successful Today’s

and Tomorrow’s

Leaders Awards. It

will spotlight and

recognise the

achievements of

planners in each UK

Region and Nation

who have shown

outstanding

leadership qualities.

RTPI WEST MIDLANDS SUMMER BALL – SUMMER OF SPORT

In not more than 1,000 words or 2 sides of A4 (and using illustrations and examples of

projects, if applicable), send your nominations to Sue Griffith-Jones at

westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

For the Planning Leaders Award, please go to:

http://www.rtpi.org.uk/download/14405/Planning Leaders Award Nomination Form.pdf for the

nomination form. This form should be returned to Sue Griffith-Jones at

westmidlands@rtpi.org.uk

DEADLINE FRIDAY 18th MAY 2012

HOW TO MAKE A NOMINATION: