Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

PAS Bulletin: March 2021

The days are getting longer and lighter, the opportunity to see people may be getting closer and the PAS work programme is getting bigger. It is a very exciting time for PAS, we have recruited new team members and we have expanded our programme of support. We now run programmes of support on MHCLG and DEFRA priorities.  We have a brand new councillor training programme in production so watch out for the first dates in the April’s bulletin and we are also planning another Heads of Planning and rising stars event for the New Year (we don't want this to be virtual if we can help it).  We have new programmes including support for biodiversity net gain, local nature recovery strategies, urban regeneration, design codes and land supply. Best of all we get to work with so many more councils as a result of our improved capacity. What's not to like?

Anna Rose

Head of PAS

The planning service of 2024 - Resourcing Benchmark

We’re setting up a new benchmarking and productivity project to model what some of the reforms in the planning white paper will mean for planning service and how we can reorganise planning departments for 2024. We are hosting two events which give heads of service an opportunity to discuss how we will work in 2024:

Planning service of 2024 (option A) 13 April, 09:30am to 11:30am

Planning service of 2024 (option B) 21 April  09:30am to 11:30am

Introducing new PAS team members

We will be introducing the new members of the PAS team over the next couple of bulletins, this week we're really pleased to introduced Garreth & Shelly: 

Garreth Bruff - I joined PAS from Sheffield City Region, where I worked on collaborative planning projects, and worked with some really great local planning professionals, and I look forward to continuing to do this with PAS. I will be working on town centres, Freeports and supporting our new environmental planning work.

Shelly Rouse – I’ve joined on a permanent footing after a previous secondment from a council. My background is a policy planner with a “geeky spreadsheet” focus on housing numbers, needs, monitoring and delivery. I will be working on monitoring & delivery; the housing delivery test, land supply including annual position statements. I'll also working local plan work.

Return to Work – Planning Programme

This week we held a virtual graduation ceremony to mark the end of the Return to Work - Planning programme this week. It has been a fantastic programme and congratulations to all the fantastically talented learners in the “Class of 2021” for successfully completing the training and thanks also to those in the industry who were involved in delivering the fantastic training sessions.

You can share your current vacancies, at no cost, directly with the class of 2021 by completing this survey.

“Councillor Training offer - post election

We are very aware that there are a lot of authorities with elections happening this May and that can mean that you are thinking about training for new (and possibly old councillors) around their roles in planning. We have range of materials available for authorities to freely access and a team of experienced planners and councillors that can deliver sessions on request.  If you would be interested in getting PAS along to deliver a session for the authority please drop us a line at pas@local.gov.uk 

Strategic Planning Cases Studies

We have been working with five groups of local authorities who have been developing joint strategic planning approaches and we are sharing their lessons from their approaches in a series of case studies.

Coventry & Warwickshire : a strategic planning approach

North East Central Hertfordshire : progressing the Joint Strategic Plan

South West Hertfordshire : communicate the development of a Joint Strategic Plan

Greater Nottingham : progressing a joint statutory development plan

Liverpool City Region : digital community engagement for the Spatial Development Strategy

KHub posts

There are some really interesting discussions going on in the Khub discussion forum.

Sequential and exception test in flood zone 3 https://khub.net/web/planningadvisoryservicepas/forum/-/message_boards/message/436452101

Neighbourhood planning referendum May 2021
Neighbourhood Planning Referendum May 2021 - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS) - Knowledge Hub (khub.net)

Anyone going large on sustainable construction?
Net zero carbon policies - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS) - Knowledge Hub (khub.net)

Please have a look and share your thoughts on these and the other discussions occurring.

Stay safe and well.