The Planning Development Programme is a government-funded initiative delivered by the Improvement Service that supports training and development for staff and elected members with planning responsibilities in the 34 Scottish planning authorities. The Programme has been running since April 2006 and will continue operating until March 2011, providing a range of in-house and multi-authority training events and grant support for authorities to help tackle identified training and development needs.
The Programme's focus is on supporting authorities in addressing skills gaps and other on-going development needs within their planning services. Planning authorities and other stakeholders have identified a number of priority issues to support the on-going modernisation of the planning process, improving service delivery and engagement with communities and businesses. This has informed Phase1: The Winter Collection 2009-10.
The Improvement Service has directly commissioned these workshops to be run as open events held at central locations, for all planning authorities. These workshops will look at the principles of the modernising agenda and their impact on planning authorities, and will build on lessons learned and the sharing of good ideas.
Phase 1: The 2009-10 Winter Prospectus will cover the following:
- The principles and practice of effective community engagement
- Designing streets
- Development viability
- Managing and leading change
- Negotiation, mediation and influencing
- Project management and processing of planning applications for major developments
- Neighbour notification: practical points and lessons so far
- Preparing main issues reports
Phase 2: Master Class - 'Planning' for the future
In addition the IS plans to hold a series of master classes aimed at those involved in leading planning at a professional and political level. The master classes will help them to engage with the opportunities and challenges of the move to outcome-focused corporate and service planning at national and local level.
Phase 1 - The Winter Prospectus 2009/10 includes:
1. The principles and practice of effective community engagement
| 1-day workshop | |
| Provider: | Scottish Community Development Centre |
| Cost: | £45.00 per delegate |
| Dates: | 18 January 2010 |
| Venue: | COSLA, Rosebery House, 9 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5XZ |
This event will explore how to implement effective community engagement practices in development planning and development management. It will involve a mix of input and participative exercises to support planning professionals have an understanding of:
- The principles and values underpinning community engagement
- The benefits of community engagement Factors that enable effective community engagement
- How to identify fit-for-purpose methods, including practical demonstrations
- Identifying and defining relevant communities
- Effective communication
- National Standards for Community Engagement and PAN81
This event is aimed at planners who have a responsibility for engaging communities in the context of development planning or those who have a role to ensure that effective pre-application engagement has taken place.
For more information on this event and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
2. Designing Streets
| 1-day workshop | |
| Provider: | AECOM |
| Cost per delegate: | £45.00 |
| Dates: | 12 January 2010 |
| Venue: | Beardmore Hotel & Conference Centre, Clydebank |
This workshop will focus on Designing Streets; the emerging national policy which sets out a radical new approach to the design of streets in Scotland. The event will demonstrate the need to break away from a standardised, prescriptive and risk-averse approach to street design; through a fundamental shift in the way we design, deliver and adopt our streets. The workshop will use live and local examples to demonstrate to participants what this new approach is about, how it is to be implemented, and how it will notably improve the quality of our streets and spaces. There will be a particular emphasis on residential streets bur reference will also be made to busier streets e.g. High Streets.
This workshop is aimed at officers working in both planning and transportation/roads. This disciplinary mix is important for practising a collaborative approach - a key component in the successful implementation of Designing Streets.
For more information on this event and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
3. Development viability
| 1-day workshop | |
| Provider: | Andrew McCafferty Associates |
| Cost: | £45.00 per delegate |
| Dates: | 15 December 2009, 19 January 2010 |
| Venue: | 15 Dec, Glasgow Marriott Hotel, Glasgow; 19 Jan, Rosebery House, Edinburgh |
This event will explain how developers decide whether to proceed with schemes including assessing viability, methods of valuing land and variables of cost and value. What does risk mean and how significant is profit level in deciding whether to proceed? What is the impact of planning gain on viability and what other variables affect profitability? There will be a number of exercises based on real life sites and participants will become familiar with undertaking simple residual valuations as used by the development industry.
It is aimed at planners who wish to understand how developers view potential projects and the significance of risk and return in deciding whether to implement or not. It will also assist in understanding how planning gain fits into a developer’s way of approaching schemes.
For more information on this event on 15 Dec and 19 Jan and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
4. Managing and leading change
| 1-day workshop | |
| Provider: | Kynesis |
| Cost: | £45.00 per delegate |
| Dates: | 25 January 2010 |
| Venue: | COSLA, Rosebery House, 9 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh. EH12 5XZ |
This event will give managers tools, techniques and confidence to lead staff through changes in working practises, processes and culture. The workshop is focussed on pragmatic and realistic ways to manage teams successfully during stressful times of organisational change.
This event is aimed at planners who have either direct or indirect responsibility for managing others.
For more information on this event and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
5. Negotiation, mediation and influencing
| 1 -day workshop | |
| Provider: | Kynesis |
| Cost: | £45.00 per delegate |
| Dates: | 11 January 2010 |
| Venue: | COSLA, Rosebery House, 9 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5XZ |
This workshop will explore influencing, mediation and negotiation skills for planners. As well as developing skills and confidence it will encourage the participants to consider their personal styles and habits and how these impact on others. We will ask participants to identify current or recent situations they face and will use these as case studies through the day. Tools and models taught will be applicable to a wide range of circumstances but will be of particular relevance to those negotiating with developers and other external partners.
This event is aimed at planners who are involved in negotiating with external partners especially in development management.
For more information on this event and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
6. Project management and processing of planning applications for major and complex developments
| 1-day workshop | |
| Provider: | TPS Planning |
| Cost: | £45.00 per delegate |
| Dates: | 1 February 2010 |
| Venue: | Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel, Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh, EH12 5EF |
This event is designed to generate a greater understanding among planning officers of appropriate mechanisms and ways of working to manage major and complex development applications more efficiently. It is also intended to provide more transparent and effective consultation processes, particularly in the pre-application period. The workshop will cover the context, process, engagement, timescales, development management, processing agreements of planning applications as well as sharing lessons learned and consideration of case studies.
For more information on this event and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
7. Neighbour notification: practical points and lessons so far
| Half-day workshop | |
| Provider: | Trevor Roberts Associates |
| Cost: | £45.00 per delegate |
| Dates: | 27 January 2010 or 9 February 2010 |
| Venue: | 27 Jan, Beardmore Hotel & Conference Centre, Clydebank; 9 Feb, Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel, Grosvenor Street, Edinburgh |
This event will provide background to the changes in policies and legislation that will require notification of neighbours to be undertaken by planning authorities. It will also touch upon some of the issues around community engagement and PAN 81.
It will draw on the experience and lessons learnt from neighbour notification by authorities in England and Wales, with a particular focus on what is considered to be good practice and the (many) pitfalls. It will consider the practical implications of implementation in Scotland, including such matters as the information to be sent to neighbours and provide an opportunity for participants to work in small groups to explore neighbour notification procedures in the work place in more detail.
For more information on this event 27 Jan or 9 Feb and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
** COMING SOON ** 8. Preparing main issues reports
The workshop sessions will allow participants to explore how planning can take the opportunities, and meet the challenges, of the changing context in which it will operate, including identifying obstacles and constraints that will need to be overcome
To reserve your place at any of the above, please email the following details to Leigh Rennie (leigh.rennie@improvementservice.org.uk)
- Name
- Job title
- Contact details; email address and telephone number
- Any special requirements
Places will be allocated on a first come basis, however should demand be sufficient, subsequent courses may be organised locally. For more information please contact:
Lesley Broadley, Improvement Service
Tel: 01506 775564 or 07790 531029
email: lesley.broadley@improvementservice.org.uk
Phase 2
'Planning' for the future
The master class series will explore the key issues and challenges of the changing context for planning, planning recovery and sustainable economic growth confronting the planning community. The initial master class will provide an overview and help shape subsequent sessions.
The introductory session will consist of a presentation, followed by interactive workshops to explore issues and opportunities in more detail, including:-
Areas to be covered:
- The development of the National Performance Framework and SOA’s
- The challenge of delivering better outcomes against a background of short, medium and long term financial constraint
- Positioning planning within the outcome focus, and the challenges and opportunities that presents
- Working with communities to achieve outcomes, and strategies for engagement and empowerment.
These events are designed for those involved in leading planning at a professional and political level to engage with the opportunities and challenges of the move to outcome focused corporate and service planning at a national and local level.
To reserve your place at any of the above, please email the following details to Leigh Rennie (leigh.rennie@improvementservice.org.uk)
- Name
- Job title
- Contact details; email address and telephone number
- Any special requirements
If you are interested in any of these workshops or the master class series, please contact the Senior Project Manager, Planning Development Programme at the Improvement Service on 01506 775564 or e-mail Lesley Broadley (lesley.broadley@improvementservice.org.uk)
Places will be allocated on a first come basis, however should demand be sufficient, subsequent courses can be organised locally.
For more information on this event and for details on how to book a place please see our events calendar.
