The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has welcomed the government’s decision to reinvest planning fees back into the planning system, addressing long-standing concerns about resource shortages in local planning departments.
Dr Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, described the proposals as having “the potential to fundamentally change how we plan our communities, power our homes, commute to work, and take our kids to school.”
The announcement comes after a decade of budget cuts that have left many local planning authorities struggling with unmanageable workloads and staff shortages. Research by the RTPI found that 25% of planners left local authorities between 2013 and 2020.
“By deciding to invest planning fees into planning services, the Government not only addresses a key request long advocated for by the RTPI, but demonstrates that it has listened to our repeated concerns about the chronic underfunding of the planning system,” said Dr Hills.
The RTPI has also welcomed changes to strategic planning in England, which their research shows is supported by an overwhelming majority of planners. Dr Hills emphasized that “strong, effective strategic planning is essential for ensuring new developments are located and designed to encourage walking and cycling, rather than locking residents into a reliance on car travel.”
The government’s plans for development corporations have also been positively received. According to the RTPI, these organizations can “deliver significantly more housing than the status quo” by bringing together planners, developers, and local political representatives to work collaboratively.
Despite these positive steps, the RTPI expressed concerns that negative perceptions of the planning system could undermine public trust. The Institute is calling for a clear statement on the “purpose of planning” in legislation to help demonstrate the important role planning plays in improving communities.
To support the reforms, the RTPI is also advocating for the establishment of a statutory Chief Planning Officer in every Local Planning Authority, which would “directly support a new national scheme of delegation and place competency at the heart of decision making.”
The RTPI represents around 27,000 members across more than 80 countries and is the only body in the UK that confers Chartered status to planners.
