The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has welcomed the Raynsford Review report, published today by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), covering a number of issues at the core of the RTPI’s mandate
The report is said to offer a vision for a strong planning system with statutory power to promote sustainable development and public welfare.
It argues that critics of planning often blame the current planning system, instead of considering a lack of investment or political vision.
And it welcomes local authorities to take a pro-active approach to act as ‘master developers’ in order to facilitate well-designed development.
The Raynsford Review also shows support for the Future Planners initiative and for Planning Aid.
Victoria Hills MRTPI FICE, RTPI Chief Executive said: “The RTPI welcomes the publication of the final report of the Raynsford Review. The review makes a strong case for the public value of planning, showing it can deliver social, environmental and economic value.
“We welcome calls for strengthening the planning system and for more resources to be assigned to local authority planning departments. In particular, we are glad to see support for our campaign to make sure there are more Chief Planning Officers at the top table.
“We also welcome the focus on the future of the planning profession, and ensuring we have diverse and well-resourced planners, who can be creative and visionary – to take a leading role in well-designed development.
“The RTPI accredits 30 planning schools in the UK and internationally. UK planning education standards are considered to be world leading. We look forward to launching the Chartered Town Planner Apprenticeship next year, a new gateway into planning.
“The report covers a wide range of issues and we look forward to engaging with the TCPA and others in the coming months to explore how to take the report forward.”
The review also shows support for digital planning, with the RTPI announcing its partnership with Future Cities Catapult last week.
