Launch of Partners in Planning

Partners In Planning says “Hello Scotland!”

The Partners In Planning collaboration launched a leadership themed event showcasing the skills and knowledge to enable behavioural change. The changes crucial to the success of the Planning Review communicated to a mixed sector audience of young and mid-career level planners.

Active learning workshop at the launch of Partners in Planning

“Lots is happening now and change is the constant.”

Craig McLaren, RTPI Scotland

Kevin Murray (Academy of Urbanism) presents the context behind the Partners In Planning Forum, their new website and the event’s active learning approach.

Take time to “reflect on our collective practice in Scotland and think beyond your current role” and to then be “applying skills when you leave today”.
Craig McLaren (RTPI Scotland) shares the learning that Partners In Planning is pursuing both face to face and online. Sharing thoughts on the skills to mainstream and the unique set up of the PIP website.
“We all have a role to play in delivering good places, that is local authority planning departments, government agencies, other parts of authorities, communities, applicants and private sector.”
Irene Beautyman (Improvement Service) highlights how we can embrace change by moving away from our desks and launches the Partners In Planning website.
“Getting time away from desks is a struggle. It allows us to get on with the job but are we going in the right direction?”
Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning spoke of his thoughts on the importance of changes in culture in the Planning System.
“Changes to legislation and policy can only do so much good. Planning relies on skilled and knowledgeable people to operate and to participate in the system.”

Learning opportunities were within Active Learning Workshops on topics identified during the Planning Review. Links to the presentation and video content from each of these are below:

Active learning workshop at the launch of Partners in Planning

Project Management: The important of 5 Ps- Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance
  • To cover practical issues of project management, the use of project plans and processing agreements as tools.  What is actually required to deliver a project and can how this is done in tight timescales with restricted resources
  • Objectives: to embrace project management tools but also to be aware that plans don’t deliver on their own - people deliver.  Getting the right people together at the right time is critical.
Place, Place Making and the Place Principle: What is it, who does it and why?
  • The repositioning of Planning is founded on us working more collaboratively to create better places. Stepping out of our silos. This session reviews Place Making links with Scottish Government's Place Principle, Place Based Approaches and the Place Standard tool.
  • Objective: Crucial to all collaborative work is someone taking a leadership role. Will look at the key elements in leading and the roles we play.
Building Design Capacity – A ‘How To’ Guide to set up Local Design Panels.
  • Develop understanding of potential of local design panels as one way of bringing additional skills in to assist planning authorities
  • Objective: Grow individual’s considerations of motivations and mechanisms for change in projects and how that might be influenced (develops personal leadership skills/confidence)
More Collaborative Working with the Key Agencies: How can we help each other?
  • Understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the key agencies who have statutory responsibilities to support collaborative working and better engagement.
  • Objective: what leadership are the leadership benefits to planning in pulling the right team together to plan or manage change.
Development Finance and Assessing Viability: What needs shared?
  • Covering the nuts and bolts of key variables in development finance and how to put these together to go about assessing viability of a development.
  • Objective: To be confident about understanding finance terms. To understand why the developer and the Planning Authority can be on a different page. To understand how to bring developer needs and Planning Authority requirements together and the importance of leadership.
Community Engagement: How is it changing and how can we lead?
  • The different levels of conversational relationship building required when engaging with communities. The value and importance of engaging all members of the community, including young people, in planning and place.
  • Objective: Exemplify where planners are leading the way in engagement techniques– and also building leadership within communities  / the leaders of tomorrow (young people).
Planning and Health Reform: Creating better places for people with dementia
  • Planning has a key role in promoting wellbeing in our growing aging population through the environments we create.
  • Objective: Raise awareness of the specific design changes that can prevent and assist those living with dementia. Consider our own role and leadership in this growing issue for environments.
Mediation Skills: How can they help planning?
  • How Mediation skills can enable a more collaborative and front loaded planning system.
  • Objective: Confidence and understanding in how and when to apply core mediation skills in day to day conversations with others.

“If you’re learning and you’re here and your sitting and you’re taking it in but you don’t go away and do anything, you’re not REALLY learning at all”

Irene Beautyman, Improvement Service

Partners in Planning launch event