We were quite worried about five weeks before this year's Planning Convention – numbers were down – but a last ditch effort nonetheless resulted in a timely surge in attendees to just over 600, compared to 680 last year. I asked them at the end whether they enjoyed it and was delighted with the huge "yes" - and they had good reason.
The six plenary sessions were excellent - as one delegate put it to me, “extending the mind from a routine job in development control ...” - and the breakout sessions were very good too.
This convention was different, not just because of the last minute surge in numbers, but because the RTPI-Hawksmere teams, led by Trustee Mike Hayes and Director Sue Percy, were determined to establish a clear theme and then apply quality control to all events.
Another important difference was our communications strategy.
We struck it lucky in receiving the Housing and Planning Minister John Healey, and launching "Planning to Live with Climate Change" initiative - special thanks to Director Rynd Smith and Junior Vice President Richard Summers - on the same day, in the same place, as a major launch of the weather forecast for the next 60 years, launched by a minister that confirmed the value of the RTPI’s seven commitments to address Climate Change.
This meant that our press releases, put together by Tino Hernandez’s team, secured wide national coverage and added to the broader communications messages we were promoting to the usual suspects, such as Planning Magazine.
Our communications expertise is now spinning out to the membership - through consultancy to Regions and Nations and a vastly improved website, and government and stakeholder strategy.
Certainly, the realisation of one of my presidential aims, to increase the profile of the RTPI and the profession, is being achieved and there is more to come.
The Convention was also used for seven launches and five awards, with special sessions to meet the Communities and Local Government team, led by Chief Planner Steve Quartermain, and the RTPI Presidential Team.
Perhaps my most pleasant Convention task, apart from addressing the delegates, was to award Sunand Prasaad, the Royal Institute of British Architects' President, with an Honorary Membership of the RTPI. Sunand has always been a planning champion, but his performance the previous week, with another honorary member Nick Raynsford, on the Today radio programme, explaining and supporting the democratic planning process in so far as it affected the Chelsea Barracks saga, was fantastic.
Well done Sunand and welcome to the RTPI.
After the Convention closed, with a highly amusing debate led by Kevin Murray, in which he chastised planners for being Guardian readers, not Times readers – I read the Weekend FT, Kevin! – I had one final pleasurable task to perform.
Leonora Rozee, the deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) is retiring and, to celebrate this occasion, and also most importantly, the award of a CBE to our Secretary General Robert Upton, a modest reception of close friends was held just off St James’s Park, on a balmy evening in a quiet garden.
Richard McCarthy described what an important contribution Leonora had made to national planning policy and practice. I provided personal experience of Robert’s intellectual and leadership qualities and introduced a support team:
- Paul Farmer, Executive Director and CEO of the American Planning Association, providing an anecdote regarding Robert’s no nonsense and direct approach to decision taking;
- Chris Shepley explaining how Robert was to be immortalised in his next book on the Grotton Papers; and
- Charles Veal, the RTPI Member Services Manager, giving a touching eulogy about the respect for Robert amongst staff.
I was able to conclude the proceedings by emphasising how much Robert deserved his gong.
Well done, Robert and Leonora!
Martin Willey,
RTPI 2009 President
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