Hopes and fears for West Midlands planning

Bath versus Leicester on Saturday afternoon, when we managed to contrive a draw out of a win, and this weekend lost in the last moment of injury time to Harlequins - just about sums up my rugby feelings. However, with the autumn internationals, who knows? Perhaps we might move forward from a couple of months, in particular, involving the last two protagonists where my comparison of rugby being a team game - like planning - might resonate a bit more comfortably!

Back to the West Midlands for a really interesting trip, with some surprising conclusions!

Firstly to Ted Manders, Director of Planning and Regeneration at Stafford Borough Council, to whom I had given his first job, when I was Chief Planning Officer in Harrogate, in the early 80s.

I was chaperoned by Young Planner Julie Morgan, of Place Elements - a real live wire, who brought much humour to the proceedings!
Ted introduced me to senior planners, from all of the North Staffordshire local authorities, and we had a lively discussion about the future of planning in this area, which has so many problems and opportunities.
I was able to extract offers of support for a number of RTPI initiatives, including for community infrastructure levy. We also benefitted from the arrival of planner Ian Thompson, now Chief Executive Officer of Stafford Borough Council, and felt that the commitment to good planning featured strongly on his agenda.

Back to Brum, where I met Steve Hill, Chair of RTPI West Midlands and Atlas, to have dinner with Paul Spooner, Homes and Communities Agency's Regional Director. Steve has stepped in, following Sue Manns’s promotion to become Chief Planner at Planning Aid - thanks from all of us, Sue, for all your excellent work! - and accompanied me for the first couple of days. Paul, a planner, is a regional champion for our profession, and one of many things we agreed was the possibility of a Regional Planning Summit in the New Year, perhaps chaired by Ian Austin West Midlands Regional Minister and Minister for Planning in Communities and Local Government.

The following morning, we started at the West Midlands Regional Assembly, discussing “Hopes and Fears for Regional Planning” with Mark Middleton, Director of Policy and reps from Government Office West Midlands, the Regional Development Agency and Regional Assembly. We agreed that the West Midlands, despite differences of opinion between RA and RDA, had demonstrated sound regional credentials.
We rehearsed the case for regional planning and prepared the ground for my discussion with councillors on the Wednesday. There are tensions between public and private sector, but I believe we reached an accord on the opportunities to sustain a sound regional planning case, despite the differences.

Lunch with Planning Aid HQ.
What a fantastic success story Planning Aid is! - special thanks to Robert Upton, Sue Percy and CLG - and the evidence for sustaining their work features strongly in all of our discussions at the Party Conferences. Their offer now also features in the Infrastructure Planning Commission roadshow and will also feature, I hope, in the HCA “single conversation” with LAs. We have a good team in place, and may I also thank all of the wonderful RTPI volunteers that make the service so exceptional!

George Goodall, another long-standing servant of planning and the RTPI, accompanied me to Shrewsbury, to meet the new Shropshire Unitary Authority.
The new Leader, Keith Barrow, chaired a meeting with the planning team corporate director Tom McCabe and Nick Taylor Strategy and Development (Planning!) together with service heads. The benefits of bringing skills under one authority were very evident and I am confident that planning performance will improve dramatically under the new regime balancing larger scale housing needs with rural requirements in a cohesive manner.

The Council had also provide facilities for the evening meeting (for which thank you) of the WM RB and RAC preceded with a “meet the president” session but first my pleasure again in presenting Today’s Leader Annette Roberts from Dudley MBC and Tomorrow’s Leaders Joanne Hooper from Drivers Jonas (also WM YP chair.) 2 ladies, both under 40 and both exceptional – no wonder I am confident about the future of the profession!

Next morning, chaperoned by Dr Mike Beazley of CURS Uni of Birmingham, breakfast at Advantage WM the RDA, where the potential for planners at the RDA and RA to come together in the interests of good regional planning dominated the agenda. Mark Williets the Head of Planning and Mark Middleton at the RA need to combine resources to restate the case for regional planning whoever gets in at the election!

Finally and most importantly, I was given the opportunity to address senior councillors of the RA chaired by Cllr David Smith. With characters like Alfred Bore and other important WM personalities, the discussion centred on the fact that of all the Regions, the West Midlands clearly demonstrated that planning at this level could work effectively whatever the political complexion. Political point scoring to one side, it was clear that local MP and opposition CLG spokesperson Caroline Spelman would be pressed to allow the WM LAs to continue to work together in the event of a change in government!

I finished the day in centre for urban and regional studies (CURS) seminar room W a bar off New Street and found myself enjoying 2 pints of WM bitter with Mike who is clearly used to drinking beer at 11 am in the morning! Mike will join Gordon Dabinett (Sheffield), Mark Tewdr-Jones (UCL) in doing some work for the RTPI on administrative structures between local and national to inform our RTPI Planning Manifesto.

Martin Willey