Frances Summers gives us an insight into what planning in local government is all about….
Hi. I’m Frances. I am a senior planning policy officer working on the Dorset Council Local Plan. I want to share some insights into the fascinating world of planning.
I use the term ‘planning’ as that is a word a lot of people recognise, however, what we actually do as planning officers, is make places.
Planning impacts upon many things we do on a daily basis, such as, where homes are built and how many of the homes are affordable. It also effects where our jobs, shops and schools are built. It influences the provision of play and recreation spaces. Planning also creates walking and cycling routes as well as making sure that sensitive areas such as wildlife habitats are protected. As you can see, planning is a key tool to help tackle the bigger issues such as climate change, social justice, public health and boosting of economies.
There are limitations to what planning can do. Planning is influenced by the development industry, and things such as the housing market and land value. If the cost of a development and associated facilities have an impact on its viability, either the development may not be built, or if it is built it may not include all of the benefits we originally required. As planning officers we try to make places that can be built and that can bring about benefits for the public.
Another limitation is that planning deals with the use of land, so we are limited on how we can tangibly influence and address wider existing social issues such as deprivation and unemployment as they involve many agencies and departments, not just planning. However we can help to improve these things by achieving sustainable development, providing homes for everyone and locating development in the right places.
As a planning officer, we work within the law and follow National Planning Policy. There is a presumption to permit development unless there is a very good, evidence based reason to refuse permission. We juggle views from experts, the community and organisations. We use our expertise and judgement to decide how an area is used, shaped or protected. We always act in the interests of the public and with ethics firmly in the front of our mind. Though as you can imagine, it is tricky to please everyone and some people do not like change.
Overall, our goal as planning officers is to bring about sustainable development that is in the public interest. Though defining either ‘sustainability’ is subjective and requires judgement and expertise in itself!
In planning, sustainability is a balance between the ‘three pillars of sustainability’ which are:
- society,
- environment,
- economy
All three pillars are considered and balanced in all levels of planning. In local government, this comprises of two parts of the planning system; strategic planning and development management.
- Strategic planning. This is proactive planning of the development of the area, through policies and proposals set out in a local plan. Local plans cover a long period of time, typically 15-20 years. They take a long time to develop, involving numerous stages in order to incorporate appropriate levels of public engagement and consultation, evidence gathering, and public examination to ensure the resulting plan is sound and effective. Local policies can also be set out in neighbourhood plans.
- Development management. This is reactive planning and deals with planning applications that people want to implement now. Making decisions on planning applications doesn’t take as long as preparing a local plan, but it still can take some time, depending on the complexity of the proposal.The planning application process is a key part of implementing the proposals included in the local plan.
I work in the strategic planning team and help devise the local plan. Having a Local Plan realises development in the public interest, and allows development to happen in a planned and organised way to make sure the right level of community facilities are also provided. It’s great to be part of the Dorset Council Plan that will guide planning decisions for the next 17 years.
