The new government has made it clear that it intends to promote a more strategic approach to planning. New research, commissioned by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), revealed overwhelming support for effective strategic planning in England across the public and private sectors, with 96% of planners agreeing that a change to current practice is needed.
Research from the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments at the University of the West of England is the first nationwide study that seeks to understand the nature of current strategic planning practice. It shows that over 80% of planners are in favour of strategic planning being mandated by the Government.
While statutory strategic planning is widely regarded as vital for the management of key issues that cannot be addressed properly at the local scale, like building economic, climate, and nature resilience, and articulating long-term development and infrastructure needs, it was almost completely abolished in 2010.
Since then, there has been no mandatory requirement for a nationwide approach to strategic planning in England. Today, parts of England remain without strategic planning activity.
Although the new Labour government has signalled strong support for the practice, announcing ambitions to have universal coverage of strategic plans by 2029, researchers say it will not be achievable without a new generation of strategic planners.
40% of local authority planners surveyed by the researchers reported that they did not work in an area with statutory strategic planning, while 25% reported that there was no non-statutory strategic planning activity in their area. Alongside a reduction in planning resources, this has resulted in a loss of technical knowledge and experience in strategic planning.
Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: “It’s really rewarding to witness our members producing such high-quality research at a time when we know the government is attempting to change the system through the NPPF.”
Catriona Riddell, Catriona Riddell Associates, said: “The profession has been arguing for a return to an effective approach to strategic planning since 2010 and this research will be vital for the new Government as it moves forward with its proposals for reinventing it.”
Hannah Hickman, Associate Professor in Planning Practice, UWE “It has been a privilege to lead research on behalf of the Royal Town Planning Institute on strategic planning. With over 400 participants, this research provides compelling evidence on the case for a return to a more effective, and mandatory form of statutory strategic planning.”
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