My year begins.

‘What’s a blog?’ asked my father. This was quite a surprise really; Dad is very techno-savvy and I thought he might be able to help me out on this one. I thought about it for a while and decided that the blog should be an elliptic mix of things. And so this blog will share some of my own, probably rather random, thoughts about the planning issues of the day, let you know a little about the RTPI and I hope, give you an insight into what the President of the RTPI gets up too and what I’m learning as I’m out and about.



Of course this will make a quite personal in many ways and it’s always good to receive feedback and to share thoughts. I hope to offer some ‘scribbles’ on a regular basis so please come back and see what’s new.

There are three major strands of work which I’d like to focus on this year. It is so important to capture interest and encourage passion for the world around us at an early age and so working with schools and developing a project, raising awareness and generating positive publicity about planning, is a big goal. There are already some good examples of this work in various parts of the UK. It would be good to bring this together. Watch out for more news on this front soon and if you’re already involved in this type of thing please let me know.

Of course this year we are all facing severe financial constraints and much of what I’d like to achieve will be dependent on finding sponsorship.

The second key plank of work will be continuing to build on our existing relationships with other professionals and indeed brokering some new links. I’m seeking sponsorship for a set of roundtable discussions to be known as the ‘Goodwill Series’. Each roundtable would focus on a topic, get the relevant people round the table from other institutes and organisations and agree a way forward for collaborative working. Of course each profession has a distinct set of expertise and skills to bring to the table, but there are plenty of occasions when we will be stronger and more effective by working together and pooling resources. I’m hoping the first roundtable will be on inclusive deign and accessibility. Other topics in mind are housing and development economics. If you have other suggestions do get in touch.

Finally the planning profession has been taken for granted by too many for too long. The RTPI needs to be stronger and bolder, really grasping the nettle and standing up for its members and the planning profession. Tackling the public image of planning is something I’m passionate about. The full speech can be downloaded from the RTPI website.

Come back for more soon.