Olivia Stapleford – National Association of Planning Enforcement
Planning enforcement, often dubbed the ‘Cinderella’ of the planning regime has recently been revitalised by changes introduced through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA). The introduction of new ‘tools’, notices and alignment of the immunity times has breathed new life into the system – offering better and stronger responses from LPAs where breaches of planning control are identified.
These changes have co-incided with the introduction of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) including the enforcement of it.
Big changes like this can mean that resources become more strained, officers require more support and training, and the role appears less appealing due to the myriad of skills required in various fields.
The RTPI is leading on campaigns to encourage more young people into planning enforcement and educating them on how to make a career out of planning enforcement.
The planning stool
The planning system is made up of three ‘legs’ - Development Management, Planning Policy and finally, Planning Enforcement. Without and of the three legs, the stool ‘fails’ or falls. Without planning enforcement though, the system fails and can become pointless. What is the point of making plans, policies and granting permissions, when you don’t have effective enforcement to back it up?
Public faith in planning has been low for some time, and yet it can be the case that an effective planning enforcement team can dramatically improve the public perception of planning and the system as a whole.
Now is the time to promote a career in planning enforcement, as it becomes more diverse than ever – with negotiation and problem solving continuing to lead the way in key skills and attributes for officers to obtain.
See here for the planning enforcement handbook, written and recently updated by NAPE committee members and other contributors: https://www.rtpi.org.uk/find-your-rtpi/networks/national-association-of-planning-enforcement-nape/
Take a look at the RTPI brochure on ‘your career in planning enforcement’ for more information on the role and a potential career: https://www.planningyourworld.org.uk/media/16440/rtpi-planning-enforcement-recruitment-brochure.pdf