LIFE AT THE TOP THE END GOAL OF MANY A CAREER IN PLANNING IS TO HEAD A LOCAL AUTHORITY PLANNING TEAM. HUW MORRIS FINDS OUT WHAT BEING A CHIEF PLANNER INVOLVES
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fter a decade of stringent cuts, for planning and building control. “Dealing with financial straitjackets, constantly the strategic to the minutiae – when a member changing legislation and hamstringing has an issue it doesn’t matter how small or of planning’s influence, one question big it may seem, it needs to be dealt with and stands out. Who would want to head a dealt with properly. It involves meeting, liaising, local authority planning department? discussing and negotiating with a whole range of The answer is plenty of people, with job bodies, be they major investors through strategic satisfaction a huge draw. Bath and North East developments, to extensions and alterations of Somerset Council development residents or commercial business, and public protection director Lisa or dealing with objectors. They are “PLANNERS ARE Bartlett speaks for many of her all important,” she adds. MASTER JACKS contemporaries of the sense of “It also involves leading specialist OF ALL TRADES accomplishment from seeing her groups of staff that are progressing – THE ONE ROLE work come to life. development applications or THAT HAS TO “If you are really interested in the shaping future policies reflecting LOOK ACROSS environment, people, and how they the political organisation, and how THE PIECE are managed within finite resources, these polices are shaped to reflect AND INVOLVE it’ss one local circumstances.” on of those jobs where you can EVERYBODY” have a real impact,” she says. “You can see the results of your Taking the lead actions on o the ground. People have This raises two issues for chief a home to live in, they have jobs and planners. Leadership is the first. “It’s the infrastr infrastructure to get around. It’s the opposite of heroic leadership,” one of those roles that develops over says Nottingham City Council time and you can see over time the results of your planning and regeneration director Paul Seddon. actions, wheth whether it’s policymaking, plan-making or “By its nature planning is fundamentally the decision-making side.” collaborative. It’s about stepping up to the mark, decision-m However, before being visible, being visionary, negotiating across befo the satisfaction comes graft. What does job of a local authority chief the authority and with external government, Wh hat doe es the jo planner involve? building relationships and partnerships, asking p an pl nne n r actually a in “Everything,” questions, influencing – not just the plans but that “Everytthing,” says say Victoria Geoghegan, the London Borough of Greenwich’s assistant director people can use planning to find answers.” B G
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