RTPI Cymru Annual Review

Consultations

We responded to the following Welsh Government consultations:

• Draft Strategy for engaging the general public in action on climate change

• Draft Strategic Development Plans Manual

• Developing a National Framework for Social Prescribing

• Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) 2022

• National Transport Delivery Plan 2022 to 2027

• Healthy Food Environments

• Wales Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee: Consultation on Legislation and Associated Policy

• Second homes: local variation to land transaction tax rates

• Flooding and Coastal Erosion Committee: Draft Plan on Resources

• Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan

• Planning legislation and policy for second homes and short-term holiday lets

• Amendments to Permitted Development Rights

Senedd Cymru / Welsh Parliament

We submitted evidence to the following:

• The provision of sites for Gypsy, Roma and Travellers

• Town Centre Regeneration Inquiry

• Scrutiny of the first Welsh Consolidation Bill

• Draft Welsh Government Budget 2023-2024

Other

RTPI Cymru attended a discussion by PropertyMark in April around the delivery of affordable housing and holiday homes with the Shadow Minister for Climate Change, Janet Finch-Saunders MS.

We also gave evidence on the approach to land use planning in Wales and the natural resource management approach to the House of Lords Committee on Landuse Planning in England on 20th June 2022.

We responded to the Design Commission for Wales' consultation on Designing Renewables in Wales

The Director joined a panel of the Active Travel Act Cross Party Group to review the implementation of the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013.  The Policy and Research Forum provided views and comments to feed into the panel’s work. Also, as part of this the Director ran a session with POSW in April to explore their experiences of the Active Travel Act. The Panel’s report , presented in June 2022 is to be used to inform the Welsh Government’s required review of the Act.

As part of their involvement with Built Environment Alliance Cymru, RTPI Cymru hosted an event to discuss active travel delivery in Wales and the role of the built environment professions in planning, delivering and encouraging active travel at the Pierhead building in the Senedd on 25 October. The event was sponsored by Huw Irranca-Davies MS, and included a speech from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters MS.

Local Government Elections

Following the local government elections in May 2022, RTPI Cymru published a paper for councillors on unlocking the value of planning.

Living Locally in Rural Wales

This discussion paper explores the concept of living locally in rural areas in Wales and whether the guiding principles behind the 15 minute neighbourhood model can be applied in more remote rural areas. It also explores what role the planning system can play in supporting more sustainable, local living in rural Wales. This discussion continued at the RTPI Cymru Spring Conference, with living locally as the conference theme. 

The Big Conversation

Responding to a request by the Minister for Climate Change to understand the well-being of planners in Wales operating under challenging circumstances, RTPI Cymru is exploring the issues, impacts, causes and potential solutions to support the profession deliver the planning system. The aim of this is to better understand the pressures being faced and undertake a health check of the profession in Wales. It will also provide indicators of action which could be taken, not just by the RTPI, but also Welsh Government and other parties. The report will be published in January 2023.

Rural Planning in the 2020s

RTPI Cymru participated in the RTPI research commissioned on Rural Planning in the 2020s.

The project team presented emerging findings at the RTPI Cymru Spring Conference, prior to the report being published. A Wales’ webpage aims to draw out the key issues from a Wales’ perspective.

 

Events

A Planning Law event was held on St David’s Day (1^st March) online, supported by FTB. The event included the welcome of Planning and Environment Decisions Wales – PEDW, Victoria Robinson MRTPI, Chief Planning Inspector, on her first day in post.  Presentations were focused on the legal basis for supporting design decisions and placemaking, and handling Committee decisions contrary to officer recommendations and the latest legal perspectives on the action for managing second and holiday homes in Wales.

RTPI Cymru held a session at the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol in Tregaron in August to discuss the opportunities for promoting biodiversity through the planning system.  The event involved a panel to discuss the benefits and practicalities of promoting biodiversity in developments (from large developments to small householder projects) through the planning system.

Our Spring Conference returned in 2022, and we held a day of presentations and discussions in Deganwy on the theme of Living Locally in Rural Wales, building on a research paper published this year.

The Wales Planning Conference returned as a hybrid event on 23 June 2022 in Cardiff, sponsored by FTB and Savills. 

The theme of the Conference was “Planning for Health and Well-being”. In her keynote speech Minister for Climate Change, Julie James announced that she had asked RTPI Cymru to undertake work to better understand the well-being of planners and for suggestions for solutions to help address the resourcing issues.

Workshops and presentations included Planning for Neurodiversity, Active Travel, Planning for Young People, Designing spaces for Older People, Health Benefits of Green Space and Biodiversity and Maximising health and well-being opportunities for spatial planning in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

RTPI Cymru held their first Summer Party in Morgan Arcade on 19 July 2022. It was an opportunity for members to network in a unique and informal setting and to announce winners of the RTPI Cymru Awards for Planning Excellence 2022.

The Wales Enforcement Conference also returned in person in November, supported by POSW (Planning Officers Society Wales). 

Young Planners Cymru

Young Planners Cymru held a CPD session on the importance of community engagement in the planning process, sponsored by Grasshopper Communications, Planning Aid Wales and Arup.

A monthly series of online EDI webinars on inclusive language for Young Planners is currently running until May 2023.

The Big Conversation / Y Sgwrs Fawr

Responding to a request by the Minister for Climate Change to understand the well-being of planners in Wales operating under challenging circumstances, RTPI Cymru is exploring the issues, impacts, causes and potential solutions to support the profession deliver the planning system.

We want to better understand the pressures being faced and undertake a health check of the profession in Wales.  It is widely known that Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) in Wales have had significant reductions in the budgets to support their work, along with reduced resources to other public services.  We want to drill down beneath this to understand better where the pressures are, and how this is affecting those working in the system.  We want to learn about good practice which is being used to address issues and possible action which could assist in relieving pressures.

A survey was launched in Summer 2022, followed by some extensive data analysis of the responses- an outcome report is to be published January 2023.

RTPI Cymru Award for Planning Excellence

The refreshed Awards were launched in January and closing in March 2022 with new categories.

The Wales Awards winners were announced at the RTPI Cymru Summer Party on 19^th July:

• South Point School, Rhoose by the Vale of Glamorgan Council, RTPI Cymru Award for Planning Excellence
• Chris Jones Regeneration, Welsh Small Planning Consultancy of the Year
• Kate Coventry, Welsh Young Planner of the Year

The following were RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence 2022 winners in a ceremony held in London in November:

• Excellence in Planning for Health and Wellbeing - South Point Primary School, submitted by Vale of Glamorgan Council - Winner
• Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy - Merthyr Tydfil Transport Interchange, submitted by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council - Winner
• Small Planning Consultancy of the Year - Chris Jones Regeneration – Commended

A full list of winners can be found here.

Communications

We continue to spread key messages through our Twitter channel. The @RTPICymru twitter account has over 1,220 followers.

Cynllunio

Four editions of the RTPI Cymru journal Cynllunio have been published in 2022 and distributed online. These have looked at placemaking in rural areas, Active Travel act Review, Planning systems and how they support the Well-being of Future Generations Act, The Big Conversation, and covered various RTPI events. More regular updates, via our e-bulletin are sent to members on a regular basis.

Media

We have seen continued coverage of Wales’ issues and RTPI Cymru activity in The Planner magazine.

University Engagement

As part as their visit to Wales RTPI President Tim Crawshaw attended an engagement event with students at Cardiff University.

 

 

 

 

 

Winners of the RTPI Cymru Prize for Academic Excellence were presented with their Awards by RTPI Chair, Rob Chichester, in October: 

• Gabriel de Bacco for the BSc in Urban Planning and Development
• Cleo Widdicombe for the BSc in Geography and Planning.

New Chartered Members

We are delighted to welcome new members to RTPI Cymru and now have around 1,300 across Wales working across sectors, organisations and roles.

Congratulations to the following who became Chartered Members of RTPI in the year:

• Emily Avery
• Oliver Cooper
• Rachel Olivia Davis
• Matthew Evans
• Michael Higgins
• Anna Harrhy
• Geraint Jones
• Rhys Jones
• Amber Morris
• Bethan Morris
• Caroline Phillips Bowen
• Amy Ravitz-William
• George Williams

In October 2022, we held a Welcome Event to celebrate the newly Chartered Members in Wales.

Apprenticeships

Correspondence was sent to Welsh Government regarding the option for introducing a Level 4 Town Planning Apprenticeship in June 2022.

Our work is overseen through the RTPI Cymru Executive Committee and implemented by the Director and staff team based in Wales. The Executive Committee is represented on the RTPI's General Assembly, committees and panels.

 

Office bearers

• Rob Chichester MRTPI, Chair (pictured right)
• Joe Ayoubkhani MRTPI, Senior Vice Chair
• Allan Archer MRTPI, Junior Vice Chair
• Jane Jones, Immediate Past Chair

Corporate members

• Chris Clarke MRTPI
• Simon Power MRTPI
• Aneurin Mon Parry MRTPI
• Charlotte Ames MRTPI
• Allan Pitt MRTPI
• Will Ryan MRTPI

General Assembly representatives

• Neil Harris MRTPI
• Sean Taylor MRTPI

Student and Licentiate Representatives

• Kate Coventry MRTPI

Staff

• Director: Roisin Willmott
• Policy Officer: Rhian Brimble
• Planning Assistant: Ben Reader
• Member Services Officer: Dorine Chantepie