RTPI research shows massive support for strategic planning
New research, commissioned by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), shows near-unanimous support for effective strategic planning in England.
The work, from the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments at the University of the West of England, shows that 96% of planners agree that a change to current practice is needed.
Results also reveal that over 80% of planners are in favour of strategic planning being mandated by the Government.
It is the first nationwide study that seeks to understand the nature of current strategic planning practice.
Hannah Hickman, associate professor in planning practice at UWE says: “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.”
In their 2024 manifesto, Labour committed to appointing 300 new planning officers and introducing cross-boundary strategic planning, as well as a new requirement for combined and mayoral authorities to strategically plan for housing.
Labour also announced aims to have universal coverage of strategic plans by 2029, but researchers say it will not be achievable without a new generation of strategic planners.
The survey showed that 40% of local authority planners who responded said 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, says: “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 [National Policy Planning Framework].”