Volunteer network growth builds community relations

Planning, 27 June 2008

The number of volunteer planners at Planning Aid for Scotland has increased to 160 in the past year, enabling even more members of the public to receive qualified advice on a one-to-one basis.

This growth will allow the group to provide advice on the planning system, train people to be engaged early on in the process and carry out further research to improve opportunities for involvement.

At the same time, the number of corporate members increased to 11 local authorities, demonstrating the value of partnership working. This helps the organisation to form ever-closer working relationships with the councils and tailor events to their needs. An educational fund has been launched to raise money for free training events and we are grateful to donors such as developers and house builders who have recognised the importance of effective community engagement.

We are providing training workshops for a growing number of groups including community councils, amenity groups, ethnic minorities and disenfranchised groups, helping them to have a say in shaping the places where they live. Our Planning to Act workshop was commended in the community involvement category of the Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning, which demonstrates how the Planning (Scotland) Act 2006 is putting the issue on the sector's map.

In terms of research, we have recently completed a two-year project called Reach Out on barriers and pioneering opportunities for engaging ethnic minority and Gypsy and traveller communities in the planning system. We are also developing a Planning Aid standard with stakeholders to ensure that all community participation is carried out to a uniformly high standard.

We have also engaged directly with our MSPs and government by holding regular meetings on planning issues and attending the parliamentary cross-party group on construction. We held our first parliamentary reception last September and were pleased to see a cross-section of elected members and interested parties talking about the finer aspects of planning.

This year has seen new relationships blossom and more knowledgeable communities. With the 2006 act's focus on pre-application consultation, there is another challenging and busy year ahead.

- Petra Biberbach is executive director of Planning Aid for Scotland.