104: Planning Act masterclass report and further seminars for local authorities and others

This is entry number 104, first published on 24 February 2010, of a blog on the implementation of the Planning Act 2008. Click here for a link to the whole blog. If you would like to be notified when the blog is updated, with links sent by email, click here.

Today's entry reports on the the first Planning Act Masterclass and gives news of further ways to learn about the new regime.

The first Planning Act Masterclass was held at Bircham Dyson Bell on Monday.  Not only did those attending get a copy of Butterworths Planning Law's guide to the new regime, but they were treated to a hands-on day taking them through the new authorisation process from policy considerations to approval.

To keep things practical, we had developed a fictional nationally significant infrastructure project (or four) based around a proposed eco-town in Lancashire, and the delegates had to imagine that they were trying to get this project approved.

It is fair to say that there was a lot to cover in one day because there is so much involved in the new regime.  Perhaps as a sign of the front-loaded nature of the Act, out of five workshops, four dealt with the period up to and including putting in an application, and only one dealt with its consideration by the IPC.

The five workshops were:

• influencing and using National Policy Statements
• carrying out pre-applicaton consultation
• preparing applications
• drafting development consent orders
• examining applications

If you work for a local authority or other 'stakeholder' likely to be affected by IPC applications, advise one, or are just interested in how the new regime will affect them, then here are two more dates for your diary.

On Friday 26 March, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Local Government Association and Bircham Dyson Bell are jointly sponsoring a free one-day conference at our offices in Westminster.  Sir Mike Pitt, chair of the IPC, will be speaking, as well as Patrick Erwin, the head of infrastructure planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government and one of the architects of the new regime.  See the attached flyer for full details.

If you are interested in attending, then you can sign up on the LGA website at www.lga.gov.uk/events.  Note that it is free, but if you sign up and don't turn up, you will be charged £75!

Secondly, we are holding a second Planning Act Masterclass geared particularly towards local authorities, NGOs and others likely to be affected by IPC applications, and the provisional date for this is Thursday 20 May.  As before, those attending will receive a copy of Butterworths Planning Law: A Practical Guide to National Infrastructure Projects included in the price.

This will also have a series of five workshops:

• influencing and using National Policy Statements
• participating in pre-applicaton consultation
• analysing an application
• participiating in the examination of applications
• the local impact report

(See what we did there?)  If you are interested, please email my colleague Hayley Greaves at hayleygreaves@bdb-law.co.uk