The FT published a sobering article about the dearth of town planners available to process our planning applications and that many plan to leave their local authority positions in the next 5 years – sound familiar? So many former Council employees have become poacher turned gamekeeper, myself included, and it is likely this trend will continue.
It is not all driven by salaries but if universities are pulling planning courses, there are fewer junior planners available to replace those at the end of their careers or who leave through disenchantment. The same could be said about many professions, building surveying, accountancy, law and architecture where working practice is becoming more litigious. Realistically how can 1.5 million new houses be delivered by 2030 if there are no planners to scrutinise the front end of the process?