TRA ENews is the monthly newsletter of Trevor Roberts Associates. It provides information about TRA generally, its staff and Associates, current and forthcoming events, new training courses and consultancy services etc.
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TRA's new Planning Jobs Board was successfully launched in October 2014 and is proving increasingly popular as a means of gaining additional publicity for local authority vacancies. We usually have between 20 and 35 vacancies listed at any one time.
The advertising service is entirely free to local authorities handling their own recruitment (unfortunately we can't offer it to recruitment agencies). We are keen to include planning roles of all types including those in planning support and planning enforcement. It is also free to search for those looking for a new opportunity. The Jobs Board was set up as an additional service for our public sector clients and as a way of encouraging more people to visit our website.
Here are some of the current vacancies (with closing dates in April):
So if you are looking for a new challenge, visit TRA's Planning Jobs Board regularly - it could change your life!
If, on the other hand, you would like to advertise a vacancy on our Jobs Board you can download our 1-page pdf which provides more information. Alternatively, you can simply send your text and the authority's logo (if you would like this to be included) to jobsboard@tra-ltd.co.uk. The Jobs Board is fully managed by TRA's staff in Bolton to ensure that the whole process of advertising is as quick and hassle-free as possible.
Back to topDetails are now available to view on the website for the forthcoming 2015 Conference for Planning Support Staff, which will be taking place at The Wesley in London on 25 June 2015.
This annual event represents a valuable opportunity to meet with colleagues from other authorities and learn about current best practice and future developments affecting planning support.
TRA aim to support all staff contributing to planning service delivery and in this crucial period of continuing uncertainty and challenges for support staff, this year's conference aims to allow participants the opportunity to understand the current shape and focus of their service delivery and what it might look like in the future. As always, the event involves a mixture of general presentations and smaller group sessions in which participants can discuss topics in more detail. The contributors and topics under discussion will be:
Once again the conference is being run in conjunction with the Planning Admin Network (PAN), a free online network open to anyone with an interest in the administration of the planning service in England, Wales and Scotland. Membership of PAN is absolutely FREE and registration is quick and easy via the PAN website.
A discounted price for the conference is available to PAN members of £175.00 (normal event price £190.00), and further discounts are available to all via our block booking scheme which offers between 10 and 15% discount for bookings of 2 or more places made at the same time over any number of events in the 2015 programme. (Please note - PAN member discounts are only available to those who registered on or before 20 March 2015).
Further details for the conference and a booking form are available on the TRA website. If you would like to attend but are unable to make a firm booking straight away, provisional bookings are recommended and can be made by telephoning 01204 385678 or via the online provisional booking facility.
Back to topThe London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham submitted its Draft CIL Schedule to Trevor Roberts Associates on 18 November 2014 and appointed Terrence Kemmann-Lane as the Examiner. A Hearing was held on 10 February 2015 and the Examination was concluded on 20 March 2015. In his Report, the Examiner concluded that the Hammersmith & Fulham CIL Charging Schedule "provides an appropriate basis for the collection of the levy in the borough" and "is set at a level that will not put the overall development of the area at risk". He therefore recommended that, subject to four minor modifications, the CIL Schedule should be approved.
A recent article in Planning magazine reported that only a quarter of councils are likely to have a CIL schedule in place when the new rules restricting the use of s106 contributions come into force on 6 April. This is according to a report by Savills commissioned by the Home Builders Federation in February which found that 57 councils have adopted CIL schedules and 56 have draft schedules currently undergoing Examination.
In terms of progress by the remaining authorities:
If your authority is one of those working towards the implementation of CIL and you are interested in learning more about TRA's CIL Examination service please visit our website for further information. You can also contact Penny O'Shea to find out more, including likely costs, without obligation.
Back to topTest Valley District Council recently commissioned TRA to prepare and deliver an in-house bespoke workshop on Effective Report Writing, specifically for Enforcement staff.
The workshop provided attendees with an opportunity for debate about good practice, drawing on the presenter's, Lee Prebble, long experience in both planning enforcement and appeals.
The main objectives of the session were to:
Feedback from the attendees was very encouraging:
If you think that your authority might be interested in running an in-house workshop on writing enforcement reports (as above) or report writing in general, please contact Angela Holmes to discuss your requirements and/or receive a no obligation quotation.
Back to topAs mentioned in last month's Enews, the TRA 2015 Training Workshop Programme will kick off in Glasgow on 30 April with a couple of recent additions to our training portfolio covering the Definition of Development and Basic Tree Hazard Assessment. The England & Wales programme is also due to start shortly with a batch of workshops all of which are also relatively new to the programme, having been introduced within the last 3 years. These are due to take place in Manchester on 20 May 2015. Bookings are already coming in but there is still time to reserve your place:
Further information and booking forms can be found on the website via the above links to each event. If you are unable to make a firm booking straight away, provisional bookings are recommended to reserve your place and can be made by telephone on 01204 385678 or via our online provisional bookings facility.
Bookings of 2 or more places made at the same time over any number of events will attract discounts of between 10 and 15% under our discounted block booking scheme (depending on the total number of places booked). Details are on the website and also on this special block booking form.
Back to topTRA was recently approached by Oadby and Wigston Borough Council to create and present a one-day in-house workshop on Trees and the Planning Process, for the benefit of Councillors, Officers and Tree Wardens with responsibility for trees as part of their role.
The workshop provided training on protected trees, in particular tree preservation orders for those with a limited arboricultural knowledge base or non-arboricultural background. The training allowed participants to understand how and why trees are protected and help determine the suitability of subject trees for the serving of a new TPO or whether works requested to such trees are suitable for their species and / or condition.
The main course objectives were to help attendees:
The session was developed and delivered by TRA presenter, Sharon Hosegood and feedback from the participants was excellent:
This workshop is now available to all of our clients exclusively on an in-house basis, so if you would like to receive further details, such as an outline programme, please do not hesitate to contact Angela Holmes for a detailed quotation.
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