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.
View our contact Information or subscription information.
The next module in the sought-after Certificated Training Programme in Planning Enforcement will be starting at the end of April and bookings can still be made.
The module focuses on Planning enforcement and material change of use and will take place at Madingley Hall in Cambridge on 30 April-1 May and 25-26 June. Please see our website for more information on its scope and coverage.
This module is part of a programme which leads to the award of the Certificate in Planning Enforcement for those who successfully complete 4 out of the 5 modules available; more than 130 students have been awarded the certificate so far. We are also pleased to have students attend individual modules on a one-off basis on a topic of particular relevance to them.
For each module, students are required to attend two two-day Tutorial Sessions and complete project work based on their own work situation. Because of this, a certain level of commitment is required but ultimately the student will gain a systematic framework for their job, and invaluable knowledge and skills which can make real improvements to their day-to-day work and also their own professional development. Feedback from previous students has been extremely positive in terms of the benefits to themselves as individuals and the improvements to their authority's enforcement function as a result of information they have been able to take back to the office. Some comments from previous students.....
If you would like to reserve a place on this module, a booking form is available to download from our website. Alternatively places can be reserved provisionally for a limited time via the online provisional booking facility, or by telephoning Shelagh Pooley on 01204 385678, who will also be pleased to answer any questions you may have about the certificated programme.
Back to topFor many years, TRA ran a workshop called The Basics of Planning for Administrative Staff. It was extremely popular but we were concerned that we were potentially excluding other staff who would have found the session really useful. So we developed a revised version of the workshop to make it suitable for administrative, technical, enforcement or other staff who want to learn about the key elements of the planning process, whether they work in local government, central government or the private sector.
This workshop, The Basics of Planning, is next running in London on 21 May and places can be reserved now.
The workshop aims to help participants develop an understanding of the key elements of planning and how they relate to each other and a basic understanding of the key legislative, policy and practice elements of the existing process and some changes that are proposed. Further details can be found via the above link.
Back to topApproaching the end of the current financial year and the start of the new one can make things complicated for those wanting to booking training: some people have money they need to spend before the end of the year and others want to book now but pay out of next year's budget. At TRA, we do our best to help minimise these issues by being flexible with the timing of invoices.
A couple of typical scenarios should illustrate how we can help:
We know that money for training is particularly hard to come by at the moment and we hope that by being flexible like this we can help make sure you don't miss out.
Back to topThe first two workshops in the Scotland Training Programme for 2013, one of which is brand new, are due to take place in Edinburgh on 23 April:
Further details and booking forms for each workshop are available from the TRA website via the above links. Provisional bookings are recommended if you are unable to make a firm booking straight away, and can be made by telephoning 01204 385678 or via our online provisional bookings facility.
Don't forget, booking 2 or more places at the same time (over any number of events) will earn you up to 15% discount under our Block Booking Scheme. Further details are on this special block booking form.
Back to topThe Planning Admin Network (PAN) has been established since November 2006, has over 600 members and is of benefit to ANYONE who is interested in how the planning systems in England, Wales and Scotland function; it is not just aimed at Admin/Support staff, as the name might suggest.
The network functions via a dedicated website and because the network operates online, it's easy to contact people working in similar jobs regardless of whether they are in the next town or at the other end of the country - an opportunity you don't often get! It is coordinated by the TRA team including Senior Associate, Vivien Green whom many of you already know.
Membership is absolutely FREE and the key features are:
According to a previous survey, The Discussion Forum in particular is a very popular and useful feature, allowing members to pose questions and/or share their own knowledge and experience with others working in similar roles. There is also the opportunity to subscribe to the forum or a particular thread so that you receive an emailed notification when anyone has posted a new thread or replied to an existing thread - this ensures that you do not miss out on any action!
PAN News is updated once a month and is packed full of interesting and useful articles about the planning world and the wider context such as new legislation, current consultations etc. See an example of previous PAN News.
The PAN registration process is quick and easy and you only need to provide your preferred username, email and password. If you would like to join the network, you can sign up via the PAN website - just click on "register" on the homepage at www.planningadminnetwork.co.uk. Alternatively, to see more details visit the PAN page on our website.
Don't delay, sign up to become a PAN member today and open yourself up to a wealth of FREE information!
Back to topRecent figures from DCLG reveal that more than 300 neighbourhoods across England have applied to become neighbourhood planning areas. In view of this, TRA has recently developed a NEW half-day briefing for Councillors on Neighbourhood Planning. The briefing was delivered earlier this month at Hertsmere Borough Council for the benefit of their members and those from neighbouring authorities.
The session explained the background and principles behind the concept of neighbourhood planning and the progress made to date. Step by step, it covered the processes and procedures for preparing Neighbourhood Plans and the requirements of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations 2012.
The presenter, Senior Associate, Jed Griffiths, examined the implications of the legislation for the Borough Council, and helped them to understand how the Council can engage with the local community in a positive manner.
Course feedback was very positive:
This session is now available for delivery to all prospective clients, so if your authority is interested in learning more about 'A briefing on Neighbourhood Planning', please contact Angela Holmes directly to receive a no obligation quotation, which includes an outline programme.
The prices we quote are 'all inclusive', so there are no hidden extras and you are aware from the outset what you can expect to pay at invoicing stage.
Back to topSupport staff play a vital role in the delivery of the planning service and to be fully effective they need to be properly trained. Due to internal staffing changes at South Gloucestershire Council TRA were recently commissioned to develop and deliver a training workshop covering Permitted Development and Advert Control. As the lead authority, South Gloucestershire had only a small number of staff to train, but in order to make the session financially viable they chose to invite staff from several neighbouring authorities, who took up the remaining spaces.
An introduction to practice: Working with Permitted Development and Advertisement Control was delivered over one-day and specific aspects covered included:
The workshop was developed and delivered by TRA Senior Associate, Vivien Green, and participant feedback was excellent:
If your authority has any particular training requirements and would like to organise a session that covers specific topics, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with Angela Holmes to discuss the options available.
Back to top
Tel: (01204) 385678
Fax: (01204) 386376
Email: mail@tra-ltd.co.uk
Website: http://www.tra-ltd.co.uk/
You can subscribe or unsubscribe by visiting the subscriptions page on our website and manage your subscription from there.
You can also forward this email to a colleague and they can subscribe themselves via the subscriptions page on our website.
TRA will not share your email address with any third party, and you will only receive occasional emails from TRA. We do not use unsolicited email of any form.