Planning Training Courses

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The Planning System course provides an introduction to the planning system and is ideally suited to local authority employees, planning/built environment consultancies and community groups who are looking to further their knowledge and understanding.  

The course gives clients an excellent grounding in the wide range of disciplines that the planning system covers. This training course is designed to be tailored specifically to our client’s learning objectives, using a ‘pre-training’ questionnaire.

Key training objectives:

1. Planning Policy context (National Planning Policy Framework, Local Plan policies, neighbourhood development plans)
2. Preparing Local Plans
3. Development Management processes, including preparing planning applications and responding effectively to consultations and planning appeals and inquiries.
4. Planning Conditions
5. Planning Obligations – S.106 and CIL

The Examination course is for Planning Policy Teams preparing for Local Plan or CIL examinations. 

This course starts by introducing attendees to the principles of Examinations in Public. It then focuses in more detail at the overall processes involved in preparing for Examination in Public, preparing for initial questions and hearing statements, roles and responsibilities of key players and practical training such as mock hearing sessions.  The course may focus on Local Plan, Community Infrastructure Levy or Neighbourhood Development Plan Examinations.

Key training objectives:

1. Examination processes
2. Roles and responsibilities of those involved
3. Written Materials and practical exercises
4. What to expect and how to prepare for Hearing Sessions

The Neighbourhood Plan course is for community groups, neighbourhood forums and parish and town councils.

This course is designed to build capacity for Neighbourhood Planning Groups who are either considering commencing a Neighbourhood Plan; currently preparing a Neighbourhood Plan; or are looking to better understand how to get the most out of their made neighbourhood plan. This may be through responding effectively to planning application consultations or engaging in the infrastructure delivery process through CIL spending.

Key training objectives:

1. An introduction to Neighbourhood Development Plans
2. National and Local Policy Context
3. Roles and responsibilities
4. Key stages to consider in preparing Neighbourhood Plans
5. Policy Drafting
6. Examination
7. Implementation
8. CIL Spend

The Project Management for Local Plans course is for local authority Planning Policy Teams and Project Managers looking for Local Plan specific training. 

Preparing a Local Plan is a significant project and requires excellent project management skills to ensure key milestones are met; consultation processes run efficiently; and statutory requirements for plan making are effectively incorporated. Alongside this, Local Plans require ongoing consultation and engagement processes which must also be factored in. The course aims to build project management skillsets for planning professionals. 

The course is delivered by highly experienced practitioners who have worked with Local Plan teams across the country, with the key objective of supporting the development of realistic and achievable Local Plan programmes, including the identification of areas of risk, mitigation and efficiencies. 

Key training objectives are bespoke to individual client needs, but may include:

1. Preparing and monitoring a Local Plan Project Plan
2. Project Plan review and critical friend workshop and recommendations report
3. Workshop and practical support to prepare a project plan
4. Document review and workshop to identify key risks and mitigations for current project plan. 
5. The principles of Local Plan preparation:

• Key risks and mitigations
• Project sponsorship
• Statutory requirements
• Duty to Cooperate
• Evidence base
• Key milestones and interdependencies
• Governance
• Consultation and engagement
• Communications

The Infrastructure Planning and Developer Contributions course is for Planning Policy teams, infrastructure providers and major project delivery teams.

Infrastructure planning and delivery in relation to growth is a cornerstone for good planning practice. Infrastructure Delivery Plans provide the foundation for strong and deliverable policies. They also support ongoing Local Plan implementation and provide justification for S.106 requests through the planning application process. DAC Planning recognizes the importance of the plan-led system informing place-shaping and the delivery of infrastructure in the right place at the right time. 

We believe that by getting involved and engaging in the Local Plan process from the start, infrastructure providers will realise the potential of the statutory development plan process in delivering critical infrastructure effectively, and in partnership with Councils and communities. 

Our bespoke training will improve understanding and develop skill sets that will assist infrastructure providers to get best value out of their engagement in the planning process and engage with the system from an infrastructure delivery perspective. 

Key training objectives are bespoke to individual client needs, but may include:

1. Introduction to Infrastructure Delivery Plans
2. Preparation of an Infrastructure Delivery Plan 
3. Testing infrastructure capacity and impacts of growth
4. The Plan-led system and infrastructure delivery
5. Engaging in policy drafting and consultation processes
6. Local Plan implementation
7. Developer contributions and infrastructure delivery alongside growth