Society's profile-raiser

Planning, 15 August 2008

From his office at Broadland District Council, Planning Officers Society (POS) president Phil Kirby is contemplating his predecessor Steve Quartermain's aspiration to ban mention of anoraks in any utterance pertaining to planners.

Kirby, a fervent Tottenham Hotspur supporter, thinks that it would be great if everyone were as passionate about planning as they are about football. But having recently delivered a speech peppered with soccer analogies, he acknowledges that "there is a fine line in terms of how you express something before you end up being called an anorak".

As he starts his year at the helm of the POS, Kirby reflects on his experience over three decades in planning practice. "We went through a bad patch in the 1980s, when we were seen as the profession that stopped things happening," he reflects. "But over 30 years the standing of planners has been enhanced."

He notes that almost every new government initiative has a planning angle. "Latterly, there has been recognition that planners do a great job, so people assume that they can solve other problems as well," he says. "Planners can contribute towards solutions, but it's not in their power to solve them. At a time when planners are in short supply, being charged with doing even more puts a greater strain on resources."

Kirby recognises that getting people involved in the public sector is a problem. "Tick-box exercises just to achieve targets are not something that you can sell as being particularly attractive when you can go into the private sector and start engaging in reshaping places."

He explains his own resistance to the temptations of private sector planning. "For me, planning is a public service. That's why I wanted to work in local government and that's why I stayed," he says. "It's because it is doing good for the local community. I complain about the bureaucracy, but I know the importance of the job that I do as a planner in the public sector."

The number of reviews that the government keeps demanding is another source of frustration. Kirby is on the sounding board for the Killian-Pretty review of planning red tape in the hope that he can influence its recommendations. He believes that improvements could be made tomorrow but recognises that action is needed to make them happen.

Kirby is a keen advocate of pre-application talks. "Applicants should enter that process upfront because that would tackle the speed issue," he maintains. He would prefer to have applications advertised online rather than in the press. "It's costing local authorities vast sums to put advertisements in local papers just because regulations tell us to. We could save money and invest in employing more people."

Overall, he wants the system to be seen as a significant investment rather than an unnecessary cost. "Planning is complex because it is trying to balance a host of issues and find a solution. You're never going to satisfy everyone. Once you start working with reality then you can make improvements," he reasons.

Kirby has set himself four goals for his year as POS president. The first is to establish an award scheme that will recognise the contribution members make to the society. Nominations for the POS contribution awards are invited by the end of next March and the winner will be announced at the society's spring conference in Norfolk in May.

Second, he wants to make it easier for members to engage in the work of the society. "We are at the highest level in terms of our influence as an organisation in the planning sector and we have more members than ever before. Yet the number of individuals who get involved is probably not as great as it has been. I want to make our website more interactive. That would enable people to network and disseminate good practice."

Third, he intends to turn the society into a limited company to reduce members' exposure to legal challenges. His final aim is to ensure that the POS is well prepared for all the challenges it will encounter this year. "There are seven bills in which planners will have an interest. Each of my cabinet colleagues will be a focal point for a piece of work so we can keep an eye on what's going on and co-ordinate activity around it."

Above all, Kirby wants all planners to know that there is an organisation that looks after their interests and seeks their involvement. "We do have the ear of the government at the moment, as is shown by Steve Quartermain's appointment as the DCLG chief planner. It's a good time to be a planner and it's rewarding to hear people saying that."

CV
Age: 50
Family: Married with two children
Education: BA (Hons) in urban and regional planning, Lanchester
Polytechnic
Interests: Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, walking his labradors
2008: President, Planning Officers Society
1996: Director of development rising to strategic director of community
services, Broadland District Council
1988: Principal assistant planner rising to planning manager, Shepway
District Council
1985: Chief assistant planner, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council
1982: Assistant area planning officer, Hertsmere Borough Council