Planning Advisory Service

We help councillors and local authority officers understand and respond to planning reform. We offer consultancy and peer support, learning events and online resources on:

• Planning Reform - neighbourhood planning, National Planning Policy Framework
• Community Infrastructure Levy
• Plan making - local plans, evidence, community engagement 
• Development management - pre-apps, application handling, local development orders
• Benchmarking, efficiency and performance improvement 
• Skills and training - leadership, viability, probity, planning for councillors 

Latest additions

• The Golden Rules for Effective Strategic Planning Last updated 18 January 2012

  Ten golden rules that aim to provide the best possible outcome for any strategic planning arrangements, from defining objectives to establishing clear governance structures.

  

• The Principles of Plan-Making Last updated 11 January 2012

  A brand new set of short chapters capturing the key principles of good planning. We believe that following these principles will help you deliver your plans in a timely and effective manner.

  

• New events for Benchmarkers! Last updated 7 December 2011

  We're holding a series of events in London and Birmingham during February and March for November Benchmarkers to help you check your data and understand where your information will lead.

  

• PAS monthly email updates Last updated 11 January 2012

  Don't forget to sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep up to date with the latest news. Each issue has direct links to support and training, downloads, hot discussion topics and free events all over the UK.

  

• Neighbourhood Planning FAQs Last updated 24 November 2011

  We are pleased to announce that Frequently Asked Questions in neighbourhood planning support are now available. These are the direct result of the Neighbourhood Planning Frontrunner group meetings held over the past few months.

  

• A Simple Guide to Strategic Planning and the 'Duty to Co-operate' Last updated 13 December 2011

  We've produced a simple, introductory guide to strategic planning and the duty to co-operate in the post Localism Act 2011 world. Based around a series of questions, this guide is for planners, councillors and anyone else involved in infrastructure and planning which extends across local authority boundaries.