Planning Administrators' Network: Training

As part of Trevor Roberts Associate’s (TRA) ongoing commitment to provide learning and development opportunities for planning support staff, PAN was originally set up as a network for "Planning Administrators". PAN has evolved slightly over time and its membership now includes a number of staff who are involved in other planning roles who are keen to keep up to date with current developments in the way in which the Planning System is administered.

TRA has provided specialist training for local government for more than 25 years. For the past 15 years, this has centred mainly on the planning and development fields, where we have become the market leaders in the provision of practitioner-presented training. TRA organises and presents an extensive series of training events and conferences for the planning/development field, in venues throughout the UK both on an inter-authority and in-house basis.

An online calendar is now available as part of the PAN Discussion Forum which enables members not only to see details of all TRA’s upcoming inter-authority training events throughout the UK, but also to set personal email reminders in advance of any particular event(s). To see more information on TRA training events, including details of the in-house workshops on offer please visit the TRA website.

Below you can see some feedback from participants of previous training events which were aimed mainly at Planning Support Staff. Feedback from other training sessions is available for viewing on the TRA website.

Conference for Planning Support Staff:

Really enjoyed it and learnt things. Informative and could relate it to my work. Made me question and look at procedures. Julie Marson, South Derbyshire DC.
Very informative and I have picked up many tips to take back to my Office. It is also very interesting to see how some other places work. Helen Marshman, Homes & Community Agency.
More in the course than I expected. All was very informative and well presented. Jackie Cicatello, Newcastle-under-Lyme BC.
The event was very informative and gave a broad base for support staff to build on in their own authorities. Kathie Batley, North East Derbyshire DC.
Event was excellent. All speakers very informative. Very well organised. Paula Hodgson, Sunderland CC.

The Basics of Planning for Administration and Frontline Staff:

An excellent course full of relevant detail and covering the expected scope, delivered with enthusiasm and positivity. Would definately recommend the course to others. Sophie Brown, Macclesfield BC
Excellent workshop, broadened my knowledge and gave me more confidence. Lively debate and all questions answered. Brilliant presentation. Chris Vincent-Northam, Hertfordshire Council.
Excellent programme. A friendly, knowledgeable trainer who took time to answer questions thoroughly. Stuart Humphreys, LB of Merton
Covered a wide range of issues. Gave good background on how the planning system has evolved. Kathryn Upson, Cherwell DC
It was a good balance of activities and involvement along with viewing of slides and explanations. Good delivery. Very informative and relevant. Charlotte Singleton, Wealden DC

Reception Framework and Skills:

The course exceeded my expectations. Logical, practical, comprehensive. David Evans, Kirklees Council
Delivered in a very easy way, easy to listen to and in a relaxed manner

Permitted Development:

Very informative. Exceeded expectations. Jayne Richardson, South Shropshire DC.
Really excellent course. The content was relevant and informative. Lisa MacKenzie, Highland Council
Went from the very basics, eg Development and what it was, which gave a very firm base onto which the nature of PD could be explained. The pace was very good, and the group exercise was useful. Kieron Shaw, Bracknell Forest BC
Very informative and helpful to a newcomer to Planning. Sandra Chapman, Bracknell Forest BC
Very thorough and hand outs were very well laid out. Such a difficult topic to present in a day and the principles were emphasised very well. Jane Greenway, Reading BC

The Essential Elements of Support for Planning and Listed Building Control:

It was very interesting. It's good to be away from work to have time to reflect and take in information without being interrupted. Dawn Paton, North York Moors National Park
Found course very helpful. Victoria Breen, Ryedale DC
Very informative and well presented, the work sheets were easy to follow and very Interesting, and I have learnt a lot more. Stephen Weetman, York CC
Did well to get so much into one day! Very clear explanation of complex issues. Learnt a few things outside the topic field which will come in useful. Amie Baxter, East Northants DC
Very useful workshop, dealt with the issues we requested and was tailored to our requirements. Vivien was very knowledgeable and responded well to our questions. Kate Freeman, East Northants DC

Supporting the Processing of Planning Applications: a workshop for experienced technical and administrative support staff: