Merry Christmas from KYPN

Just a brief message to wish all members of the Kent Young Planners network an enjoyable Christmas break. Thank you to all who attended the recent APC event and drinks in Maidstone, we are currently awaiting a response from the RTPI to the various questions posed, and will circulate the answers when we receive them. We are looking at hosting our next CPD event in the Spring, so watch this space for an update.

In the meantime voting is currently underway for the RTPI's Young Planner of the Year award. Please visit the following link for descriptions of the candidates and to register your vote, the closing date for voting is the 4th January 2010.

http://www.rtpi.org.uk/item/426/23/5/3

Hope you all have a good break.

Kent Young Planners – FREE APC Event – Book your place now!

The Kent Young Planners in association with South East Planning Aid have arranged a free CPD event specifically tailored to student members, licentiates, mentors and anyone who has an interest in becoming a corporate member of the RTPI.

This event is vital to those currently working on their Assessment of Professional Competence (APC) and will be useful for those who intend to start their APC in the future. It will provide valuable hints and tips for completing the log book, written submission and professional development plan.

This event will include a talk by Clare Wright, an APC assessor, Chair of the South East Planning Awards and Programme Planning Manager at Kent Architecture Centre. Clare will provide general advice, dos and don’t on the APC, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end.

Also speaking will be Gill Thompson, a Senior Urban Designer at Brighton and Hove City Council and a South East Planning Aid Volunteer. Gill has recently submitted her APC so will provide a useful insight into her experience. The talk will also provide information on the services provided by Planning Aid.

Following the event, we are planning on having another social evening/ Christmas drinks. The social events are always well attended and represent a good opportunity to meet with other young planners in the area, discuss experiences and unwind after what has been a tough year in the world of Planning.

The event will be held at Maidstone Borough Council on Thursday 10th December and will run from 15:00 – 17:00. Refreshments will be provided and details can be found in the attached flyer. Please book your place early by contacting Verena at South East Planning Aid on 01634 831167 or by email to verena.rhodes@planningaid.rtpi.org.uk

Young Planners Conference 2009

The Young Planners Conference was held this weekend in Newcastle, and was attended by 150 delegates including a few who had made the long trip from Kent. The event was successful with good speakers covering a range of issues centering around community engagement in planning. Newcastle also proved to be a good host, with a variety of case studies and a great nightlife.

Keep an eye out on this Friday's Planning Magazine which will provide a report of the event by the organising committee. In the meantime below is a picture of Charlotte Warden and Mark Bewsey of the Steering Group at the Savills stand on Friday.

Welcome to the Kent Young Planners Blog

Welcome to the Kent Young Planners Blog! Please bookmark this page as we will be providing updates of CPD events organised by the Kent Young Planners and the RTPI in the local area.

We have recently established a formal Steering Group to guide the continued progression of the group and to look at arranging more CPD events for Young Planners in Kent and East Sussex. There are currently seven members of the steering group as follows:

Mark Bewsey - Savills Sevenoaks

Charlotte Warden - Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

David Maher - Enplan

Eoin O'Connor - Hobbs Parker

Michael Murphy - Maidstone Borough Council

Cian Cronin - Mid Sussex District Council

Robert Offord - Kent Architecture Centre

The Steering Group are having a social event on Friday 9th October at the Wetherspoons in Maidstone. The last social event held in Maidstone was very successful, well attended and lasted long into the night after I left apparently! All are welcome to come along, it’s a good opportunity to meet with other young planners in the area in a very informal environment.

Following successful CPD events in Lenham and Ashford, a third event is planned for November, watch this space for updates!

Please get in touch if you wish to contribute in any way. Whilst the network continues to grow we welcome as many new members as possible so please spread the word. If you would like to join the steering group or simply be added to the mailing list, please email kentyoungplanners@googlemail.com

Thanks for reading and hope to see as many of you as possible for drinks on 9th October!

Mark Bewsey

Kent Young Planners