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UK planners look to Jersey

March 17, 2015

One of Britain’s foremost planning organisations is holding a conference and lecture in Jersey this year.

The Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) South West branch conference is timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the introduction of planning and building laws for Jersey, marked this year.

The RTPI is the UK’s leading planning body and is the largest planning institute in Europe with more than 23,000 members.

The title of the RTPI’s conference on 15 May at the Radisson Hotel is Planning for Growth in Sensitive Locations, lessons from the Channel Islands. Speakers, who include builders, architects and planners, both from the UK and Jersey, will look at some of the challenges faced in promoting and delivering sustainable growth in sensitive landscapes and how planners in both the UK and the Channel Islands have responded.

Director: Policy, Projects and the Historic Environment, Kevin Pilley, who is speaking at the event, said “I’m delighted that the Royal Town Planning Institute has chosen Jersey to hold a conference, particularly when we’re marking the 50th anniversary of the introduction of planning and building laws this year.

“The topics up for discussion are very relevant to Jersey at this time. It will be interesting to hear from UK practitioners about how they have delivered regeneration in small, environmentally sensitive places just as we are about to embark on a project to regenerate St Helier.

“It is open to anyone to attend and I hope it will attract a lot of interest from people involved in Jersey’s building, heritage, and architectural sectors who might have an interest in how we plan the future of our town.”

The chair of the RTPI South West, Paul Barnard said ‘‘Eight years since we last held an RTPI conference in Jersey, we are delighted to be returning in 2015. Working in partnership with the States of Jersey we have put together an agenda which draws on the lessons that can be learnt from planning in a sensitive locations, drawing on experience from the Channel Islands and the UK.

“Jersey will provide an interesting perspective for our UK members and we hope that the event will also be a useful showcase for people in Jersey to demonstrate what regeneration has delivered in other places.”

The RPTI conference is one of a number of events designed to mark the introduction of the planning and building law in 1965 in Jersey. Others include:

Free drop-in planning and building advice sessions in the community

Town and Country Planning Association event

‘Ask the department’ sessions on social media

Improved energy performance targets for new and altered buildings

Work with young people to raise awareness of planning in building a community

Institute of Historic Building Conservation lecture

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