The Planning Officers Society has acknowledged claim by architects that a shortage of suitably qualified planners was a major factor in delays to development projects.
A spokesperson for the organisation highlighted a ‘generation gap’ of experienced planners caused by a hiatus in planning education during the 1980 and 1990s only recently rectified.
The position had got worse now tighter budgeting meant many planning departments had cut staffing by up to 40 per cent.
Mike Keily, the new president of the society, said: ‘We are seeing planning schools under pressure again with many only surviving on a healthy foreign student intake. And for local planning authorities with fee income not fully funding development management services councils remain under pressure to balance their books.’
‘The complexity of processing major applications does mean that it takes some time for officers to be fully trained and those areas that experience a sudden rise in large developments can be under pressure as a result.’
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