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Educating tomorrow’s planners

We are celebrating 20 years of planning consultancy in Birmingham in 2020. Throughout our 20 years, part of our mission has been to inspire the next generation of planners and built environment professionals with our passion for what we do.

Our work with the University of Birmingham

Over this time, we have developed a strong collaborative relationship with the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) at the University of Birmingham and its RTPI accredited Planning School. Eight team members from our Birmingham office, from Assistant Planners to Senior Directors, are graduates of their planning degree courses at either undergraduate or postgraduate level, but our involvement goes much further.

Fifteen years ago, Senior Director, Mike Best, one of the first graduates of the joint honours planning course, began assisting CURS with careers talks and introductory ‘practitioner’ sessions which developed into hosting group work on city centre projects, bringing together his consultancy experience and wider involvement in Colmore Business District. This culminated in Mike supporting CURS’ aspiration to achieve RTPI accreditation for the postgraduate Masters degree, and he continues to serve on the RTPI Partnership Board to this day, which is described by Austin Barber, Director CURS, as providing professional oversight of the MSc programme and ensuring it complies with the RTPI’s standards for accreditation. It serves as a “critical friend” to the academic staff and acts as a valuable sounding board for new programme ideas and initiatives. Membership is drawn from the RTPI itself, planning practitioners and external academics; Mike has been a university-nominated representative since the Board’s inception.

Sharing experience and developing practical skills

Over the years, team members have been involved in delivering different elements of both courses, including the practitioner session for the undergraduate degree where students hear from professional planners about a live development project. Most recently, this session focussed on Paradise, a development which we have advised on since 2010. Head of Planning Midlands, Angela Reeve, has delivered this lecture to students over many years, recently alongside Associate Director, Rosie Cotterill (another graduate).

“As a former student of CURS, I always found that the practitioner sessions helped to give a real insight into a future career in planning, the practicalities of the job, and the breadth of the profession. Running a session for students on a live development project is a reminder of the ever changing nature of our industry, and it is always so encouraging to receive insightful and imaginative questions and comments from students on real current issues.”

Rosie Cotterill

We have also been involved with practical projects and group work, where students have the opportunity to develop their ideas for real sites in Birmingham. Associate Director, Diane Bowers, and Senior Planners, Ian Deverell and Fiona Lee McQueen have assisted students in the consideration of how parts of the city could be improved to make them more vibrant, whilst balancing commercial considerations. The ideas students develop are often shared with clients.

“It’s encouraging to hear how the students apply the knowledge they have gained through their undergraduate course to a real site in Birmingham, using their experiences from other cities to come up with exciting proposals and innovative ways of improving this part of the city centre.”

Diane Bowers

For the postgraduate course, we have assisted in the Urban Property Development module by leading a session introducing students to site appraisals and assessing the potential of another key regeneration site in Birmingham city centre, Martineau Galleries. We have advised on this site for over a decade, and most recently acted for Hammerson to secure outline planning permission for a major mixed-use redevelopment. Drawing on live projects gives greater insight on planning issues, bringing to life the political and commercial angles.

We see great value in helping to develop the potential of the students. For a number of years we have offered part time Assistant Planner roles to students on postgraduate programmes, providing real life experience working in a busy city centre consultancy. Three of our current team members, Planner, Peter Hayward and Assistant Planners, Vicky Madden and Georgina Kean all started their time at Turley this way.

Apprenticeships

In 2019, we were pleased to be able to offer one of the first RTPI Chartered Town Planner Degree Apprenticeship positions in collaboration with the university. Assistant Planner, Anna Harrhy is employed in the Birmingham office, gaining on-the-job training and experience in parallel with undertaking the postgraduate planning degree course at the university. Anna is one of two Turley team members who are enrolled on the apprenticeship programme.

“The RTPI Chartered Town Planner Degree Apprenticeship has enabled me to progress my postgraduate degree with the dedicated support of the University of Birmingham, whilst also gaining valuable experience from on-the-job training in my role at Turley. I am pleased to be the first Apprentice for the Birmingham team and I have welcomed the opportunity to continue my progress in my current role whilst working towards achieving my Chartership in planning. The Apprenticeship allows me to gain membership to the RTPI earlier than traditional routes whilst removing financial barriers to university tuition.”

Anna Harrhy

“The launch of our Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship is an exciting new development for us, and it is great to have a Turley planner in our first ever cohort. Anna is benefiting not only from the academic core of our programme but also a new range of professional development opportunities that we are offering for this programme, including a planned mock public enquiry event with the Young Planners West Midlands network and prominent Planning Barristers in the city. We are grateful for Turley’s early support for the DA programme and this provides a great platform for us to grow this further in the years ahead.”

 Austin Barber

Recognising achievement

For several years, we have awarded the Turley Prize to an outstanding student, based on recommendations from course leaders, not just for academic excellence, but wider contribution to the course and beyond. We are pleased that all the recipients have gone on to establish themselves in the planning profession.

We are proud of our strong links with the University of Birmingham and are committed to developing our relationship over the years to come, helping to form the influencers and shapers of planning and development in the Birmingham of the future.

“Having been at CURS since 2000, and started the MSc from scratch with Dr Mike Beazley in 2007, I can honestly say that Turley have been an integral part of our growth and success as a Planning school in recent years.

Their contribution to Planning education here has been wide-ranging but probably the most important legacy is to have inspired so many young people into the planning field and a career that is all about shaping a better, more sustainable, future for our towns and cities.

It has been a great relationship for all of us and we look forward to extending this further in the years ahead as Birmingham enters a tremendously exciting period of development and new approaches to sustainable urbanism.”

Austin Barber

30 April 2020