Town planner qualifications

[Paul j F]

Just wondering what qualifications/experience does one have to have to be regarded as a town planner and what should I be asking a town planner to produce / show me before engaging their services. There is the Planning Institute of Australia but is there a governing body or licensing associated.

I ask this because I came across one town planner who orginally told me (twice) that my concern about removal of a significant tree was not an issue and that tree could be removed without a permit or an arborists report....eventually the planner came around and agreed that it was an issue and I'd have to get a permit. I was suprised as I would have thought the removal of significant trees required a permit in the vast majority of council these days and would be high on any developers list of hurdles.

 

[Savanna100]

You can get conflicting advice because your planner might have got conflicting advice from Council. Town Planning is generally a 5 year degree (in NSW anyway) but I have been a Town Planner for about 20 years and I only have an Architecture degree, a Law Degree and a Masters in Environmental Law.

The Planning Institute of Australia have a "certified practicing planner" (CPP) endorsement which I refuse to get as this body has no statutory authority to prevent anyone caling themselves a town planner and the term is not protected by legislation, as is "Lawyer" or "Architect"

You can look for someone who is a CPP if you like, they wil be likely to "know their stuff"

 

[RPI]

Hi

I also refuse to join that association. No one I know is a member.

AN old school town planner may have done an informal cadetship through council, or formal on the job training etc.

The degrees I know of could be

B App Sc
B Built Env
B Build Des
B Urban Planning
B Town and Regional Planning

The list is long and varied.

If you can find someone who makes real money doing it themselves for their own projects
like Savanna that helps.

Someone ex Council can be outstanding or absolutely hopeless. It is great experience if someone has that development orientation. If someone is just ticking boxes, and knows (at least you hope knows) the planning scheme inside and out but can't problem solve and find solutions and push boundaries, you may as well do it yourself.

D

 

[Aaron Sice]

you'll know you've got the right person if they can answer all your questions and offer tidbits you didn't think about.

ask to see their previous jobs - you'll get an idea.

FWIW, a CPP "accreditation" is a fantastic way to get recognised RPL for a Planning Degree.

 

[RPI]

A lot of would be town planners must have shelled out some money today.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/g...-server-problems/story-e6frfrt9-1226592163140

 

[Ideo]

I have an arts degree (history major) a grad dip in planning and an MA in environmental law.

Not a member of PIA either...

 

[Paul B.]

Hi Paul,

CPP Accreditation from the PIA is a fair way to determine if someone is a qualified planner, but it wont give you an indication of their experience and ability which I think is much more crucial. For instance, I am a Graduate Planner and I dont have CPP accreditation. My colleague has been a planner for 20+ years and also does not have CPP accreditation. So from an accreditation perspective, we are on par. From an experience and ability perspective, we are worlds apart.

You may engage the services of a small planning consultancy or a large multi-national consultancy. Either way, you are best to look at past experience from recommendations or project history.

The advice that there are no planning implications of removing a tree is a little concerning. Here in NSW Council's have a Tree Preservation Order which basically requires an Arborist Report for the removal of vegetation greater than the prescribed height and width. The Council LEPs and DCPs and also the NSW Native Vegetation Act provide details on the requirements for vegetation removal.

If ever in doubt regarding Council regulations give the duty planner a call and they should be able to clear up any queries.

 

[Savanna100]

FWIW, a CPP "accreditation" is a fantastic way to get recognised RPL for a Planning Degree.

My experience with PIA is that you would need the degree to become a full member of PIA so you can then get the CPP accreditation. I was only ever an associate member as I didn't have a planning degree, just law and architecture.

I have both of the statutory registrations for my other qualifications (I'm "admitted as a legal practitioner in NSW" and I'm a "registered architect" in Victoria) In other words, people who have not taken that step cannot use the name "lawyer" or "Architect" so I look on the CPP thing as both a money-spinner for PIA and an effort by them to attempt to give planners the exclusivity that the legislated professions have.

 

[Ideo]

My experience wit PIA is that you would need the degree to become a full member of PIA so you can then get the CPP accreditation. I was only ever an associate memebr as i didn't have a planning degree, just law and archtecture.

I have both of the statutory registrations for my other qualifications (I'm "admitted as a legal practitioner in NSW" and I'm a "registered architect" in Victoria) In other words, people who have not taken that step cannot use the name "lawyer" or "Architect" so i look on the CPP thing as both a money-spinner for PIA and an effort by them to attempt to give planners the exclusivity that the legislated professions have.

Exactly.

I'm considering doing my CPP as some tenders are now requiring a CPP to be involved in a project. But that is the only reason.

And what you say about membership is correct - associate is correct.

I was a member when I was a student, but I don't see what benefits there are in being a member now.

Still, I'm getting featured in the current issue of the PIA magazine so I can't be doing that bad

 

[Aaron_C]

Still, I'm getting featured in the current issue of the PIA magazine so I can't be doing that bad

Congratulations, well done.

 

[Savanna100]

Still, I'm getting featured in the current issue of the PIA magazine so I can't be doing that bad

Excellent !!, that is good news.

 

[Paul B.]

Still, I'm getting featured in the current issue of the PIA magazine so I can't be doing that bad

Great to see the recognition of local talent!

 

[Beijos2]

I was once interested in the grad dip in planning at ECU perth.
Its not planning institute accredited

All others in wa are so this confused me

I was told that without that accreditation the course would not be taken seriously by prospective employers and may mean the course itself is not up to their standards of course content etc

Therefore i thought i mightnt be able to become a town planner from that course

Any opinions?

 

[Ideo]

I'd do distance education through UNE at Armidale.

I would never touch a non-accredited course.

I'd have nothing against employing someone from a non-accredited course, provided they were good at what they did. The uni courses don't really teach you much in reality.

 

[Paul B.]

I'd do distance education through UNE at Armidale.

I would never touch a non-accredited course.

I'd have nothing against employing someone from a non-accredited course, provided they were good at what they did. The uni courses don't really teach you much in reality.

+1 for UNE distance education. I did an entire Ba Urban and Regional Planning via UNE distance education and it was highly successful. Over the four years I probably had to go to the campus about four times for compulsory face-to-face classes, the rest was done from home.

A colleague of mine did a Grad Dip in Urban and Regional Planning via distance education and had a similar experience to what I did. Highly recommended.

 

[Savanna100]

I've heard the UNE course is excellent and I've had many colleagues over the years who did their planning qualification there. The really top one to do is apparently the degree at UNSW.

I dont have any planning qualifications and it has never held me back. You can make us of a related field qualification such as architecture.

I do have a "Grad Dip in Urban Research and Planning" from Swinburne but it's social planning and no use for doing statutory town planning as a career.

 

[Savanna100]

I have an arts degree (history major) a grad dip in planning and an MA in environmental law.

Not a member of PIA either...

Ideo, did you do your Masters through Sydney Uni (same as me)?

 

[Ideo]

No, Macquarie. They so it as an external, off campus which works better for me.

 

[Savanna100]

I did the first part of mine at ANU full time then went to Sydney because I got a job with the City of Sydney so I finished mine at Sydney Uni.

 

[Ideo]

Yeah, the Sydney course is good. I former co-worker at the Department of Planning was doing it through there.

Macquarie is pretty much set up for full fee paying overseas students and is a bit of a degree factory. They changed my course a fair bit, from being an Australian specific course to being an International Environmental law course which I wasn't too happy with.