Think piece: “We need planners to mediate between people’s private interests and the broader social good”

August 21, 2025

When I was asked to write this article I was initially reluctant: ‘I don’t have time!’, ‘what on earth would I talk about?’, ‘why would anyone be interested in what I think?’

But it is really important that we occasionally raise our heads from the daily bustle and remember why we are doing the role we have chosen.

I have spent the last 35 years working as a planner in Hampshire and Sussex in various public sector roles.

I have been a chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) for most of that time, but only recently have I got involved in the internal workings of that organisation. It has given me opportunities to connect with fellow planners across the nations, share our experiences, learn from and support each other.

As a member of the RTPI Regional Management Board for the South East, I have got involved in numerous training events and celebrations of the best examples of planning in the region.

As a member of the RTPI English Policy Committee I have been given the enormous privilege of helping to steer the Institute’s responses to the extensive planning reforms proposed by the Government which will significantly reshape the planning system in this country.

These activities not only reignite my enthusiasm and enjoyment of my chosen career, they also benefit the South Downs National Park Authority by raising its profile on the national stage and increasing organisational knowledge of wider issues.

But working in planning is not all a bed of roses. RTPI research into the State of the Profession in 2023 found that:

Over the last decade there has been a lowering of levels of funding for planning services but an expansion of the range of duties for the planning system (such as biodiversity net gain);
Many planners across the UK sector feel that their health and wellbeing is adversely affected by disinformation and harassment;
Many planners feel that social media can fuel misinformation about local planning issues and spread unsubstantiated allegations without recourse or burden of proof
Although the SDNPA has not experienced this, 25 per cent of public sector planners in the UK have left the profession since 2013.

I came into planning from a community perspective – getting involved as a teenager in gathering evidence on behalf of my local parish council to prevent waste tipping in a sand quarry. I have spent much of my career supporting neighbourhood plans and other community-led planning initiatives.

But I think it’s a real shame that planners can be subjected to online or in-person abuse, simply for doing their job. I realise this is a trend happening across multiple sectors, whether you work in retail or the NHS for instance, but I think it’s a point worth mentioning.

We all know planning can be emotive – it affects the places people love and planning decisions can impact our homes, our sense of security and our quality of life. But imagine what life would be like without a planning system – where anybody could build or use land however they wanted without management to protect the public interest or our environment?

We need planners to mediate between people’s private interests and the broader social good and cohesion. This leads to making those planning decisions or recommendations to Planning Committees.

And it is quite right that those planners should be accountable and held to high standards of behaviour and professionalism (as per our RTPI Code of Conduct). But we are human, we occasionally make mistakes or just make decisions or recommendations that are unpopular.

By all means bring those to our attention, but abuse should never be tolerated. A basic level of mutual respect should be a given in any job – and I hope to see more of it!

Claire Tester, Planning Policy Manager