Local Council Planning Training

Induction Planning training for Local Councils

We offer Local Council Planning Induction Training events following local elections in Cornwall.  These were last held in June 2021.  We also hold planning refresher training sessions in between.  The presentations from the latest training in July 2023 are the most up-to-date and are:

• National, local and neighbourhood planning policy
• Development Management
• Getting involved
• Planning Enforcement
• Appeals

You may find more detailed material in our 'More Training resources' section on this page, such as Enforcement and Appeals videos. 

Other Local Council Planning training

We also offer shorter training events based on one or two topics 3 or 4 times a year.  These are online Teams events.  They are for parish and town clerks and local councillors in Cornwall.  You will not have to book a place but can use the Microsoft Teams meeting links to join.  We publicise the events by:

• emailing the joining links to local council clerks for sharing with their local council members
• including how to join in the Council's local council newsletter. 

2024 planning training

February 2024 - Planning changes, Local Plan, NDPs and Call for Sites focussed on the work being planned for preparing a new Local Plan in Cornwall, how NDPs are affected and our call for sites.  It also includes an update on the latest planning changes flowing from the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act etc, and current Government consultations.

2023 training and resources

November 2023 - The NDP and Local Plan update focussed on:

• Neighbourhood Plans: what planning changes mean for NDPs and the 5 most effective things you can do when preparing your Neighbourhood Plan
• The Cornwall Local Plan and call for sites: preparing for a new style Local Plan for Cornwall and the launch for our call for sites in January 2024

March 2023 - The Cornwall Climate Emergency Development Plan Document has been adopted. Policies have full weight in the planning process from March.  The Planning Policy event, Climate Emergency DPD policies and planning processes presentation, on 22 March covered:

• how the policies will affect the decision-making process
• what they mean for neighbourhood planning.

February 2023 - The Government published two consultations affecting the planning system in December 2022.  They are about revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and changes in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.  Helping Local Councils understand planning changes 2023 helps local councils respond to the Government consultations.  Event resources for local councils include:

• Briefing note - NPPF consultation January 2023
• Briefing note - Planning Prospectus consultation January 2023
• Presentation - Helping Local Councils understand planning changes 2023

Previous training

• Planning in a changing world on 17 November was with Rob Lacey, Planning Policy Group Leader.  It focussed on Planning Policy updates and proposed planning changes.  You can view event resources using these links:
  • Local Council planning policy update
  • Additional responses.
• Housing Crisis Action Plan on 27 July. Presented by Sam Irving, Head of Housing Delivery and Regeneration, and Matthew Brown, Strategic Planning Manager. You can view the presentation using this link: Housing Crisis Action Plan - addressing Cornwall's housing emergency.  If you would like a video of the event, please email us at positiveplanning@cornwall.gov.uk.  We will then send you a link of the Housing Crisis Action Plan event for Local Councils.
• The Environment Agency presented training for local councils. The focus was on their Roles and Responsibilities on 22 March.  Content includes Local Flood Risk standing advice.
• The benefits of pre-application discussions including case studies
• Infilling and Rounding off update including case studies

Some topics covered have had a more recent update.  You can find those in the videos prepared from Planning Member Modular Training in the next section.

More Training resources for local councils

We are building a training resource area for local councils.  Some are videos and based on presentations given as part of our Member Modular training programme.  You can find the latest resources using these links:

• Ecology and Development - Protected Species August 2022
• Housing in Cornwall - a Building Control update 7 July 2022
• Sustainable Drainage - an overview 21 April 2022
• Planning Appeals 28 February 2022
• Planning Enforcement and Compliance 31 January 2022
• The World Heritage Site and the Planning System 18 October 2021

Day in the life of a planning application

The Cornwall Planning Partnership produced this online step by step guide through the entire planning process.  It spans from initial development idea through to the completion of development.

You can access this resource using this link: Day in the life of a Planning Application.