Planners & Development Economists

Roger Tym & Partners
Roger Tym & Partners

Mediation in Planning report published

July 2010
The “Mediation in Planning” Report was launched at the Planning Convention on 29 June 2010.

John Parmiter, accredited mediator and member of the RICS Planning Mediation Group, played an active role. Mediation is an effective tool that helps resolve differences and disputes in planning; it has considerable potential to save time and money.

The report’s key findings are that
  • there is a need for a clear definition of mediation
  • the language used by planning professionals can be a barrier to communication
  • neutrality is fundamental
  • the availability of expertise is an issue.
There remain questions about how to best time mediation and about its relationship to the democratic process and the role of members.
While positive about the potential for mediation, the report notes that some barriers persist. including concerns about the balance of power in the process, the need for appropriate support for some parties, the problem of funding and the problem of “planning culture”.

The report’s recommendations cover three main areas:
  1. building a market for mediation
  2. providing advice and guidance
  3. developing skills and capacity.
John Parmiter comments: “Mediation has too much potential to go away; too many schemes are stuck or being processed in the old adversarial way. We will be working with the various stakeholders to see that mediation enters the mainstream of planning.”