‘Social media trolls are hurting planners’ morale’
Social media attacks are hitting the morale of planning officers and there are worries about how to bring on the next generation of planning decision-makers.
Lindsey Richards, president of the Royal Town Planning Institute, spoke out on a visit to the island. She said that there was a big problem for the sector over misconceptions about planning, which led to ‘trolling’ online over planning decisions.
During her visit, she met current and former planners to discuss the local situation and discussed about how to get young people into the profession.
‘We also talked about why planners are moving from the public service to the private side and the problems with people leaving the profession,’ she said.
‘A lot of that is due to the misconceptions of planning and negative headlines, which is due to a lack of understanding of what we do.’
A national Institute survey last year found that 87% of planners believed social media was fuelling misinformation on local planning issues. Nearly a quarter of officers said they had occasionally or regularly been targeted through social media because of their role.
There are about 40 staff working in the local planning department, with roles ranging from conservation, forward planning, building control and considering planning applications.
Planning director Jim Rowles said the office worked hard to get information to the public, so they can engage with and comment on applications. But this can prove difficult, and decisions were often questioned on social media.
‘There is obviously an impact on morale,' he said.
Mr Rowles said that there were concerns that this was putting people off joining the profession.
‘One of the key points for us to ensure there is a pipeline of planners for the future and to get the message across that planning is a positive, creative and exciting career,’ he said.
Mr Rowles completed a geography degree followed by a masters in planning before working in UK. He moved to Guernsey in 1993.
‘There is a variety of routes to get into this career,’ he said.
The youngest members of the planning department are in their mid-30s, which is partially due to the need for qualifications and training. But that is changing.
‘There are more flexible routes now,’ he said.
Some staff have already qualified for planning through distance learning, and Mr Rowles said they were keen to look at local planning apprenticeships, with the support of the institute.
‘Recruitment is difficult in all fields, and planning is no different,’ he said.
