News
Sustainable Communities to Benefit from Professional Institutes' Pan-Professional Initiative
14th July 2006
Professional institutes and similar member organisations from the North West are today celebrating after signing a pan-professional ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ for sustainable communities, the first of its kind in the UK, which will provide their individual members better access to resources, shared learning and the means to continuously develop their generic skills.
The initiative, arranged by RENEW North West, the organisation set up by the North West Regional Development Agency to promote regeneration best practice and excellence in the region and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), will see a mix of professions, including economic development practitioners, architects, urban designers, civil engineers and those in construction, sharing Continued Professional Development (CPD), relevant to delivering sustainable communities.
This new approach has been set up in response to the government’s 2004 Egan Task Force report that noted all disciplines involved in delivering sustainable communities needed to have the necessary generic skills, behaviour and knowledge, for example, leadership, partnership working, analysis and evaluation, to help achieve the necessary improvements in the communities they serve. The Egan Task Force also called for multi-disciplinary teams to better able to work together.
The professional institutes include ICE (Institution of Civil Engineers), RTPI (Royal Town Planning Institute), Landscape Institute, RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), IED (Institute of Economic Development), UDG (Urban Design Group), CIC (Construction Industry Council) and RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors).
The action points included in the Memorandum of Understanding cover shared planning, shared communications, joint delivery and links to employers, colleges, universities and other providers.
The new approach between the professional institutes and similar member organisations comes at a time when over £24 billion a year is being spent in the North West on regeneration and economic renewal in a sector currently employing over 15,000.
Graham Marshall, Chair of the Landscape Institute North West said, “The Landscape Institute applauds RENEW North West's initiative to facilitate greater knowledge sharing between the built environment professionals at a time of significant change and growth in the region. The Landscape Institute is also undergoing significant change particularly focussed on nurturing life-long learning to widen the skill base of its membership to meet these contemporary challenges.”
Phil Barton, Director of RENEW North West said, “Effective regeneration can only be achieved when all professions, be it the architect, construction worker or community leader, work together in partnership. We are therefore delighted that the regions professional institutes have made this significant commitment to improving the way all disciplines involved in delivering sustainable communities will work and learn together in the future.”
He continued, “The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding launches a series of joint initiatives and new opportunities, facilitated by RENEW North West, for continued professional development. This excellent initiative will not only bring real benefits to the profession, but also to the communities the professionals serve.”
Source: RENEW North West
