Looking to develop your community engagement skills?

Our next two-day Planning for Real® training course is being held on:

13th & 14th May 2025 at Millennium Point, Curzon Street, Birmingham B4 7XG

Millennium Point is a centrally located fully accessible building https://www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/

Tell me more about Planning for Real®

Planning for Real® is a highly participative community planning tool which is used to involve people in having a say about their local area. Based on a 3D model of a local area Planning for Real® can be applied to a variety of contexts and different scales.

From community-led action planning to service reform, health and wellbeing, estate regeneration, it is the perfect tool for engaging with communities.

Empowering local residents to have their say is at the heart of Planning for Real®. This practical and consensus-building technique allows communities to establish their own needs and solutions, rather than having these imposed by others.

About the course

Participants will learn how to plan and facilitate a Planning for Real® community engagement programme. By the end of the course participants will be able to:

• Explain the Planning for Real^® process and its possible applications in supporting community consultation
• Construct a scale model of a local area
• Promote Planning for Real^®  to key stakeholders and make the practical arrangements
• Use a model and the Planning for Real^® process to identify suggestions for improvements as well as issues of concern and possible solutions
• Prioritise both suggestions for improvements and issues of local concern and work with a group to construct a basic action plan
• Understand how Planning for Real^® can support the achievement of their own project objectives.

Who is this course for?

This course has been designed with the public and voluntary sectors in mind. It will be relevant for anyone who works with communities and is looking to better understand their diverse needs, such as:

Council staff (including planning, housing and transport teams,) Councillors, voluntary sector staff, community group representatives, residents involved in community planning, registered social landlords, and agencies supporting communities.

Consultants and anyone looking to use Planning for Real® on a fee earning basis will not be eligible for this training. The ethos behind Planning for Real® is that people are trained in order for them to use the process on a no-fee basis within their local communities.

When?

Details will be added here as soon as we have confirmation of the dates and location.

Why should I attend?

This is a fantastic opportunity for individuals to receive intensive training as part of a small group on the renowned Planning for Real® process. Planning for Real® is trademarked and only people who have had official Planning for Real® training are able to go on and use the technique with communities.

This course is available at a discounted rate of £350 plus VAT (excluding accommodation). The usual cost of the two day course is £400 plus VAT per person. On completion of the training participants will be eligible for discounted rates on Planning for Real® resources.

To ensure the quality of the training experience the number of participants on each course will be limited to 16. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis so please book early to avoid disappointment.

To book your place

The training programme and terms and conditions are available to download. To book your place please download and complete a booking form and return it by email to Info.PlanningForReal@greensquareaccord.co.uk

On receipt of your booking form we will send you an invoice for the full cost of the course (£350 plus VAT). This will need to be paid before attending the training.

If you would like more information about this training course please don’t hesitate to get in touch, either by calling us on 07876 034 567 or emailing us at Info.PlanningForReal@greensquareaccord.co.uk

We also deliver the PFR training course on an “in house” basis.  If you are interested in this option then please contact us in the first instance by email.