P4: Project Management

The planning process is complex, especially given the range of land uses involved in the delivery of sustainable communities and the scope and breadth of issues that need to be considered and resolved. Based upon the projects that ATLAS have been involved in, a key recurring theme is the importance of strong project management and collaborative working across a wide range of stakeholders. Establishing a robust project management process will need to cover the following key elements:

• Identifying specific individuals who can play key roles in terms of “Directing” and “Managing” the project who possess a range of necessary skills & attributes to drive the process forward. Where projects have a number of key partners involved from the public and private sectors, each partner will need to identify relevant individuals to lead on their inputs;
• Organising an appropriate management structure, including an overall Steering Group and Working Groups (as appropriate) to lead on and consider specific development issues. A strong joint ‘Development Team’ approach should be adopted, which combines both the developer / scheme promoter together with Local Planning Authority as part of a joint decision making body. The role of Members, other key external stakeholders and the community must also be addressed;
• Establishing an overall project plan and timetable against which key decisions would need to be made and the project advanced in a timely manner. Risks to achieving this timescale must be identified and understood;
• Considering the potential role of a structured project management process such as a Planning Performance Agreement, new technology and third parties (including consultants) to support the project management process. This should also consider issues of accountability and control.