Ivy Legal are pleased to announce our new certificated training course in planning enforcement. The course is aimed at both new and more seasoned planning enforcement officers and aims to provide a thorough grounding in the legal and practical aspects of planning enforcement.

Cost: £750 plus VAT per module

Ivy Legal offers a range of training courses in Planning Enforcement. On 13 May 2022 we are hosting a virtual Introduction to Planning Enforcement and on 19 October 2022 we are hosting the Manchester Forum on Enforcement.- in person!

Our flagship course is the Certificate in Planning Enforcement. After successfully taking our first intake through all four Modules, we look forward to hosting new delegates on the May 2022 intake. The course is aimed at both new and more seasoned planning enforcement officers and aims to provide a thorough grounding in the legal and practical aspects of planning enforcement.

The certificate course is divided into 4 Modules that must all be completed to qualify for the Certificate. Each module consists of self-study, followed by a multiple-choice questionnaire, two online training days (hosted to a group on Microsoft Teams) and finally an essay assignment.

The course is led by Izindi Visagie, partner at Ivy Legal and Mike Hyde of MH Planning Associates. Both are experienced practitioners and training presenters, having previously presented a similar course for Trevor Roberts Associates.

Course outline

Modules cover the following topics:

• Introduction and principles of planning enforcement
• Development, permission, immunity and expediency
• Investigation powers, entry powers, safe working practices, sources of information
• Negotiation and effective enforcement
• Enforcement Notices and Breach of Condition notices – basis for issue, delegated powers, notice requirements, identifying the breach, identifying the steps, service and registration requirements.
• Getting the notice and report right
• Appeals – preparation at notice stage, how to defend the appeal, different processes, roles of planning enforcement officer and/or advocate, evidence rules, practical application of the burden of proof.
• Prosecutions – the offences, rules of evidence, how to write summons and witness statement, how to give evidence
• Court challenges – s288 and 289 reviews and residual judicial review, nullity
• Specialisms - trees, listed buildings and adverts
• Specialist subjects, including gypsy cases, outbuildings, shisha, kiosks

The course provides officers with a thorough grounding in the principles behind their planning enforcement powers and, through case studies and small group work, examples of the exercise of those powers in practice and the pitfalls and strategies which can be employed. Training involves a mixture of online taught classes, case studies and small group work and we aim to make the online training days as intensive and immersive as possible.

Our dedicated training website is being prepared which will allow online enrolment, distribution and submission of course materials and assignments, progress monitoring and various chat/forum options for students.

To enrol, please complete the registration form at Certificate in Planning Enforcement (ivylegal.co.uk)