Planning Aid volunteers have discovered giving up their free time to help people and groups come to grips with planning issues is not only benefiting the community, but is helping them in their own work.

Every year volunteers assist thousands of people with a wide range of planning problems. Volunteers are involved in anything from providing over-the-phone advice to running an information session on the planning system for disadvantaged groups and communities.

How skilled do you have to be? Volunteers tend to come from a broad cross-section of the planning community but not all volunteer activities require you to be a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Anyone who has an interest in planning, enjoys working with people and communities, is from a planning or planning related profession or academic background is encouraged to register their interest with Planning Aid, the organisation that provides free, independent and professional advice to those unable to hire a planning consultant.

Planning Aid complements the work of local authorities but is wholly independent of them. In most UK regions Planning Aid is run by the Royal Town Planning Institute (registered charity no. 262865).

Each of the nine regional Planning Aid services undertakes a programme of outreach and community planning which would not be possible without the support of a wide and skilled network of volunteers, many of whom are busy planning professionals from local authorities and planning consultancies.

One of those to sing the praises of Planning Aid in both the community and her own professional development is Jane Harker, a volunteer in Yorkshire who has recently advised a Deaf Club on planning issues.

"Volunteering for Planning Aid has been a valuable reminder to me that the planning system can be both complicated and confusing to the general public which I'll remember in the course of my paid and voluntary work", she said.

"I've enjoyed the challenge of the case and I hope I've helped the Deaf Club negotiate the planning system more easily."

Planning Aid volunteer development officer Shereen Shafi said people volunteered to assist with Planning Aid because of the real personal and professional benefits they can gain.

Getting involved with Planning Aid can give a volunteer an insight into less familiar areas of the planning system and provide them with a view of the planning system from a user's perspective, she said.

There was also the opportunity to help break down barriers between the public and the planning system and provide a chance to give something back to the community.

The benefits to the volunteer were numerous, Shafi pointed out. In addition to free and relevant training, volunteering allowed retired people or those taking a career break to keep up to date with planning. Recently qualified planners could also gain valuable experience with the support of a mentor.

10 good reasons to volunteer

The following benefits have all been highlighted by Planning Aid volunteers as reasons for joining and staying with Planning Aid:

• give insights into less familiar areas of the planning system
• provide a view of planning from the user's point of view
• give experience in community consultation and capacity-building
• widen networks of professional contacts
• give access to free and low cost relevant training
• enable retired people or those taking a career break to keep up-to-date with planning issues
• enable newly qualified planners to gain breadth of experience with the support of a qualified mentor
• be an opportunity to give something back to the community
• help break down barriers between the public and the planning system
• all of the above benefits could actually be a source of Continued Professional Development (CPD).

More information about Planning Aid may be found here www.planningaid.rtpi.org.uk/volunteers/intro/