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10 Years of Planning Club

“Planning Club”- or more formally known as ‘The Heritage Planning Studio’ — is a unique and award-winning collaboration between York Civic Trust and the University of York.

As the only programme of its kind, since 2015 “Planning Club” has provided 350 postgraduate students of the Department of Archaeology with ‘real-life’ experience of the planning process.

Working with professional mentors, the “Clubbers”, as they are known, critically appraise live York-based planning applications. Each year, participants review in detail over 100 applications, helping to enhance the quality of urban life in York while safeguarding its historic buildings.

With the training provided, they submit detailed recommendations to City of York Council through York Civic Trust in its role as a local planning consultee. In its first ten years, “Planning Club” has produced over 1,000 written comments, totaling over half a million words – longer than ‘War and Peace’!

Collectively volunteering up to 10,000 hours each year, the postgraduates provide York Civic Trust with an equivalent capacity of five full-time members of conservation-focused staff – the envy of many a local planning authority! It gives York Civic Trust a transformative capability in its casework and role in shaping the city’s changing built form.

Originally established to bridge a gap in professional training, “Planning Club” continues to demonstrate the value of informed, well-supported planning in historic cities. As a model, it can contribute to the nationwide need for planning expertise serving the needs of economic regeneration, the national housing shortage, and the experience of York’s residents and visitors.

Planning Clubbers around the world

Employability resulting from volunteering with “Planning Club” is excellent. 82% remain in the heritage or planning industries and are employed across the private (41%), public (40%), charity (12%) and academic (7%) sectors. “Planning Club” graduates can be found across the world – from Harrogate to Hawaii, Scunthorpe to Seoul and Belfast to Bangalore. York Civic Trust and the University of York are immensely proud of all.

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England
YO1 9RN

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