On Friday 13th June, the York Civic Trust and the University of York celebrated the tenth anniversary of Planning Club (more formally known as Heritage Planning Studio).
Planning Club is a unique and award-winning collaboration between York Civic Trust and the University of York. This collaboration has become a distinctive model of hands-on planning and heritage education which has helped train over 300 postgraduate students in its decade of existence.
The event brought together students, practitioners, policymakers, and academics to reflect on the programme’s development, explore its unique approach to casework, and consider its relevance in a national context.
The programme opened with remarks from Cllr. Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, and Jane Grenville, archaeologist and heritage specialist who established Planning Club in 2014. They introduced the day’s themes: Planning Club’s impact, the importance of planning, and the value of local collaboration in a sector under increasing pressure.
This was followed by talks from Max Reeves, Director of Helmsley Group, and Mark Andrews, Design Director at Vincent & Partners. Both speakers reflected on recent changes in York’s built environment and the need for thoughtful planning within the constraints of a growing city.
We then heard from former Planning Club participants, who shared how their experience at York had shaped their work in planning, heritage, and related fields. Planning Club alumni are working in heritage and planning across the world, and during these talks, we heard from Daniela Formosa, now a Senior Planning Officer in Malta!
The second part of the day offered a closer look at the Planning Club approach, with a live casework discussion led by current students and mentors. Duncan Marks, Planning and Heritage Manager at York Civic Trust, shared a review of York’s recent planning landscape through ten years of applications, giving a local context for the session. Jane Grenville and Peter Gouldsborough followed with commentary based on their long-standing involvement with the project.
To close the day’s celebrations, Rachael Maskell (MP for York Central, Member of Parliament), stepped out from the debates in the House of Commons to congratulate Planning Club on 10 years.