Certificate 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.

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 taught (online) classes, case studies and small group work and we aim to make the training days as intensive and immersive as possible.

The Certificate in Planning Enforcement consists of 4 modules and can be completed consecutively over a period of two years. 

 The 1st Module of the course will be hosted residential and the other modules will be hosted virtually. Each module will follow a similar format of initial pre-reading with a multiple choice assignment within 1 month. After completion of the multiple choice assignment, delegates will attend 2 residential/online training days which are immersive and practical in nature. Finally, an essay assignment (3,000 words) will test students on their knowledge and understanding. Throughout the duration of the module, the student cohort will be encouraged to discuss practical problems with each other and their moderator.  To achieve a pass on quiz and essay you will be required to achieve between 50 and 64, for a merit between 65 and 74, and for a distinction above 75. The quiz carries 20% and the essay 80% of the final module mark.

 Candidates will be expected to complete initial self-study with virtual support and online multiple choice assignments prior to the training days for each Module. The two-day** online training component itself will be hosted in small groups, focus on practical application of principles already learnt and will involve groupwork and assignments over the course of the two days**. A final assignment will be set upon completion of the training day component and delegates will be expected to produce essays based on their learning which will be independently assessed. 

Upon completion of all four modules, the course will lead to a course completion certificate. Delegates are free to attend select modules only, but a certificate will only be provided upon completion of all four modules. Although the design of the course is such that delegates will benefit from attending the modules sequentially, modules can also be completed out of sequence.

 The course will be led by Izindi Visagie, founder and 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. Other course moderators may also be involved.

As the Modules are hosted virtually, delegates need to ensure they have sufficient bandwidth to enable two-way video calling on Microsoft Teams.

** Because we try to keep class numbers small for online training days, we host each module in two cohorts. The two cohorts will have their training days on different days, but you will only attend your cohort's training days, i.e. either cohort 1 or cohort 2. If you have a preference for either cohort's training days, please let us know, otherwise you will be placed in a cohort on a randomised basis.