The Royal Town Planning Institute has hit back at the RIBA’s proposals to put architects at the heart of the planning system.
RIBA president Marco Goldschmied announced the recommendations last week. They will be put to the government in November when the RIBA meets with planning minister Nick Raynsford.
If the proposals are accepted, architecture would have its own minister and architects would be more involved in the planning process.
However, RTPI president Kevin Murray said this would give architects a role that does not correspond with their contribution to the built environment.
He said: “I welcome Marco’s concern with quality, but good design can’t just be achieved by an interplay of architects and the planning system. We need to raise the aspirations of clients and the wider community.
“It also needs to be recognised that not all architects - including the good ones - are necessarily trained to be good urban designers. The urban regeneration Marco seeks is not exclusively a design problem; we have to change the pattern of investment.”
Murray also objected to the idea of a minister for architecture: “The environment minister should cover that. I can’t see a role for a minister of architecture.”
The proposals form the backbone of the RIBA’s planning campaign to be launched this autumn. Other key proposals include plans to encourage a greater use of design competitions.
