Why Are Professional Ethics Important for Planners?
30 Oct, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- What professional ethics are.
- Professional ethics associated with the planning sector.
- Why professional ethics are important for planners.
- Where the latest planning jobs are and how to apply for them.
Professional ethics are important in all industries, especially in a sector such as planning where many decisions have a direct impact on the lives of thousands of people. Professional ethics help to guide decision making and ensure that planning rulings are balanced, fair and of course, ethical!
In our latest blog, we’re exploring what professional ethics are and why they are important for Planners.
What are professional ethics?
Professional ethics are important in all industries and refer to a set of principles and standards that guide behaviour and decision-making across a multitude of professions.
Such ethics are in place to ensure that a company or professional acts with integrity, competence and accountability, all whilst promoting public trust and ensuring that the interests of their clients and colleagues are safeguarded.
There are a number of important ethical values that a person should demonstrate within their profession, including fairness, responsibility and honesty and whilst codes of conduct can vary from profession to profession, these ethical values should remain constant amongst professionals. Codes of conduct are essential for ensuring that standards are adhered to and guaranteeing professionalism and public confidence.
What professional ethics are associated with the planning sector?
Within the planning sector in the UK, professional ethics are particularly centred on promoting sustainable development and being transparent within decision-making processes.
Professional bodies, such as the Royal Town Planning Institute, guide codes of conduct to ensure there is consistency within professional ethics and standards.
Ethical professionals within the UK planning sector include:
- Impartiality and fairness
- Sustainability
- Public interest
- Accountability
Impartiality and fairness
Within the UK planning sector, integrity and fairness are fundamental ethics for companies and professionals to uphold.
In order to ensure that all parties who have a role within a development project are treated equally and do not face any form of discrimination, Planners must act with impartiality and fairness. This principle means that the decisions Planners make are based solely on evidence, planning policies and merit rather than personal, political or commercial views.
For example, if a local authority is reviewing applications for a proposed housing development, it should not matter to them whether the proposal comes from a well-funded national developer or a smaller, local builder. Planning recruitment specialist, Joel Khambay, says “The size of a company should not sway decision-makers. The alignment with the local communities environmental policies and benefits to those who live and work in the area should be what both proposals are assessed upon.”
Sustainability
Sustainability must be an important focus for Planners in order to ensure that developments and communities are built upon ethical principles. Both the short-term and long-term environmental impacts of planning must be considered and developments must be resilient and socially inclusive.
For example, Planners working on proposals for developments along coastlines must consider ongoing coastal erosion that can be caused by rising sea-levels. It would be professionally unethical to pursue plans that could cause further damage or even danger to life.
Public interest
Prioritising public interest is of utmost importance for local authorities and Planners to ensure that the requirements of local communities are met.
Decisions made within planning must take the requirements of all community members into consideration, whilst promoting inclusivity. Decisions should promote affordable housing and access to amenities that will contribute to a higher quality of life for all people living within the community.
For example, the London Plan works to help the city’s housing crisis by mandating affordable housing targets for developers within certain locations.
In order to work within the public interest, Planners must take responsibility for aligning the interest of developers, whose aim it will be to maximise profit, with a community’s need for accessible and affordable housing. For Planners working for local authorities, they must work alongside a council to abide by professional ethics and ensure that public interest is at the forefront of all decision-making.
Accountability
Planners spend their careers making important decisions that will affect the lives of others and therefore they must be accountable to their decision-making processes. They must also be accountable to the motivations behind such decisions so that all stakeholders have a clear picture of the rationale behind proposals.
Being held accountable means should decisions around planning be in dispute, answers and solutions can be provided in a timely manner.
Why are professional ethics important for Planners?
Professional ethics are important in all industries but especially in an industry where trust and credibility is of utmost importance.
Planning decisions have the ability to directly impact thousands of people’s lives, whether this be through the creation of housing or transport infrastructure.
Professional ethics are vital for ensuring that there is a level of trust between Planners and the public, as well as local authorities, developers and government bodies. If there is no trust from the public in regards to the work Planners are carrying out, this might undermine the planning system, result in tension and even cause public opposition, which can be detrimental to planning decisions.
Being able to balance competing interests is also important for Planners. They must be able to balance the requirements of a local community, alongside environmental concerns and therefore professional ethics assist with helping Planners to make fair, objective and ethical decisions without undue influence from stakeholders.
Planning jobs
If you’re searching for your next interim planning job, why not take a look at the latest vacancies, or simply upload your CV to be notified when a relevant position becomes available.
Planning recruitment services
As planning recruitment specialists, we support local authorities and private sector businesses nationwide with their temporary, interim and permanent recruitment needs.
If you’re struggling to fill a vacancy, why not get in touch with our planning specialist, Joel Khambay on 01772 954200 to see how we can help?
Who is Spencer Clarke Group?
Established in 2017, we’re a vibrant and progressive recruitment agency based in the heart of the North West.
We continually reimagine the recruitment process to challenge convention and defy expectations; from creating a better recruitment experience to remodelling employee engagement, we thrive off doing things differently and turning heads along the way.
We operate in two sectors:
In eleven specialisms:
Healthcare, Social Care & Nursing
Corporate Functions & Business Support
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