Ask some of the pairs to feedback their results then ask them.

[A] How far do they agree with each other?

[B] How would the results differ if a group of 40-year-olds did the same activity?

[C] Is this an exercise for which there is a right or wrong answer?
Prompt: Everyone will have their own opinion, so land use decisions are political with winners and losers. They are not technical, like questions relating to the maintenance of a machine.

Main activity

The planning committee role play

Students get to pass or block planning applications affecting their local area. Read through each application in turn and then ask the group to vote on it. They have 3 options:

[A] Accept
[B] Reject
[C] Accept subject to conditions

Application one
Mr Jones wants to use a plot of derelict land as a breakers yard (car scrap yard). The land is next to a local park which is very popular with dog walkers and children.

Advice

1. The planning officers say there are no technical reasons why it can't go ahead.

2. Local people will be very unhappy. There are not many parks in the area and the scrap yard could make the whole place look like a dump.

3. The scrap yard will provide 3 jobs for local people.

The decision is up to the students

Application two
Skateboarder May Dupname wants to build a practice ramp in her garden. She lives in a quiet part of anytown, but her garden is big and has a fence around it.

Advice

1. The planning officers say there are no technical reasons why it can't go ahead.

2. May Dupname is a world class skateboarder and says she needs the ramp to practice.

3. Her neighbours have objected to the plan because they think it will look ugly and make a lot of noise.

The decision is up to the students

Application three
Mr Handi Mann wants to build a tree house for his two kids. It will be 2 metres up a tree in his back garden. The house itself will be 2 metres high and 2.5 metres long.

Advice

1. The planning officers say there are no technical reasons why it can't go ahead.

2. The Manns have a quite a small house and when it rains there is nowhere for the kids to play.

3. The neighbours have objected to the plan because they think it will look ugly and the kids will be able to see into the next-door gardens.

The decision is up to the students

Extension activity
Pick their favourite application and write a letter to the applicant explaining the result. Include sketches to illustrate the decision.

Plenary
The way we use land affects people around us, for this reason we have a land use planning system that regulates building.

What are the advantages of this?

What could be the problems?

Teachers' Background