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Indeed , the level of staffing ( for frontline and direct contact)in a planning department nowadays is similar to the banking sector , i.e. 12 year olds in suits reading from a script or ticking a box. Experienced staff cost and the only way if there is an intern/junior system is to make sure mentoring is almost one-to-one. In the days of golf course lunches and a site visit to a decent restaurant with the planning officer are all but gone but what replaced this was , in my opinion , even worse! Also some corresponding dialogue and activity between 'official' planning departments and the multitude of strategy makers and blue-sky thinkers who are out-there wouldn't be a bad idea.