Conference Programme

8.30am
Registration & Networking Breakfast Session

9.20am
Chairman’s Welcome – Can new planning legislation deliver a boost in housing delivery?
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

9.30am
What is next for Planning and what is in the pipeline in terms of policy?
What will be the impact of the Planning & Infrastructure bill?
What will happen with schemes that are called in?
How will the Government’s proposed policy of penalties if housing isn’t delivered fast enough, actually be implemented?
How will changes in decision making from committees to officers work on a practical level?
What can we expect with delivery on grey belt and green belt?
Changes to the NPPF, Housing Targets, reviews of the Green Belt and more – what is the timeframe for delivering these changes and how will it happen?
How can we make delivery of housing more viable?
How can AI & New technology improve the planning system on a practical level?
Joanna Averley, Chief Planner, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

9.50am
An Industry view – One year in, how has the industry responded to changes to the planning system?
Understanding what the changes mean on a practical level and how the industry is approaching them – how easy will they be to implement?
Which policies will increase the speed of housing deliver fast and which will take longer?
Ian Anderson, Chief Executive, Iceni Projects

10.10am
The Role of the Planning Inspectorate in the evolving Planning system
How have the new Government and planning reforms affected the inspectorate?
Are there any changes planned for the role of PINS?
How will the inspectorate police local plans being up to date?
How will the inspectorate cope with increased number of appeals?
How can we speed up the appeals process?
Will the inspectorate have a role in the evolution of CPO powers?
What can the inspectorate do to modernise the planning system and speed up the process?
Paul Morrison, Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate

10.30am
The Key Planning Decisions from the Last Year
What significant Planning Appeal Decisions have there been & why are they significant?
Which Court decisions & Secretary of State Decisions which affect planning do we need to be aware of and why?
Which recent appeals and case law do developers and Local Authorities need to know about?
Claire Dutch, Head of UK Real Estate & Co-Head of Planning & Environment, Ashurst

10.50am
Questions for Joanna, Ian, Paul and Claire

11.00am
Networking Coffee Break

11.30am
Public Sector Panel Session
What does the new Government mean for the planning system from the Local Authority Perspective and what impacts have we seen so far?
Why is resourcing such a key issue for local authorities, will 300 new planning officers nationwide be enough and how can we speed up the system?
What is the effect of the new legislation locally or nationally on the planning process in a practical sense?
Is the implementation of new technology going to speed up the planning system?
How can we encourage positive engagement between the public and private sectors?
Why are s106 agreements taking so long and how can we speed this up?
How are local authorities progressing with local plans and what is the timeframe for delivery – will they await more details on Government policy?
Sarah Scannell, Assistant Director – Planning, Birmingham City Council
Lisa Fairmaner, Head of London Plan and Growth Strategies, Greater London Authority
Wil Stewart, Director of Investment, Climate Change and Planning, Sheffield City Council
Julia Johnson, Director of Planning and Sustainable Growth, Hillingdon Council (TBC)
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

12.05pm
With Climate Change moving to the top of the political agenda, how are sustainability and environmental targets affecting Residential Development Planning?
What is the political future of the climate change agenda?
How is the planning system approaching embodied carbon, energy consumption and sustainability for new developments?
What is the impact of the Environmental Act 2021 on Planning?
How have Nutrient Neutrality and Water Neutrality been affecting Residential Development across the UK and what can developers do?
Fiona Ross, Legal Director, Pinsent Masons

12.20pm
Understanding Biodiversity Net Gain – how is the system functioning and what needs to change?
What have we learnt & how do we plan strategically for future compliance?
What do developers need to put in place?
How can we deliver a system of off-site BNG credits?
How is the off-site credit system working in practice and has a trading market now fully developed?
How does it actually affect the whole design and delivery process?
What kind of projects does this deliver and how can developers get involved?
What are the wider benefits of such schemes?
Faye Durkin, Head of Nature, Greengage

12.35pm
Transport, Infrastructure & Planning
How important is transport infrastructure to delivery of housing?
What are the plans for transport infrastructure over the next decade and where are the opportunities for housing delivery?
How is the new infrastructure going to be paid for?
How will infrastructure be delivered for grey belt, green belt and new towns?
Are we now prepared for electric vehicles with sufficient charging infrastructure & capacity?
Where can new housing be delivered to meet transport infrastructure capacity?
Robert Singleton, Head of Planning, Housing and Transport · Department for Transport (DfT)

12.50pm
Questions for Fiona, Faye & Robert

1.00pm
Networking Lunch Session

2.00pm
Grey Belt, Green Belt & New Towns – where can we deliver 1.5m new homes?
What is ‘grey belt’ and what is the true capacity of what could be delivered on this land?
What are the parameters to deliver on these sites?
Are we seeing the gradual erosion of the green belt and how far might this go?
Can New Towns deliver significant quantities of new housing and where are we with this policy?
What have we learnt from history and what would be needed to make it work?
Iain Gilbey, Partner – Head of Planning, Pinsent Masons

2.15pm
Changes to planning legislation as a catalyst for new housing delivery
How significant are the recent changes to the planning system & what effect are they having, and will they have, in practice?
Where should developers be looking for opportunities to deliver?
What more needs to be done to get schemes delivered?
Rupert Warren KC, Landmark Chambers

2.30pm
Changes to Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) Powers
What changes are proposed in upcoming legislation?
What other changes might we potentially in future legislation?
What will happen with ‘hope value?’
What do these changes mean for land owners and the delivery of housing?
How will this work in practice?
Will this unlock significant housing delivery?
How do strike a balance between the right to a fair price of a landowner and the gain to the wider public?
Rebecca Clutten, Barrister, Francis Taylor Building

2.45pm
Questions for Iain, Rupert & Rebecca

2.55pm
Developer Panel Session – Planning & Delivery
What is the developer perspective on evolving planning legislation?
Where are the opportunities to boost delivery?
How do we strike a balance with new legislation to drive delivery and having clear, established legislation to offer some certainty or is it just more change to adapt do?
How could future interaction and initiatives between Private and Public Sector Planners be advantageous to the process and understanding each other’s role?
How do we solve the issues with selling s106 affordable housing units and what can be done?
Aside from planning, what else do the Government need to do to make delivery happen?
Mark Skilbeck, UK Planning Director, Taylor Wimpey
Andrew Taylor, Group Planning Director, Vistry Group
Katie Hale, Planning Director, Telford Living
Alexandra Woolmore, Head of Planning, Hill Group
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

3.30pm
The Viability Session – The Leading practitioners take us through the key issues following one year of the new Government, and the Planning & Infrastructure bill, which will change the system fundamentally. (10-15 minutes each, followed by questions)

How is the Government approaching viability?
Can viability really be dealt with by Central Government or the Planning Inspectorate?
What changes do we expect to see and how quickly can these realistically be delivered?
Will the new Infrastructure Levy be delivered or will it fade away?
Anthony Lee, Senior Director, BNP Paribas Real Estate

How can the system be more efficient and really deliver housing – do we really need to spend months arguing viability?
How can we get s106 agreements done more efficiently – could this be improved with a nationally agreed version rather than the locally produced alternative?
Why is a pragmatic and competent approach now needed and how do we get through this period of a change in Government and associated policies?
Will the new Government seek to restore ‘Land Value Capture’?
Andy Leahy, Managing Director, Bespoke Property Group

4.00pm
Questions for Anthony and Andy

4.10pm
Closing remarks from the Chair

4.15pm
Conference Close & start of the Annual Resi Planning Drinks Reception