Conference Programme

8.30am
Registration and Networking Breakfast Session

9.20am
Chairman’s Welcome
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

9.30am
What is next for Planning and what is in the pipeline in terms of policy?
Understanding the new NPPF – how will this work in practice and how will the new rules be applied?
Now the Planning & Infrastructure Act is law, what will its impact be on housing delivery on the ground?
How will the shift in decision-making from committees to officers — via the new national scheme of delegation — work in practice?
How will the Government’s stronger interventions on under-delivering councils, including the tougher presumption in favour of development, actually be applied?
How can AI and new technology improve the planning system on a practical level?
How is local government reorganisation going to affect the planning system?
Joanna Averley, Chief Planner, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

9.50am
An Industry view – Is the Government delivering the promised ‘period of stability’ in the planning system and what might a new Prime Minister mean?
What can we expect from Andy Burnham, and what does ‘Manchesterism’ mean for planning and delivery at National level?
Do we now have the promised settled frame work or are things still very fluid?
What is in place, how are those bits working in practice?
What kind of development is easiest to get consent for, and how do residential use classes compare to other sectors and commercial development?
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 the planning reforms affected the inspectorate?
How will PINS police local plans being kept up to date as the new plan-making system beds in?
Appeal decision times and the open caseload have improved over the past year — how can that momentum be sustained as reform-driven casework grows?
What role will the inspectorate have in the new s106 dispute-resolution and viability arrangements?
What can the inspectorate do to modernise the planning system and speed up the process?
With more written submissions now being used, is the system now less judicial and more administrative?
Rebecca Phillips, Chief Planning Inspector, Planning Inspectorate

10.30am
The Key Planning Decisions from the Last Year
What significant planning appeal decisions have there been, and why do they matter?
Which court and Secretary of State decisions affecting planning do we need to be aware of?
Which recent appeals and case law do developers and Local Authorities most need to know about?
Claire Dutch, Managing Partner, London, Ashurst

10.50am
Questions for Joanna, Ian, Rebecca and Claire

11.00am
Networking Coffee Break

11.30am
Public Sector Panel Session
What does the Government’s reform programme mean from the Local Authority perspective, and what impacts have we seen so far?
Why is resourcing such a key issue, and are the new locally-set planning fees and additional officers enough to speed up the system?
What is the practical effect of the new legislation locally and nationally?
How are authorities progressing with local plans, Spatial Development Strategies and the new plan-making system ahead of the December 2026 deadline?
Why are s106 agreements still taking so long, and how can we speed them up?
Stephen Kelly, Director of Planning, Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service
Tanusha Waters, Acting Director of Place: Housing and Strategic Planning, London Borough of Bexley
Simone Wilding, Chief Planner, Bristol City Council
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

12.05pm
Residential Planning and Environmental Legislation
How is the planning system approaching embodied carbon, energy consumption and sustainability for new developments?
What is the impact of the Environment Act 2021 on planning, and how will the Nature Restoration Fund and Environmental Delivery Plans change the way development pays for mitigation?
How are Nutrient Neutrality and Water Neutrality affecting residential development, and what can developers do?
How is Biodiversity Net Gain functioning two years on, and how will the new 0.2-hectare small-sites exemption and proposed brownfield exemption change it?
Has the off-site BNG credit and trading market now developed, and how does it affect the whole design and delivery process?
Why do bats and newts get so much publicity in the press and what can be done?
Estelle Dehon KC, Cornerstone Barristers

12.20pm
AI and Residential Planning
How are AI and data tools being used across plan-making, application validation and decision-making right now?
Where are the real efficiency gains, and where is the hype outrunning reality?
What are the risks — accuracy, transparency, accountability — of AI in planning decisions?
What should developers and authorities be doing to get ready?
How are professional bodies updating their guidance to allow for the integration of AI?
Is objectors using AI to generate responses potentially going to overwhelm the planning system?
Harry Quartermain, Head of Research & Insight, LandTech

12.35pm
Changes to Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) Powers & Land Value Capture
What CPO and hope-value changes have come in under the Planning & Infrastructure Act, and how do they relate to land value capture?
What further changes might we see in future legislation and what is the impact of a change in Prime Minister?
What do these changes mean for landowners and the delivery of housing?
How will this work in practice, and will it unlock significant housing delivery?
How do we strike a balance between a landowner’s right to a fair price and the gain to the wider public?
Mark Westmoreland Smith KC, Francis Taylor Building
Daisy Noble, Barrister, Francis Taylor Building

12.50pm
Questions for Estelle, Harry, Mark and Daisy

1.05pm
Networking Lunch Session

2.00pm
How will the new London Plan boost housing delivery in London and how has it evolved?
Will the GLA now take more control over new development in London and how will this work?
What is realistic for delivery on the Green Belt and how will it work?
How can the GLA best work with different requirements of different boroughs?
Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning & Regeneration, Great London Authority

2.20pm
Changes to planning legislation as a catalyst for new housing delivery opportunities
How significant are the recent changes, and what effect are they having in practice?
How has the previous NPPF — grey belt, mandatory targets and the rest — actually worked?
How does the new NPPF build on that, and what still needs to be done?
Where should developers be looking for opportunities, and what should they do in this term of Government?
Rupert Warren KC, Landmark Chambers

2.35pm
Grey Belt, Green Belt & New Towns – how have these policies progressed and how are they being applied?
What is ‘grey belt’, and what is the true capacity of what can be delivered on this land?
What are the parameters and Golden Rules for delivering on these sites, and how are consents working out in practice?
Why are elected councillors refusing grey belt applications even when officers recommend approval?
Are we seeing a gradual erosion of the green belt, and how far might it go?
Where are we with the new town locations, and can they deliver at scale?
Iain Gilbey, Partner – Head of Planning, Pinsent Masons

2.50pm
Questions for Jules, Iain and Rupert

3.00pm
Developer Panel Session – Planning & Delivery
What is the developer perspective on the evolving planning legislation and the new NPPF draft?
Where are the opportunities to boost delivery?
Does the new legislation strike the right balance between driving delivery and offering certainty, or is it just more change to adapt to?
How could closer interaction between private and public sector planners improve the process?
Beyond planning, what else does the Government need to do to make delivery happen — including solving the s106 affordable housing sales problem?
How do we overcome the issue of upfront infrastructure costs on larger strategic sites?
Is engagement with local communities more important than ever?
Andrew Taylor, Group Planning Director, Vistry Group
Claire Linley, Planning Director, Strata Homes
Dinny Shaw, Head of Planning, Places for People
John Tarvit, Director of Planning, Wates Developments
Martin Scholar, Head of Planning, Barratt London
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

3.35pm
The Viability Session – Are schemes stacking up? The money, the measures, and what’s winning arguments now

The leading practitioners take us through the key viability issues following the Planning & Infrastructure Act, the December 2025 draft NPPF, and the new public funding landscape. (10-15 minutes each, followed by questions)

A review of all the regulations that now contribute to viability – where have we got to?
Why is affordable housing variable but the other costs fixed?
With public funding under pressure, have we pushed developers too far on contributions?
What is winning viability arguments right now — which evidence and benchmark land value approaches are landing, and which are failing?
With site-specific viability assessment being squeezed at application stage, how should developers now make the case?
How important is accurate data and can AI help with this process?
Will delivery grind to a halt with so many cases going to appeal, and what is the appeal experience telling us?
Andy Leahy, Managing Director, Bespoke Property Group

Is the £39bn Social and Affordable Homes Programme actually making schemes viable, where is the money being spent and how can developers access it?
Does the new National Housing Bank — £16bn of debt, equity and guarantees — change the viability picture, particularly for SMEs and stalled sites?
What do the s106 “emergency measures” and the move to plan-stage viability mean in practice — what is now in force and what is coming?
Can viability really be dealt with by Central Government or the Planning Inspectorate, or is it inherently site-specific?
Anthony Lee, Managing Partner, Quintic Advisory

4.05pm
Questions for Anthony and Andy

4.15pm
Closing remarks from the Chair

4.20pm
Conference Close & start of the Annual Resi Planning Drinks Reception