Conference Agenda

• Delegates arrive from 8:30am when an informal breakfast is provided, and a chance to network with other attendees, before the conference starts at 9:30am

Speaker: Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

• What is next for Planning and what is in the pipeline in terms of policy?
• Can National Development Management policies be used to make things happen quickly?
• What parts of the Levelling Up & Regeneration Act (LURA) will be key to the new Government & which parts will be abandoned?
• What will happen with schemes that are called in?
• 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 do we find 300 more planning officers to boost development and what does ‘modernising planning committees’ actually mean?

Speaker: Joanna Averley, Chief Planner, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

• What non statutory levers can the new Government pull early in their term to start delivering their commitments?
• What is practically realistic and what is more difficult?
• How easy is it to create a ‘New Town’ and what have we learnt from the past?
• How do we see the relationship between London and Central Government evolving now they are more politically aligned?
• What do we expect from devolved regions and planning powers?

Speaker: Ian Anderson, Chief Executive, Iceni Projects

• What is the relationship between Central Government and the Inspectorate and do we see this changing under the new Government?
• Are there any changes planned for the role of PINS?
• Do we expect to see more or fewer appeals moving forward?
• How is the appeals system adapting to the Levelling Up & Regeneration Act proposals?
• What can the inspectorate do to modernise the planning system and speed up the process?
• Will the inspectorate wait before determining major appeals whilst we wait for new Government policies?

Speaker: Paul Morrison, Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate

• 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?

Speaker: Iain Gilbey, Partner – Head of Planning, Pinsent Masons

• 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 a change of Government locally or nationally on the planning process in a practical sense?
• What kind of technology is being used and considered and does this remain a Government priority?
• How can we encourage positive engagement between the public and private sectors?
• How are local authorities progressing with local plans and what is the timeframe for delivery – will they await more details on New Government policy?

Speakers: David Procter, Assistant Director – Planning & Regeneration, Wigan Council,
Heather Cheesbrough, Director of Planning & Sustainable Regeneration, London Borough of Croydon,
Sarah Scannell, Assistant Director - Planning, Birmingham City Council,
Frances Summers, Senior Planner, BCP Council,
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

• 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 and how will new development pay for ‘economic repair’ as proposed in the King’s speech?
• How have Nutrient Neutrality and Water Neutrality been affecting Residential Development across the UK and what can developers do?

Speaker: Claire Dutch, Head of UK Real Estate & Co-Head of Planning & Environment, Ashurst

• How do we plan strategically for future compliance?
• What do developers need to put in place?

Speaker: Richard Kimblin KC, No5 Chambers

• How can we deliver a system of off-site BNG credits?
• How is it working in practice?
• How does it actually effect 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?
• Do such schemes reduce land availability for food production or solar/wind farms?

Speaker: Emma Toover, Chief Ecologist, Environment Bank

• What 3 pieces of advice would each panellist give the new Government to boost housing delivery?
• What does the new Government mean for the planning system from the Developer Perspective?
• Are Developers enthusiastic about political changes and do we believe this will ring an improvement to planning and delivery of housing?
• 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?

Speakers: Alice Davidson, Group Senior Planning Manager, Vistry Group,
Mark Skilbeck, UK Planning Director, Taylor Wimpey,
Dinny Shaw, Head of Planning, Places for People,
Roger Hepher, Director, HGH Consulting (Chair)

• 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?

Speaker: Rebecca Clutten, Barrister, Francis Taylor Building

• Will communities lose their say over where developments are cited under the new Government plans?
• How do the reforms change how developers should manage the process?
• How can we encourage people to get behind development in their local areas and how do we engage communities to understand the benefits?

Speaker: Wyn Evans, Founding Director, Shared Voice

• How is the new 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?
• 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’?

Speakers: Anthony Lee, Senior Director, BNP Paribas Real Estate,
Andy Leahy, Managing Director, Bespoke Property Group