On Monday 26th March 2018, No5 Barristers’ Chambers will hold its Annual Planning Seminar at the ICC in Birmingham. The key-note theme will be “Revving-up the Midlands Engine” delivered by Gareth Bradford.

Keynote speaker: Gareth Bradford, Director of Housing and Regeneration at the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)

– Gareth oversees implementation of the WMCA’s plans to increase the supply of land for housing and employment to help meet growth levels set out in its Strategic Economic Plan.

– Gareth joined the WMCA in December 2017 from DCLG where he was deputy director responsible for a cross-Whitehall division for regeneration and infrastructure, leading bespoke housing and regeneration deals in growth areas. His roles in Government have also included a 2.5 year secondment to the No10 Policy Unit as a policy adviser on affordable housing, land, small businesses, regeneration, planning, build to rent and right to buy.

The No5 team of planning silks and juniors will update delegates on:

– The planning policy landscape: What progress has been made on the White Paper and Budget-day policy announcements?  Responding to the draft NPPF this Spring.  Are we any clearer on what Brexit might bring to the planning system?

– Topical issues in development management including: Giving “reasons” for planning decisions (in response to the very recent Supreme Court judgment); How can developers respond to local opposition with a ‘localist’ agenda?

– Topical issues in plan-making including: Site selection – Sustainability Appraisal of options; How can we deliver the development we need and meet the Air Quality challenge?; Assessing housing ‘need’.

– Recent case law affecting planning and environmental issues.

Programme:

09:30 – 10:00 Registration and Refreshments

10:00 – 10:10 Welcome

10:10 – 10:40 Keynote Address: How can the development industry “rev up” the Midlands engine? Presented by: Gareth Bradford (WMCA)

10:40 – 10:55 Q&A

10:55 – 11:25 Policy Update: What progress has been made on the White Paper and Budget-day announcements?  Responding to the draft NPPF this Spring.  Are we any clearer on what Brexit might bring to the planning system? Presented by: Jeremy Cahill QC & James Corbet Burcher

11:25 – 11:45 Coffee break

11:45 – 12:05 Decision-taking update: Giving “reasons” for planning decisions. Presented by: Richard Humphreys QC

12:05 – 12:25 Decision-taking update: How can developers respond to opposition with a ‘localist’ agenda? Presented by: Tim Jones & Christopher Young QC

12:25 – 12:30 Q&A

12:30 – 14:00 Lunch

14:00 – 14:20 Legal Updates: Decision-taking. Presented by: Scott Stemp & Hashi Mohammed

14:20 – 14:40 Legal Updates: Environmental. Presented by: Celina Colquhoun & Howard Leithead

14:40 – 15:00 Legal Updates: Policy and Plan-making. Presented by: Peter Goatley & Christian Hawley

15:00 – 15:20 Plan-making: Site selection – Sustainability Appraisal of options. Presented by: Hugh Richards & Leanne Buckley-Thomson

15:20 – 15:40 Plan-making: How can we deliver the development we need and meet the Air Quality challenge? Presented by: Thea Osmund-Smith

15:40 – 16:00 Plan-making: Assessing housing ‘need’. Presented by: Satnam Choongh& Jack Smyth

16:00 – 16:15 Q&A

Cost

£185+VAT per delegate