Registration and refreshments
08:45 to
09:30
Chair’s welcome and opening remarks
09:30 to
09:40
Part 1: Major infrastructure policy – where are we now?
09:40 to
11:50
Keynote address: Support for the planning of major infrastructure
09:40 to
09:50
Latest major infrastructure policy: implementing reforms and accelerating the delivery of NSIPs
09:50 to
10:15
- Current policy – the reforms introduced in 2026 and how these have been implemented
- Supporting a faster and more proportionate consenting process
- What comes next? Future policy developments and implementation
Planning Inspectorate update
10:15 to
10:40
- The Planning Inspectorate’s priorities in 2027
- Updated guidance and advice for promoters
- New acceptance tests - how have these changed and what do projects need to demonstrate?
- How to identify issues earlier in the process and the key focuses for examination
- Looking ahead – what applications are expected
Speaker:
Speaker from.
Planning Inspectorate.
Panel discussion: Planning for NSIPs following the implementation of reforms – is the regime now delivering greater certainty, proportionality and speed?
10:40 to
11:20
- Do the updated guidance deliver what the sector was looking for from reforms?
- Is greater flexibility enabling more proportionate and project-specific approaches to planning
- Have reforms removed potential planning delays or simply shifted bottlenecks elsewhere in the process?
- Where are the remaining challenges and risks during planning? Are further policy changes needed to resolve these?
Morning networking and refreshments
11:20 to
11:50
Part 2: Developing your application – programme timelines and environmental considerations
11:50 to
14:30
National Policy Statements: recent updates and what they mean for future applications
11:50 to
12:15
- Recent updates to National Policy Statements
- The introduction of mandatory National Policy Statement reviews and future policy updates
- Making the need case for projects
- How are NPS being applied in examination and decisions
- What updates are expected next?
Speaker:
Alex Minhinick.
Partner.
Burges Salmon.
Establishing and managing your NSIPs programme
12:15 to
12:40
- Designing a programme that matches your project
- With the removal of set times in the programme – what do timelines look like now?
- Are planners the right people to lead projects? Ensuring the right team is involved at the right stage?
Environmental assessments and mitigation - understanding current requirements and preparing for emerging reforms
12:40 to
13:05
- Latest policy and case law impacting environmental planning
- How to now best present environmental information
- Environmental Outcomes Reports – where are we now? The latest developments in the introduction of EOR and a shift towards outcome based environmental reporting
- The introduction of environmental delivery plans – what do these mean at a project level?
- Is there an increased focus on mitigation and monitoring for NSIPS? How to manage this?
The introduction of mandatory biodiversity net gain requirements – how to practically deliver biodiversity net gain
13:05 to
13:30
- Where is biodiversity net gain being delivered successfully?
- Working with delivery partners
- Building BNG into your project
Networking Lunch
13:30 to
14:30
Part 3: Designing your engagement strategy following the removal of statutory consultation requirements
14:30 to
16:35
Designing an effective consultation and engagement strategy without the statutory requirements
14:30 to
14:55
- Creating a consultation strategy that is proportionate to the project, stakeholders and local context
- Defining clear consultation objectives and communicating what stakeholders can genuinely influence
- Demonstrating the consultation conducted and how responses have had an impact on the final project
- The rise of AI in responses and analytics – using technology but ensuring that detailed local knowledge isn’t getting lost in the process
Panel discussion: What does consultation look like in practice? How has the removal of requirements changed the reality of how engagement is being conducted?
14:55 to
15:35
- What are developers doing differently now? How have consultation programmes been changed?
- Are promoters taking risks in how designing engagement strategies?
- What do communities want from engagement? Identifying the methods that create the most genuine engagement and address concerns
- Understanding that regulations have changed but the communities impacted haven’t
Speakers:
Clare Carlaw.
Head of Engagement, Land and Consents.
Affinity Water.
Colin Turnbull.
Practice Director (Planning).
DWD.
Community benefits and social value – delivering lasting value to communities
15:35 to
16:00
- Understanding a project's long-term impact on communities beyond the physical infrastructure delivered
- Demonstrating social value in your application
- Engaging to establish where community benefits can have most impact
- Learning from successful approaches to community benefit funds, skills programmes, and local investment
- Measuring, monitoring and communicating social value outcomes
Afternoon networking and refreshments
16:00 to
16:35
Part 4: Key considerations for NSIPs planning – local policy and project pipeline
16:35 to
18:00
Local authority role in NSIPs planning
16:35 to
16:55
- What are the impacts on local authorities of NSIPs in the area?
- Engaging and working with developers – how and when to engage?
- Benefiting from local knowledge - developing working relationships that highlight challenges and opportunities for schemes
Understanding the local policy mix – what do regional and local policies mean for NSIPs planning?
16:55 to
17:20
- How do different policies interact and impact NSIPs? The future of spatial plans, NPPF and local plans
- Understanding the ongoing policy changes and workload local authorities are managing
- The devolution agenda and major infrastructure planning
- Working on schemes across elections – what do changes in local government mean for projects?
- The local government reorganisation pause – what will a restart mean for local authorities and project engagement?
Panel discussion: What’s next for NSIPs? Understanding the future project pipeline
17:20 to
18:00
- Understanding the future pipeline – what projects are expected and what knowledge is needed to support these?
- An increase in data centres, nuclear and water but what other types of NSIPs are emerging?
- More linear schemes progressing – how have these changed the way projects are planned and what is the impact on the wider sector?
- Project clusters – where are we going to continue seeing these?
- Meeting the 150 DCO ambition – does the sector have the capacity and resources to manage this volume in planning, examination and through to delivery?
Chair’s closing remarks
18:00 to
18:05
Close of day 1 and networking drinks (Sponsored by Burges Salmon)
18:05 to
18:30
