Planning Portal and the Royal Town Planning Institute host first ever National Planning Conference

In November, the Planning Portal, in collaboration with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), hosted the National Planning Conference 2022 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.  

The event, which was the first of its kind, was a landmark success for our industries, bringing together speakers and delegates from across the planning and building sectors. Attendees listened to and participated in talks on the most cutting-edge ideas in the world of planning today.  

Proceedings were kicked-off with a welcome from Sarah Chilcott, Managing Director of the Planning Portal, and Sue Bridge, Vice President of the RTPI.  

Over the course of the next two days, attendees were treated to a range of sessions which focused on a wide range of crucial topics. These included environmental sustainability within the planning industry, The use of digital technology in planning and building, specifically for places and for the people who live and work in those places.  

Objective, this year’s headline sponsors, led a thought-provoking talk surrounding the subject of bringing your plan to life. Questioning, how are Local Authorities using their digital feedback? What can we learn from other countries? How might new technology help us in the future?  

Attendees were also given an exclusive insight by a panel of Chief Planners into the different approaches to planning reform taking place across the UK and Ireland. This was chaired by Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of RTPI and certainly sparked heated debate and gave the audience food for thought. 

There were some lively Q&A sessions following each panel, most notably accompanying a keynote speech from Will Arnold, Head of Climate Action at the Institute of Structural Engineers, around his proposal to regulate embodied carbon within the planning industry, as well as the session on retrofitting, which was chaired by Joanne Patterson from Cardiff University.  

But the debates didn’t end there – at the tail end of the first day of conference, we had the highly anticipated gala dinner, allowing guests to network, continue key conversations, as well as providing an opportunity to unwind after an action-packed first day. 

On the morning of the second day, guests were also offered the opportunity to participate in two different wellness sessions. 

The conference was rounded up with a key look at the current shortage of planners and the topic of diversity within the profession. Delegates were shown a fantastic documentary film from the BAME Planners Network, followed by closing remarks from the Planning Portal and the RTPI. 

Ourselves and our guests came away from the conference feeling satisfied with the knowledge shared – we all learnt something new and fostered important professional connections while still having a lot of fun along the way. 

The Planning Portal want to say a huge thank you to everybody who spoke at and attended the National Planning Conference 2022, helping to get this first event off the ground and make it a huge success.  

Plans are already underway for the National Planning Conference 2023, being bigger and better than ever. 

Remember to sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about details for 2023, dates, ticket sales and sponsorship opportunities. 

See you there! 

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