Our annual Planning Law Conference offers a full day of practical, expert-led learning on the latest developments in planning law. This year’s programme focuses on major legislative changes, case law developments, and policy reforms that are shaping the future of planning practice, with sessions designed specifically for local authority planning lawyers, officers, and professionals working in planning teams.
The day will open with a welcome from Rachel McKoy, LLG National Expert for Planning, Highways and Environment, followed by a timely session on the Epping Forest DC v Somani Hotels judgment and its implications for local authority decision-making on the use of hotels for housing asylum seekers.
Delegates will then hear from Toby Fisher (Matrix Chambers) on the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and its impact on habitats and plan-making, including key insights from the first IROPI opinion recently issued by the Secretary of State.
Later in the morning, Tim Straker KC and Vivienne Sedgley (4-5 Grey’s Inn Chambers) will explore the new devolution agenda, highlighting the practical implications of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill for planning authorities.
The afternoon programme includes a Planning Case Law Update delivered by Ashley Bowes and Harley Ronan (Landmark Chambers), followed by Infrastructure Bill changes with Stuart Evans and Max Howarth (Anthony Collins).
The final session will examine the December 2024 NPPF reforms and LLG survey results, presented by John Gregory (Weightmans), providing an in-depth analysis of the latest policy shifts and their real-world impact on local authorities.
Each session will include opportunities for discussion and Q&A. While the event is delivered live, all sessions will be recorded and made available to delegates to watch at their convenience.
The conference is an essential opportunity for planning lawyers, officers, and local authority teams to stay up to date with the most important developments shaping planning law and practice.
The programme can now be downloaded.
Stuart leads the planning and highways team and is a well-respected solicitor recognised as an expert in the planning and highways area of law. He supports many local authority planning committees as the committee solicitor providing trusted and considered advice to officers and members on complicated legal and member interest issues.
Stuart also supports many other public bodies and bespoke organisations in relation to all forms of regulatory agreements providing detailed advice on a variety of subjects, including the interaction between planning and local government law, highways law and local government compulsory purchase.
Stuart has over 20 years of experience in the local government circle working for district and unitary authorities. He knows how local government and the planning system works. He has been ranked joint 11th in Planning Resource’s 2025 Planning Law Survey of the highest-rated individual planning solicitors in private practice.
He has acted at all levels in the UK domestic system up to the Supreme Court, as well as in cases before the International Court of Justice, European Court of Justice, European Court of Human Rights, and Inter-American Court of Human Rights. He has led communications to UN Treaty Bodies and complaints to the World Bank’s Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman.
Between 2019 and 2022, Toby was Deputy Director, International Law for the New Zealand Government, where he advised on international environmental law, international human rights and humanitarian law, counter terrorism, cyber, space, and law of the sea. He led negotiations at the UNFCCC climate change conferences, at the International Seabed Authority, and in other multilateral fora.
John is a specialist planning lawyer with extensive experience of providing commercial and practical planning and highways advice to developers; promoters; landowners; and local planning authorities. He has particular expertise in relation to drafting and negotiating complex Section 106 Agreements; advising on Community Infrastructure Levy; and contentious planning matters including Judicial Review, Section 288 challenges; Appeals and planning enforcement.
John has extensive experience of working with local authority officers and members and other public bodies, acting as legal adviser at planning committee meetings, providing support at Public Inquiries and appearing in the Magistrates’ Court in relation to enforcement matters.
John began his career in local government and led the Planning & Litigation Team at Warwickshire County Council before moving into private practice in 2017, where he headed up the planning team at a Midlands law firm before joining Weightmans in 2024.
Max is a legal director in the projects department. He provides legal advice and assistance on all aspects of planning and highways law including local planning authority decision-making, the local plan process (including neighbourhood planning), section 106 agreements, section 38 and 278 agreements, Community Infrastructure Levy, planning enforcement, certificates of lawfulness, permitted development rights, and judicial and statutory review.
Max has significant experience working in the public sector, having worked for two Warwickshire-based local authorities at district and county levels.
His expertise includes acting as the legal adviser to planning committees, providing advice on the local plan process (including neighbourhood planning), Community Infrastructure Levy, planning enforcement, certificates of lawfulness, permitted development rights, and judicial and statutory review.
He has significant experience in drafting and negotiating complex section 106 agreements required concerning major residential-led mixed-use schemes.
Rachel is a commercial law specialist, with extensive experience acquired within local and central government. She is passionate about both championing the voices of our members and showcasing the breadth of complexity local government law offers through the work of LLG, as reflected by her former role as Chief Projects Assessor for the Diploma in Local Government Law and Practice (2016-19).
Rachel is currently Director of Legal & Governance (Monitoring Officer), London Borough of Newham.
Harley Ronan is a barrister for Landmark Chambers specialising in advocacy and advice concerning the use and development of land, including planning, property and rating matters.
In the planning context, he frequently acts in planning appeals and in High Court challenges against decisions of local planning authorities and the Secretary of State. His property work spans both landlord and tenant and real property, in particular disputes over easements, rights of way and covenants. In respect to rating, Harley specialises in both advice and advocacy in disputes over liability in Court and the VTE.
Vivienne sits on the Planning and Environment Law Bar Association (PEBA) Committee and is ranked as a leading junior in planning, local government and public law. Her recent work includes acting for the successful authority in Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2025] UKSC 20 concerning recreational rights on Dartmoor, R (Waverley BC) v Elstead Parish Council [2024] EWHC 833 (Admin) concerning difficulties with a neighbourhood planning referendum, and R (Newham LBC) v HMRC [2024] EWHC 2321 (Admin) concerning CIL for floating hotels. She is described in Chambers & Partners as “A remarkable junior whose star is in the ascendant”.
Timothy has twice been named planning/environmental silk of the year and has extensive experience of planning, major infrastructure, environment and procurement issues. He has and has acted for (and against) local authorities on many interesting and often high profile cases. He also sits as a deputy High Court judge in the Planning Court. He is described by the Legal 500 as “One of the elite, whom authorities instruct for definitive answers”.
Ben specialises in public, planning and environmental law for public bodies, corporate sector bodies and affordable housing providers. He is recognised in both the Legal 500 and Chambers as an expert in planning and environmental law. Key areas of work include large infrastructure projects and section 106 agreements.
He has been at Browne Jacobson for over 10 years. A key part of Ben’s practice is advising on large mixed-use developments, this includes for public bodies as local planning authority, public bodies as landowner and private developers. In addition, Ben advises on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and Developments of National Significance (Wales).
Ben also advises on a broad range of other issues, including rights-of-way, community infrastructure levy, environmental impact assessments and use class, contaminated land, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, governance issues, local authority constitutions and vires.
Ben has had articles published in the Times and the Planner and works closely with bodies such as Lawyers in Local Government and the UK Environmental Law Association.
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09:30 - 16:30
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