Registration and refreshments
08:45 to
09:30
Chair’s welcome and opening remarks
09:30 to
09:40
Speaker:
John Twitchen.
Founder.
Association of Consultation and Engagement Professionals.
Navigating the 2026 consultation landscape – preparing for the removal of consultation requirements while ensuring communities continue to be heard
09:40 to
10:10
- The introduction of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill – how will consultation change?
- Insight on new guidance to replace existing requirements – timelines for implementation
- How will affected local communities and authorities be able to influence projects?
Speakers:
Alicia Ford.
Deputy Director, Infrastructure Planning.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Anna Payne.
Joint Head, National Infrastructure Planning Reform Programme.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Emily Davies.
Senior Planning Officer for NSIP Reform.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Panel discussion: What do proposed planning reforms mean for the way consultation is conducted?
10:10 to
10:55
- Establishing a consultation process that works for both developers and communities
- Simplifying consultation while maintaining high-quality engagement at the earliest stages of development
- Will changes impact communities expectations of consultations? How can this be managed?
- Adapting new consultation and engagement approaches in response to policy changes
Speakers:
Kelly Linay.
Major Projects – Stakeholder Engagement Lead.
Anglian Water.
Neil McBride.
Head of Planning.
Lincolnshire County Council.
Catherine Seaborn.
Head of Local Communities and Partnerships.
Transport for London.
Amy Stirling.
Senior Associate.
Pinsent Masons.
Morning networking and refreshments
10:55 to
11:25
Effectively understanding and communicating with local interest groups – recognising their expectations to maximise engagement success
11:25 to
11:50
- Identifying key figures within the community who can drive grassroots support for the project
- Learning how local residents want to be engaged to inform your community liaison approach
- Reaching seldom heard groups – what materials and format can enhance consultation accessibility?
Speaker:
Bente Klein.
Development Project Manager.
RWE Renewables.
Aligning consultation strategy with budget and time constraints – balancing community input and project requirements
11:50 to
12:15
- First considerations for planning your consultation strategy – preparing in advance and defining objectives
- Explaining what can be adjusted and what remains unchanged by community feedback
- Early communication when limited information is available
- Avoiding engagement fatigue – what measures should be taken?
Speakers:
Sarah Ward.
Stakeholder Engagement, Consultation and Communications Practice Lead.
AECOM.
Kai Pritchard.
Technical Director and Central Region Lead – Stakeholder Engagement, Consultation and Communications.
AECOM.
Delivering community benefits from consultation to construction – investing in communities to create a lasting impact
12:15 to
12:40
- Partnering with key stakeholders to respond to local needs at the earliest stage of development
- Best models to secure and implement community benefits
- Relevance of community benefits to consenting decisions
- Creating employment opportunities through your project – utilising the local supply chain and changes to procurement rules
Speaker:
Amy Stirling.
Senior Associate.
Pinsent Masons.
Networking Lunch
12:40 to
13:40
Prioritising stakeholder wellbeing for project success
13:40 to
14:05
- Learn how infrastructure projects are often perceived by impacted communities and the challenges this creates
- Discover why stakeholder wellbeing is critical to the success and sustainability of major infrastructure developments
- Explore practical strategies for integrating wellbeing into project planning to deliver mutual benefits for all parties
Speaker:
Tom Hacker.
Senior Director & Head of Planning & Engagement.
Ardent.
Linear project case study – showcasing the scheme’s benefits across diverse communities and regions
14:05 to
14:30
- What are the biggest challenges when conducting consultation in a wider geographic area?
- Developing targeted messaging – tailoring communication strategies to suit different audiences
- Selecting the most effective materials and channels to present information
- Demonstrating how the scheme can be an asset locally
Speaker:
Lesley Reekie.
Head of Community Engagement.
SSEN Transmission.
Continuing community dialogue after key decisions are taken - what is different and how best to engage?
14:30 to
14:55
- How does community engagement change once projects progress to the construction phase?
- Key challenges in maintaining effective communication throughout project lifecycle
- Best approaches to engaging after consent – considering digital tools
Speakers:
Lucas Wijntjes.
Head of Marketing.
Publiq.
Rhion Jones.
Director.
The Consultation Guru.
Afternoon networking and refreshments
14:55 to
15:25
Statutory consultee perspective – what is expected from project promoters during the consultation process?
15:25 to
15:50
- Practical guidance on successfully liaising with statutory consultees
- How can consultation be streamlined to better support stakeholders?
- Mitigating future planning issues through proactive and effective engagement
- Example of early engagement – what does this look like?
Speaker:
Louisa McKay.
Account Manager.
Environment Agency.
Panel discussion: Engaging local communities in project clusters – establishing a coordinated approach to consulting in areas with multiple development
15:50 to
16:35
- Leveraging shared resources – coordinating logistics and materials to maximise consultation events
- Working together to address widespread misinformation about projects’ impacts
- Providing consistent messaging – demonstrating how different schemes as a whole can benefit the local area
- Collecting and analysing data from all projects to understand concerns and trends
Speakers:
Khaleda Sawyer.
Stakeholder Lead.
Flotation Energy.
Laura Fleming.
Senior Development Manager.
BayWa r.e..
Jenny Marsden.
Communications Manager.
Outer Dowsing Offshore Wind.
Chair’s closing remarks
16:35 to
16:45
Close of conference and networking drinks
16:45 to
17:45