Please enjoy these photos of NIPA’s 12th annual conference held on 11^th November 2024. 

We would like to thank all our speakers, panellists and chairs for their input to the conference. The generosity with your time and for sharing your expertise and insight were much appreciated. We would also like to thank our sponsors SLR and WSP for their valued support and to Clifford Chance for hosting the day.

Our conference this year took place soon after the new government’s first 100 days in office. Their ambitions for extensive planning reforms (including to simplify the Planning Act 2008 regime) are well known and welcome, as are their ongoing reviews of NPSs. We await developments with interest, including the Planning and Infrastructure Bill in early 2025.

In addition there is the all-important changing context: the creation of NISTA from the NIC and the IPA, and a 10-year National Infrastructure Strategy, to be published
in Q1, 2025 alongside the Spending Review.

The challenge for NIPA and for you, our members, and wider practitioners, will be to keep the wheels turning and to try to realise improvements from recent changes, including the 2023 Action Plan, whilst these further changes are implemented, demonstrating the learning we are constantly gaining from increased implementation
and delivery of DCOs and infrastructure on the ground.

Economic growth, Net Zero and environmental enhancement are undoubtedly the key drivers for improvements to the nation’s economic infrastructure and the
related infrastructure planning regime.

This is a critical moment for simplification of the consenting regime and delivery of nationally significant infrastructure.

ROBBIE OWEN
NIPA Board Director and Secretary

 and

JAN BESSELL
NIPA Board Chair

1 2 3 ►