Independent Consultants’ Network Conference

Helen is a Strategic Planner with over 30 years’ experience working across public and private sectors, both in the UK and internationally. Her specialism includes regeneration, masterplanning, inclusive healthy placemaking, development management, infrastructure planning, strategic policy development, community engagement and service improvement. She has led major development schemes such as Oak Wharf, a canal redevelopment site in Hackney, London and a Model City Plan for over 4 million people in Lagos, Nigeria, and more recently leading on a range of Garden Town developments and urban extensions for mixed use schemes comprising housing, schools and major infrastructure of more than 6,000 dwellings on behalf of Buckinghamshire Council.

She is the Founder and Chair of BAME Planners Network, promoting  diversity and inclusion in the planning profession. She is also an Advisory Board Member for Women in Planning and President of ICOGA Europe (Idia College alumni association). Helen has won several awards and was a judge in the RTPI London Region Awards 2021, RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence in 2020 and 2021.

Helen has been a member of the  RTPI General Assembly since 2019, RTPI Membership Panel (2016-2017), RTPI International Committee (2019), RTPI Membership and Ethics Committee (2020 to date) and was part of the International Strategy working group (2020/21).

Helen is RTPI President 2025. 

I am based in North Wales and regularly update the network on Wales matters. If I don't know it's happening, it probably is anyway, just don't take my word for it! I find the network, and forum in particular, a wonderful resource, full of talented (and humorous) people who give much needed guidance, moral and other support to daily working life.

Jason has over 30 years of commercial management experience. He spent 20 years working in Regional Press advertising before embarking on a career within the insurance industry. Having previously worked for Bluefin Professions, Jelf and Marsh Commercial, Jason joined the Howden team back in September last year. He has extensive experience of managing business partnerships after managing Marsh’s relationship with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for many years. Based in Bristol, Jason oversees new business and marketing strategy for the Regional Howden Professional Indemnity Division. Originally from Leicestershire, Jason is a lifelong Leicester City fan and pre Covid was a member of the Barmy Army, following the England Cricket team around the World whenever his long suffering wife would allow it!

Scott heads up Business Development at the Planning Portal and is responsible for developing strong strategic and operational relationships with all key planning delivery stakeholders that use their services.

Working in partnership to fully engage with the Government’s digital strategy and endorse digital service delivery, driving an increase in its adoption and online application submission.

Tackling the cultural change within planning and building, to drive a channel shift to online service delivery, that involves streamlining business processes and procedures by adopting digital ways of working, to realise efficiencies and savings for all stakeholders that engage in these processes.

I have been a self-employed, independent, sole practitioner planning consultant for over 18 years; just me. Over the years my workload has balanced out from mainly appeals to 50/50 appeals and applications, as my regular clients, and new ones with difficult/complex issues, want me in 'on the ground floor' on projects, so I can spot and overcome the hurdles at the earliest possible opportunity.  My caseload is mainly north-east England - but I've done jobs across the country on the back of recommendations or clients with nationwide sites. My website at www.antonlangplanning.com has got the boring stuff about me and my track record of jobs. I enjoy success fee arrangements, doing averagely on various tv quiz shows, winning cost claims against local authorities, cheap wine, pragmatic appeal decisions from old skool Planning Inspectors, clever wordplay and my two dogs.

Alyn established his consultancy practice in 1990. Alyn has been involved in a wide range of private and public sector work throughout Yorkshire, the North West and beyond. Clients have included Land Securities, the National Trust, John Lewis and Waitrose and Barnardo’s. He has also advised local authorities on matters relating to town centres and retail development. Alyn has been appointed an “Expert” by the Government’s High Streets Task Force. He has extensive experience of public inquires, hearings and examinations acting for appellants, third parties and local authorities. In his spare time Alyn enjoys time with his wife ambling in the Lake District, attending cricket matches and the delights of older motor cars. Over the past 25 years he has been learning to play the piano accordion, unsuccessfully, and he is a professional model maker. He also aspires to be paper free. 

Jos Pink is the Managing Director of Thovex Ltd, founded in 2019. He comes from a family of land agents and house builders, with a degree in Computer Science. Thovex have built Landstack a land, planning and development platform that provides standardised planning and development data on top of a GIS platform to the development industry.

Dr Daniel Slade is the RTPI’s Head of Practice & Research. He joined the Institute from the Town and Country Planning Association, where he spent three years managing their Healthy Homes campaign. Before that he was the RTPI’s Research Officer, and worked on the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime for the Institute for Government. He has a PhD on planning reform and an Masters in Civic Design (planning) from the University of Liverpool.

I set up my own planning consultancy in 2012, initially with part-time local government contracts and now full-time as a consultant. Having worked my way through graduate trainees, interns and associates, I am currently solo again.

My company, Govresources Ltd is primarily occupied as a Neighbourhood Planning Consultancy with 10 neighbourhood plans at various stages of completion and 8 adopted. I also advise parish councils on how to comment on planning applications and local plan consultations, and occasionally, individuals or groups of residents who ask for my help. I provide training and contribute to client events and meetings on a regular basis.

I am a member of Locality and provide voluntary support for local and national organisations who need planning advice. Becoming a Steering Group member of the ICN is part of that voluntary work. Prior to becoming a consultant, I gained extensive local government experience across most planning disciplines.

I work across Government (national and local), and with developers, NGOs and academia to advance policy, practice and standards around net gain (biodiversity, natural capital and environmental). The current focus of my work is on biodiversity net gain legislation, the biodiversity metric and biodiversity net gain standards and guidance. I am also working on the evolving approach to marine net gain.

As a non-ecologist I am interested in how biodiversity and the natural environment can contribute towards wider social and economic benefits. I also have a strong interest in green infrastructure, especially in relation to urban areas and its ability to enhance wider (grey) infrastructure resilience.

I enjoy engaging with different sectors and seeking opportunities to help secure the delivery of shared outcomes. I have previously worked in the health, cultural and charitable sectors.

At Landstack, our mission is to simplify everything land and planning. With deep roots in land development and a family-run legacy, we combine generations of expertise with the most reliable and comprehensive data in the industry—trusted and used by market leaders such as Taylor Wimpey, Lichfields and Richborough. Backed by a dedicated customer success team, we provide innovative tools, trusted insights, and unparalleled service to help you achieve your land goals.

Kings Chambers is a leading set of civil barristers operating out of Chambers in Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. Ranked one of the country’s leading sets, providing barristers with the highest reputation in their fields of expertise.

Through our membership with the Argyll Club we are able to host meetings at their prestigious conference facilities within close proximity to Covent Garden.

Kings Chambers was founded in Manchester in 1946, with premises in Leeds opening in 1996 and Birmingham in 2012. The set now comprises more than 120 barristers including 19 King’s Counsel and combines advisory work with litigation and advocacy services. Our Members regularly appear in courts and tribunals across the country and frequently appear in leading cases in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

At Howden, we pride ourselves on being a broker with a difference, combining the knowledge of a specialist broker, the agility of a start-up, and the scale and experience of an established international business. Since the beginning, our founders wanted Howden to be a business we all feel proud of so from individual volunteering to product innovation, we are working to make a positive impact.

We have over 28 years of experience and expertise in providing Professional Indemnity Insurance solutions for Planning Consultants and provide risk management advice and broking services to clients ranging from sole traders through to large multi-office firms.

JMW is an award-winning full-service law firm established over 40 years ago. We are renowned throughout the UK for our expertise in achieving positive outcomes for our clients, both businesses and individuals.

Client excellence is at the heart of our firm: no matter who you are, where you live or what legal service you require, we have the depth and breadth of experience to deliver solutions that work for you. We are the legal experts you need in your corner.

Planning Portal is the national planning application service for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Planning Portal has been revolutionising the planning process for both public and private sector stakeholders for more than twenty years. Our mission is to continue and build on this, transforming planning and building. By working in partnership with every local authority and focusing on delivering a quality service to our customers, we will continue to be the national home of planning and building regulations information and the national planning application service.

Planning Portal is powered by TerraQuest. At TerraQuest, we envision a world where optimised technology and data solutions allow the built environment to thrive for the benefit of our communities and our planet. With over 50 years of expertise in land referencing, we support major national infrastructure projects through our innovative, data-driven software.