Minerals Planning Conference

Lindsey Richards BA (Hons) DipTP FRTPI

Lindsey is a chartered town planner with over 30 years’ experience in planning, design and delivery. She has extensive background primarily working in the public sector, experienced in community engagement and bringing together multi-disciplinary teams to deliver key housing projects.  Lindsey’s previous roles included leading the planning team at Milton Keynes Partnership, responsible for the expansion of Milton Keynes and introducing the Milton Keynes Tariff.  Lindsey moved to English Partnerships (now Homes England) in 2009 to head up the delivery team in the Midlands. 

Lindsey’s last role was Head of Planning at Homes England, where she worked  in a consultancy role providing specialist advice to Homes England delivery teams. Lindsey was responsible for driving design quality standards and introducing BfL12 ( forerunner to BfHL) as an assessment tool on Homes England sites. She was a member of the Garden Town and Villages Programme Board and worked closely with DLUHC on policy formulation.  Lindsey strongly advocates the value that early community engagement contributes to projects and oversaw the introduction of a community engagement strategy and toolkit to support Homes England projects. 

Lindsey was Head of Profession within Homes England. She undertook a mentoring role to promote the profession and support licentiate members.  Lindsey established the Planners Network within the Agency and oversaw  training and Homes England annual planning conference. 

Lindsey stepped down from her role at Homes England in April 2023 to concentrate on her Vice-Presidential role with the RTPI.

Lindsey is a member of the General Assembly of the RTPI, vice chair of the Education and Lifelong Learning Committee and became a Fellow in 2018. She was RTPI President 2024.

Lindsey is a Trustee for Design: Midlands

Catriona is an independent consultant providing support on a wide range of spatial planning issues but specialises in strategic/ joint planning arrangements and has authored three major publications on the subject.

Catriona is a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute’s England Policy Committee, is Deputy Chair of the Town and Country Planning Association and Strategic Planning Specialist for the Planning Officers’ Society.

In 2022 Catriona was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford Brookes University for her services to Planning, was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute and was one of the Planner magazine’s Women of Influence.

Max Heaver is the policy and legislation lead for biodiversity net gain in Defra. He currently works on the biodiversity net gain provisions in the Environment Bill, which will mean that new developments must enhance the natural environment. His work has focussed on the application of environmental economics in business and policy contexts, having joined Defra from environmental economics consultancy, and has included projects with non-governmental organisations and in ecological consultancy.

Christina joined Devon County Council as a Graduate Planner in 2008 and has since gained a wide variety of experience in planning policy. She was appointed as Principal Planning Officer – Minerals and Waste Policy in August 2019. In this role Christina represented Devon County Council at the South West Aggregate Working Party, was responsible for the preparation of the Local Aggregate Assessment and coordinated input for the 2019 Aggregate Mineral Survey. In November 2021 Christina commenced a secondment at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as Minerals and Waste Team Leader.

Richard is recognised as a leading practitioner in planning and environmental law, advising and appearing in residential, minerals, waste, energy, and infrastructure proposals, and frequently in environmental litigation. He has appeared recently at some of the largest and most complex plan examinations and advised on major strategic proposals for  FTSE 100 minerals and waste companies operating throughout England and Wales, including: EfW, aggregates, PFA, specialist block, cement, high PSV, including complex ROMP, Habitats and MWFSA cases.

Rob is Chief Planner and Director of Housing at Northumberland County Council, one England’s largest single tier authorities. Previously positions have included Chief Planner at Sheffield City Council and at Derbyshire County Council. Rob is a former director of the Planning Officers Society, sat on the Policy Board of the Town & Country Planning Association and conducts LPA improvement support programmes for the Planning Advisory Service. He has a long history of involvement local, strategic,  economic and environmental planning. He has contributed to the development of planning & environmental policy, legislation and practice in England, Scotland, regional government and in Germany.

Lisa Kirby-Hawkes is Head of Development Management and Flood and Water Management at Hampshire County Council. She has held a variety of roles in the minerals planning field including development management, monitoring, enforcement and minerals planning policy. 

Lisa has been working with the Minerals Products Association (on behalf of Minerals and Waste Planning Officers Society (MWPOS)) on the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain for minerals. She is also part of a MWPOS working group looking at recruitment and retention issues in minerals planning.

Mark Russell is an Executive Director of the Mineral Products Association (MPA), the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and silica sand industries in Great Britain. Alongside responsibility for planning and mineral resource issues, Mark is also Director of the British Marine Aggregate Producers Association (BMAPA), the representative body for the UK marine aggregate sector. He has worked in the minerals industry for 25 years, following previous experience gained in the ports sector and an environmental consultancy. Mark holds a degree in marine geography from the University of Wales, College Cardiff and a Masters degree in marine resource development and protection from Heriot-Watt University.