Are you ready to look beyond the high-level rhetoric and discover how the ‘devolution revolution’ is actually functioning on the ground?
The RTPI North West, North East, and Yorkshire Young Planners committees have joined forces for an exciting pan-northern collaboration. We are proud to launch ‘The Northern Powerhouse Live’; a high-energy, 60-minute virtual summit designed to bridge the gap between grand strategic policy and practical regional delivery.
Following the landmark 2026 devolution milestones and the implementation of new integrated settlements, the North of England is moving into a new era of governance. This session serves as a critical platform to explore how our major regions are balancing their unique local objectives while aligning to position the North as a unified global competitor.
This flagship summit is just the beginning. The Northern Powerhouse Live marks the inaugural event of an ongoing Northern Powerhouse saga. By bringing all three regions together at the outset to set the strategic benchmark, this event paves the way for a upcoming series of specialised, themed CPD sessions throughout the year that will dive deeper into the specific infrastructure, green energy, and housing delivery models transforming the North.
We are bringing together strategic figures of the North to reflect on their regional blueprints and celebrate unique assets driving us forward, including Jane Healey Brown (Leader of Planning and Place), Bethan McCaw (GMCA), Louise Sloan (NECA) and Hannah Andrew (WYCA).
By attending this fast-paced lunch-and-learn summit, you will:
- Decode the New Devolution: Gain a critical understanding of how the 2026 integrated settlements and devolved spatial planning powers practically impact day-to-day delivery.
- Explore Regional Growth Blueprints: Inside track on the core strategic objectives and landmark development projects unique to GMCA, WYCA, and NECA.
- Master Cross-Border Alignment: Learn how cross-border mayoral alignment works in practice, and how local planning decisions scale up to drive economic resilience and talent retention across the North.
- Shape the Future CPD Agenda: Get a taster of what to expect from the wider Northern Powerhouse series and help influence the themes of our upcoming specialised sessions.
Whether you are a student, a Planner, or an experienced built environment professional looking to understand the macro-planning shifts in the UK, this critical pan-northern summit is not to be missed.
What you'll gain:
- Understand Devolution & Spatial Strategy: Gain insight into how the 2026 integrated settlements and devolved powers shape strategic planning delivery and regional policy implementation across the North.
- Analyse Regional Growth Blueprints: Learn about the core strategic planning objectives, spatial asset optimisation, and economic drivers unique to GMCA, WYCA, and NECA.
- Evaluate Cross-Border Collaboration: Understand how regional planning alignment between major Combined Authorities impacts pan-Northern infrastructure, talent retention, and innovation hubs.
- Acquire Practice-Ready Delivery Insights: Move beyond high-level policy rhetoric to discover how strategic figures translate devolution frameworks into concrete, on-the-ground development delivery.
This event is eligible for one hour of CPD.
RTPI Fellow
