Sponsors

Simon is a journalist and the Editor of The Planner, the RTPI's member magazine. Over the years, his work has seen him reporting on parish council meetings, planning committees and a murder trial; mentoring young journalists from inner cities; interviewing Kosovan refugee children in Serbia and village kids in Tanzania; ghostwriting the autobiography of a successful immigrant entrepreneur; and interviewing influential figures in UK planning. He believes everyone has a story to tell and specialises in helping them to tell it.

Vistry Group is the UK’s leading provider of affordable mixed tenure homes. Our purpose as a responsible developer is to work in partnership to deliver sustainable homes, communities and social value, leaving a lasting legacy of places people love. We have a partnerships-led approach, delivered under our Countryside Partnerships brand, and an exciting timber-frame manufacturing operation called Vistry Works, supporting our drive towards net zero.

Delivering thousands of homes every year for the affordable and private market places, Vistry Group also has an unmatched portfolio of retail brands, each with a rich history and strong reputation: Linden Homes, Bovis Homes and Countryside Homes.

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.

CMS is one of the largest law firms in the world, with more than 70 offices in 44 countries worldwide.  In the North of England, we have over 500 people based in offices in Sheffield, Leeds, Liverpool and, of course, Manchester, making the firm a legal powerhouse in the region.

Advising on all aspects of planning is a key part of our practice, and with three planning partners and around a dozen specialist lawyers, we have one of the largest practices in the region.  The CMS planning team advises across a range of high profile development and regeneration projects and across all sectors including urban regeneration, housing, retail, mixed-use, industrial and logistics, surplus land and energy and infrastructure.