Welcome from your new RTPI South West Chair for 2026

As I step into the role of RTPI Chair in the South West for 2026, I want to start by thanking the Immediate Past Chair - Dawn DeVries; the South West Regional Manager - Charlotte Daborn; and the South West Regional Activities Committee and Regional Management Board, for their continued support. Planning really is a team sport and without this team none of the region’s events, awards, or CPD would happen. I also want to thank the Young Planner committees across the region for continuing to run great events and for representing emerging professionals across the South West. 

The RTPI is a member-based organisation: you will get out of your membership what you are willing to contribute. Committees are always looking for more volunteers, so please get in touch if you would like to know more about how you can contribute.   

2026 is going to be a big year for planning: we ended 2025 with new legislation - the  Planning and Infrastructure Act - and a new Draft NPPF.  Taken together this is going to change the game for the planning system and change how planners need to operate within it. 

This system shift is coming at a time when the planning profession is already managing change at a rapid rate, and dealing with the twin existential crises of housing availability and biodiversity collapse. The widespread use of social media has created an army of keyboard warriors, often oblivious to the person behind the planning application who has to read and respond to on-line responses.  On top of this, the increasing use of AI to prepare planning statements and objections to applications and draft policies means that it’s becoming harder to distinguish between a genuine concern, linked to real material considerations, and AI slop just gumming up an already overloaded system.   

So, with all this change on the horizon, the question is: are we ready for it?

For 2026, my focus is going to be Future Ready Planners. I’m hoping that we can weave a little bit of future proofing into everything we do in 2026.  From the much-anticipated return to strategic planning, to the rapidly evolving expectations of a more data-literate public, as Planners our professional skill set must evolve to meet these 21st century challenges.

Work is already well underway on some of our cornerstone CPD events for the year. Our very popular CPD Day is returning in May to provide a ‘choose your own adventure’ style where you can pick talks and workshops to suit your own training needs.  We’re also planning day-long sessions covering ‘Planning for the Environment’ (Bournemouth in April), ‘Delivering Sustainable Development’ (Bath, September), and ‘The New Planning System’ (Plymouth, October).  The Planning Law Seminar is also returning to Bristol in November.

My hope is that through these events, and the many other events and webinars that we’ll be running throughout the year, members will be able to get to grips with: 

• Strategic Planning: helping members re-engage with strategic plan-making, preparing us for the next wave of SDS development.

• Upskilling for the digital era: from the right and (many) wrong uses of artificial intelligence in the planning process, to dealing with misinformation and ‘keyboard warriors’.

• The rapidly evolving legal and policy landscape: and how this impacts the day to day operation of public and private sector planners. 

The South West Committee and I are looking forward to hearing from you throughout the year.

A little bit about me to give you a little context on my perspective: thanks to the timing of my Planning Masters and the Credit Crunch, my career journey began in Sydney, Australia. What was meant to be a short stint became nine fantastic years working in a top-tier planning consultancy, where I gained invaluable experience across development planning, policy, and EIA. This also gave me an insight into how planning systems can work if we think about things a little differently. No system is perfect, but learning from planning practice internationally can teach us a lot. I try to carry this ethos on today.

Coming back to the UK in 2019, I continued my journey in the private sector, working in both Bristol and London for LUC and Barton Willmore.  I’ve now been with LandTech for three years, where I serve as the Chartered Town Planner and Head of Research. My day job sees me working closely with product and data teams, ensuring that our LandInsight and Give My View platforms are optimised for the planning system we have at the moment. I’m also an Associate Lecturer at the University of the Built Environment, where I lead modules on Data and AI in planning.  This experience: working at the intersection of planning, technology, and data, has cemented my belief that our profession must actively embrace innovation in order to be effective in the 21st century.

The changes we face as a profession are not a threat, but an invitation to innovate and to cement our role as the experts who shape our communities. The RTPI South West is a diverse and energetic community, and I am excited to work with all of you to ensure we remain at the cutting edge of the planning profession.

Please reach out, get involved, and let’s make 2026 the year of the Future Ready Planner.

Harry Quartermain
RTPI South West Chair 2026