Annabel Le Lohé MRTPI, Brookbanks’ Development and Planning Manager, chaired the Young Planners Conference for the Royal Town Planning Institute! The event was attended by many young planners up and down the country to share in their knowledge and passions for the industry.
Annabel reflects on the RTPI Young Planners’ Conference: “It was a pleasure to Chair the Conference last week, connecting with so many enthusiastic minds in the profession and considering the theme of Utopia or Dystopia. This is incredibly relevant working for a master developer, as when supporting clients in delivering new communities, we must be mindful of the way our profession shapes the world and making a genuinely positive impact.”
The 11th June 2025 Spending Review marked a profound shift in the government’s approach to housing, planning, and infrastructure — placing long-term affordability, delivery certainty, and strategic investment at the centre of economic policy.
The Government’s Planning Reform Working Paper proposes a series of bold measures to accelerate housing delivery, including stronger local authority powers, penalties for delayed build outs, and new transparency requirements for developers.
A recent report by the Home Builders Federation estimates that local authorities currently hold over £6bn of unspent Section 106 developer contributions.