Speakers

Odette is a Planning and Environmental specialist, practising at No5 Barristers’ Chambers, and an elected trustee of UKELA. Her practice includes the promotion of minerals operations, solar schemes and residential development. She regularly advises developers and local authorities on topics such as biodiversity net gain, the role of climate change in determining applications, and environmental impact assessment.
She has acted as junior counsel at a number of major public inquiries, including a two-week inquiry concerning the proposed extraction of 1.5 million tonnes of sand and gravel at Straitgate Farm in Devon, which involved complex questions around hydrogeology, private water supplies, need, highways, ecology, and heritage.

Thomas is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Geologist who has spent his career studying the relationship between geology, quarry design, rock mechanics and blast design. Thomas started his career as a Geologist then Geotechnical Specialist at Aggregate Industries. He went on to join Atkins, one of the largest engineering consultancies in the world, where he eventually headed up the UK Extractive Industries team. Whilst at Atkins he was engaged with mineral planning, expert witness services, and consulting for Local Authorities. Over the last ten years Thomas has been involved in numerous major critical infrastructure and quarrying blasting related projects. These projects have culminated in millions of pounds worth of research that has significantly changed our understanding of blasting impact. In 2021 Thomas joined Ground Engineering Applied Research Services (GEARS) as a Technical Director, researching, developing, and implementing new blasting best practices whilst working with mineral operators and local authorities. 

Helen is a Strategic Planner with over 30 years’ experience working across public and private sectors, both in the UK and internationally. Her specialism includes regeneration, masterplanning, inclusive healthy placemaking, development management, infrastructure planning, strategic policy development, community engagement and service improvement. She has led major development schemes such as Oak Wharf, a canal redevelopment site in Hackney, London and a Model City Plan for over 4 million people in Lagos, Nigeria, and more recently leading on a range of Garden Town developments and urban extensions for mixed use schemes comprising housing, schools and major infrastructure of more than 6,000 dwellings on behalf of Buckinghamshire Council.

She is the Founder and Chair of BAME Planners Network, promoting  diversity and inclusion in the planning profession. She is also an Advisory Board Member for Women in Planning and President of ICOGA Europe (Idia College alumni association). Helen has won several awards and was a judge in the RTPI London Region Awards 2021, RTPI Awards for Planning Excellence in 2020 and 2021.

Helen has been a member of the  RTPI General Assembly since 2019, RTPI Membership Panel (2016-2017), RTPI International Committee (2019), RTPI Membership and Ethics Committee (2020 to date) and was part of the International Strategy working group (2020/21).

Kris is regional land and mineral resources manager for Breedon in central and northern England and is responsible for the management of new and existing quarry and industrial sites. Kris is a chartered town planner and manages a team including geologists, planning and estates managers and land surveyors.

Before joining Breedon, Kris was senior planning manager at SUEZ for over ten years in the recycling and resource management / waste industry, following previous experience as a planning consultant at Fairhurst. Kris has managed a range of projects in throughout the UK.

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.

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.

Chris is a doctoral candidate at Jesus College and the School of Archaeology of the University of Oxford, where he studies the extraction, selection, and use of tufo (tuff), a volcanic stone extracted in vast quantities around the City of Rome.  His research interests are: Roman and Greek art and architecture, the use of stone in antiquity, materiality and agency in objects, the reconciliation of archaeological theory with real-world data, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in archaeology. His teaching focuses on social sciences and the humanities, specifically Classical Archaeology and Ancient History where he concentrates on comparative studies in Greek and Roman history, often through the vector of classical art, as well as providing introductory classes to new students.

David leads on biodiversity for the Mineral Products Association, the trade association for the minerals industry.  This includes running the MPA Biodiversity & Nature Conservation group, coordinating the Quarries and Nature Awards, and influencing government policy and guidance, including on biodiversity net gain.  He is a biologist and town planner (MRTPI) with over 30 years of professional experience.  Throughout his career he has managed to combine these through working for the RSPB, Environment Agency and for 10 years in regional planning for the South East.  He currently works as a consultant for a range of projects and clients including being part of the team producing an evaluation framework for biodiversity net gain for Defra.

Albion Stone is a family run company that has been supplying Portland stone for projects in London for almost a century and quarrying Portland stone for nearly 50 years. When Michael Poultney became Managing Director in 1991, he relocated the factory from London to Portland nearby the quarries and, to secure more reserves for the future, switched from quarrying to the more environmentally sensitive mining.  The company has expanded to become a major dimension stone mining operation that is one of the largest and most technically advanced in the country. 

Albion Stone produces some of the most environmentally sensitive building products in the world, and this year launched its new Heritage Portland Stone Bricks which can reduce the embodied carbon of external walls by up to 80% when compared to clay-fired bricks. 

Michael is the MPA’s representative at Euroroc, which promotes natural stone at a European level and the BSi B545 Natural Stone Committee that writes the new BS standards.  He is also on the Executive of the Stone Federation and the Chairman of the Quarry Forum.  He has recently been involved in a series of presentations at Footprint+ and Clerkenwell Design Week promoting stone bricks and loadbearing stone, ushering in the New Stone Age.  

Vicky Robinson is the Chief Planning Inspector for Planning and Environment Decisions Wales - Wales’ dedicated service for scrutinising draft Development Plans, and determining applications for Developments of National Significance, planning appeals and specialist environmental casework. In this role, Vicky leads a team of Planning Inspectors and operational staff who process a variety of planning and environmental cases across Wales on behalf of the Welsh Ministers.

Vicky studied BSc (HONS) in City and Regional Planning followed by a Diploma in Town Planning at Cardiff University in 2004. Vicky was formerly Operational Manager for Planning and Building Control at the Vale of Glamorgan Council where she led the Planning Policy Team through the Local Development Plan Examination and managed the Development Management and Building Control regulatory functions.

Vicky is a practitioner representative on the Cardiff University and RTPI Partnership Board and was recognised in The Planner’s Women of Influence list 2024 for her work championing the planning profession.

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.

Ian has over 35 years of natural resource operational and development experience in the UK and abroad, within industry, consultancy, academia and government.  He has a blend of marine and terrestrial mineral resources, infrastructure and renewable energy management and development experience in public & private settings. He recently chaired the UK Minerals Forum and was a contributing author to the 2022 UNEP Sand and Sustainability Report https://www.unep.org/resources/report/sand-and-sustainability-10-strategic-recommendations-avert-crisis