Renewables Hybrid Seminar - Capacity and Community provision

Core CPD Framework:

- Climate Change and Environmental 

- 5 CPD Hours

Event Description  

RTPI South West and RTPI South East welcomes to you their first jointly organised CPD Seminar seminar for 2025. This is a HYBRID Seminar so you may opt to attend in-person or virtually. We hope this enables the event to be as inclusive as possible.

The context of energy infrastructure in the UK has been a significant talking point for many years now, with pressing challenges around the capacity of the grid, the continued electrification of industries and the burden of this on new energy generation, and the need to deliver a net-zero future. Recent structural changes in the industry and the announcement of new reforms mark another step towards responding to these challenges. 

With speakers ranging from National Grid and community organisations delivering innovate energy infrastructure across the region, this CPD is an exciting opportunity to understand both the changing policy landscape including Local Area Energy Plans, the new Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and connection reforms; and how projects are delivering change from the ground up. We hope to see you there at Southampton, either live or in person. 

Learning outcomes 

Why should you attend?

• Recognise the challenges and opportunities in delivery of renewables and enhancing sustainability of existing developmenter 
• Appraise delivery of community sustainability projects and their success 
• Review current research on the effectiveness and requirement for Local Area Energy Plans 
• Effective decision making understanding the role of permitted development and associated requirements 
• Consider leadership and business skills in delivery of community projects

Programme 

Please note that the programme is still in draft stage. We reserve the right to update and amend the programme accordingly. We will do our best to keep the event programme current and reactive to any key legislation or guidance changes.

Topics may include:

• National View - The role of planning in achieving and contributing to net-zero
  
  
• Grid connection reforms and the Strategic Spatial Energy Plans
  Katharina Meehan, SSEP Policy & Strategy Manager at NESO
  
  
• 'Towards a spatial approach to local-level energy planning'
  Dr Rebecca Windemer, Regen and Dr Ada Lee, RTPI Policy Specialist
  
  
• Strategically growing the electricity networks in the South West and South East
  This session will provide an overview of the electricity network to include context relative to the regulator and other strategic partners – evolution of approach, regulatory duty, level and location of investment, scale of future investment to decarbonise, strategic investment planning process, collaboration and next steps
  Emily Taylor, Regional Decarbonisation Manager, Distribution System Operator at the Nationalgrid
  Kim Soucy, Stakeholder Relations Manager (Local Authorities), Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks 
   
• Community provision including
  • Low Carbon Hub
    Barbara Hammond, Low Carbon Hub
    
    
  • Exeter Heat Network, Rob Webbon at 1Energy
    
    
  • Ambition Community Energy at Lawrence Weston Bristol
    David Tudgey of Community Power Solutions (responsible for overseeing development and construction) will explain the process involved in obtaining planning consent for England’s largest onshore wind turbine (150m tall, 4.2MW) and the community benefits that will ultimately flow from this 100% community owned instillation.
    
    
  • Brighton Energy
    Atlanta Cook, Brighton Energy
    
    
• Permitted Development Rights for Renewable Energy
  Chris Gomm, Head of Planning at Cheltenham Borough Council will takes us through the current Permitted Development situation in respect of both domestic and commercial renewable energy installations (Part 14 GPDO), how these permitted development rights have evolved in recent years and what might be on the cards in the future.
  
  
• Alternative LDO

Sponsored by

Booking

Please follow the booking links below.  Please note that early bird rates end 28 February 2025

If you wish to do a group booking please contact [email protected] (South West) or [email protected] (South East)

RTPI  are happy to support RTPI Members and Students who are unemployed or financially precluded from attending local CPD events. Please contact us to discuss opportunities. 

Accessibility 

• Please view travel information here.
• There is parking available on site
• The nearest train station is Southampton Airport
• The meeting and catering takes place on the ground floor
• A quiet room  are available during the event should you require this.

The RTPI is committed to delivering inclusive events; to make sure that everyone can have the best possible experience. To help work towards being able to do this an event organiser will contact all booked participants to discuss any access needs or requirements that they might have. Contact Charlotte Daborn to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. 

Speakers needed

If you would like to speak at this or other events, please do get in touch.

Sponsorship opportunities

RTPI South West have a range of sponsorship opportunities for a number of events in the year, so please do get in touch to discuss. As well as supporting events which raise the profile of planning, they are a great way of aligning to your organisation values and goals.