Event details
This event—Housing, Planning and the Politics of Space—invites us to confront one of the most urgent and complex questions of our time: Who gets to shape the spaces we live in, and who gets left out?
Housing is more than shelter. Planning is more than policy. Space is more than geography. These are battlegrounds of power, equity, and imagination. From the rise of unaffordable cities to the erasure of communities through redevelopment, the politics of space is not abstract—it’s lived, contested, and deeply personal.
As we gather here, we acknowledge that every zoning decision, every housing policy, every planning framework carries consequences. It can either reinforce inequality or challenge it. It can either protect communities or displace them. It can either build futures—or bury them.
Throughout today’s conversations, we’ll hear from activists, architects, policymakers, and residents. We’ll explore how planning can be a tool for justice, how housing can be reimagined as a right—not a commodity—and how space can be reclaimed as a site of belonging.
Let this be a space for bold ideas, uncomfortable truths, and collective vision. Because if we want to build cities that are inclusive, resilient, and humane—we must first rethink the politics that shape them.
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WHO ATTENDS
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08:55 AM - 09:40 AM
Housing Inequality
Housing is one of the most visible expressions of inequality in our society. From skyrocketing rents and unaffordable mortgages to overcrowded social housing and rising homelessness, the question of who gets to live where—and under what conditions—is deeply political.
This panel brings together urban planners, housing activists, policymakers, and researchers to unpack the structural forces driving housing inequality. We'll explore how race, class, migration status, and geography intersect to shape access to safe, affordable, and dignified housing. We'll examine the legacy of exclusionary planning, the commodification of homes, and the impact of austerity and deregulation.
But this isn’t just about diagnosing the problem—it’s about imagining solutions. What does equitable housing policy look like? How can councils, developers, and communities work together to challenge displacement and build inclusive neighborhoods? And what role can innovation play in rebalancing the scales?
Join us for a candid, urgent conversation about the future of housing—and the fight for fairness in the places we call home.
Zac Bradfeild - Box Supported Housing Advisory Panel Member Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local GovernmentZac is a member of the UK Government's Supported Housing Advisory Panel and serves as a Board Member for Gloucestershire Nightstop and YMCA Cardiff.
Zac Bradfield-Box grew up on free school meals in social housing and experienced homelessness as a young adult. Those experiences shaped his determination not just to talk about broken systems, but to change them.
Over the past six years he has worked across politics, communications, and the voluntary sector, combining lived experience with professional and academic insight into housing and social policy.
Zac now contributes to national conversations about housing and support services, bringing together policy thinking with the realities of the communities those systems are meant to serve.
He is particularly focused on how systems can be redesigned to give people from disadvantaged backgrounds a genuine chance to succeed.
Steve Lafrati Assistant Professor in Social/Public Policy, Faculty of Social Sciences University Of NottinghamDr Steve Iafrati is an Assistant Professor of Social Policy at the University of Nottingham. His book, ‘Housing Inequality in the 21st Century’, published by Policy Press in April 2026, examines the way in which housing inequalities are an outcome of antecedent economic and social inequalities. His research and publications have focused on experiences in the low-cost private rented sector and, most recently, the impacts of out of area placements by local authorities struggling to meet statutory housing duties.
Steve is also the co-editor of the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice
Lorayne Wall Head of Planning & Policy Friends of the Lake DistrictLorayne Wall MRTPI is the Head of Planning and Policy Friends of the Lake District, a 92-year-old independent landscape charity and membership organisation with a vision for thriving Cumbrian landscapes for nature, for people, forever. The charity also represents CPRE – The Countryside Charity in Cumbria, meaning they work across the county. Lorayne’s work includes coordinating the charity’s work of influencing planning proposals, policies and legislation affecting Cumbria’s landscapes, as well as working with communities to help them navigate the planning system and supporting the charity’s campaigns for policy change.
Lorayne has a BSc. in Geography and Environmental Management from the University of Central Lancashire and an MA (Dist.) in Town & County Planning from the University of the West of England. In 2013 she was the winner of the RTPI’s George Pepler International Award, using the award to study the concept of machizukuri (community building) in Japan. A proud Cumbrian herself, with a long family history in the Lake District National Park, she joined Friends of the Lake District as Planning Officer in 2018 after almost 13 years in the local plans team at South Lakeland District Council, where her work involved environmental policy development, sustainability appraisal and neighbourhood planning; her final task at the council was as lead on the production of the first dedicated development plan document for an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. -
09:50 AM - 10:35 AM
Planning Bottlenecks
Planning is meant to be the engine of progress—but too often, it feels like the brake. Across the public sector, councils and agencies face mounting pressure to deliver housing, infrastructure, and regeneration projects at pace. Yet planning bottlenecks—whether caused by outdated systems, fragmented governance, under-resourcing, or political hesitation—continue to stall vital development.
This panel brings together senior planners, local government leaders, developers, and policy experts to dissect the roots of these delays and explore bold strategies for reform. We'll ask:
- What are the hidden costs of planning inertia?
- How can digital tools, streamlined processes, and cross-sector collaboration unlock capacity?
- And what cultural shifts are needed to move from risk-aversion to responsible ambition?
- Expect candid insights, real-world case studies, and a forward-looking debate on how the public sector can turn planning from a bottleneck into a catalyst for change
Expect candid insights, real-world case studies, and a forward-looking debate on how the public sector can turn planning from a bottleneck into a catalyst for change.
Shelly Rouse Principal Consultant Planning Advisory ServiceShelly Rouse MRTPI is a Planner with a passion for delivering support to local authorities and helping drive public sector improvement with housing delivery and land supply as her specialities. She is national co-chair of Women in Planning - an organisation seeking to promote equality and diversity in the planning industry.
Shelly started her career in local government and has worked for over 20 years across many planning specialisms including development management, planning policy and major site delivery roles. Previous roles include MHCLG and has worked at PAS since 2020; involved in local authority support & projects on development management practices, performance management, councillor training, peer reviews, local plan production, planning reforms, environmental assessment and housing numbers.
She is frequent blogger under the name @HouseyRousey and uses her expertise in local government resourcing issues including strategic workforce planning and assisted developing the new graduate scheme Pathways to Planning aimed at widening the talent pool of local authority planners.
Dr Riette Oosthuizen Vice-Chair London Planning and Development ForumRiëtte established and leads HTA Design’s award-winning planning team and is responsible for the practice’s Urban Planning. Her team of residential and residential-led mixed-use expert planners deliver bespoke planning advice and solutions to a wide range of clients from the public and private sector.
HTA’s planning team have delivered a significant portfolio of successful planning applications, including complex infill development, estate regeneration, masterplanning and design coding, and MMC development, working collaboratively with HTA Design teams and other architectural practices.
Riette is a strategic thinker with a passion for good design, evidenced through a creative approach to challenging planning constraints. She is closely involved in promoting HTA’s innovative solutions to solve the housing crisis, including the suburban intensification project ‘Supurbia’, and formulating how design practices can demonstrate social value through the design process itself, working towards long term well-being and lasting buildings.
Riëtte is a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, as required for all Chartered Planners. She previously served on an RTPI committee but no longer holds that role. She is currently Vice‑Chair of the London Planning and Development Forum, a practitioner forum bringing together public and private sector professionals to discuss current policy developments in planning, housing and design. -
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM
Delivering 1.5 Million Homes
The target is bold: 1.5 million new homes. But ambition alone won’t lay bricks or unlock land. As councils, housing associations, developers, and central government grapple with this monumental challenge, the question is no longer if we build—but how, where, and for whom.
This panel brings together senior public sector leaders, planners, housing experts, and community advocates to explore the practical pathways—and political tensions—behind large-scale housing delivery. We’ll examine:
- The role of local authorities in enabling and accelerating development
- Planning reform, land availability, and infrastructure bottlenecks
- Balancing speed with sustainability, affordability, and community consent
- Funding models, partnerships, and the future of social housing
With pressure mounting and public trust at stake, this conversation will cut through the rhetoric to confront the real barriers—and opportunities—facing the public sector in delivering homes at scale. -
11:40 AM - 12:25 PM
Land and Leverage
Land is one of the public sector’s most powerful—and most underutilized—assets. In an era of housing shortages, infrastructure demands, and fiscal constraints, the question is no longer what land do we own, but how do we leverage it for public good?
This panel brings together senior council leaders, land economists, developers, and policy strategists to explore how public land can be used not just for revenue generation, but for long-term social impact. We’ll examine:
- Innovative models for land assembly, disposal, and retention
- The tension between short-term returns and long-term community value
- How councils can negotiate better outcomes in public-private partnerships
- The role of land in enabling housing delivery, regeneration, and climate resilience
Expect a candid conversation on power, politics, and potential—where land is not just a commodity, but a catalyst for reform.
Holly Lewis Co-Founder We Made ThatHolly co-founded architecture and urbanism practice, We Made That, in 2006 and is a trusted voice in shaping healthy, fair and well-designed places. She cares deeply about locally-informed and impact-driven outcomes.
She is a registered architect and affiliate member of the Landscape Institute. She has led a unique range of urban projects for the practice, from pioneering industrial intensification work through to comprehensive high street regeneration projects. Holly advocates for community involvement within the design process, empowering women in the built environment and equitable city-making.
Holly is Mayor’s Design Advocate for the Greater London Authority and is a Design Council Expert. She has also contributed as a national High Streets Task Force Expert. Currently, she is the Town Architect for Hackney Central, chairs the Croydon Design Review Panel, and is a member of the Thanet Design Review Panel.
She was shortlisted for the AJ Emerging Woman Architect of the Year Award 2012, is a former trustee of The Architecture Foundation and lectures internationally.