In Conversation: With Richard Schofield, Chief Planning Inspector – A View From the Planning Inspectorate
Chair – Richard Harwood OBE KC
As the Chief Planning Inspector at the Planning Inspectorate, Richard Schofield has oversite of the system that deals with planning appeals, national infrastructure planning applications and the examination of local plans.
This is a system that is arguably at it’s most visible when things go wrong, when planning decisions are contested and when local plans do not meet the standards set out in government policy and legislation.
The Planning inspectorate therefore, not only has an important role as arbiter but also enjoys a
unique vantage point on the broader planning system – a sense of where things go wrong and an insight into both good and bad decision making at every stage of the planning process.
This In Conversation session will explore this insight in terms of both the decision making and plan making processes and will consider how applicants and local authorities can avoid making mistakes and contribute towards good decision making.
Mr Schofield will be invited to make an opening statement of approximately ten minutes followed by questions from the Chair and from the floor