Hosted by DRD Partnership in collaboration with Herbert Smith Freehills and RenewableUK, the event, Delivering Critical Infrastructure: From Policy to Action, will bring together key voices from law, policy, infrastructure and the environment. The discussion will centre around the future of planning in the UK and whether the new Bill strikes the right balance between streamlining development and safeguarding communities and nature.
Andrew will join a distinguished panel of speakers, including Catherine Howard (Herbert Smith Freehills), Jane Cooper (RenewablesUK) and Alex Culver (RSK Wilding), with opening remarks from Labour MP Bill Esterson, Chair of the Energy and Net Zero Committee.
With over 35 years’ experience in ecology and environmental law, Andrew will speak from the frontline of development and conservation. He plans to highlight the growing strain on regulatory bodies such as Natural England, which he argues are now too under-resourced to make scientifically robust, legally-sound decisions.
Rather than helping to solve this problem, Andrew warns that Part III of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill could make things worse, introducing additional bureaucracy that risks undermining both development goals and biodiversity protections. He will call for practical, science-led reforms to the current system, particularly to the Habitats Regulations, which he believes can be improved without weakening environmental safeguards.
The panel will explore whether the Bill adequately balances national infrastructure priorities with local voices and environmental protections, and what more is needed to ensure the system works for all.
Andrew’s contribution is expected to bring a vital ecological perspective to a policy conversation that will shape the planning landscape for years to come. As both Managing Director of Baker Consultants and Director of Soil Acoustics Ltd., he continues to advocate for evidence-based decision-making, highlighting the need to place sound science at the heart of planning reform.
With nature and infrastructure both high on the national agenda, this event offers a timely platform for pushing for reforms that are both practical and principled.
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