RTPI's Annual Rural Regeneration Conference

This conference will focus on rural communities and the services they depend on to survive. It will provide an overview of rural regeneration, consider how to plan for and identify sustainable rural communities, and examine case studies.

  • There are no future dates confirmed for this event. Please contact us on 0845 833 3212. if you are interested in this event.



What is this conference about?


This conference will focus on rural communities and the services they depend on to survive. It will provide an overview of rural regeneration, consider how to plan for and identify sustainable rural communities, and examine case studies that can help identify good practice in regenerating the countryside.

Back to top


Who should attend?


  • RDAs and regional assemblies
  • English Partnerships and other regeneration and government agencies with rural remits
  • Housing associations and social housing providers
  • Local authority planning, housing, and economic development departments
  • Rural landowners and developers
  • Environmental and conservation groups
  • Rural community organisations

Back to top


Benefits of attending


This conference will advise on:

  1. Meeting the growing and diverse needs of rural communities
  2. Planning and delivering rural regeneration projects
  3. Planning for and identifying sustainable rural communities

Back to top


Conference pogramme


9.00 Coffee and registration

9.30 Welcome and introduction by the chair

David Brooke, Head of Spatial Planning, Natural England

9.40 Creating Sustainable Rural Communities

  • What’s the future for rural communities
  • What does ‘sustainable’ mean for rural communities
  • Threats and opportunities facing rural England

Representative from the Commission for Rural Communities

10.20 The Rural Land Use Debate

Robert Tregay, LDA Design

11.00 Coffee and networking

11.20 Rural Planning Policies in LDFs: a good practice guide

12.00 Issues in rural regeneration: transport

  • Access issues
  • Tools for community participation in rural public transport
  • Implications for rural transport policy

12.40 Panel discussion

1.00 Lunch

2.00 Creative and sustainable rural regeneration

Three case studies:

  • New Mill, Witney: Adding to a creative cluster in deepest Oxfordshire
  • Dartington Hall, Devon: Creating a sustainable future for a pioneer of rural reconstruction
  • Lawrenny: sustainably doubling the size of a village in West Wales

Robert Sakula, Partner, Ash Sakula

2.40 Rural affordable housing – towards implementing good practice

  • Rural housing policy: developing the optimum strategy
  • Development management: achieving and controlling the right mix of tenures
  • Process management: capitalising on all available opportunities

James Caird, Principal, Caird Consulting

3.20 Master planning a sustainable rural community

  • Addressing the need for change through community led planning
  • An analysis of the: context, process, outcome and legacy
  • Followed by an opportunity to consider learning and issues arising

Mark Massey, Senior Partner, IDPartnership Northern

4.00 Panel discussion

4.20 Conclusion by chair

4.30 Close of conference

Back to top


Conference chair


David Brooke is Chair of the RTPI’s Rural Planning Network. He is a geographer-turned-planner working as Head of Spatial Planning for Natural England and with previous experience in planning for county councils, district councils and – for a number of years – a national park.

Back to top


Conference speakers


James Caird read Architecture at the University of Newcastleupon- Tyne, qualifying as an architect in 1972 and as a planner in 1980. Following a variety of posts in both public and private sectors, from 1985 to 2006 he was Head of Planning for South Shropshire District Council.

Mark Massey is the Partner in charge of IDPartnerships’ Newcastle office. He has specialised for the last fifteen years in conservation, urban regeneration and housing. Mark joined the Practice in 1984 and in 1988 was appointed Partner in charge of the £32,000,000 Marina Village development at St Peter’s Basin, Newcastle upon Tyne. Mark has been the Partner is charge of developing the Practice’s Urban Design and Masterplanning Consultancy since 1990 and also leads the Practice’s specialist housing team. During this period the Practice has won numerous competitions and awards for its housing work.

Robert Sakula after studying at the University of Liverpool, Robert Sakula worked for Sir Clough Williams-Ellis at Portmeirion, and with David Lea, a pioneer in sustainable architecture. He then joined DEGW Architects, working on projects in Mexico, Monte Carlo and the UK before forming Ash Sakula Architects with Cany Ash in 1994. Ash Sakula Architects carry out work throughout Britain and overseas, most recently in France and Ghana. Recent award-winning projects are Leicester Creative Business Depot, Sparkenhoe Theatre, and the Hothouse in Hackney. Current projects include the National Centre for Carnival Arts in Luton, and town centre developments in Colchester and Southwold.

Robert Tregay

Robert Tregay is senior partner of LDA Design, one of the UK’s leading integrated design and environmental consultancies. He has over 30 years’ professional experience as a landscape architect, masterplanner and sustainable development specialist. He works in both the rural and urban fields, and from the city planning and regional scale through site specific proposals to implementation. Robert specialises in masterplanning and new developments, urban and rural regeneration, environmental infrastructure planning and in the conservation of natural and heritage environments.

Back to top


Quotes from previous participants


q 'The speakers provided in depth information on their topics'

Back to top


Want to book this as part of the RTPI Season ticket 2006/07?

Simply Click here to be directed to the booking form.

Back to top


In-house training

In-house training can be presented exclusively for your organisation on any subject in the planning and development field, including management skills. Training is individually tailored to meet the specific needs of your organisation .

To discuss your in-house requirements please contact Sarah Miller on 020 7960 5692 or e-mail sarah.miller@rtpiconferences.co.uk

Back to top


CPD requirements

This event is intended to help RTPI members with their CPD requirements.

Back to top




Kaplan Hawksmere 7th Floor, Elizabeth House York Road London SE1 7NQ. ©Copyright 2009