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Planning After Dark

Planning After Dark is the bold and insightful podcast where three Commissioners of the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission (Alex Notay, Catriona Riddell, and Jackie Sadek) shine a light on the industry’s biggest challenges, trends, and, yes, even a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip.

Alex Notay is an expert in housing, placemaking, and ESG with 20 years of global advisory and investment experience. She chairs the Radix Big Tent Housing Commission and previously led Placemaking and Investment at Thriving Investments. Alex is a published author, award-winning leader, and government advisor on real estate and sustainability.

Catriona Riddell is a chartered town planner with over 30 years of experience. As Director of Catriona Riddell & Associates, she focusses on strategic planning and governance. She is a national Strategic Planning Specialist, Vice Chair of the TCPA, and has received multiple awards for her contributions to planning.

Jackie Sadek has 40 years of experience in urban regeneration, specialising in public-private partnerships. She has held several senior roles, including Head of Regeneration at CBRE. Jackie led a 1,500-home garden community project in the South Midlands, co-authored Broken Homes, and is Chair of the UK Innovation Partnership and EG Public Sector Forum.

Talking isn’t delivering: Planning, power and the problem with perfection

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In this episode of Planning After Dark, Alex and Catriona are joined by Gavin Winbanks, founder of Whitehawk Green (stepping in for Jackie) for a wide-ranging conversation on planning reform, inward investment and why the UK so often struggles to move from strategy to delivery.

Recorded amid political and geopolitical noise, the discussion opens by asking whether the biggest changes to planning, local government and devolution in a generation are being drowned out - and whether the system can stay the course long enough to make them work. Catriona reflects on local government reorganisation (LGR), mayoral authorities and the opportunity to rebuild planning capacity, skills and confidence at scale.

Bringing an investor’s perspective, Gavin challenges the sector to think beyond plan-making and towards implementation: how places present themselves to the market, why the “wall of capital” is smaller than we pretend, and why certainty, clarity and consistency matter more than perfect policies. The conversation ranges across regeneration, brownfield delivery, institutional investment, the loss of regional strategies, and what the UK can learn from international examples.

The panel also takes on risk aversion, legal defensiveness and perfection paralysis in planning, alongside a forward-looking discussion on economic identity, sector focus and the role of mayors in unlocking growth. The episode closes with reflections on MIPIM, housing delivery, celebrating success - and a welcome return of Angela Rayner Fashion Watch.

Big questions, strong opinions and a familiar PAD message: stop polishing the plans, and start getting things built.

Listen to Planning After Dark

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