Conference Chairperson & Opening Remarks

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Planning and Development Act 2024: What Has Actually Commenced and What It Means in Practice

Speaker: Jeanie Kelly, Partner, Beauchamps LLP

• What has now commenced and what remains in transition
• How the new regime is changing day-to-day planning, consenting and challenge strategy
• Key interpretation issues around procedure, timing and implementation
• Practical points for applicants, planning authorities and objectors
• Where uncertainty remains and what to watch next

Judicial Review in Environmental and Planning Cases: Standing, Procedure and Litigation Trends

Speaker: Kieran Mulligan, Associate, Planning and Environment, McCann Fitzgerald LLP

• Where the courts are now drawing the line on standing and “public concerned”
• Recent trends in JR volume, procedure and case management
• How developers and authorities can better prepare the file for challenge
• The growing importance of early participation, objections and record-building
• What the next phase of planning litigation may look like

Climate, Nature and Planning Decisions: How Far Must Decision-Makers Go?

Speaker: David Foy, Associate, Planning & Environment team, Mason Hayes and Curran

• When must a planning decision show compatibility with climate and environmental targets?
• The growing legal weight of biodiversity, restoration and climate commitments
• Nature Restoration Regulation and its relevance to planning and project delivery
• How climate and nature duties are beginning to affect reasons, conditions and evidence
• Practical implications for decision-makers, developers and challengers

Appropriate Assessment After the Recent Case Law: Defensible Reports, Clear Reasoning and Fewer Gaps

Speaker: Chris Stynes, Senior Associate, Environmental & Planning, A&L Goodbody

• What recent case law means for AA screening and Stage 2 assessment
• Common weaknesses in ecology evidence, mitigation wording and reasoning
• How to deal with bats, pearl mussels and other recurring high-risk issues
• Drafting habits that reduce legal exposure on appeal or review
• Balancing thoroughness with proportionality

Renewable Energy Consenting After RED III: Timelines, Acceleration Areas and Live Planning Questions

Speaker: Grainne O'Callaghan, Senior Associate, Environment and Planning Group, Arthur Cox

• How RED III is reshaping permit-granting timelines and process expectations
• Practical implications for solar, wind, grid and hybrid projects
• Renewable Acceleration Areas and what they may change in practice
• Strategic versus non-strategic routes and jurisdiction questions
• Key consenting issues still causing confusion for applicants and authorities

Water Quality, Wastewater Capacity and River Basin Risk: The Next Wave of Planning Disputes

Speaker: Laura Hogan, BL, The Law Library

• Water Framework Directive pressures in planning and environmental assessment
• Wastewater capacity, receiving waters and Natura-sensitive discharges
• How cumulative pressure and “small-scale” additions are being argued in practice
• River basin management, risk status and evidential expectations
• What applicants and authorities need in the file where water is the weak point

Screening Under Pressure: EIA, AA and the Problem Cases

Speaker: Stuart Conaty, Head of Planning & Environment Group, Beauchamps

• EIA screening and AA screening where the answer is not straightforward
• Natura Impact Statement, mitigation and the risk of crossing the line at screening stage
• Projects with mixed indicators: screened in for one regime, screened out for another
• In-combination effects, uncertainty and incomplete project detail
• How to build screening decisions that are robust but still workable in practice

SEA in 2026: Quality, Addenda, Amendments and the Risk to Later Consents

Speakers: Alison Hardiman, Consultant, and Lee Boorman, Associate, Philip Lee

• When SEA is required and when it can become vulnerable
• Addenda, amendments and when fresh consultation is needed
• Can a weak SEA undermine later project-level decision-making?
• SEA for plans already in implementation and other grey areas
• How SEA is increasingly being used to support faster consenting pathways