0
Specialist planning barrister Heather Sargent has been included in The Planner’s list of Women of Influence for 2024 published today on International Women’s Day.
This list highlights the most influential women in planning, encompassing a wide range of professions within the planning field.
The Planner commented:
"Heather is a joint founder of Planning Law Women, a networking group for female planning barristers and solicitors, which held its first two highly acclaimed events in 2023 (one on how to make best use of attending external events and conferences and one on social media). The existence of this group has had a hugely positive influence on woman planning lawyers by providing networking and events which are genuinely supportive and relevant to pursuing a career in planning law and helping to identify specific steps that can make a positive difference.
Additionally, Heather was a speaker at the 2023 Joint Planning Law Conference in Oxford and she gave evidence to the House of Lords' Built Environment Committee inquiry into the impact of environmental regulations on development. Alongside these extracurricular roles, she has acted on many high profile, complex cases in the last year, including a successful National Highways DCO application for the A12, the controversial redevelopment of Marks and Spencer's Oxford Street store, a DCO for Gatwick Airport and acting for the acquiring authority in a CPO for the regeneration of part of North Tottenham.
She is an exemplar planning barrister and a role model for more junior women barristers."
See the full list of The Planner’s Women of Influence here.
The Planner will be hosting a Women of Influence reception and a panel discussion looking at how to encourage equality and diversity across the planning world supported by Landmark Chambers. We very much look forward to welcoming many of the women on this year’s list and other guests to the event on 8 May which is being held in Birmingham.
