**This session of the Planning School has now Sold Out. A waiting list is in operation, do register and we will contact you should a space become available.
Planning policy and decisions impact every part of our daily lives, but outside of a small clutch of professionals, most Londoners know very little about how the process works. One of the reasons is that quite simply, it is often presented as a dull and tedious subject. The Planning School series was established by The London Society to bring the subject to life and provide some clarity about how it works.
Planning’s Greatest Hits & Misses brings together a stellar line up of experts and leaders with contrasting views on often contentious planning topics such as tall buildings, housing and masterplanning to help audiences consider whether each of the themes is a hit or miss in London-wide terms. The series is not to be missed and will help Londoners better understand the complex politics and processes which have led to the shape and appearance of London’s most significant urban developments of recent years.
Planning and saving the soul of the city
The saving of Covent Garden from the jaws of a motorway interchange was a triumph for bottom up community activism and led to a profound shift in the balance between development and conservation.
Did we save the soul of the place or have we created a theme park?
Covent Garden: a triumph for conservation or nothing more than a sanitised urban theme park?
Confirmed Speakers:
Brian Girard, Design Principal, KPF. Brian draws inspiration from the direct observation of places and the behaviour of people, Brian has experience of a wide range of typologies, which includes residential, retail, cultural, mixed-use and masterplanning.
Owen Hatherley is a London based writer and journalist who writes primarily on architecture, politics and culture. His books include A Guide to the New Ruins of Great Britain, Landscapes of Communism and The Ministry of Nostalgia.
Chair – Darryl Chen, Partner, HawkinsBrown. Darryl leads HawkinsBrown’s urban design studio and has successfully delivered significant strategic and regeneration projects in the UK and overseas. In London he continues to steer local authority work on town centre regeneration, public space and industrial intensification.
Please note: all guests will be required to digitally sign in on arrival at KPF, as part of this process you will be required to confirm that you are fully Covid vaccinated. We will be securely forwarding your email address so that you can be sent a ‘digital invite’ from KPF – this is part of the studio’s ‘Covid-safe’ protocols.
In the build up to this event, please feel free to share via social media: 
#LondonSociety2023
#LoveLondon
@londonsoc