Lighting Design and Planning Reform: Insights from Autumn 2025
Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to attend and speak at several fantastic planning events, from national conferences to local seminars. Each one offered a fresh perspective on the challenges the planning and development industry faces and the creative ways we can work together to build more sustainable, people-focused places.
HBF Planning Conference: Reform and Realism
The month began with the HBF Planning Conference in Birmingham on 17 September, bringing together voices from across the housing and planning sectors. A key highlight was hearing from Matthew Pennycook, Minister for Housing and Planning, who offered valuable insight into the government’s efforts to deliver meaningful planning reform.
It is clear that reform must balance structure and productivity while recognising the realities faced by local authorities and developers. What stood out most was the emphasis on collaboration, and the recognition that effective change cannot come from legislation alone, but from open dialogue and trust between the public and private sectors.
National Planning Conference: Are We Rewarding the Right Things?
A few weeks later, I attended the National Planning Conference for the first time, an experience that proved both enlightening and challenging. As someone working in a specialised area of the built environment, it was eye-opening to hear directly from planning professionals about the barriers they face, particularly with lighting.
One quote that particularly stuck with me came from Dr Kiera Chapman of the University of Oxford, who said:
“We have a system that doesn’t reward those who are trying to do the right thing.”
That sentiment captured much of the discussion about how the current planning system often rewards process over purpose.
Other key themes throughout the day focussed on Nature including how design teams can be more creative when designing with nature, to ensure it is integral to the project, rather than being seen as a ‘problem to be dealt with’. This is especially important considering it is a fundamental life support system for humankind.
The conference made me reflect on the role lighting consultants play in the planning process. While we’re often brought in to solve technical issues, we also have a much wider contribution to make, particularly when it comes to designing environments that are sustainable, safe, and genuinely enjoyable to live in by day and night. It seems to me that the night-time enjoyment of the space is often overlooked, only being brough to attention because of potential impacts on biodiversity or landscape.
Good lighting design supports biodiversity, helps mitigate light pollution, enhances safety and wellbeing, and plays a key role in placemaking. These aren’t just ‘nice to haves’, they’re essential if we’re serious about building high-quality, future-ready housing. If the government’s housing targets are to be met in a way that benefits communities in the long term, then consultants like us need to be brought in earlier and valued for more than just our ability to navigate objections.
This conference reminded me that everyone working in the planning system has a role to play in improving it. For lighting consultants, that means continuing to advocate for high quality, sustainable lighting solutions, showing how good design at an early stage in the project can help reduce lighting-related objections and better outcomes for everyone.
Women in Planning (Solent) & Landscape Institute South East Seminar.
Most recently, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Women in Planning (Solent) seminar, co-hosted by the Landscape Institute at Eastleigh Lakeside on 15 October. My session explored the importance of mitigating light pollution and the role of comprehensive lighting strategies in planning.
The audience engagement was fantastic, with thoughtful questions about how lighting affects ecology, landscape character, and human wellbeing. Together we reinforced the message that well-considered lighting is essential to sustainable placemaking, balancing safety, amenity, and environmental protection.
It was encouraging to see such enthusiasm for the topic and recognition that light, when handled responsibly, can be a powerful design tool rather than a constraint.
Looking Ahead
Across all three events, one theme stood out: the need to reward quality, not just compliance. Whether we are talking about national planning reform, integrating nature into design, or managing the impacts of light, success depends on collaboration and early, multidisciplinary involvement.
The planning system is undoubtedly evolving, but real progress will come from valuing every contributor for the expertise they bring in shaping better places for people and nature alike.
For lighting consultants, that means continuing to advocate for sustainable, evidence-based design that supports both ecological and human needs. By doing so, we can help ensure that the spaces we create are not only technically sound but genuinely enriching, by day and by night.
The National Planning Conference is organised by the Planning Portal and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), two leading organisations shaping the future of the UK’s built environment. The Planning Portal is the UK government’s national online planning and building control service, while the RTPI is the professional body for town planners, promoting sustainable, inclusive, and well-designed communities. Together, they champion a vision of planning as a force for positive change, tackling housing shortages, supporting climate action, and improving quality of life across regions.
You can join them by becoming a member of the RTPI or by attending the National Planning Conference. RTPI membership is open to students, graduates, and professionals; annual fees start from £130 for Licentiate members and vary by grade and experience. Membership details and applications are available on the RTPI website – just click here
Want to know more about DFL and their Lighting Impact and Planning Team – click here
