Event
20 April, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Building in the balance

Government is pushing to accelerate progress on housing and infrastructure while environmental constraints, funding mechanisms and the roles of relevant regulators continue to evolve. Devolution is also shifting responsibility for environmental management, resilience and place-making to mayors and combined authorities, raising questions about local capacity, funding flexibilities and alignment with national regulation. 

Local growth, environmental protection and infrastructure delivery are increasingly intertwined. As mayors take on wider responsibilities, many core levers remain with national bodies such as Natural England, the Environment Agency and the Planning Inspectorate. This roundtable will bring together senior voices from central government, regulators, local leaders and industry to explore where the current system enables progress, where it stalls, and what reforms could support more coherent, devolved environmental and planning decisions. 

Re:State is delighted to welcome Joanna Key, Director General, Regeneration, Housing and Planning, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to share her perspective on how policy, funding and regulatory frameworks can better align to enable delivery, while maintaining environmental and place-making objectives. 

This is a private event which will be held under the Chatham House rule and is kindly supported by Balfour Beatty.