Leaders in development from across the South West are set to come together in Bristol next week to discuss the opportunities and obstacles faced by the sector Thrings’ Development of Land Seminar.
Ahead of the event, we are proud to welcome Prof. Chris Willmore, South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning, Environmental Barrister and Academic, as our guest speaker.
With a legal career spanning 40 years, Chris combined academic work with a period of practice at St John’s Chambers focused on planning, property and environment issues. With Chris teaching property law in both the UK at the University of Bristol – where she is an Emeritus Professor in sustainability and law – and in Hong Kong.
Chris has also been actively involved in politics since 1983 and has previously served as the Leader of the Opposition on Northavon District Council and then as Leader of South Gloucestershire Council when it was formed in 1996. In this time, she has also acted as consultant for the Local Government Association (LGA), and for various other local authorities and voluntary sector bodies.
Having been re-elected to South Gloucestershire Council in 2023, following a break from district-level politics to focus on work with the University, Chris assumed the cabinet portfolio for planning, regeneration and infrastructure. In this role, her focus is on overseeing sustainable growth for the communities across South Gloucestershire and the delivery of a compliant, viable Local Plan aligned to the Council’s priorities.
Chris said: “I am delighted to have been invited by Thrings to talk about South Gloucestershire Council’s new Local Plan at their upcoming seminar and look forward to engaging with the development community on our long-term strategy for development and the protection of the environment across South Gloucestershire over the next 15 years.
“By bringing a local government perspective to the discussion, I hope it will enable colleagues from the worlds of planning, construction and property to understand our objectives and give them added incentive to work collaboratively with us in creating outstanding communities for local people to enjoy.”
The Thrings Development of Land Seminar will take place at The Watershed in Bristol on Tuesday, 30 January from 8am to 10am. Find out more about the event here.
