Talk: Confessions! with Rachel Fisher, hosted by Eleanor Jolliffe — Building Centre

Planning is where some of the biggest questions facing the built environment become real: what gets built, what gets protected, who gets heard, what is prioritised, and how decisions are made in the public interest.

For this edition of Confessions!, architect and Building Design columnist Eleanor Jolliffe is joined by Rachel Fisher, Chief Executive of the Royal Town Planning Institute, for a candid conversation about planning, policy and the difficult work of navigating complexity.

Rachel was most recently Deputy Director for Food at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Prior to her role in food strategy and security, she spent five years as Deputy Director of land use policy, where her work included Biodiversity Net Gain and the Land Use Framework for England. She was also a Deputy Director in the Cities and Local Growth Unit, within the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, where she led on regeneration investment and policy, from high streets to HS2 growth strategies. An associate member of the RTPI since 2007, Rachel brings expertise across the built environment and a track record of delivering policy change both inside and outside government.

In conversation with Eleanor, Rachel will reflect on the realities of working across planning, land use, environmental policy and regeneration: the competing pressures, professional judgements and moments of uncertainty that sit behind public decision-making.

Expect an evening about complexity, clarity, responsibility and the art of planning — with space for humour, honesty and the occasional confession.

Confessions! is the Building Centre’s live series where people from across architecture, housing, planning, design and construction share stories of when things did not quite go to plan — and what they learned along the way. Each session mixes storytelling, humour and reflection, with audience members invited — but never obliged — to submit their own anonymous confessions for Eleanor to read on stage.

Tickets: Tickets are £5, with optional £7 and £10 tickets available for anyone who would like to contribute a little more in support of the Building Centre’s talks and public programme
Location: Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT
Nearest Station: Goodge Street, via Northern line or Tottenham Court Road, via Elizabeth, Central and Northern lines