Planning Conference Speakers

Finley Becks-Phelps

UK Development Director, Fred. Olsen Renewables

Finley Beck-Phelps brings almost a decade of experience to Fred. Olsen Renewables. As UK Development Director, Fin has led the company through a period of significant growth – building a team that is experienced, trustworthy and passionate about the role that renewables will play in a net zero future.

Fred. Olsen Renewables has been an integral part of Scotland’s renewable energy industry for over 20 years, generating over 500MW of onshore wind. Fin is taking the team on a journey which will place communities at its core, build on previous successes and bring forward a pipeline of projects, spanning different technologies, across the country.

Kirsten Rae

Project Manager, ScottishPower Renewables

Kirsten is a Project Manager within the Onshore Development team of ScottishPower Renewables with experience in the development of greenfield and repowered windfarms from feasibility and conceptual design through to application and consent. Kirsten has worked on a variety of developments, navigating the planning systems in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

David Bell

Director, David Bell Planning Ltd

David is a Chartered Town Planner and planning consultant with 30 years’ experience of planning and development practice. David established David Bell Planning Ltd (DBP) as a specialist renewable energy planning consultancy in June 2019.

David was previously Head of Planning for JLL in Scotland and held that role for almost 20 years. He has particular expertise in relation to energy planning and onshore wind development. He has advised on some of the UK’s largest renewable energy projects including the Viking, Dorenell, Rothes, South Kyle and Millennium Extension Wind Farms in Scotland, and Scout Moor in England. David has advised on feasibility studies and planning applications covering onshore wind energy, biomass, solar and transmission infrastructure. David is recognised as a leading planning consultant on renewable energy development and frequently acts in the capacity of expert planning witness at Public Local Inquiries and in Appeals throughout the UK.

Neil Collar

Partner/ Head of Planning Law, Brodies LLP Solicitors

Experienced adviser, inquiry advocate, blogger, author and conference speaker - Neil Collar is one of Scotland's best known planning lawyers. His team at Brodies LLP were shortlisted for Planning magazine’s Planning Law Firm of the Year 2018. Neil has over 20 years’ experience of renewables projects and is a long standing member of Scottish Renewables planning group.

Sarah Dooley

Principal Project Development Manager – Scotland, EDF Renewables

Sarah has worked in onshore wind development since 2003, progressing projects from initial site identification through to financial close. She joined EDF Renewables UK and Ireland in May 2017 and oversees the delivery of the pipeline of Scottish onshore wind development projects.

EDF Renewables UK and Ireland has 37 operational wind farms (including 2 offshore wind farms at Blyth and Teesside) totalling almost 1GW.

The company has a development of pipeline of projects comprising more than 5GW across Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland. In Scotland there is just under 500 MW in operation across eight onshore wind farms and based on our existing pipeline we are looking to triple this. We have another 500 MW of onshore projects which are already consented, another 500 MW in development and planning and we are continuously adding further new projects to this pipeline.

Currently we are building the Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm in the Firth of Forth with our JV Partners ESB. In North Lanarkshire work is underway building the 30 MW West Benhar onshore wind farm.

Sarah graduated in Marine & Environmental Management from the University of Aberdeen and is a Member of the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment.

William Black

Deputy Director Onshore Electricity Policy, Strategic Co-ordination & Energy Consents, The Scottish Government

William Black is Deputy Director for Onshore Electricity, Strategic Coordination and Energy Consents, a newly formed division of the Scottish Government with policy and operational responsibilities.

After training in environmental planning, environmental management and business administration, William worked as a developer and headed up demand side response in one of the Big Six before joining the Scottish Government in 2019 as head of the Energy Consents Unit. He held various operational and strategic positions in the Energy and Climate Change Directorate before moving to his current Deputy Director role in July 2021.

Outside work he enjoys football and golf and volunteers to support the development of grassroots sport for children.

Robbie Calvert

Policy, Practice and Research Officer, Royal Town Planning Institute

Robbie Calvert is the Policy, Practice and Research Officer for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Scotland. Robbie is a chartered town planner, with a passion for all facets of planning and social policy. In his current role he leads on consultation responses and has authored a number of research reports and policy briefings. His role has a strong public affairs component, with him sitting on a wide range of working groups and forums. Robbie has a background in local government planning having previously working as a development management for the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Euan Hutchison

Consenting Associate Director, Locogen

With 28 years of experience in the Scottish planning system, Euan has a lot to bring to the table. From knowledge working for Dumfries and Galloway Council as well as renewable companies Natural Power and now Locogen, he has a broad perspective on planning for renewables. Over the last 13 years Euan has consented over 1GW of onshore renewable generation in the UK and Ireland. In addition, he has been a member of the Scottish Renewables Planning Group since 2009 and regularly contributes to policy reviews affecting the renewables industry at a national and local level.

Colin W Innes

Planning and Environment, Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP

Colin Innes heads the Planning and Environmental Group at Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP. He is recognised for his industry expertise in the clean energy sector and is currently involved in a large number of renewable energy projects both on and offshore throughout the UK. He has been involved in numerous projects that have engaged landscape and visual issues.

Claire Mack

Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables

Claire has been Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, the representative voice of Scotland’s renewable energy industry, since October 2017. She is responsible for leading the organisation’s work to grow Scotland’s renewables sector and sustain its position at the forefront of the global clean energy industry.

Claire is a member of the First Minister’s Energy Advisory Board and is co-chair of the Renewable Energy Strategic Leadership Group. She is also co-chair of the Scottish Government Marine Energy Industry Group.

Claire is a member of SSEN’s Network for Net Zero Stakeholder Group and a member of the Centre for Work-Based Learning in Scotland Advisory Group. She was recently awarded a STELAR award for executive leadership from the University of Strathclyde.

Before joining Scottish Renewables, Claire was Director of Policy and Place at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry. She has previously worked in various roles at Ofcom in Scotland, focusing on economic regulation of telecoms, radio spectrum and the mail market while also looking at developing digital participation of individuals and businesses.

Prior to this Claire worked in retail and the construction industry as well as on regulation of regional broadcasting in the Borders and North East of England.

Lindsay McQuade

CEO, ScottishPower Renewables

Delivering clean, green electricity to homes and businesses is the key objective of ScottishPower Renewables, under the direction of Lindsay McQuade. Lindsay is responsible for ScottishPower Renewables’ fleet of renewable generation and future developments of its pipeline of wind, storage and solar plant across the UK and Ireland. ScottishPower is part of the Iberdrola group, one of the largest utilities in the world and a leader in wind energy, both onshore and offshore.

Prior to her appointment as CEO, Lindsay was the Policy & Innovation Director of ScottishPower Renewables, having held a number of strategic roles across ScottishPower over the last 20 years. In her early career Lindsay also held roles with British Energy, Stakis, and Clydesdale Bank.

Lindsay is a past board director of both Renewable UK and Scottish Renewables, helping to shape and inform the policy and regulatory environment for deployment and integration of cost-effective, low carbon, renewable generation, as well as promoting the industrial benefits delivered by investment in renewable energy generation across the UK.

Morag Watson

Director of Policy, Scottish Renewables

Morag is Scottish Renewables’ Director of Policy. Her work involves overseeing Scottish Renewables’ policy function and key projects within Scotland’s leading renewables trade body, working on behalf of 260+ organisations to grow Scotland’s renewable energy sector and sustain its position at the forefront of the global clean energy industry.

Morag has worked in policy for over 17 years and was previously a Senior Policy Officer with WWF Scotland, specialising in climate change, sustainable development and behaviour change.

Gary McGovern

Planning Partner, Pinsent Masons LLP

Gary is a planning law specialist who works extensively across the UK in the energy and infrastructure sector and has over 16 years' experience promoting and advising on renewable projects including onshore and offshore wind, large-scale solar and battery storage, EfW, biomass and hydro (including pumped-storage hydro schemes). He has experience of promoting consent applications, appeals, examination and inquiries across a wide variety of regimes in different jurisdictions, including extensive experience of the Electricity Act 1989 (section 36) and Planning Act 2008 (DCO regime), as well as the Town and Country Planning Acts in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. Recent projects include the 54MW Strathy Wood wind farm, 48MW Camster II wind farm, the 200MW Energy Isles wind farm, the 2.4GW Hornsea Three and 2.6 GW Hornsea Four offshore wind farms and the 300MW Cleve Hill solar and battery storage project. Gary is also a member of the RUK Aviation Working Group.

Scott Vallance

Senior Project Manager, Statkraft

A chartered town planner and chartered surveyor with an APM accredited Project Management qualification, Scott has over 10 years’ experience in prospecting, developing and sale of projects across a number of technologies, including onshore wind, utility scale solar and energy storage facilities. Scott takes a keen interest in policy and regulatory matters impacting the industry and is regularly involved in industry working groups.

Statkraft is a leading company in hydropower internationally and Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. Since 2006, Statkraft has gone from strength to strength in the UK, building experience across wind, solar, hydro, storage, grid stability, EV charging, green hydrogen and a thriving markets business.

Statkraft has 4800 employees in 18 countries, including 280 staff in England, Scotland and Wales playing a key role in helping the global business achieve its goal of 8 GW of developed wind and solar power by 2025.

Craig Whelton

Consenting Lawyer, Burges Salmon

Craig Whelton is a partner at independent UK law firm Burges Salmon and leads the firm's Scottish Planning team from its Edinburgh office. Craig specialises in the consenting of major infrastructure, mixed use and energy projects. He also advises scheme promoters and landowners on compulsory purchase and compensation, and has advised on some of the largest development schemes across Scotland. Craig regularly appears as an advocate at planning appeal hearings and inquiries, as well as advising on judicial challenges, including the SPP judicial challenges.

Tatiana White

Associate, ASH Design + Assessment Ltd

Tatiana is an Associate with ASH design + assessment Ltd. As a Chartered Landscape Architect, Tatiana has nearly a decade of experience working on a broad range of project with a particular focus on LVIA and EIA/EA for energy related projects. Tatiana leads projects from initial feasibility and design development through to application and consenting. Tatiana has helped secure consent for high profile onshore wind energy projects in Scotland including projects for 200m to tip turbines and a range of grid connections projects.

Tatiana spent her early career as a planner working in Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. She is an Associate member of the RTPI and brings this experience and broader contextual outlook to her work. She has in depth knowledge of planning policy and guidance pertaining to landscape issues.