Mayors, Motherhood and the West of England: A Conversation with Helen Godwin

Special LIVE Episode: Planning After Dark at UKREiiF 2026

Recorded live from UKREiiF 2026 in front of a packed audience, the PAD Pod team takes on the big questions facing planning, housing and development right now. With special guests Paul Clark and Gavin Winbanks joining Alex Notay and Jackie Sadik (while Catriona Riddell battles serious FOMO from afar), this special live episode explores what happens when political turbulence collides with ambitious growth agendas. From delivery versus policy, viability challenges and devolution, to place-based investment, local government reform and whether we’re celebrating success enough, the panel asks what actually needs to happen to turn planning permissions into places. Plus: UKREiiF survival tips, debates about mayoral power, the case for stronger local leadership, and why maybe (just maybe) optimism matters more than ever. Featuring audience contributions from across the sector, including discussions on housing delivery, investment, data, local authority leadership and what the industry should really be asking government for next. Recorded live at UKREiiF 2026. Contains strong opinions, occasional woo-woo, and absolutely no ABBA. Get in touch! Message us at ask@planningafterdark.co.uk [ask@planningafterdark.co.uk] Planning After Dark is the bold and insightful podcast where three powerhouse women in planning and development - Alex Notay, Catriona Riddell, and Jackie Sadek - shine a light on the industry’s biggest challenges, trends, and, yes, even a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip. From navigating the complexities of development to debating the future of our cities, Planning After Dark is the no-holds-barred discussion you won’t want to miss. Powered by Cratus Group [http://www.cratus.co.uk], new episodes drop monthly on all major streaming platforms.

Mayors, Mothers and Making It Happen with Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz

In this special episode of Planning After Dark, Jackie, Alex and Catriona are joined by Mayor of Newham Rokhsana Fiaz for a wide-ranging, moving and very PAD Pod conversation about leadership, legacy and local government. Rokhsana reflects on her eight years as Mayor, from stepping into Newham’s executive mayoral model and challenging old political cultures, to putting people at the heart of inclusive growth, Olympic legacy, community wealth building and the regeneration of places like Alice Billings House. There’s serious talk on housing, homelessness, renters’ rights, trust in politics, London’s looming local elections and why lived experience matters in public policy. There’s also plenty of classic PAD chaos: fashion watch, If Mayors Ruled the World, Star Wars, House of Cards, ABBA, Sade, Michael Jackson scrapbooks and one very strong motherly mantra: “You don’t need permission to be a leader, just be one.”  Candid, hopeful and full of heart, it’s a conversation about cracking codes, rebuilding trust and what happens when women lead from the front. Get in touch! Message us at ask@planningafterdark.co.uk [ask@planningafterdark.co.uk] Planning After Dark is the bold and insightful podcast where three powerhouse women in planning and development - Alex Notay, Catriona Riddell, and Jackie Sadek - shine a light on the industry’s biggest challenges, trends, and, yes, even a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip. From navigating the complexities of development to debating the future of our cities, Planning After Dark is the no-holds-barred discussion you won’t want to miss. Powered by Cratus Group [http://www.cratus.co.uk], new episodes drop monthly on all major streaming platforms.

Anniversary Special: New Towns, MIPIM and Mayhem

Planning After Dark turns one!  And in this anniversary special the PAD Pod marks the occasion with a lively and wide-ranging conversation on the biggest planning stories of the moment. Jackie, Catriona and Alex reflect on a whirlwind first year of the podcast before diving into MIPIM, inward investment and the UK’s patchy international presence, asking what the sector still isn’t getting right about global promotion and delivery. From there, they unpack devolution, spatial development strategies, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and the government’s latest new towns announcement - including why seven shortlisted locations may be politically significant, but won’t come close to solving the housing crisis on their own. The episode also explores rightsizing and older people’s housing, with fresh insight from a House of Lords roundtable on how better housing choices later in life could unlock family homes and improve quality of life.  And in a more serious final section, the team discuss the worsening treatment of public sector planners, the pressures of committee culture, and the urgent need to support and retain officers across local government. With reflections on the past year and a look ahead to UKREiiF and the next guest, this is a fittingly full-on start to year two. Get in touch! Message us at ask@planningafterdark.co.uk [ask@planningafterdark.co.uk] Planning After Dark is the bold and insightful podcast where three powerhouse women in planning and development - Alex Notay, Catriona Riddell, and Jackie Sadek - shine a light on the industry’s biggest challenges, trends, and, yes, even a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip. From navigating the complexities of development to debating the future of our cities, Planning After Dark is the no-holds-barred discussion you won’t want to miss. Powered by Cratus Group [http://www.cratus.co.uk], new episodes drop monthly on all major streaming platforms.

Mayors, Motherhood and the West of England: A Conversation with Helen Godwin

In this special International Women’s Day [chatgpt://generic-entity?number=1] episode of Planning After Dark, Catrina Riddell, Jackie Sadek and Alex Notay are joined by Helen Godwin, Mayor of the West of England. Helen shares the story behind her journey into politics – from writing letters to MPs as a teenager to leading one of the UK’s most economically dynamic regions. The conversation explores the realities of political leadership, balancing family life with public service, and what the mayoral model can achieve for places like Bristol, Bath and the wider West of England. The discussion covers: * The evolving role of metro mayors in England * Devolution and the opportunities for the West of England * Transport, growth and unlocking development * Women in politics and leadership * Why storytelling matters in civic leadership Along the way there’s also talk of karaoke, social media, and the realities of navigating the planning and development world. A lively, thoughtful and occasionally chaotic conversation about place, politics and the people shaping the future of our cities. Get in touch! Message us at ask@planningafterdark.co.uk [ask@planningafterdark.co.uk] Planning After Dark is the bold and insightful podcast where three powerhouse women in planning and development - Alex Notay, Catriona Riddell, and Jackie Sadek - shine a light on the industry’s biggest challenges, trends, and, yes, even a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip. From navigating the complexities of development to debating the future of our cities, Planning After Dark is the no-holds-barred discussion you won’t want to miss. Powered by Cratus Group [http://www.cratus.co.uk], new episodes drop monthly on all major streaming platforms.

Talking Isn’t Delivering: Planning, Power and the Problem with Perfection

In this episode of Planning After Dark, Alex and Catriona are joined by Gavin Winbanks, founder of Whitehawk Green (stepping in for Jackie) for a wide-ranging conversation on planning reform, inward investment and why the UK so often struggles to move from strategy to delivery. Recorded amid political and geopolitical noise, the discussion opens by asking whether the biggest changes to planning, local government and devolution in a generation are being drowned out - and whether the system can stay the course long enough to make them work. Catriona reflects on local government reorganisation (LGR), mayoral authorities and the opportunity to rebuild planning capacity, skills and confidence at scale. Bringing an investor’s perspective, Gavin challenges the sector to think beyond plan-making and towards implementation: how places present themselves to the market, why the “wall of capital” is smaller than we pretend, and why certainty, clarity and consistency matter more than perfect policies. The conversation ranges across regeneration, brownfield delivery, institutional investment, the loss of regional strategies, and what the UK can learn from international examples. The panel also takes on risk aversion, legal defensiveness and perfection paralysis in planning, alongside a forward-looking discussion on economic identity, sector focus and the role of mayors in unlocking growth. The episode closes with reflections on MIPIM, housing delivery, celebrating success - and a welcome return of Angela Rayner Fashion Watch. Big questions, strong opinions and a familiar PAD message: stop polishing the plans, and start getting things built. Get in touch! Message us at ask@planningafterdark.co.uk [ask@planningafterdark.co.uk] Planning After Dark is the bold and insightful podcast where three powerhouse women in planning and development - Alex Notay, Catriona Riddell, and Jackie Sadek - shine a light on the industry’s biggest challenges, trends, and, yes, even a bit of behind-the-scenes gossip. From navigating the complexities of development to debating the future of our cities, Planning After Dark is the no-holds-barred discussion you won’t want to miss. Powered by Cratus Group [http://www.cratus.co.uk], new episodes drop monthly on all major streaming platforms.