Ask-a-planorak #6 - Christopher Katkowski QC

10 questions with Christopher Katkowski QC, part of the Government’s “Planning for the Future” task force.

Let me tell you something, planoraks. You haven’t lived until you’ve watched Christopher Katkowski QC (“Kitkat”) cross-examine in a planning inquiry. Seriously. It’s like watching Pelé do one of those dribbles. You think… “how does he make it look so easy?” as defenders slip and slide all over the place, and he glides goalwards without breaking a sweat.

In my game - the bewigged world of the planning barristers - Kitkat’s been top of the tree for many years. We’re colleagues at Landmark Chambers and, just a little bit topically, he recently accepted the bat-signal to join the Government’s planning “task force”. You know the one - it came up with the ideas we’ve all spent the last few days poring over in “Planning for the Future” - which I tried to summarise last week here, and will say a bit more about on Wednesday (free registration here).

So I thought Kitkat might just have a thing or two on his mind this week. He answers 10 questions for us on a life in planning and the small matter of… you know… the future of the planning system:

1. What was your route into a life of planning? 

When I was doing the second part of my training to be a barrister my "pupil master" (as they were called then) Simon Brown (Lord Brown) told me one day that his chambers didn't have room for me but I'd done well, and so he would introduce me to "someone called Robert Carnwath" (Lord Carnwath) "who does something called planning" - and so it was that I went off to do the last bit of my training with Robert Carnwath, was taken on as a member of his chambers and after not too long I started doing planning cases. 

2. Which of the schemes you’ve worked on over the years are you particularly proud of, and why? And a bonus question – could you give us your most memorable planning inquiry moment? 

It has to be the Shard - why? Because I can truly say, with pride, that the Shard has become the iconic symbol of London, our world-city. Memorable moments - there have been so very many and it's truly difficult to choose one - there were plenty just during the Shard inquiry - I guess it would have to be calling Renzo Piano to give evidence at the Shard inquiry, listening and watching in awe as he delivered what can only be described as a masterclass, and after his evidence was over (including his cross-examination - he was the only witness I have ever seen who was impossible to cross-examine!) the inspector saying to Renzo "Can I shake the hand of the world's greatest living architect". That was quite some day!

3. Why did you decide to join the Government’s “task force” that developed the ideas in last week’s White Paper? 

I was asked whether I'd be interested in joining and I jumped at the chance. Why? Because it was wonderful to have the opportunity to make a difference and build a better planning system rather than just moaning and groaning about the inadequacies of what we have now. 

4. If you had to describe the vision of this new planning regime proposed in the White Paper in a sentence or two, what would you say? 

The vision is to create an efficient, inclusive and accessible planning system in which everyone can contribute to making the area in which they live somewhere that they can have pride in; where no-one is excluded and where everyone can understand what's going on and play a worthwhile part in getting things right. 

5. Which of the White Paper’s proposals do you see as most important and why? 

To me the key proposals are those concerning Local Plans (because here is a once in a generation chance to re-imagine local plans and make them truly count); and those that seek to ensure we "build beautiful" (surely something every right-thinking person would support) and getting rid of CIL and s106 planning obligations and replacing them with a "from day one we all know where we stand" levy which local councils would be able to spend e.g. on affordable housing. 

6. If – à la Desert Island Discs – you could save just one of the specific White Paper ideas from the waves, which would it be? 

Well this might surprise you given that the ideas for Local Plans which are found in the White Paper are for reasons which I will leave you to guess at, very close to my heart indeed - but if I could save just one thing it would be the proposal to do away with the ridiculous nonsense that is SA and SEA for local plans and replace them with a new simple process which does what counts, namely one which allows us all to understand in an accessible way what the environmental consequences would be of the ideas in a local plan so that properly informed decisions can be made about what to do; in other words, bin our obsession with process and focus on what matters - outcomes. 

7. How do you view the media’s reaction to the White Paper so far and (another bonus question!), what’s your answer to those who’ve painted the White Paper as a charter for the next generation of slums? 

I spent much of launch day shouting at the radio as commentator after commentator said ridiculous things about the proposals - I'm very sad to see the big ideas so mischaracterised, in many cases by people saying that the proposals are the exact opposite of what we've put forward; for example, one of the big themes of the critics has been that the proposals would remove the power of councils to decide what to build where, and deny local people the opportunity to object whereas in fact the proposals would give far more power to councillors and to local people and communities not only over what to build where but also to draw up "pattern books" of what development should look like, and what standards it should follow. The statement made that we would create the next generation of slums is crass and I was exceptionally disappointed at the source of the statement - in fact the proposals would create a charter for building places where we would be proud to live; of all the things that have been said by critics, the "slums of the future" comment is the most absurd. 

8. What do you say to the idea that England’s current planning system would work just fine if it was resourced properly? 

I would say "you cannot be serious! Are you joking?!"

9. What do you see as the greatest challenge to implementing the reforms in the White Paper successfully? 

The White Paper is backed by the PM - for those of us who worked up the big ideas in the White Paper we need this to continue to be the case as we face what will doubtless be an onslaught of criticism. I can only hope that there are people out there who will see what a wonderful opportunity this is to make things so much better and so will contribute in a positive manner to the consultation. All I ask is that the White Paper be given a fair reading. 

10. Scrolling forward 10 years, which 3 words would you like people to be using to describe the reformed English planning system? 

"inclusive, accessible, understandable" 

Thanks very much for your answers, Kitkat. Many (many 😬) more posts to come on the White Paper and its implications, so do not adjust your sets. And, most important, stay well planoraks.