Speaker Details

Dr Peter Hopkinson, Ecoversity, University of Bradford.

Peter Hopkinson has been based at the University since 1994. He is senior lecturer in Environmental Management and since August 2006 he has been appointed as Director of Education for Sustainable Development for the University's Award Winning Ecoversity Project. As a graduate in Environmental Science from the University of Bradford, Peter has had a 25 years association with the Geography and Environmental Science subject area.

John Dennis, CEng, MIMMM, CGeol FGS.

John is a Chartered Geologist and Engineer and has been responsible for the technical development of the "Creating Land Value" events.

He has had a wide and varied career as a contractor, consultant and client in the ground industry and has worked in a variety of sectors. He has been involved in a number of major projects including Leigh Sports Village, Odsal Sporting Village, Bradley Park Landfill Site, Shipley Sustainable Resource Park, Grattan Warehouse and Straight Mile Landfill Site.

Ann Barker, Environmental Health Department, Bradford Council.

Ann has 20 years experience in contaminated land investigation and management in both consultancy and local authority regulation. She also works with organisations such as YAHPAC (Yorkshire and Humber Pollution Advisory Council), YCLF (Yorkshire Contaminated Land Forum) and Environmental Protection UK: to raise the profile of land quality work and local authority regulatory issues at local, regional and national level; facilitate support networks, training and skills development; and improve communications across the land quality sector.

Mike Osborne, Arup.

Michael Osborne is a Geologist and Engineer by training and joined Arup in 2001 after serving as an Army Officer in the Royal Engineers. He has recently worked on the design of the Bingley Relief Road where he was responsible for the crossing of peat bogs and landfills.

Hywel Wilcox, Black Rock Environmental Consultants Ltd.

Hywel has over 30 years experience in the waste management and land assessment industry. He worked for an extensive period for West Yorkshire Waste Management and is an independent assessor for WAMITAB and associated waste industry training programmes.

Philip Wilbourn Associates.

Philip is a Chartered Environmental Surveyor and one of the leading experts on the relationship between the value of all forms of commercial property, contaminated land and the development/investment markets.

Dr Jared West, University of Leeds. 

Jared leads the MSc in Engineering Geology at the University of Leeds.

His research has concerned the development and application of physical and geophysical approaches to the characterization of groundwater processes. Groundwater is an important source of drinking water throughout the world but it is also used for irrigation and industrial purposes; it requires protection from pollution by over-abstraction, agrochemicals and wastes, including radioactive wastes. In recent years his research has taken on an increasingly applied emphasis, working with end-users (Water Companies, Government Agencies) to use scientific understanding developed to inform management of ground and surface-water resources, and land-use planning.

Chris Baybutt, Managing Director, Greenbank Partnerships.

Chris is a Chartered Surveyor and was the Founder and Director of Ravenhead Renaissance, a public/private sector consortium established in 1988 to provide a development and regeneration framework for the Borough of St Helens and Founder Director of the St HElens World of Glass Project. He was involved in the regeneration of over 100 acres of derelict land adjacent to St Helens Town Centre and lead the development of Ravenhead Park, a 300,00sq ft former derelict site adjacent to St Helens Town Centre.

Jonathan Smith, Development Director, Greenbank Partnerships.

Johnathan is a Chartered Town Planner with over 20 years experience, the last 12 at partner and director level, at Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners, Savills and GVA Grimley and Steven Abbott Associates (SAA).

Jonathan Riley, Pinset Mason Solicitors.

Jonathan is partner in the firm's Planning and Environment team. He formerly combined private practice with being a lecturer in law at Keble College, Oxford.

His experience includes:

• Advising Leeds City Council on planning and compulsory purchase issues arising out of the Trinity and Eastgate retail schemes, totalling 2.5m square feet.
• Acting for Simons Developments on retail schemes in Dorchester and Hitchin.
• Acting for PPG Land on employment sites in Wakefield and Darlington.
• Acting for NHS Trusts in London and Birmingham on the only two health compulsory purchase orders in the UK.
• Negotiating planning agreements in relation to a gas storage cavern at King Street in Cheshire and related 60km cross country pipeline.