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Interested in Planning? Join Scotland's top planners for a Kilmarnock conference

Top planners from all over Scotland will focus on  “The Power of Planning – a Force for Good” as they gather for their prestigious annual conference at Kilmarnock’s Centrestage this month.

Heads of Planning Scotland (HOPS) have chosen the exciting venue, which has breathed new life into the historic former Kilmarnock Academy building, and whose reinvention as a fully inclusive and aspirational community venue, driving collaborative solutions to challenges including wellbeing, social isolation, education, and inequality, epitomises this year’s theme.

To be held on Thursday 19 June,  the conference will feature a dynamic lineup of keynote speakers, panel discussions, and roundtable sessions. This will be followed the next day by a guided walk around Kilmarnock’s main development sites.

The conference, which costs £60 and runs from 10.00am (doors open 9.30) until 4.30pm with an evening reception to follow, is open to both professional planners and anyone with an interest in planning. Tickets are available on Eventbrite

Delegates will gain insights into the role played by planners in delivering quality homes in the right locations across Scotland. The programme includes input from the Scottish Government’s Chief Planner, Local Authority Chief Planning Officers, and speakers from Homes for Scotland, Persimmon Homes and the Head of Housing at East Ayrshire Scotland.

Sessions will also look at how training can help elected members to add value to the planning process with sound decision making, led by the Chief Executive of Planning Aid Scotland, and a panel drawn from experts in all aspects of the local authority planning process.

Other topics for discussion include Digital Placemaking, Carbon Balance, Drainage Partnerships, Youth Engagement, Masterplanning and Centrestage’s own planning story.

Councillor Graham Barton,  Cabinet Spokesperson for Planning, Property and Environment, East Ayrshire Council  explained: “For us it’s very exciting to have been chosen to host this year’s conference. It gives us a chance to share our own experiences of planning and regeneration and showcase some of that knowledge in this wonderful venue.

We’re very proud of the collaborative working which has enabled us to join forces with Fiona McKenzie and her team at Centrestage to create this magnificent new multipurpose venue which centres around equality of opportunity, improving life chances and providing valuable support for our whole community.

“At the same time, bold decision making, joined up thinking and grant funding has allowed everyone involved to turn a redundant, tired building into a place which inspires hope and has a positive, life-changing effect on all who pass through its doors.

“Centrestage as an entity provides proof if ever we needed it that regeneration and planning is about more than buildings and spaces, it’s about what wise decision making brings to those who benefit from their design and use.

“In East Ayrshire we’re living and breathing Placemaking and planning processes, driving forward with community led regeneration, working with people, business and third sector organisations to make the most of existing resources, harness grant funding streams and build upon our assets to stimulate growth.

“Following this path brings us closer to our goals of Community Wealth Building and a just transition to a low carbon future and we’re looking forward to hosting this event, sharing and learning more about how all Scotland’s planners can contribute to achieve our aims.”

Fiona McKenzie OBE, Founder of  Centrestage said: “We are honoured to welcome planning leaders from across Scotland to CentreStage for this year’s HOPS Conference. The transformation of the former Kilmarnock Academy has been made possible through a shared vision and sustained, cross-sector collaboration. Together, CentreStage and East Ayrshire have created a model of progressive public sector reform—placing the arts and community at the heart of regeneration. It is a privilege to host this significant gathering and to contribute to the national conversation on how inclusive, people-centred planning can drive meaningful and lasting change.”

Tickets for the conference and a full agenda of the day’s events are now available on Eventbrite