Dear Member

The NIPA Early Years Practitioners (EYPs) steering group invites you to our next event to learn more about different roles and experiences during the DCO Examination process.

NIPA EYPs has been launched to provide a special interest group within the NIPA membership for early years practitioners (up to 10 years’ qualification/experience) of all backgrounds in the infrastructure planning sphere to learn, network, and share experiences and ideas at a variety of events from panel discussions and debates to social events.

The event will be a webinar panel discussion followed by an informal Q&A session on Wednesday 27th July from 5:00 – 6:00pm. We have a variety of panellists, from a range of sectors, whose biogs are set out below. They will discuss their experiences and insight into the DCO Examination process, having recently been involved in some of the country’s most exciting projects. The event is aimed at NIPA EYPs – although all are welcome, including non-members who are interested in learning more about the Examination process!

The event will be chaired by Anna Coyle, Associate at Burges Salmon, and we are thrilled to be joined by the below speakers. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask them questions.

Please RSVP to info@nipa-uk.org to receive joining details. This event is open to members and non-members of NIPA with an interest in Infrastructure Planning.

The NIPA EYPs STEERING GROUP

Celestia Godbehere – Ørsted/ Defra (secondment) – Lead Environment & Consents Specialist

Celestia started her journey in national infrastructure planning by coordinating the submission of Ørsted’s Hornsea Three offshore wind DCO application in 2018. In the Examination phase she represented Hornsea Three as onshore environmental manager, and when the Secretary of State required consideration of derogation under the Habitats Regulations she led the design of the first compensatory measures package for an offshore wind farm. Within Ørsted, Celestia currently advises the UK Environment and Consents team on strategic environment matters, and over the past year set up and Chaired a developer collaboration seeking strategic solutions to compensation for the offshore wind industry. Celestia is starting a part-time secondment within Defra in July 2022, supporting the delivery of the Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package as part of the Energy Security Strategy.

Natasha Hyde – Nuclear Waste Services – Planning & Environment Lawyer

Natasha spent 4 years at EDF as the lead in-house planning counsel on Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C. She advised on implementing the Hinkley Point C DCO and a whole range of related environmental issues. Natasha structured and led the external legal team working closely with the planning and environment teams to support the final rounds of Sizewell C consultation, DCO application finalisation during the first lockdown and then examination. After a short stint in the EDF Central Government Policy team, she has recently moved to the public sector advising Nuclear Waste Services on developing the planning strategy for a geological disposal facility which will safely manage the UK’s nuclear waste deep underground.

Tom Beckford – Copper Consultancy – Senior Account Manager

Tom has delivered communications and stakeholder engagement programmes for several DCO projects across the energy and transport sectors over the past five years. Tom supported the AQUIND Interconnector DCO through from non-statutory consultation to decision, including authoring the Consultation Report that was submitted with the application. He also worked on the early stages of the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro (CAM) proposals. More recently, Tom has been supporting National Grid on their East Anglia GREEN, Sea Link and Bramford to Twinstead reinforcements, BP’s Morven offshore wind farm and a range of DCO solar projects for numerous developers.