Biographies – Demystifying Water Management in Planning, 15th April 2015
Richard Warneford, Northumbrian Water
Richard is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 25 years experience within the water industry, with
an MBA from Durham Business School. He has held a wide and varied portfolio of senior
management roles within Northumbrian Water including project management, water production
and distribution management.
In 2012 he joined Northumbrian Water’s Management Team in the role of Waste Water Director
being accountable for all business waste water operations including contracts in Scotland and
Ireland. His directorate also includes the Company’s New Development team for all aspects of the
water and waste water services.
In 2014 Richard was invited to chair the Water UK National Working Group on Developer Services
which is seeking to improve the levels of service in the provision of new connections by the UK water
industry. In addition to this role he is a Board member of UK Water Industry Research and more
locally an active member of the Northumbria Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
Ned Westaway, Barrister, Francis Taylor Building
Ned Westaway is a barrister specialising in planning and environmental law; he is on the Attorney
General’s panel of counsel and regularly acts in the High Court for central government, local
government and claimants; he also has extensive experience of planning inquiries and of
examinations into nationally significant infrastructure projects under the Planning Act 2008. Ned is
rated under both Planning and Environment by Chambers and Partners, which comments among
other things that “[h]e is keen, very hard-working, responsive and bright”. Ned is an Honorary
Research Associate at UCL, from where he obtained both his BA (classics) and LLM (environmental
laws).”
Cameron Sked, Environment Agency
Cameron Sked is a graduate of the Newcastle University Planning Course. After a number of
planning roles around the country Cameron has been leading the Environment Agency’s planning
team in the Newcastle Office for the past 8 years. As Planning Specialist, Cameron is key
independent advisor on environmental matters from individual planning applications to Nationally
Significant Infrastructure Projects and Local Authority Strategic Plans.
Martin Kennedy, Northumbrian Water
Martin is the Sustainable Sewerage Manager at Northumbrian Water. With a background in
operations, investment delivery and asset planning, Martin is now responsible for leading the
development of the Company approach to the provision of integrated drainage and surface water
management. His aim is to build partnerships with external stakeholders that will identify, promote
and support delivery of sustainable drainage opportunities. This approach will both help address
current service issues and plan ahead to provide sustainable capacity for regional growth and
protect our environment for future generations.
Dr Emily Lawson, University of Nottingham
Emily is a researcher specialising in environmental and climate change, nutrient cycling in glacial
environments, flood risk management and sustainability, communicating uncertainty and flood risk,
She is currently coordinating research in a multi-disciplinary project 'Delivering and Evaluating
Multiple Flood Risk Benefits in Blue-Green Cities'. This is focused on investigating how flood risk
management strategies might implement blue-green infrastructure, e.g. bioswales, wetlands,
retention ponds, to manage surface water flow, stormwater runoff and pluvial (from rainfall)
flooding, and investigating the use of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) for building
sustainable environments, more resilient to future flooding. A particular interest is in the
identification and quantification of the social, environmental and economic benefits from
multifunctional land use, e.g. using football fields for storage in times of flood, and recreation use
during non-flood periods, and raising awareness of successful blue-green infrastructure projects, e.g.
Portland, Oregon, green streets and river restoration programmes. Present research is also looking
at the flow of uncertainty through models used in flood risk management, and how uncertainty can
be communicated effectively to stakeholders (practitioners, end-users, academics, local community
groups), and best practice for stakeholder engagement in flood risk management projects to enable
the co-production of knowledge and social learning that can increase ownership, and acceptance, of
a flood risk management strategy.
Les Hall, Northumbrian Water
Les is Northumbrian Water’s New Development Manager. He is a sewerage design engineer with 33
years experience within the water industry. The first half of his career was in the public sector with
North Tyneside and Newcastle City Councils where he designed and supervised the construction of
sewer flooding and rehabilitation projects.
Since joining Northumbrian Water in 1997 he has managed their regional sewer rehabilitation and
adoption programmes. In 2007 he took up his current post as New Development Manager and has
regional responsibility for the provision of all water and sewerage assets on new development sites,
planning and building control consultations, forward planning and growth. He also takes a lead on
Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management.
Since 2000 he has played a leading role in Northumbrian Water’s approach to Sustainable Drainage
Systems (SuDS) which has allowed him to utilise his extensive wastewater management experience
in an area of great personal interest. As a keen birdwatcher Les spends much of his leisure time in
and around ponds and wetlands and wherever possible has championed the inclusion of SuDS across
the region
Mark Ketley, Northumberland County Council
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Honours Degree in Town and Country Planning, and a Postgraduate Professional Diploma in
Town Planning, both from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 2004
13 years relevant experience in Planning, and in particular development management,
having been employed in local government since 2001
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Senior management role within the Council’s Planning, Economy and Housing Division with
overall responsibility for the Council’s development management, conservation, planning
enforcement, affordable housing and highway functions.