SoLR August 2026 Update
- Simon Harth
- 21 hours ago
- 3 min read
The SoLR Professional Engagement and Community committees are busy preparing for our third annual Land with Certainty Conference and Evening Networking Event, which will take place this year at Birmingham Town Hall.
An interactive conference under the theme “Mapping the Future: Land Referencing in a New Era of Planning and Infrastructure Delivery,” the conference will explore how our profession can respond to and help shape the changing planning and infrastructure landscape.
Arrangements are now being finalised, with the conference working group meeting later this month to put the finishing touches to an engaging and interactive programme.
We are also confirming this year’s sponsors. If your organisation would like to support the event, please contact hello@solr.org.uk by Monday 17 August.
Tickets will go on sale soon, so save the date and look out for further details about this essential CPD and networking event.
Our summer social in Belfast is planned for Friday 28 August. A great opportunity to catch up with fellow land referencing professionals, make new connections, and enjoy an evening of lawn bowls and refreshments in a relaxed setting.
Our recent "Implications of Barstow v Green Gen Cymru on land access for energy and infrastructure projects" webinar, hosted by Pinsent Masons proved unsurprisingly popular, based on its relevance to our practice. Please see below for how you can access the recording.
Professional Engagement
Raising the professional standing of land referencers and increasing recognition of the essential work we undertake is a core objective of SoLR.
We are currently working with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) to co-host a series of three webinars this autumn, exploring the geographical knowledge and competencies that underpin the delivery of professional land referencing services.
One session will be held as a hybrid event at the RGS in London, followed by professional CV reviews and a tour of the Society. The series will be promoted across the RGS’s diverse membership, providing an excellent opportunity to showcase land referencing to the wider geographical community.
We would love SoLR members to help shape and contribute to these events by sharing their professional experiences, perspectives and insights. We will be in touch shortly with details of how to get involved and will provide contributors with support throughout their preparations.
Upcoming Events
Land with Certainty Conference 2026 (and Birmingham Evening Networking Event)
Thu, 22 Oct | Birmingham Town Hall
Mapping the future:
Land Referencing in a new era of planning and infrastructure delivery.
Tickets on sale soon
Catch Up
Webinar Recording | Implications of Barstow v Green Gen Cymru on land access for energy and infrastructure projects
Vital and topical CPD, free for SoLR members
Our recent SoLR webinar (24 July) examined the implications of the recent Barstow v GreenGen judicial review and its significance for survey access and land referencing practice.
Matt, Jonathan and Pierre from Pinsent Masons explored how legal challenges to statutory survey powers under Section 172/173 disrupted major electricity infrastructure projects in Wales, causing delays to environmental surveys and consenting programmes.
A central theme was the need for acquiring authorities and land referencing teams to move beyond a purely legal compliance approach and proactively address landowner concerns such as biosecurity, livestock welfare, insurance, and business disruption.
The speakers emphasised that notices must be specific, evidence-based and tailored to individual parcels, with robust processes for identifying owners and occupiers, refreshing ownership data, recording service, and maintaining a clear audit trail. They also highlighted the importance of complying with the Protection of Freedoms Act (specifically the Code of Practice for Powers of Entry), operationalising site-specific concerns, providing appropriate advance notice of entry, and ensuring written authorisations are properly linked to notices.
The session concluded that effective engagement, comprehensive record keeping, and careful management of practical landowner concerns are now critical risk-management measures for infrastructure promoters exercising statutory survey powers, with the principles established in Barstow v GreenGen likely to influence the application of powers of entry across a range of other legislative regimes.
If you missed it, or want to refer back, you can access the recording through your SoLR user account, here: Resources.
Can you contribute to the SoLR newsletter?
We'd love to share your professional experiences, insights and endeavours. Get in touch: hello@solr.org.uk
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