Barry Coughlan heads up the statutory planning and building control function at Be First, a wholly owned regeneration company which provides development and statutory planning services on behalf of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. Prior to joining Be First, Barry worked for 10 years within the planning team at the London Borough of Hackney. Barry brings more than 15 years of experience working in both inner and outer London contexts and has had oversight over some of the largest regeneration projects within the capital.