Nations and Regions Panel

Stefano is a commercial and pragmatic development planner with a strong customer focus. He has over 35 years of UK professional experience of managing multi-disciplinary teams within  planning, environmental, design and engineering consultancies. He is the Founding Director of Stefano Smith Planning – an independent planning consultancy established in 2019. He has extensive experience in providing development planning and project management services in the environment, infrastructure, energy, commercial, industrial, housing and mixed-use sectors. He has specific experience in statutory planning (including approvals & consents and expert witness), sustainability, regeneration, master planning & urban design, consultation & engagement strategies & tools, development economics and urban analytics. He is an Expert on the Westminster Government’s High Streets Task Force set-up in 2020. He has successfully advised, negotiated and delivered complex land development and infrastructure projects of a range of sizes. He has been intrinsically involved in the evolution of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 participating in various Scottish Government workshops.  He is a regular member on research & advisory panels, including Scottish Government research on the infrastructure levy (2017) and the value, impact and incidence of developer contributions (2020/2021). He has been an external practitioner on Heriot-Watt University's Final Year Planning & Property undergraduate degree course, and graduated from the University of Glasgow post graduate masters’ programme in Urban Analytics (MSc Urban Analytics) in 2022.

Stefano is an RTPI Board Nations Trustee, Chair of the Nations & Regions Panel and Chair of the Policy Practice & Research Committee and past RTPI Scotland Convenor.

Please state briefly why you wish to apply for this position?

Planners play a central role in creating better places, combating the effects of climate change and reshaping society. Government and the public expectation on the profession remains high, despite dwindling resources and low morale. Delivering on the expectation requires swift collective action.

During my tenure, I will collaborate with others within the built environment sector to ensure that planners are respected and recognised for the value they add to the creation of sustainable places.

I will encourage greater investment in planning education, remuneration and training.

I will also call for a review of the RTPI election rules so that all classes of membership can vote in the Presidential elections, so all our members have a voice.

Please detail the skills and experience you have that would make you a strong candidate for this position.

I have extensive senior management experience. As Director of a Planning Consultancy, I lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver major projects from a Model City Plan for 4.4 million people (Nigeria) to urban extensions (UK). I have led Local Authority Planning and Building Control services in the past.

I am a confident and engaging speaker. I chair and present at conferences in the UK and Internationally. Recently, I gave evidence to the UK Parliamentary working committee on planning reforms.

I am creative and solution oriented. When faced with growing concerns about diversity issues in 2020, I set up a friendly network to promote inclusion. In my leadership role, I collaborate with Government and sector leaders to promote the value of the profession and inclusion agenda.

While on the RTPI General Assembly, International and Membership Committees, I contributed positively and worked with others to deliver on key aspirations of the Institute.

Andrew Taylor is Group Planning Director at Countryside and leads the company’s planning function. Countryside develops private and affordable homes through partnerships with landowners, registered providers and local authorities, with a focus on urban regeneration schemes and delivering landscape led developments and new settlements. Before joining Countryside, Andrew was Head of Planning for a developer in the Eastern Counties and prior to that spent over 18 years in planning authorities in the south east of England. He has experience of both urban and rural planning from small scale exception needs housing to master planning new settlements, major town centre redevelopments and international airport expansion. Andrew chaired the RTPI Board of Trustees for 4 years to December 2016 and took on the role of Hon. Treasurer in January 2017. Andrew Chairs the Leeds Beckett University Partnership Board, is a member of the Women in Planning Advisory board and Chair of the National Planning Forum’s Management Committee, championing planning and inspiring all those involved in the planning process and in delivering the new planning agenda.

A chartered Town Planner and member of the Transport Planning Society Andrew is a Senior Transport Planner at NE Combined Authority. He works in Transport and Infrastructure planning responsible for the development and delivery of the North East’s transport pipeline and transport plan. Andrew prepares major funding bids develops regional policy and strategy and project manages the delivery of capital and revenue funding in the region. Andrew works closely with local authority, national and subnational partners in linking transport planning wider spatial planning outcomes.

Prior to joining the Transport North East, Andrew spend six years at Transport for London working in development management across South London. He also gained experience in TfL’s Commercial Development team. Whilst in London Andrew was Chair of the RTPI region in 2016 and was Honorary Secretary prior to that. He is now the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer for RTPI North East and is a Planning Aid England volunteer, part of a team providing advice through PAE’s advice line service.

Beth is a Principal Planning Policy Officer at Colchester Borough Council and has seven years’ experience in local authority planning; having previously worked in Waste and Minerals Policy and the Lead Local Flood Authority teams for Essex County Council. Beth is currently chair of the RTPI East of England Young Planners and has successfully established a committee in 2020. She has a variety of specialisms from her roles and her work interests include Garden Communities, Green Infrastructure and Community Engagement. Although not a participant in sports herself, Beth enjoys supporting Norwich City FC and the England Roses. She also enjoys travelling having been to Bali, Budapest and Prague in recent years and hopes to be able to travel safely again soon!

Joanne is the Local Plans Manager (North) for the Home Builders Federation and represents the members of the HBF in seeking to influence the production of planning policy in the North of England. Joanne is an experienced policy planner with more than 20 years in the profession. After starting her career in the private sector Joanne has mainly working within local government, contributing to planning policy for Stafford, Halton and Cheshire East. Joanne is strong supporter of the planning profession and is currently the Honorary Sectary of the RTPI NW region and has previously served as RTPI NW Chair and as a Trustee of the RTPI. Joanne is a member of the CPD Task Group and is keen to help to support our local members through professional development and other RTPI services and events.

Joe is a Senior Planner at nineteen47 in York.  Joe’s work spans across retail, leisure, and residential projects both in Yorkshire and further afield for both private individuals and larger-scale private sector firms. He also has experience in working on projects with heritage and other constraints, as are prominent in the North Yorkshire area especially.

 Joe was also RTPI Yorkshire Young Planner of the Year 2023.

Joe had graduated from the RTPI-accredited MPlan Town and Regional Planning degree at the University of Liverpool.

Joe was elected to the position of Secretary for the RTPI Yorkshire’s Regional Management Board in November 2022 following his previous contributions to the activities of the Regional Activities Committee. Joe also contributes to both the region’s Young Planners Committee and International Core Group.

Laura is a Senior Planner at Gillings Planning with experience in the public, private and third sector. Laura has been involved with the RTPI since she was a student member in various roles including the Young Planner Trustee and Chair of the South Coast Young Planners Network.  Laura was awarded RTPI South East Young Planner of the Year in 2019 and featured on the Woman of Influence list for 2022.

Laura’s experience includes projects in the education, residential and care sectors. Laura enjoys running public consultation events and connecting with future generations with planning through school and university talks. Outside of work Laura runs a Brownie unit, where she goes by the name of Flamingo, loves reading, podcasts and enjoys long walks… especially when they end at the pub!

Thom is currently finishing his master’s degree in Spatial Planning and Development at Cardiff University, having previously studied at the University of Manchester and the University of South Wales. He has a keen interest in the built environment and how planning can solve many of the problems that we face in the 21st Century such as sustainability, climate change and the impact the built environment has on people living with dementia which is a focus for his dissertation. Outside of university life Thom is a spin class enthusiast and keen swimmer, father of a Russian Blue cat and enjoys long walks with his partner.

Tim has spent the majority of his career working as a Planner for various local authorities in Somerset and was Head of Service covering the area of both Taunton Deane and West Somerset, where he oversaw the delivery of major housing growth leading to Taunton's designation as a Garden Town. In April 2019 Tim left the Councils to set up his own Planning Consultancy. He now works regularly alongside the Planning Advisory Service providing service reviews and training for local planning authorities across the country, with a particular emphasis on improving development management performance and Planning Committee decision-making. Tim Burton Planning  also undertakes private sector work advising architects and SME developers on how best to navigate the complexities of local authority planning processes. Tim is a regular volunteer member of the Design Review Panel and has recently chaired a number of their on-line review sessions. Tim has been a member of the RAC for just over three years and appreciates this opportunity to engage with other planners from across the region promoting the positive role of planning.

Philippa has worked in local government for over 30 years and has extensive experience in the planning and regeneration sectors. Following a number of years working for Sandwell Council in the areas of planning policy and regeneration, Philippa moved to Worcester City Council to manage the economic development and planning functions. She worked for a short time at Wychavon and Malvern Hills Councils concentrating on the production of the South Worcestershire Development Plan before returning to the Black Country to take on the role of project manager for the Black Country Plan.

Neil is a Chartered Town Planner and is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Geography and Planning, Cardiff University. Neil has also supported Planning Aid Wales by acting as a director for over 10 years, including a year as Chairman of Planning Aid Wales. Neil has advised the National Assembly for Wales in its Inquiry into the Planning System in Wales (2011) and also previously chaired the Welsh Government's stakeholder group on the introduction of Local Development Plans in Wales.

Catharine is the Community Planning Manager for Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and is responsible for managing and facilitating collaboration between a number of statutory partners delivering services to improve the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of local people. She has been a town planner for over 30 years having previously worked in Wyre Borough Council and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council before returning to Northern Ireland to work in the voluntary sector on planning projects with community groups. A graduate of Birmingham Polytechnic, Catharine strongly believes in the importance of involving communities in making decisions which ultimately impact on their lives.

Catharine was RTPI NI Chair in 2023.

Having worked in the planning industry for a number of years, Maura has a wide ranging knowledge and experience of working with the different sectors across the Scottish Planning System.

Maura hopes to bring her experience in planning consultancy to support the RTPI in Scotland, helping them achieve their aims by encouraging collaborative working both across the many intertwined disciplines and between different sector planners themselves.

Maura is looking forward to becoming involved in evolving debate, discussion and promotion of best practice as Scottish Planners navigate and move forward through the next year of planning.