Organising Committee

Katie is a principal planner (major sites) at East Suffolk Council and has over six years of experience working in planning. Katie previously worked for 4.5 years at a local planning authority as a planning officer and senior planning officer.

Katie graduated from LSBU with a Distinction in Urban Design and Planning in 2022 and has since become a recognised practitioner with the Urban Design Group and is a charted member of the RTPI.  She has a wide range of experience working within planning, from dealing with listed building consents and lawful development certificates to working on garden villages and NSIPs. Katie has also been working with several local authorities to produce authority-wide Design Codes amongst other urban design projects.  

Jess is a Planner at Barratt David Wilson Homes (BDW Anglia) and a Chartered Member of the RTPI with over six years of planning experience. Since graduating from UEA with a first-class BSc (Hons) Geography degree in 2018, Jess has gained much experience working on large-scale residential schemes, having previously worked at Persimmon Homes and Taylor Wimpey. Jess has also completed a 3-year distance Learning MSc in Urban and Rural Planning with a Distinction from the University of West England (Bristol).

Having lived in Norwich since 2015, Jess loves exploring everything the City and the wider area of Norfolk has to offer. Jess thoroughly enjoys expanding her professional network and meeting new people.

Ciaran is a planner at the Ministry of Housing, Local Government, and Communities, working on a project to address key constraints which are holding back Cambridge. He has previously worked as a planner at the Greater Cambridge Shared Planning Service, where he worked on the emerging Local Plan and neighbourhood plans. Before that, Ciaran worked for Lanpro on a variety of planning applications.

Ciaran proudly became a chartered town planner in 2025, showcasing his commitment to the profession. His interests lie particularly in industrial strategy and planning policy, and he is keen on inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in planning, especially young people and career switchers.

Genny is a land planner working for Persimmon Homes Essex. Her role involves working on a number of major applications for residential development and associated infrastructure within Essex. She is responsible for coordinating and submitting the planning applications on sites (Outline, reserved matters, full, discharge of conditions, advert etc.) from start to finish. Her role also involves promoting strategic land sites at all stages of the local plan process.

Prior to this, Genny worked for Castlepoint Borough Council as a Planning and Planning Enforcement Officer. The four years she spent within the development management team involved dealing with a varied caseload of different planning applications. She was also responsible for dealing with applications for protected tree works and, investigating breaches of planning control, issuing enforcement notices where necessary.

Her academic background includes a Geography 2.1 BSc Hons from the University of Chester and a Town Planning Merit MSc from Anglia Ruskin University (an RTPI accredited course). She is a licentiate member of the RTPI and is currently working towards her APC to become chartered.

She is an active member of the East of England RTPI young planners committee and enjoys expanding her network and meeting like-minded professionals. She is a strong advocate for mental health and well-being and a trained mental health first aider. She enjoys learning new things and giving something back to the planning profession.

Asif is a Senior Planning Officer at Peterborough City Council, starting work in the planning department at Peterborough in 2017 as a Technical Services Advisor before becoming a Planner and then to his current position as a Senior Planning Officer. Asif is currently due to complete his MSc in Urban Planning at Sheffield Hallam University in September 2022 and will be looking to work towards chartered membership status after.

“Katie is a Graduate Planner who works for a small planning consultancy based in Norfolk called Collective Community Planning Ltd. Her primary role is liaising with qualifying bodies who are developing a neighbourhood plan and helping communities shape their ideas through the development of a neighbourhood plan at the early stages. She previously worked for the planning policy team at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk, where she assisted with the Local Plan Review and multiple parish councils that were developing neighbourhood plans.

She gained in 2018 her BSc in Anthropology and Geography from Oxford Brookes University and, in late 2021, gained a MA distinction in Chartered Town Planning via the RTPI apprenticeship route at London South Bank University. She is currently working towards her chartered membership status with the RTPI. Outside of work hours, Katie particularly enjoys exploring new areas and walking along her local beach with her cocker spaniel Purdy.”

Emily Grapes is a planning consultant with Carter Jonas, based in their Cambridge Office.  She joined the company as a Graduate Planner in 2020 after studying her undergrad at the University of Sheffield, and finished her MSc at the Bartlett School of Planning, UCL in 2022. She is now working towards her chartered membership status whilst working on a variety of commercial and residential planning schemes across the East of England. Emily grew up in East Anglia, and outside of work enjoys regularly training and competing in triathlons and weekly cinema trips!

Beth is a Planner in the Energy Projects team at East Suffolk Council, working predominantly on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects at all stages, from pre-application, Examination, to discharge of requirements. She also assists in responding to government consultations on national policy developments and determines planning applications for major development. She joined the council as a graduate planner in 2019, starting a master’s degree in Town Planning as a degree apprentice that autumn and finishing the course with a distinction in early 2022. Since then, she became the council’s first degree apprentice to successfully become chartered through the degree apprenticeship route in late 2022. 

She gained a BA in Geography and International Development at the University of East Anglia in 2018, followed by an MA in Politics and International Relations in 2019. Outside planning, she is a keen reader and gardener.

“Jade is a Graduate Planner in the Savills Cambridge Office having joined in October 2022 after graduating from Durham University with a BA Human Geography undergraduate degree. In September 2023, Jade will be commencing a master’s in planning, through the RTPI Masters Apprenticeship scheme at Savills, ultimately working towards chartered membership status.

Outside of work, Jade is an avid sportsperson, and both plays and watches football, actively supporting the growth of the women’s game”.

Andy Rutter is the Development Manager at Suffolk County Council. Andy started in local government planning in 2016, being part of the first cohort to undertake the RTPI Planning Technician Apprenticeship. Andy then gained a degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from London Southbank University. He has experience in developing Suffolk’s first joint Minerals & Waste Local Plan, determining major and EIA planning applications and leading on several Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

Outside of work, Andy enjoys cooking, travelling and following Ipswich Town FC

Yolanda is a Special Project Planner at Ipswich Borough Council, joining in March 2024. She has a Geography and Urban and Regional Town Planning BSc from the University of Birmingham and is undertaking further studies in the form of a Level 7 Degree Apprenticeship at Anglia Ruskin University. This will enable Yolanda to draw upon her experience at IBC in order to gain a Masters Degree, in working towards becoming a chartered town planner. Yolanda has gained planning experience, previously working at a private planning consultancy and her work with the University of Birmingham Planning Society Committee. At IBC, Yolanda works within the Special Projects Team on Ipswich Garden Suburb, and within the Development Management Team. 

Yolanda moved to the East of England in August 2022 and enjoys exploring all that the East of England has to offer. In her free time, Yolanda enjoys running and netball and generally being outside.

Sophia is an Assistant Planner based in the Bidwells Cambridge office, having joined in September 2022. She is now working towards her chartered membership status with the RTPI whilst working on a variety of commercial and residential planning schemes within Cambridge. 

She gained a BSc in Geography from the University of East Anglia in 2021, followed by an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Birmingham in 2022. Sophia grew up in Cambridge and America and, outside of work, is an avid traveller, having recently been to Thailand, Stockholm, and Marseille

“Isobel is a Planning Officer at North Norfolk District Council. She joined NNDC in January 2022 as a Trainee. Isobel recently completed a master’s in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Westminster. She is now working towards her chartered membership status with the RTPI, alongside working on a varied caseload in Development Management.

She previously gained a BA in History (2019) and an MA in Landscape History (2020) from the University of East Anglia.

Outside of planning, Isobel enjoys attending festivals and gigs and spending time with her family and friends.”