Housing Delivery - Can we build them? Hybrid Seminar

A chartered architect with over 25 years of experience, Alex has worked across many disciplines and scales within the industry, in the UK, Germany & the Netherlands. He has designed and delivered industrial, commercial, mixed-use, educational and residential projects, from small extensions to 500 home developments.  

Residential design has been the focus throughout his career, working for private individuals to large scale developers and house builders, from design concept to on-site completion, including masterplanning and environmental design. Alex has been an architectural adviser to the Zero Carbon Hub, a Design Review Member for Lewisham Council and more recently become a house builder.

Growing up in the Netherlands helped him appreciate quality homes and neighbourhoods, in contrast to much of his native England, and this interest and desire to deliver better quality homes in the UK, led him to set up the innovative and multi award-winning SNUG homes initiative. SNUG homes aims to involve people and communities in the design and construction of their homes using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to create low energy homes.

Alex is also a Director of the community focussed award-winning consultancy Ecomotive and is a Consultant Director for the urban design and regeneration specialist Urban Place Lab. 

Andrew Lawrie BA(Hons) MA PGCE MCIH JP has worked in affordable housing development for over 30 years and has been Head of Development at Plymouth Community Homes since 2013 and overseen the regeneration of North Prospect during this time.

I am the Service Manger covering Development Management, Strategic Sites and Enforcement at Somerset Council. I started active involvement in the region in 2016 by approaching Charlotte Daborn at a CPD event and asking ‘so what is it that the committee do?’ and have been part of the group since. I was RTPI SW Chair in 2020 which included a full year of CPD planning, two events, COVID and the evolution of virtual! This year I hope for a more active year championing wellbeing, working collaboration and growth as if you are standing still in planning you are already behind!   I look forward to meeting members throughout the year and understanding how these themes guide our practice.

I started my career as a Modern Apprentice for the Isle of Wight Council which reinforces my underlining support for the range of apprenticeships available, including in Town and County Planning. Gaining my Masters in Spatial Planning via day release at Oxford Brookes, and becoming RTPI accredited, my family and I moved to the 'mainland', to Somerset in 2015, progressing from a Senior to Principal role at Sedgemoor District Council (SDC). I gained a CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership in 2018 and was promoted to Service Manager at the SDC prior to its merger with the adjoining Districts and County to become the new ‘Somerset Council’ in April 2023. Despite promising never to study again I completed my Level 7 Extended Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership qualification in 2023 and became a Chartered Manager.

Through my involvement with the RTPI SW Regional Activities I have promoted Planning Aid; organised and delivered CPD events for volunteers and members; worked with Plymouth University determining awareness and outreach opportunities and have been part of the judging panel for the Planning Awards. This year I am really looking forward to judging the Chairs ‘Unsung Hero’ award! 2025 will see collaboration through the events (with one co-joined with the South east), more involvement in the RTPI SW Planning Awards and the Presidents visit. In my spare time I also manage to enjoy exploring with family, my dog Topper and being put in my place by my cats Twinkle and Carbonel.

Helen joined the agency in 2018. Helen spent 2024 on secondment to Bristol City Council.  Helen joined the Markets Partners and Places team at Homes England in late 2024 and leads the agencies work covering “West of the West” – Cornwall, Plymouth, Devon and Somerset.

Helen has a background in housing, regeneration, economic development and community engagement gained over 30 years working in the public, private and third sector.  Prior to joining Homes England Helen ran her own consultancy, Vivid Regeneration LLP, for 17 years. 

Justin is known as one of the leading experts in gaining residential planning permission in the West Country. He has worked on some of the largest land developments in the region and has successfully managed many contentious planning approvals during his career. His experience also encompasses project management, having been involved with and completed more than 1,000 projects to date. 

Having studied Valuation and Estate Management at University, Justin has a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of financial viability and the importance of profitability.

In 2001, Justin was appointed director of CSA Architects after a hugely successful three years with the company.  His experience and pragmatic, focussed approach transformed the company into an award-winning practice and cemented CSA as one of the largest and most successful architects practices in Devon and Cornwall. 

Justin’s multi-disciplined skillset went on to gain him an outstanding reputation as a planning specialist and one the best in his field, securing work from the top developers and housebuilders. 

Justin joined his now business partner John Schuttkacker in 2009 and launched the highly successful business; Westcountry Land & Homes. Honing their complementary skills, they took the land and property development business in a new and exciting direction, focusing on the personal approach to business, and delivering the highest possible return for landowners whether financial or legacy.

Justin continued to run CSA Architects alongside his directorship at Westcountry Land & Homes until 2014, when he later sold the business to continue working full time with John.

Staying true to his passion for design and architecture, Justin designed his own house (and business partner John’s) earning him a shortlisting at The International Design and Architecture Awards in the “Private House of the Year” category for homes up-to £1m contract value in 2014.

Lin Cousins is a town planner by background and is co-founder of Three Dragons.  Lin is Somerset based and has worked across the UK for both the public and private sectors.  She has built up a broad portfolio of assignments, specialising in affordable housing delivery and development viability, measures to tackle the Climate Emergency through planning and planning for Self-build and Custom housebuilding.

Lin regularly gives conference presentations and works with developers as well as local authority officers and councillors to develop best practice.  Away from Three Dragons, Lin has experience as a housing association board member and is a trustee of her local Citizens Advice.

Mark is a chartered town planner and joined Three Dragons in 2017. He has over 20 years’ experience, gained from working in local authority planning teams as well as consultancy at Roger Tym & Partners/Peter Brett Associates and Parkwood (as Regional Head of Planning).

 Mark specialises in delivery, policy development and evidence base for development plans, focusing on policy response to climate change, strategic viability studies and large-scale development delivery.  Mark's recent focus has been on advising local authorities on the challenges to meet net zero carbon aspirations, working on studies in Essex, Lancaster and Cornwall. Mark has led plan viability studies across the country including Swale, Maidstone, Essex, Bedfordshire, Devon, Dorset, Warwickshire and Greater Manchester and has appeared as expert witness at appeals, plan examinations and CIL examinations in respect of viability matters.

Mark also works on planning negotiations on large strategic sites and has managed the planning process progressing a 2,000-home urban extension in the south west.

Other work undertaken by Mark includes retail and town centres research and planning applications, infrastructure and assessments of barriers to the delivery of development.

Richard is Planning Director at Origin3. He has over 30 years’ experience of working in all aspects of planning policy, from strategy development and policy interpretation to building an evidence base and navigating the local plan process. With a deep understanding of planning policy at all levels, he is a specialist in strategic spatial planning, and particularly housing policy, need, supply and delivery.

Much of Richard’s experience has been in local authorities, including as Head of Planning Policy at Cornwall Council and as Strategic Planning Manager (Joint Local Plan) at Plymouth City Council. Over the years, he has been lead officer on highly successful and award-winning planning policy documents, such as the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan, the Plymouth Plan, key elements of Plymouth’s Local Development Framework and the Cornwall Climate Emergency DPD. 

As Planning Director with Origin3, a Planning and Design Practice based in Bristol, Richard has assisted clients in producing representations on Local Plans, provided advice on developing innovative and effective planning strategies for promoting sites, has attended Local Plan Examinations leading expert witness teams, and has attended Public Inquiries as the Planning expert witness.  He believes that planning is a positive and proactive tool for creating great places for people and communities, and is driven to deliver new homes which contribute to solving the country’s housing crisis. 

Rob is Cornwall Council’s Planning Policy Manager, leading the Council’s Policy and Neighbourhood Planning teams. He is a chartered town planner and has spent 27 years working in Local Authority planning in the South West of England. His current work involves starting the next Cornwall Local Plan, exploring approaches to neighbourhood planning, green infrastructure and design and working across disciplines and sectors to help create healthier, more liveable and distinctive places in Cornwall.