Regional Activities Committee

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!

Simon is a Senior Planning Officer and has gained his planning experience in central and local Government. He has focused on developing national and local planning policy, especially on retail, transport and infrastructure matters. Simon is a Chartered member of the RTPI and has been involved with the RTPI South East since 2018. He also supports the Kent Young Planners Network and has been a Steering Group member since July 2017. Simon takes a keen interest in infrastructure policy as well as issues surrounding community engagement in the plan-making process and promoting town planning as a profession. 

Will is a chartered member of the RTPI and a Planning Policy Team Leader at Oxford City Council, having joined in 2024. He was previously a Principal Major Applications Officer at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and was Senior Planner at Edgars Limited.  Before relocating to the Southeast, Will has been involved in plan making in Yorkshire, where he was on the Regional Activities Committee for the RTPI Yorkshire region. He also volunteers for the RTPI on the Planning Aid England Committee and RTPI Volunteers Steering Committee. He holds a PhD in Localism, Neighbourhood Planning and Urban Governance and has also been a sole practitioner preparing neighbourhood plans with communities

Joney (pronounced ‘Honey’) is a Chartered planner and a Principal planner at RPS. She is originally from Venezuela, where she obtained a town planning degree and worked as a planner for 3 years. In 2012 she moved to the UK and worked as a planning officer in policy and DM on different LPAs in London and the South East. She specialises in residential, commercial and leisure developments and enjoys spending time with her partner, her baby and her 2 dogs, as well as singing in a choir. She volunteers with Bookmark, a charity that helps children improve their reading abilities.

Claire has been a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 1992 working in local government planning (development management and policy), including as the Head of Planning at Mid Sussex District Council from 2008-2016.  She then started her own consultancy Plan4Localism and also advised the High Weald AONB Partnership for 6 years. In 2022, she joined the South Downs National Park Authority and is now the Planning Policy Manager leading on the review of the South Downs Local Plan and the minerals and waste plans that they produced jointly with other LPAs in Sussex and Hampshire.

Zac is a Planner who joined Lewis and Co Planning in 2024, bringing a range of experience from his time in Local Authority and previous private practice. Zac is currently completing a Town Planning Apprenticeship at London South Bank University and working towards Chartership with the RTPI. Zac has a wide range in planning experience, scaling from householder development, to residential and agricultural developments.

Following her role as a Committee Member on the East Midlands Young Planners Committee, Mel joined the Thames Valley Committee as Vice Chair in January 2023 and became chair in Summer 2023.

Mel, now a Senior Planning Manager at Davidsons Homes, has over 8 years’ experience in the private sector following her time at Fisher German LLP and Bidwells.

Her current role involves managing planning applications and plan promotion within the strategic land team across the Northants, Beds, Bucks, Cambs, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire areas.

She was awarded Young Planner of the Year (East of England) in 2022.

Mel is also an active member of the Women in Planning South Midlands Committee.

Joining the committee in 2021, Izzie is now Vice-Chair.

Izzie is a Transport Planner at Paul Basham Associates, having joined the company in June 2018 after graduating Oxford Brookes University with a BSc degree in Geography. In December 2020, Izzie completed the St John’s Ambulance Mental Health First Aid course, having taken an active interest in Mental Health awareness. 

Izzie is also a dedicated a committee member of the Women in Planning Thames Valley Branch, Izzie has got experience in planning events and CPDs and has highly developed teamworking skills including active listening and problem solving.

Izzie was also awarded the ‘Next Gen of the Year’ award at the OxProp Fest in 2023.

Alex is an Associate Planner at DHA, prior to this Alex worked across planning, policy and strategic planning teams at Kent County Council. Alex works in the Environment team primarily dealing with Nationally Strategic infrastructure Projects, developments requiring Environmental Impact Assessment, energy schemes and other projects that are more environmentally sensitive. In addition to this, Alex has also worked with a number of clients from large developers to individuals across a range of sectors including commercial, industrial, medical, residential and agricultural across the Southeast and beyond. Out of the office, Alex is a keen guitarist, gig-goer and cyclist.

Joney (pronounced ‘Honey’) is a Chartered planner and a Principal planner at RPS. She is originally from Venezuela, where she obtained a town planning degree and worked as a planner for 3 years. In 2012 she moved to the UK and worked as a planning officer in policy and DM on different LPAs in London and the South East. She specialises in residential, commercial and leisure developments and enjoys spending time with her partner, her baby and her 2 dogs, as well as singing in a choir. She volunteers with Bookmark, a charity that helps children improve their reading abilities.

Tony Chadwick has been involved in the Institute at local level since 1980 having served on both the former South East Branch (including as Chair and Honorary Secretary) and the current South East Region RAC. Over the years he has made major contributions to developing CPD policy and the operation of Planning Aid in the South East, as well as helping organise many CPD events over the years. He currently works for Gravesham Borough Council dealing with NSIP projects like Lower Thames Crossing and transport matters in general, based on experience with HS1 and widening the A2. Bulk of his experience has been in Planning Policy.

Stefania obtained an MSc in Spatial Planning and Development in 2017 having undertaken a BSc in Geography from the University of Reading. Her first job in Planning was working as a graduate planner for an architectural firm in Maidenhead and then joined the Savills Reading office as a Planner in December 2018. She became an accredited planner in May 2020.

Stefania joined the TVYP network in January 2018. The network has become an important aspect of her career allowing her to organise and meet a wider range of professionals in the property sector. Stefania is people-orientated and loves to organise charitable events within her company, as part of a team of volunteers.

Chris is a Lecturer in Planning at the University of Reading. He is a chartered planner and started his career as a planning policy officer in English local government, following a PhD at the University of Sheffield. His research interests focus on issues of professionalism, decision-making and multi-scalar plan-making. He joined Real Estate & Planning in August 2019 as a Lecturer in Planning, with research interests in plan-making and professionalism.

Chris previously worked at Anglia Ruskin University and as a Planning Policy Officer for Bassetlaw District Council. Prior to this, he studied for his PhD at the University of Sheffield. His PhD draws on different ways in which the ‘public interest’ can be understood, and how these variations are present in plan-making. The fieldwork explored case studies of spatial plan-making in Central Lincolnshire and the Peak District National Park, using multiple qualitative methods. At the core of Chris’ research interests is understanding the relationship between normative theories of planning and the practice environment; both how planning theory should shape practice and how practice should influence the development of theory.

Chris says "I really enjoy learning about the people and exploring the interesting projects that are entered into the awards – it’s great to be part of recognising what good planning can achieve!”

Roger Smith is a Planning Director at Savills in Oxford. He has worked as a town planner since 1984 with experience in local government, house building and in consultancy. He specialises in the planning promotion of strategic and mixed use sites for a variety of clients including landowners, housing developers and land promoters.

Andrew is a Senior Lecturer on the RTPI-accredited MSc Town Planning course at the University of Brighton. The course specialises in coastal planning , climate change and regeneration and was one of the first to offer the Chartered Apprenticeship degree course for training the planners of the future. He is also a planning and environmental consultant, focusing on climate change adaptation, flooding and integrated water management. Until September 2016, Andrew was a senior advisor at the Environment Agency, helping to develop national planning policy and guidance. He has served on the RTPI's General Assembly and various Committees since 2015. Outside work, Andrew enjoy spending time with my family, representing Surfers Against Sewage, surfing, cycling and supporting Fulham FC

Roger had a professional career of 35 years in town planning , working  in 3 councils in and around London ,involving most fields of planning. Time was also spent as Northern Officer for the Town and Country Planning Association supporting two regional forums helping inform the TCPA on national policy making and contributing articles in the TCP Journal. He led a team supporting citizens actively improving  sites, buildings and places around  Manchester.  Roger spent time producing  protocols and design aids for planning staff. Since semi-retirement, work continues on finding better connections between planning  and citizen involvement.

Connor is a planner at Barton Willmore, now Stantec having previously worked in the public sector in Buckinghamshire. Connor began his career at Buckinghamshire County Council assisting on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and planning policy. As part of unitarisation in Buckinghamshire, Connor’s work shifted to economic growth and regeneration, focusing on strategic funding bids, such as the Levelling Up Fund and sub-regional issues, including the Ox-Cam Arc.

After completing his Spatial Planning MSc at Oxford Brookes, securing an RTPI South East award for Academic Excellence for his research into Strategic Planning and deal-based agreements in Oxfordshire, Connor joined Barton Willmore, now Stantec. His role has him actively involved in a wide variety of projects whilst working towards his chartership.

Amy Powell is a senior planner at Edgars Limited, a private planning consultancy based in Oxfordshire. Amy was one of the first apprentices to complete the RTPI’s apprenticeship programme, with her successfully becoming a Chartered Member in May 2022. She is an advocate of young planners and the important voice they have within the planning discourse and seeks to champion other young planners through her professional work and membership of the RTPI.

Mark is a Lecturer in Planning & Development in the Department of Real Estate & Planning at the University of Reading. His PhD Thesis examined the role of planning under the austerity and localism agendas of the Cameron-Osborne Coalition and Conservative-led Governments 2010-2016. Mark’s main research interests focus on planning and development theory, policy and practice; particularly in relation to the role of power and politics in shaping plan-making and decision-making processes and outcomes. His current research examines the role of participation and time in planning. He teaches on several core real estate and planning undergraduate and masters practice-based modules.

Lauren has worked as a Planning Consultant for over 4 years in the private sector and am currently working at Parker Dann on a range of planning applications, with a particular focus on residential development. She is a second year studying for an MSc degree in Town Planning at the University of Brighton, with the view to become a Chartered Town Planner after graduation.

Peter joined Gillings Planning as a Director in 2022 and has a wealth of planning consultancy experience, in addition to previous experience gained in Planning Policy roles within both local and central government.  Peter focusses on the promotion of sites through local plans and the preparation of planning applications, for a wide range of sites and schemes across the South East. He has also been providing advice to developers on nutrient and water neutrality matters since 2019

Alex is an Associate Planner at DHA, prior to this Alex worked across planning, policy and strategic planning teams at Kent County Council. Alex works in the Environment team primarily dealing with Nationally Strategic infrastructure Projects, developments requiring Environmental Impact Assessment, energy schemes and other projects that are more environmentally sensitive. In addition to this, Alex has also worked with a number of clients from large developers to individuals across a range of sectors including commercial, industrial, medical, residential and agricultural across the Southeast and beyond. Out of the office, Alex is a keen guitarist, gig-goer and cyclist.

Joe is a Strategic Land Manager working for a luxury home builder in Hampshire, with expertise in planning policy, site appraisals, strategic site promotion and development management gained from extensive experience working for a local authority, planning consultancy, a major housebuilder and latterly a partnerships business.

In addition to serving on the RTPI South East’s Regional Activities Committee focusing on Policy, Joe is part of the South Coast Young Planners Network Streering Group and also serves as a school governor. Previous voluntary roles for the RTPI held by Joe include serving on the England Policy Panel for two years and the replacement England Policy Committee for a year. 

George is a local authority planning officer with valuable development management experience working at two planning authorities in the South-East. He has developed critical knowledge and skills for assessing and negotiating a wide range of residential, commercial, social and sports infrastructure, and countryside-related planning schemes, with considerable experience in dealing with applications for new housing and development within the Green Belt.

Completing his master’s via the apprenticeship route, George is soon hoping to complete his chartership and become a fully qualified RTPI Member in 2024.

George has a real interest in volunteering and advocating for local planning officers in the Southeast and Championing the Surrey Young Planners