Thank you to our volunteers

Thank you to all our Committee members who are stepping down this year, for their significant contributions made to the RTPI, and to the South East region. The time and effort they have given up for the South East branch is very much appreciated.

John Alcock

John originally from Birkenhead completed his BA from the University of Leicester in Geography and an MBA from De Montort. He started his planning career in Cheshire County Council Wirral & West Area as a Planning Office, then moved on to Liverpool City Council in Research and Regeneration. In 1975 ,he started working for Leicester City Council Local Planning, Development Control, Regeneration. After 14 years in Leicester City Council, he moved to Liverpool City Council Local planning, Regeneration and retired in 2008. He is actively volunteering In Wirral and East Sussex , Planning Aid and Neighbourhood Planning - A Gipsy Site in Brighton and Seaford Neighbourhood Plan. He was the former member and chair of the East Midland branch and was also a member of the North West branch.

Steve Lees

Steve is an independent planning consultant advising private sector clients on emerging local plans and neighbourhood plans in the south of England and providing policy appraisals on potential development sites. Working for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Local Nature Partnership he has supported the development of a policy framework for a local ecological network for the County and is currently advising on delivering biodiversity net gain. Steve is an external examiner for UWE Bristol and acts as an adviser to the Hampshire branch of the CPRE. Previously he worked for over 30 years in local government in planning policy.

Eleanor Gingell

Eleanor is known amongst clients for her friendly yet no-nonsense approach to dealing with difficult policy matters and drawing out what really matters. Eleanor has a range of public and private sector experience. She is presently employed as a Planning Policy Team Leader for Cherwell District Council. Her previous experience was as a Principal Planner for WYG, based in their Milton Keynes Office where she is involved in a range of residential projects for both public and private sector clients. Other previous private sector experience has included work for Bidwells, where she was involved in the promotion of a range of residential developments from 50-2,500 homes, and for Pegasus Group in Cambridge working on appeals and plan promotion. In the Public Sector Eleanor has held various planning policy roles principally in Local Government. Her work has included input into a number of statutory plans including the West Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy, the Central Area Action Plan and most recently the South Northamptonshire Part 2 Local Plan, which was submitted in January 2019. Over the years Eleanor has developed an interest in Neighbourhood Planning helping a number of groups turn their ideas into 'made' plans. In 2014 Eleanor was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to Neighbourhood and Community Planning. Eleanor is the Immediate past chair of the South East Regional Activities Committee, Women in Planning South Midlands and is also an assessor for the L-APC process. When she has dragged herself away from planning, she enjoys taking her son on heritage railways (well, using her son as an excuse to travel on heritage railways) and playing with Lego…!

William Sparling

Will joined South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils as a Senior Planing office in November 2020. His previous roles was as a Senior Planner at Edgars since January 2018. Will has experience of plan making in Yorkshire and the South east. Before joining Edgars, he worked for an Oxfordshire local planning authority and also has several years' experience of working privately and as a researcher. He is a specialist in Neighbourhood Planning and recently achieved a PhD in urban governance with a focus on Localism. Will achieved his master's degree in Town and Regional Planning from Leeds Beckett University in 2012 and is a member of the RTPI South East regional committee. He has been published in several journals and books.

Annabel Le Lohé

Annabel recently started at Brookbanks as a Development and Planning Manager. Prior to that, Annabel worked for Storey Homes, an SME housebuilder based in Milton Keynes, following three years of consultancy experience at WYG. Annabel undertakes a strategic role in identifying development sites and promoting these through Local and Neighbourhood Plans, as well as managing planning applications to support the delivery of high-quality homes.Annabel previously worked for WYG, gaining three years of planning consultancy experience across residential, healthcare and education sectors. She obtained her MSc in Spatial Planning in 2018 and became a Chartered Member of the RTPI in September 2020.Annabel is an active member of the development community, as well as her role as Chair of this RTPI Steering Group, she maintains regional positions with the; Association for Consultancy and Engineering Emerging Professionals, Building Magazine Graduate Panel, Royal Town Planning Institute Young Planners and Women in Planning.

Graham Wilson

Graham has been actively participating in the Kent Young Planners since 2016. He is now a Senior Planner at Savills in Sevenoaks having progressed through the graduate scheme, but has also previously worked as an intern for CgMs Retail Planning Team in London. Prior to a career in planning he worked professionally in winter sports in Canada and New Zealand, at one point doing 17 winters in a row. He has a particular interest in stadia and infrastructure planning, and holds a Master in Planning and Development from the University of Reading. Outside of work Graham will never be found far from a ski slope, but also enjoys football, cycling, swimming, and travelling the globe.

Edward Cheng

Edward is a chartered town planner currently employed at Highways England as DCO and Statutory Processes Manager. In this role he advises on the development of a portfolio of highways schemes including NSIPs primarily in the South East region. Edward has worked in local authorities in the South East and East of England most recently in Planning Policy at Guildford Borough Council. He is a member of the National Infrastructure Planning Association (NIPA) and as well as transport has interests across climate change, energy and environmental planning.