Associates and Presenters

Andrew Ashcroft is Assistant Director - Environment, Planning & Waste at Herefordshire Council, where he was previously Head of Planning Services and Transportation. Before moving to Herefordshire, he was Head of Planning Services at the Isle of Wight Council and both Development Control Manager and Planning Policy Manager at Harborough District Council. Andrew has a particular interest in Member training. In both Herefordshire and the Isle of Wight this has been extended to working with Town and Parish Councils on improving their understanding and engagement in the planning process.

Chris Weetman (Associate) is a private planning consultant, prior to which he was Principal Planning and Management Consultant with Trevor Roberts Associates. Chris has 21 years of local government experience, primarily in development control. He was Development Control Manager at both Wigan and St Helens Councils, before becoming Development Services Manager at St Helens, with managerial responsibility for all planning and building control services. He has a post-graduate management diploma and considerable experience of improving service structure/delivery within local authorities.

Colin Blundel is a planning and environmental consultant with over 25 years' experience in planning, environmental and sustainability issues. Colin has broad experience of public sector working having worked for the Environment Agency, Worcestershire County Council, Countryside Commission, British Waterways and others, before becoming self-employed in February 2007. He has an MSc in Environmental Resources and is a member of the RTPI.

Dan Roberts is Conservation & Urban Design Manager with Lichfield District Council. Before joining Lichfield, he was Regeneration Manager (Built Conservation and Urban Design) with Walsall MBC, where he had worked since 1989 in a number of posts covering local plans, policy and projects, area-based regeneration and development control. Dan is also a part time senior lecturer in the School of Property, Construction & Planning at Birmingham City University and a visiting lecturer at the University of Birmingham's Centre of Urban and Regional Studies. He was a member of the inaugural West Midlands Design Review Panel between 2007 to 2009.

David Kaiserman (Senior Associate) is a freelance Planning Consultant engaged in a variety of professional work in the development control field. He was previously Acting Director of Planning and Environmental Health in the City of Manchester where he took a leading role in all aspects of planning practice, including development control, plan preparation and appeals. As a Senior Associate of TRA he has a great deal of experience in presenting workshops on a variety of subjects for both officers and Councillors.

Derek Rowell is Director of Lionroar Consultancy Ltd specialising in “Regeneration and Development Delivery.” Derek has over 25 years' experience in local government including chief officer roles delivering major projects for a wide range of services in multi-disciplinary departments. He has been active in property development at national and regional levels and was President of the Association of Chief Estates Surveyors in1996. He has served on the RICS Commercial Property Policy Panel, the Valuation Liaison Group and was co-author of ADC best practice guidance for property management. He is a member of a panel of 35 experts appointed by the RICS to provide advice to the Planning Inspectorate on appeals.

Frances McChlery (Associate) is a Scottish solicitor, recently retired from practice after 30 years of experience in the public and private sector; a Legal Associate of the RTPI and has been an accredited planning specialist with the Law Society of Scotland for some years. She teaches administrative and planning law at the University of Strathclyde, and at Glasgow Caledonian University, and is about to lecture in environmental law at The University of Glasgow. She is particularly interested in heritage and conservation, and has worked with Architecture and Design Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland. Frances has extensive experience of public inquiries in Scotland, and as Convener of the planning law Committee of the LSS, has been fully involved in the modernising reforms of the planning system which are now bedding down in Scotland, but which have influenced reform proposals throughout the UK, such as localism and local reviews of planning decisions.

Ian Bentley is Emeritus Professor at the Joint Centre for Urban Design, Oxford Brookes University. He has worked internationally as an urban designer and property developer, and has a firmly established reputation as someone who relates design concepts to the practical realities of planning and development. He was lead author of "Responsive Environments", the key urban design manual, and is a joint winner of the Times/ RIBA Community Initiatives Partnership award for urban regeneration consultancy in Brixton. Ian has run numerous urban design courses for planning practitioners.

Ian Kinloch (Senior Associate) is a Consultant with Aaron and Partners LLP, Solicitors in Chester, specialising in planning work. Before going into private practice he worked in local government for many years in North East England and North Wales. Ian is a Legal Member of the RTPI. He has extensive experience of public inquiry work in both the public and private sectors and is involved in TRA's in-house training for Public Inquiries. He is also a member of the RTPI membership panel.

Jed Griffiths (Senior Associate) is Principal of Griffiths Environmental Planning. A specialist on environmental planning issues, he established his own consultancy following many years working for Hertfordshire County Council and East Sussex County Council. He is a member of the RTPI Council and Management Board; and was RTPI President in 1995. As a Senior Associate of TRA he is especially experienced in Councillor training.

John Mattocks spent 14 years as a local Government Planning Officer before becoming a Planning Inspector in 1985. He retired in March 2010 and now provides specialist advisory services on the LDF process. In his time as an Inspector he focused mainly on development plan work, presiding at many Local Plan Inquiries as well as serving as the inspector panel member at Structure Plan EiPs and two RSS examinations (most recently the East Midlands RSS in 2007). As an experienced Inspector, John was at the forefront of developments in the examination of DPDs. He issued one of the very first reports under the 2004 Act, finding the Lichfield Core Strategy unsound. Since then, he has undertaken a number of DPD examinations. He is also a "champion" for the RTPI's Development Plans Network.

Julie Joseph (formerly Carpenter) (Senior Associate) is a freelance planning consultant. She was previously Planning Manager at Broadland District Council, where she managed both development control and administrative teams. She has almost 20 years' experience in local government planning, principally in development control, and joined TRA in 2005 to work on both procedural consultancy and training assignments. She is the main Course Tutor on the TRA/Cambridge University Certificated Course in Town Planning Support.

Kath Lawless is the Head of Development Management at Newcastle City Council. She has over 20 years' experience of working in local government planning and she has previously worked for South Tyneside, Sunderland and Sefton Councils. Kath has extensive experience of the Development Control system and Member engagement. She is also currently responsible for Urban Design, Conservation and Landscape at Newcastle and has experience of managing Planning Policy teams. Kath is also a qualified NVQ assessor for Town Planning Support. As part of the TRA team, she is involved in in-house training for Councillors.

Lee Prebble (Senior Associate) is Principal of Lee Prebble Planning, town planning consultants. Prior to establishing his own consultancy, Lee worked for over 25 years in local government planning, ending as a Head of Local Policy and Environment. He has a great deal of experience in all aspects of development control and acts as a specialist consultant to local authorities dealing with complex applications, enforcement cases and appeals. He has worked with TRA on consultancy assignments and training for Councillors and staff throughout the UK since 2000.

Michael Hyde established his own independent planning consultancy, MH Planning Associates, in 2008. Prior to this, from 2002, he worked at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority. As Enforcement Planning Officer he was initially tasked with the development of the newly formed authority's enforcement and monitoring function, which he went on to manage. More recently he was seconded to the position of Planning Service Improvement Officer, with his responsibilities including the implementation of e-Planning and the provisions of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006. He has 20 years' experience in development control and enforcement and has also worked for the Lake District National Park Authority and Eden District Council.

Paul Allen Paul has full professional membership of the Institute of Chartered Foresters (ICF) and is a member of the Arboricultural Association. Paul is now Planning and Development Manager with environmental consultancy Marishal Thompson, having previously worked for various private arboricultural companies over the last eleven years, managing local authority tree work contracts and as a consultant, writing reports and providing assistance with planning submissions for development sites. Paul has made written representations to the Secretary of State in respect of TPOs and Planning Appeals and has been appointed Single Joint Expert on arboricultural issues at County Court.

Peter Lerner (Senior Associate) formed Peter Lerner Consultancy Ltd in 2005, following an eventful career of over 25 years in local government, culminating in 5 years working at Chief Executive level. Peter delivers Councillor training for TRA and has done so in more than 50 authorities from Parishes, through Districts and Boroughs to Counties and Unitary Councils. Peter is also an in-demand mentor and an accredited mediator. He recently achieved a runner-up commendation in the national Interim of the Year awards for his work at Waverley BC and has most recently enjoyed 6 months as Executive Director at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Philippa Jarvis (Senior Associate) is a freelance Planning Consultant specialising in the development control field. She established her own consultancy following a 20 year career in local government planning. Her last post was with Wycombe District Council, where she led a Development Control team. As part of the TRA team, she is involved in a variety of training and consultancy assignments.

Rachel Danemann (nee Bland) is Planning and Affordable Housing Officer for South Hams District Council in Devon. Rachel has previously worked for the Lake District National Park Authority and Charnwood Borough Council. She has considerable experience of writing policies and defending them through planning policy and development control inquiries, including several documents which have been examined, found 'sound' and adopted. In her current job she is involved in all aspects of affordable housing from policy making to delivery on the ground. She is also currently studying for a PhD researching affordable housing delivery.

Rob Duff is Director, Town Planning, with the Pegasus Planning Group based in Bristol. He has almost 25 years' experience in planning, working in the local authority, private house-builder and planning consultancy sectors. Since joining Pegasus in 2004, his clients have included local planning authorities, private landowners, national and local developers, national retailers and public bodies. Rob has a specialist interest in planning enforcement and enforcement inquiry work in particular.

Sharon Hosegood is a professional member of the Arboricultural Association and a Chartered Arboriculturalist. She has eleven years' experience in local government as a tree and landscape officer, where she managed and reviewed TPOs, trees in conservation areas, and trees in the planning process. She is Managing Director of a private multi-disciplinary company, DF Clark Bionomique Ltd, with responsibility for developing arboriculture, ecology and landscape services for the construction industry, large land owners and local government.

Simon Rowberry (Senior Associate) is Managing Director of Simon Rowberry Consulting and Support Ltd, a public sector-only management and support consultancy. He was formerly Director of Policy and Review and then Director of Operations at Cannock Chase Council. Prior to that he was Chief Officer (Environment and Economic Development) with Harborough District Council. He has recently performed interim change management and leadership roles at Tunbridge Wells and Northampton Borough Councils and acted as Interim Leader of the West Midlands Chief Engineers and Planning Officers Group. A specialist in corporate policy, management and organisational development, he has been a member of TRA's team of presenters for a number of years.

Stewart Glassar is Planning Manager with Trevor Roberts Associates. Prior to joining TRA, he worked on development control, enforcement and minerals and waste planning in County and District authorities in England and Wales for 13 years, during which time he was involved with many major proposals and developments. As part of his current role, Stewart is heavily involved in helping local planning authorities improve practice and performance through review of their DC procedures.

Sue Glover (Senior Associate) is Principal of UrbanplanningUK and part-time lecturer in environmental management and planning practice at Liverpool John Moores University. Having established as an independent planning consultant in 1986, Sue undertakes a full range of work relating to applications, appeals, inquiries, hearings etc primarily for planning authorities. She previously worked for a variety of District and County authorities, specialising in development control.

Terry Kemmann-Lane is a Senior Planning Inspector, having stepped down from more senior positions when deciding to work part-time. He joined the Planning Inspectorate more than 30 years ago having previously been a district planning officer for 4 years. In PINS he has been a senior manager and undertaken a wide variety of major casework. His specialisms include retailing, minerals & waste, and development plans. Having advised on the emerging legislation for the LDF regime, he has spent most of the time since 2006 in examining a range of DPDs in major growth areas. He has lectured on planning and public inquiries for many years and chairs the RTPI appeals panel into disciplinary action against professional misconduct.

Timothy Crawshaw is an innovative designer with over fifteen years experience in both the public and private sectors. Formerly Conservation and Design Group Manager for Kirklees Metropolitan Council, he is now a freelance consultant working throughout the UK. He is qualified in Architecture and Urban Environmental Design and now operates as a multi-disciplinary consultant involved in masterplanning, development briefs, characterisation, wildlife, ecology and sustainability. Finding his true calling in urban design, Tim has a varied portfolio ranging from design marketing to award winning eco-buildings and he has specific interests in sustainability and community consultation.

Trevor Atkinson (Associate) has over 30 years' experience in both the public and private sectors, where he has held a number of technical and management positions. He has extensive experience of managing and developing people, improving teams and managing organisational change. He also has experience of managing local authority regeneration, environmental and development projects and the procurement and management of consultants and contractors. Trevor has held management positions with Capita Symonds, a national property, engineering and environmental consultancy, and with TRA; and is currently Sustainable Development Manager with Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd. He is part of TRA's team involved in management and organisational consultancy, working with local authorities to improve the quality and efficiency of their service delivery.

Vivien Green (Senior Associate) is a freelance Planning Consultant with an extensive range of clients. Prior to establishing her consultancy in 1992, she worked for a number of local authorities, focusing primarily on development control and development plan work. Vivien has extensive experience of presenting training workshops on an in-house and inter-authority basis, and is responsible for the TRA certificated training programme on Planning Enforcement originally developed in conjunction with Cambridge University.