TCPA Staff Team

  Kate Henderson
  Chief Executive
  Email:  Kate.Henderson@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Kate is Chief Executive of Britain's oldest charity concerned with planning, housing and the environment, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). She is responsible for leading the Association’s efforts to shape and advocate planning policies that put social justice and the environment at the heart of the debate.

Kate joined the TCPA in early 2007 and was appointed Chief Executive in 2010. She has raised the TCPA’s profile through a range of campaigns and policy initiatives, including chairing the TCPA-led Garden Cities and Suburbs Expert Group and the Eco-Development Group.

Kate is a member of the Government’s 2016 Taskforce and Neighbourhood Planning Sounding Board, she has been on the Energy Institute London and Home Counties Committee since 2006 and she is currently a commissioner on the Independent Commission on the Future of Council Housing in Southwark. Kate regularly speaks at conferences and writes for trade publications and journals.

  Dr Hugh Ellis
  Chief Planner
  Email:  Hugh.Ellis@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Hugh joined the TCPA as senior planner in April 2009.   Before taking the post he had been senior planning advisor to Friends of the Earth for 10 years and had previously worked as a lecturer in the University of Sheffield planning school. Hugh’s key responsibilities are to provide expert planning advice to the organisation.

Since joining TCPA Hugh has led the Planning and Climate Change Coalition which published a major policy document in April 2012. He has been involved in providing expert advice and analysis of the NPPF and Localism Act and the more recently the new Growth and Infrastructure Bill.  Hugh was closely involved in the TCPA-led European project on climate change adaptation (GRaBS) until it finished in August 2011. He is now working on the TCPA-led European project on leadership for energy action and planning (LEAP) as well as delivering elected members training in Yorkshire and Humber.

Hugh has a BA in town and regional planning, a Diploma in Town planning and a PhD.

 
  Nick Matthews
  Editor-in-Chief
  Email:  Nick.Matthews@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Nick joined the TCPA as Editor in December 1988, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology, where he was Editor of a number of software and engineering journals. As well as acting as Editor of Town & Country Planning, he has also overseen the production of a wide range of TCPA publications. He has a BSC in Physics.


  Diane Smith
  European and Corporate Affiars Manager
  Email:  Diane.Smith@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Diane was a consultant to the TCPA for almost 20 years (1990-2008) responsible for conferences, events, setting up and developing Corporate Fellows, European bid development and media work. Since 2008 Diane has been full-time staff member, leading the GRaBS project which finished in August 2011 and more recently the new TCPA-led project, LEAP. The remainder of Diane’s time is focused on Corporate Affairs, conferences, events, sponsorship, European Bid development, and study tour development and delivery.

Diane represents the TCPA on the HCA Skills Directorate; EA Adaptation Futures; DEFRA Built Environment/Adaptation Group; ESPON UK; IFHP, ISOCARP; and the Land Restoration Trust. As Corporate Affairs Manager, Diane is involved to a greater, or lesser, extent in all UK-based projects. This may take the form of bid/tender preparation, events, seminars, chairing, and strategic input as requested by the CEO/project leader. With a wide network of contacts in the public and private sector, Diane also has a key role in identifying funding and project opportunities which fit with the core activities of the Association.


  Fiona Mannion
  Communications Manager
  Email:  Fiona.Mannion@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Fiona joined the TCPA in 2007 and is Communications Manager, having previously been Senior Policy and Projects Officer and Public Affairs Manager. Fiona is responsible for raising the Association’s profile (and the EU LEAP project) and campaign messages through press activity and media relations, as well as coordinating the Association’s party conference presence.

Fiona has extensive experience in managing partner relationships across the public, private and third sector, including managing the Corporate Fellowship scheme.  She has also project managed a number of reports, most recently ‘Re-imagining garden cities for the 21^st Century’. She regularly writes articles and contributes to policy consultations. Fiona represents the TCPA on the Rural Coalition and the Cut the VAT coalition.

Fiona previously worked at Lewisham Council on their Housing Graduate Scheme and for the Fabian Society. She has an honours degree in Social Science from Durham University and is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Housing.


 Katy Lock
 Garden Cities and New Towns Advocate
 Email: Katy.Lock@tcpa.org.uk
 Tel:  0207 930 8903

Katy joined the TCPA on the 31^st October 2011. Prior to this Katy has been working as an environmental planner with Land Use Consultants for the past six years.  Her experience includes the provision of planning advice and casework, policy research, Sustainability Appraisal, Environmental Impact Assessment, green infrastructure planning, and regeneration projects. Katy has a Masters in Planning and a degree in Geography, both from the University of Manchester.

 Michael Chang
 Planning Policy Officer
 Email: Michael.Chang@tcpa.org.uk
 Tel:  0207 930 8903

Michael is the Planning Policy Officer and joined the TCPA in 2007, with a Bachelor of Planning and Master of Science in Urban Regeneration, and is an Associate member of the RTPI.  

Michael’s responsibilities include policy research such as for consultations, Select Committee inquiries, and preparing submissions for regional spatial strategy EiPs. In 2011, he completed a paper on Transport Corridors for KRIHS, led the development of the Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit for Living Places and the East of England Climate Change Skills programme.

He has previously worked as the Assistant to the Planning Technician at Auckland City Council responsible for assisting with the administration and logistics of publicising local plan revisions, and as a Planning Assistant in a planning consultancy and responsible for preparing householder planning applications, and carrying out planning assessments and preparing assessments of environmental effect, due diligence, and neighbourhood consultation requirements.


  Alex House
  Projects and Policy Officer
  Email:  Alex.House@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

  Alex is involved in policy and project work across a diverse range of planning issues, including housing, green infrastructure, energy and climate change. She manages the Eco-development Group (EDG) which consists of local authorities, key delivery bodies and other groups bringing forward eco-developments of different models and scales; from eco-towns and villages to urban regeneration and extension schemes. The group helps to develop their proposals, embed ambitious sustainability standards and encourage a sharing of knowledge and best practice between the different sites.

 Alex also manages the Planning and Climate Change Coalition, which is led by the TCPA and Friends of the Earth and includes over 40 cross-sector organisations and individuals. The Coalition aims to ensure that the planning system makes a full contribution to meeting the climate change challenge. It was influential in bringing about the draft PPS Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate in March 2010 and has published planning guidance and model policies on climate change for local authorities in England. The Coalition won an RTPI Award for Contribution to Planning in 2010.

Alex is Energy Planner on the TCPA led European project Leadership for Energy Action and Planning (LEAP). The LEAP project has been established to facilitate a network of pan-European municipalities to plan and deliver local sustainable energy solutions in line with the Covenant of Mayors. Alex is experienced at organising stakeholder events, external seminars and Policy Task Team meetings.

Alex has an MSc Spatial Planning from the Bartlett, University College London and a BSc in Geography and Anthropology, University College London.


  Brian Moffat
  Membership Officer
  Email:  Brian.Moffat@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Brian has been the TCPA’s Membership Officer since October 2007. His responsibilities include maintaining TCPA membership records and database development & administration.

Brian joined TCPA from Crisis UK, the national homelessness charity where he had worked for almost 10 years in finance & data administration. His previous employment history has included working in disabled & community transport as driver and administrator, a period as a delivery driver and as an Executive Officer in the DHSS. 


  Michael McLean
  Projects and Promotions Officer
  Email:  Michael.Mclean@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Michael joined the TCPA in February 2004 on a part-time basis, overseeing membership recruitment, particularly local authorities. He set up new databases and worked on promotions, conferences and seminars. Michael also sought out potential advertisers for the Journal. Since March 2010 Michael has been responsible for conference and seminar organisation and delivery – including supporting the TCPA fringe events at the party conferences, the FJO lecture and the Annual Reception.

Previously, Michael worked for Planning Aid for London, as volunteer officer, recruiting and retaining volunteer planning professionals. Michael has extensive experience as a LA housing manager in the LB Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham. Michael helped set up the Black Planners Network, a group concerned with the scarcity of black planners, and their lack of advancement. He has also worked for the Commission for Racial Equality as an Investigation Officer looking at local authority practices, particularly education and recruitment services.

At the TCPA Michael has project managed the Rayne Foundation ‘Planning Community Needs’ project, the logistics, funding, delivery and attendance of the Planning for Inclusion and CSPT regional seminar series and statistical analysis for the Stakeholder Involvement in Regional Planning.


  Isobel Bruun-Kiaer
  European Projects Assistant (Maternity Cover)
  Email:  Isobel.Bruun-Kiaer@tcpa.org.uk  
  Tel:  0207 930 8903

Isobel is European Projects Assistant for the Intelligent Energy Europe LEAP project, and is responsible for coordinating the work of nine partners over one year as a maternity cover. Her role includes organising international mentoring visits and seminars, engaging with stakeholders, coordinating finances, and conducting project progress reports.

Prior to joining the team, Isobel worked as Assistant Planner at Planning Design Solutions and regularly volunteered at the TCPA while completing her undergraduate degree. She has a First Class Honours degree in Geography from University of Edinburgh and expects to graduate with MSc Spatial Planning from the Bartlett School of Planning in 2013.

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