1st June 2010

The Town and Country Planning Association is pleased to announce that Kate Henderson has been appointed by the Board of Trustees as Chief Executive. Kate becomes the first female Chief Executive of Britain's oldest charity concerned with planning, housing and the environment, founded in 1899. 

TCPA Chair Lee Shostak said:

"The TCPA is delighted that Kate has accepted our offer to be Chief Executive.  Today the nation faces massive challenges: rebuilding our economy, meeting housing needs in every community, and addressing climate change. The new Government is proposing major reforms to planning to rise to these challenges.  The TCPA intends  to ensure that these reforms will lead to providing a decent home for everyone, empowering local communities, and promoting more sustainable development.  Kate is bringing her exceptional talent, skills and experience to drive the Association's efforts to do this."            

Kate Henderson said:

"I am thrilled to be taking forward the TCPA's progressive and innovative programme of work at such a momentous time in the history of planning. For over a century, the TCPA has campaigned for the reform of the UK's planning system to make it more responsive to people's needs and aspirations and to promote sustainable development. Today, as the nation begins to recover from the recession, the Association must show that good planning enables economic growth, helps to meet local housing needs, and addresses the challenges of climate change. I look forward to working with the Board of Trustees and staff team to ensure the TCPA continues to lead the way in putting social and environmental justice at the heart of planning policy." 

Kate joined the TCPA in early 2007 and has been acting as Interim Chief Executive since February this year. Initially joining the TCPA team as Communications and Energy Policy Manager and more recently as Head of Strategy, Kate has raised the profile of the Association through a range of campaigns and policy initiatives. She has managed two cross-sector coalitions, most notably the Planning and Climate Change Coalition, a joint campaign with Friends of the Earth and including over thirty leading planners and countryside and environmental organisations.

Kate regularly writes for trade publications and journals, including writing an expert paper ‘the case for climate change adaptation' as part of the TCPA-led European project on adaptation. Kate is a Professional Member of the Energy Institute and a Chartered Environmentalist. She holds a Masters in Environmental Technology (Energy Policy) from Imperial College London and a first Class Honours degree in Geology from University College London. In her spare time she is a board member of the Energy Institute London and Home Counties branch committee and a governor of a north London primary school.