Hugh Ellis Interim Chief Executive Expand Email: [email protected]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 Growth and Infrastructure Act. In 2013 he co-wrote Planning out Poverty, a year-long research project with the Webb Memorial Trust which explored the overarching question 'how can we re-focus planning to be more effective in dealing with social exclusion?' Hugh was closely involved in a number of TCPA-led European projects on climate change adaptation and mitigation, including the GRaBS project which finished in August 2011 and the LEAP project, which finished in November 2013. He is now working on the TCPA-led European project on spatial planning and energy (SPECIAL) as well as delivering officer and elected members training. Hugh has a BA in town and regional planning, a Diploma in Town planning and a PhD. In September 2018 Hugh became Interim Chief Executive of the TCPA.
Julia Thrift Projects and Operations Director Expand Email: [email protected]Tel: 020 7930 8903 Twitter: @juliathrift Julia Thrift joined the TCPA in May 2013 and manages projects concerning planning and public health, green infrastructure, and planning and social justice. Throughout her career she has been interested in the links between the design of the built environment and the quality of people’s lives. She worked for CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, where she was the founding director of CABE Space, the government's adviser on policy and practice regarding England's urban parks and public spaces. She began her career as a journalist, writing about design, architecture and art. She has a degree in philosophy from University College London.
Diane Smith European Consultant Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Since 2008 Diane has been the TCPA's European and Corporate Affairs Manager, leading the GRaBS project which finished in August 2011 and the TCPA-led project, LEAP, which finished in November 2013. More recently she is running the Intelligent Energy Europe funded project on spatial planning and energy (SPECIAL). In addition to running European projects Diane has focused on Corporate Affairs, conferences, events, sponsorship, European Bid development, and study tour development and delivery. In 2013 she oversaw the delivery of the IFHP Centenary Congress in London. 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. Diane represents the TCPA on the HCA Skills Directorate; EA Adaptation Futures; DEFRA Built Environment/Adaptation Group; ESPON UK; IFHP and ISOCARP. Diane Smith was appointed Interim Chief Executive from December 2013 - July 2014 during Kate Henderson's maternity leave.
Nick Matthews Editor-in-Chief Expand Email: [email protected] 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.
Katy Lock Project and Policy Manager (Garden Cities & New Towns) Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Katy works on the TCPA’s campaigns and promotion of garden city principles in policy, education and the arts. She manages the organisation’s policy strand, Creating garden cities and suburbs today, including facilitating and reporting on cross-sector workshops and seminars, project managing and creating guidance and campaign documents, and promoting the garden city model through seminars, events and lectures and in the media. She has worked closely with international organisations concerned with the garden city movement, including the International Federation for Housing and Planning (a 1913 offspring of the TCPA established to promote the garden city model worldwide), co-organising their centenary congress in London 2013. She managed the production of the TCPA’s ‘Creating Garden Cities and Suburbs Today Guide for Councils’, ‘Good practice guide to long-term stewardship models’, a ‘community guide to garden cities’ and a project re-examining the New Towns Act. Katy is currently working on a practical guide to meeting the high standards of garden cities, and a research project looking at transferable lessons from the New Towns. Katy is a Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI) and has a background in planning, urban design and sustainability. Before joining the TCPA in 2011, she worked for several years in the private sector as an environmental planning consultant.
Michael Chang Project and Policy Manager Expand Email: [email protected]Tel: 0207 930 8903 Michael joined the TCPA in 2007 with a Bachelor of Planning and Master of Science in Urban Regeneration. He is a Chartered Member of the RTPI and Member of the CMI. Michael’s responsibilities include policy development and research report to Head of Policy such as for government policy consultations and select committee inquiries, and preparing policy briefings on various consultation proposals and initiatives . He is also responsible for managing and delivering on project work. Previous work on projects including joint research on eco-towns, high speed rail, and transport corridors for KRIHS (Korea), climate change adaptation in planning for the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, leading on the development of the Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit for Living Places and a planning guide in 2013, and managing training for planners including the East of England Climate Change Skills programme for planners, and the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Change Skills Training for Elected Members. In early 2015 he was involved in training for elected members in Belfast CIty Council on the new Northern Ireland planning system. He leads on the Association's Reuniting Health with Planning initiative and was on secondment to Public Health England in early 2016. He has managed and delivered health projects on themes such as Planning Healthy Weight Environments and provided advisory guidance on planning and the public health systems. He has completed projects for London Healthy High Streets Group, Public Health England, Public Health Wales and the Wales Health Impact Assessment Unit, Belfast Healthy Cities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. As part of these projects and separately, he plans and delivers local planning for health workshops for local authorities. He is also responsible for hosting foreign delegations visiting the TCPA to learn about UK planning and leads on TCPA's capacity building trips to China as part of a TCPA-led delegation of experts on urbanisation for the British Embassy Beijing. He has previously worked as the Assistant to the Planning Technician at a large metropolitan council in New Zealand 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 (maternity leave) Projects and Policy Manager Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Alex House is Projects and Policy Manager at the TCPA and a Chartered Town Planner (MRTPI). She is responsible for managing the TCPA's New Communities Group which consists of local authorities and development corporations bringing forward new large-scale communities. The group collectively helps to develop plans, provide political support and encourage a sharing of knowledge and best practice through seminars, study visits and parliamentary meetings. Alex joined the TCPA in 2006, and has been involved in policy and project work across a diverse range of planning issues, including housing, transport, green infrastructure, energy and climate change. Alex has worked on several European projects; she was Energy Planner for Leadership for Energy Action and Planning (LEAP), and coordinated the Intelligent Energy Europe project Spatial Planning and Energy for Communities In All Landscapes (SPECIAL). Alex managed the Planning and Climate Change Coalition (PCCC), which was led by the TCPA and Friends of the Earth. The PCCC influenced Government to ensure climate change was enshrined in planning policy, whilst maintaining a large cross sector of support. The PCCC was influential in bringing about the draft PPS Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate in March 2010, and published planning guidance and model policies on climate change for local authorities in England. The Coalition won a Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Award for Contribution to Planning in 2010.
Henry Smith Projects and Policy Manager Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Henry re-joined the TCPA in April 2015. In his career to date he has worked in regional and local authority planning and housing, inside and outside of London. He is a Chartered Town Planner and has an MSc in Town Planning from Newcastle University. He is an accredited PRINCE2 Project Manager and is currently completing the Future of London Leaders Programme. Henry joined from the Greater London Authority, where he was an Area Manager in the Housing and Land team. He had responsibility for a portfolio of housing associations and the London boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham, delivering affordable housing to meet Mayoral targets. He was project manager on Mayor owned land in Canning Town responsible for securing developer agreements with members of the London Development Panel. He also played a lead role in establishing the Housing Zones programme which is investing £400m across London to unlock and accelerate housing growth. In his previous role, he was a Senior Planning Officer at the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead where he advised urban and rural community groups on neighbourhood planning. He prepared Local Plan site allocations and policy on green belt, climate change and tourism, and lead on the Strategic Environmental Assessment. He also worked for two years at the City of London Corporation on urban design strategy and implementation, managing project teams retrofitting the historic fabric of the Square Mile. In his current role, Henry is responsible for managing the New Communities Group and preparing a new European project on the multi-faceted benefits of green infrastructure. In his previous role at the TCPA he worked on the EU project GRaBS and on regional and national green infrastructure projects and partnerships. He began his career as a volunteer at the TCPA working on the Eco-Towns worksheets and the Culture and Sport Planning Toolkit.
David White Finance and Membership Officer Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 David joined the TCPA in September 2016 and provides financial and database support and is the first point of contact for queries relating to TCPA membership. Previously he has worked in a range of finance, grants management and membership roles with the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute, the Big Lottery Fund and the British Council. David has a degree in Politics with Sociology from the University of Plymouth and Master’s degrees in Database Systems and Social Research Methods from the University of Westminster and Nottingham Trent University respectively.
Michael McLean Projects and Promotions Officer Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903Michael 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.
Jack Mulligan Communications Officer Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Jack's previous experience is an interesting mix of housing, planning and communications. He originally trained for a career in property but soon moved on to work as a writer and strategist for some of the country’s leading house builders. His experience is varied and includes public affairs, public relations, engagement, copywriting and social media. Jack is responsible for managing the TCPA’s day-to-day communications activity, including all press, social media and marketing.
Jessica Fieth European and Projects Officer Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Jessie joined the TCPA in February 2017 as a Projects Assistant, and is currently focusing on supporting the PERFECT project. She has a degree in Geography from Durham University and was previously a Research Assistant at Sayers and Partners LLP, a small consultancy that works on flooding-related projects.
Catriona MacRae Project Assistant Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Catriona joined the TCPA in September 2017 as a Projects Assistant. She works on and supports our health, Garden Cities and New Towns projects as well as the Raynsford Review of Planning. Catriona has a degree in Geography from Dundee University and studied Urban Planning at the University of the West of England. Her key interests are health, active lifestyles and evening economy.
Sneha Pednekar Personal Assistant to Chief Executive Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Sneha joined the TCPA in April 2018 as the Personal Assistant to Kate Henderson, Chief Executive. Sneha has a degree in Politics and Global Studies from the University of Winchester, and has extensive experience working in administration, social media, project management, and tech support for government and commercial organisations in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Laura Heykoop Projects and Policy Manager Expand Email: [email protected] Tel: 0207 930 8903 Laura joined the TCPA in May 2018. Prior to joining the organisation, Laura worked in the London Borough of Hackney’s Housing Strategy and Policy team. Before this, she worked for a number of years in the humanitarian and international development sectors, focusing mainly on housing, infrastructure and community development programming. Laura has varied geographical experience, having worked in the UK, Haiti, Bangladesh, South Sudan, DRC, Lebanon, Iraq and Nepal. Laura has an MSc in Urban Development Planning from UCL and a BA in Architecture from Newcastle University.