planning
A planner’s role should be to create good places which work for people, whilst ensuring that the needs of society are met – housing, infrastructure, employment and so on. Obviously, they cannot do this on their own. Clients, architects, surveyors, engineers and many others have important roles in the development process too, and planners should be comfortable working with all these other professionals.
As a qualified town planner, I am involved all the way through the process from pre-feasibility studies to planning applications and appearing as a planning witness at public inquiry. And with experience in public and private sector developers, and also across the regulatory, design and implementation aspects of planning, I have a good understanding of the pressures and constraints that different stakeholders work under. In other words, my focus is not only on developing proposals for good placemaking and strategic planning, but also implementing and delivering those proposals on the ground.
My work is a mixture of larger projects in collaboration with other professionals and smaller commissions undertaken on my own. I work at a range of scales, from urban extensions of several thousand hectares to individual house extensions. However, virtually every project involves collaboration with other professionals.
The common thread is that I like to work openly and honestly with good people and produce high quality results. Depending on the scale of the project, I will recommend bringing in appropriate expertise from my wide network of contacts in planning, architecture, design, transport, engineering, surveying and the legal profession. And if I don’t feel I’m the right person for the job, I’ll put you in touch with someone who is.
I’m particularly interested in urban design, masterplanning, implementation and negotiation, and the interface between transport planning and land-use planning.
Projects I’ve been involved with include:
Knockroon outline planning application – submission of outline planning application for an urban extension near Dumfries House between Cumnock and Auchinleck, The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment‘s first development in Scotland – the “Scottish Poundbury”?
Dunfermline strategic framework, a spatial framework for the western expansion of Dunfermline for the period 2011 to 2026 for around 4,000 houses plus employment, community facilities and infrastructure. For Fife Council with WMUD and Kevin Murray Associates.
Kensal Ecoquarter pre-feasibility study, for a 20 hectare brownfield site in West London on the Crossrail route, for the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea with Kevin Murray Associates. Click here for more information.
Masterplans for three villages on Orkney Mainland – St Margaret’s Hope, Dounby and Finstown. For Orkney Islands Council, with WMUD.
Glasgow North economic development strategy for Glasgow City Council, with yellow book.
Training for Councillors about planning – I am an established member of the training team for local Councillors at TPS Planning, delivering training programmes for Councillors across Scotland for the Scottish Government’s Improvement Service.
Tennents Lager – a feasibility study into exciting new design proposals to upgrade the appearance of Tennents Wellpark Brewery, in Glasgow’s East End.
Jobs, houses and the Kirkcaldy & Mid-Fife Local Plan – helping Fife Council with assessment of Local Plan consultation responses.
Research on transport and economic growth in Ayrshire – a Scottish Government research project to determine where future strategic transport investment in Ayrshire should be directed.
