World Town Planning Day 2024
It’s World Town Planning Day! So let’s get you acquainted with our planning team!
This year, the theme for World own Planning Day is ‘Homes Start with Planning’. World Town Planning Day 2024 will focus on the role of planning and planners in delivering housing that meets the needs of our communities, and in helping to create equitable, inclusive, and sustainable solutions for all. LEP has helped to deliver thousands of homes over the years. As a team, we are always striving to make these communities the most accessible, inclusive, safe and well-designed places we can.
To find out more about WTPD 2024 – please visit the RTPI Website.
World Town Planning Day gives us the perfect excuse to ask our Planning team some quick-fire questions to let you get to know them a little better!
Name: Nathan Anthony
Position: Planning Partner
Years of Experience: 20 years
In your opinion – what is the purpose of Town Planning in the UK?
It’s a bit of a planning-world cliché and maybe an easy answer but it rings true to the reason I became a planner, which was to create better and more attractive places for people. Planning has focused more recently (respective to my career), on sustainability and biodiversity and we have to continue to push that to the forefront of the development agenda, even if it does make our jobs harder; a good challenge to have.
Proudest planning career moment?
I’m going to cheat here and give 2 answers; Acting as expert witness at an Inquiry on behalf of an LPA, which we won against a well-funded and sizeable appellant team. And being appointed as planning consultant on numerous projects for my beloved Crystal Palace FC!
Favourite type of project to work on?
Health and medical projects, because of the difference they make and my experience in those projects helps me to understand the demands/pressures on the client from the get-go.
Favourite thing to do at the weekend?
Beach walks with my family
Name: Reece Lemon
Position: Associate / London Planning Lead
Years of Experience: 9 years
In your opinion – what is the purpose of Town Planning in the UK?
For me, planning is about progress. People and places change and evolve, and planning as a profession helps keep the two in sync – whether small scale extensions at home to support a growing family, or wider scale regeneration transforming towns and cities.
Proudest planning career moment?
I had a really good run of luck/hard work pay off all at once a number of years ago – a double whammy of professional recognition through awards and associate membership to the RTPI – that I’m still quite proud of, mostly as it meant I was doing something right across the stresses of day to day work.
Favourite type of project to work on?
Urban regeneration projects – or in real terms, dirty, old, vacant buildings – where you know almost from inception that they absolutely will deliver and they absolutely will make significant positive difference when done right.
Favourite thing to do at the weekend?
I’m currently working on my second poetry anthology, balanced with a game of “how many scars can I get from DIY?”. Always something active – mentally or physically.
Name: Elouise Mitchell
Position: Associate
Years of Experience: 8 years
In your opinion – what is the purpose of Town Planning in the UK?
Sustainability! It’s at the core of what we do every day. Our role as Planners is to ensure that new and existing communities are sustainable, and each pillar of sustainability is as important as the others (social, economic and environmental). In designing new communities and altering existing ones, we must balance and prioritise the principles of sustainability.
Proudest planning career moment?
2024 has been a particularly special year for me – joining numerous committees, collaborating on some amazing projects and becoming an Associate at LEP – but I think winning the RTPI South East Young Planner of the Year Award this summer was an overall highlight.
Favourite type of project to work on?
Definitely residential projects – and greenfield resi schemes in particular. I love the challenge that these sites present. Sometimes it’s a bit of a slow burn, needing to promote a site through the Local Plan, but when you achieve planning permission for a site you are proud of and know will provide housing for hundreds of families for years to come, it’s a pretty special feeling.
Favourite thing to do at the weekend?
I think a perfect weekend would involve a sea swim, a long walk with my dog and probably ending up in the pub with friends.
Name: Hannah Wilson
Position: Graduate Planner
Years of Experience: 3 months
In your opinion – what is the purpose of Town Planning in the UK?
I see town planning as a means to create healthy, sustainable, and well-designed places in the UK. Town Planning can dictate development from the very smallest of scales all the way up to nationally significant infrastructure and new towns – which gives the discipline scope to influence places in both obvious and less obvious ways – this is also why it’s so varied and interesting!
Proudest planning career moment?
Leading my first planning application all the way through to submission – now the wait to hear back begins!
Favourite type of project to work on?
It’s probably too early to say at the moment – I’m only three months in after all – but urban regeneration schemes are particularly interesting to me as they transform underused (and often neglected) parcels of land into well-designed spaces which will serve the wider community’s needs.
Favourite thing to do at the weekend?
Playing hockey with my team and then enjoying a relaxing weekend with friends and family.
If you have a project that needs the input of one our expert planners, then please do not hesitate to get in touch.
