I find it rewarding bringing my technical knowledge and experience to big picture thinking and my experience means I can put myself in local authority planners’ shoes as we reshape how we deliver nationally.
Career journey and role
I left university with a degree in Environmental Science and joined Dartmoor National Park Authority in a technical role working in policy. I was then given the opportunity to do a part-time Masters degree in planning while working.
Working as a planner in a protected landscape aligned with my core values. With the natural environment at the heart of our decisions, I loved working closely with rural communities to help them thrive – enabling development that focussed on the needs of local communities. Working for a small organisation with a broad remit gave me the opportunity to work across a variety of specialisms from affordable housing, economic development, to minerals, landscape and the historic environment.
I currently work for Natural England as a Principal Officer in a national team which drives our response to government planning reforms. No day is the same - over the last couple of years I’ve had the opportunity to get involved in a range of work including policy, strategic solutions, BNG, and areas such as digital, evaluation and portfolio management.
The hardest thing in my early days working in development management days was having to say no. Objectivity is so important in your role as a planner, and when you’re talking directly with people about decisions that will impact their lives that really gets tested.
The rewards are there though – meeting a family that have moved into affordable housing you've enabled, seeing a business thrive in their new premises, or seeing wildlife thriving in an area you helped, feels great.
Value of working in local government/public sector
Working in the public sector aligns with my core values, putting the environment and people at the heart of what I do. I’ve always considered myself to be working on behalf of the public and in planning that is about ensuring equity in decisions - thinking about those whose voice may be quieter, whether that’s underrepresented groups in a community, or the wildlife living alongside it.
Over the years I have lent on the benefits of public sector working when I’ve needed – working flexibly to support a young family and having the peace of mind of job security and a team that rally when you really need them.
A common misconception I would find in local government was that a decision was easy, or obvious. In public events, I would often try to bring people with opposing views into the same conversation to help them see that others in their community might have a different view.
Chartership
Being Chartered is a source of pride for me and a really important way of upholding standards in our profession. The access you then have to learning and networks means it’s just the beginning of your professional journey. Tap those early as a licentiate member – build your network and get along to RTPI events to broaden your horizons.
Further on in my career, I’ve championed the importance of RTPI membership with employers, seeking it as a requirement when recruiting to professional roles and am always pleased to see younger planners coming through who have worked hard to achieve chartership.
Advice
Planning is such a broad profession – take opportunities to explore as much of it as you can and you’ll always take that new knowledge with you.
Use those transferrable skills – you’re an expert in synthesising complex technical issues, you’re a great decision maker, you’re a diplomat, a leader, a problem solver, and a visionary.
Champion your profession! We’re at the heart of delivering great places to live and work in harmony with our natural environment.