Our associates

The key to any organisation is the quality of its people. We have built an excellent team of associates, who are experts in their specialist areas and able to provide exemplary advice and support to clients.

All lead associates are former senior local government officers, and understand the sensitivities of working in a political and corporate environment and a performance culture. They have considerable experience of senior level management, coupled with specialist expertise developed through working directly in support of planning authorities.

Ian Blake BEng (Hons) MSc CIWM CEnv

Ian has over 30 years of experience in the field of waste management and waste and minerals planning. He has helped numerous planning authorities successfully prepare planning policy concerned with waste management and minerals supply. He offers advice on all aspects of plan making including project management, evidence base preparation (including needs assessments and site selection), policy development and examination. Ian chairs the South-East Waste Planning Advisory Group and the West Midlands Resource Technical Advisory Body and also lectures on minerals and waste planning to students on the Masters degree Planning courses at the University of Brighton and University of Kent. He is project officer for the Minerals and Waste Learning Group.

Linda Durtnal

During recent years Linda has undertaken a number of in-depth reviews of local authority development management operations, as well as working with the Planning Advisory Service on performance management matters. She is a specialist in the mapping and critical review of application processing procedures. She acts as the training manager for POS Enterprises, devising and managing a range of specialist officer and elected member training courses. Linda also provides secretariat and membership support to the Planning Officers Society and is the Secretary of the National Planning Forum.

David Evans PhD DipTP DipUD DipMgt MRTPI MCMI

David retired from local government in 2015 having been Director of Environment for West Dorset and Weymouth and Portland District Councils. Prior to this he worked for several local authorities in planning policy, development management and conservation. He is a former President of POS. David represented the Society on the CLG’s starter homes technical advisory group. He was responsible for West Dorset being awarded Beacon Council for the Quality of the Built Environment. He worked for 15 years on the Poundbury Urban Extension at Dorchester, and now advises local authorities on achieving design quality in major developments.

Mike Holmes BSc (Econ) Dip TP Cert Management MRTPI

Mike had a long career in planning and senior management in local authorities, and was also part of the RTPI Award winning Planning Summer School and the Planning Officers Society, having been President of both bodies. Whilst in local government, Mike acted as a trainer for officers and members and has always received excellent feedback. Since leaving Bournemouth Borough Council, where he was the Director of Planning Transport and Regulation, Mike has continued to provide training to members as well as working through POS Enterprises to help several Councils review their planning services, creating more efficient and effective operations.

Graham Jones BSC (soc sci) DipTP DipUD IHBC MRTPI

Graham’s background is firmly rooted in planning, with ‘hands-on’ experience in development management, plan preparation and regeneration. He has led a number of departmental and development management reviews, including a review of ministerial caseload at CLG. He has also worked with many LPAs on the introduction and implementation of CIL and leading the very successful CIL groups. Graham brings a straightforward approach to his advice which acknowledges the political and resources context authorities now work in. Prior to entering consultancy, Graham had extensive local government experience at senior level, including as strategic director of a multi-disciplinary department in a unitary authority.

Karen Moore BSc (Hons) TPS DipTP MBA

Karen is a planner and manager, with over 25 years’ experience in the public and private sectors. An independent consultant, she has worked with a number of planning and management organisations. The majority of her work has been for local authorities on plan making, including interim management. She works with professionals, communities and local politicians contributing to planning policy and promoting sustainable development. Karen specialises in critical friend and peer review work and also acts as a mentor, trainer and manager. Her portfolio has included numerous contracts as part of a team working for the Planning Advisory Service.

Catriona Riddell BA(Hons) Planning FRTPI

Catriona is a chartered town planner with significant experience working at a senior level in local government on the development and implementation of planning policy. She is the POS strategic planning specialist, with extensive experience from working on structure plans and regional strategies, and in supporting local authorities in meeting their Duty to Cooperate responsibilities. Catriona advises local authorities on plan-making, helping them to develop robust and deliverable planning frameworks in terms of the evidence base and statutory process.

Malcolm Sharp MBE BSc DipTP MRTPI

Malcolm Sharp has managed both plan preparation and development management during his career, and has extensive top-level management experience as a Chief Officer with responsibility for a wide range of services and as Managing Director of a local authority. He is an experience trainer and has led a number of development management reviews for POS Enterprises as well as working directly for LPAs needing critical support for their services. He brings a strong strategic perspective to his work, focusing quickly on the key issues which are impeding effective performance, or which provide opportunities to exploit. Malcolm received a MBE in 2016 for ‘services to Town Planning in England’.

Stephen Tapper BSc(Hons) MA DMS RTPI

Stephen is a Past President of POS, widely experienced in planning and regeneration having worked in senior positions, including Director level, in local authorities across the country, including London. In 2014 he established Stephen Tapper (Planning) Ltd, undertaking a range of work, including delivery of an urban extension of circa 3,000 homes, a town centre policy framework, two town centre redevelopment sites, transport planning and parking standards. For POS Enterprises he has developed one day workshops on neighbourhood planning, which are bespoke to the client local authority; he has reviewed neighbourhood plans; and he leads the POS Enterprises neighbourhood planning group.

Frances Wheat BSc (Hons) DipTP MRTPI

Frances has over 30 years’ experience in public sector planning, including all aspects of planning in a number of Districts. She has carried out service reviews, led multi-disciplinary teams, introduced innovative practices and transformed delivery. She has worked in conjunction with PAS, CLG, and POS. As interim Assistant Director Regeneration & Planning at Camden she was instrumental in delivering the Council’s own regeneration and housebuilding programme and the delivery of Kings Cross Central regeneration. Many of these schemes have won national and London planning awards. Since retiring from local government in 2016, she has also gained private sector experience.

Andrew Wright BSc DipTP MRTPI

Andrew is a plan making specialist, and has acted as critical friend to a wide range of clients. He has a knack of quickly identifying potential risks and helping the client address how they can be dealt with. He also advises on Green Belt reviews, and delivers training on preparation for examination. He developed the soundness assessment toolkit for the PAS and led the preparation of the SHLAA guidance for CLG. He retired from local government as Director at a Midlands authority, where he led corporate initiatives as well as dealing with major development projects.

For enquiries about any of our services, please contact Andrew Wright, General Manager via email andrewwright@posenterprises.co.uk or call 0845 6019 067.

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