RPS creates new top tier Planning Advisory Board

To continue the momentum of our strategic growth plans to our planning service, we have formed a new Planning Advisory Board comprising four senior industry leaders from both the public and private sectors.

We have brought together four of the industry’s leading figures to help drive our presence in the marketplace. The Advisory Board will act as advisors and ambassadors for our Planning Division, working alongside the planning leadership team to help cement our position as the UK’s leading planning consultancy.

The Planning Advisory Board will include:

• Liz Peace CBE – Former Chief Executive of the British Property Federation and current Chairman of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) in addition to being the Chair of the Palace of Westminster Restoration and Renewal Programme Sponsor Board. Liz was awarded a CBE in 2008 for services to the property industry.
• Pam Alexander OBE – Non-executive Director and Chair of the Planning Decisions Committee at the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC). Chair of Commonplace, a digital community engagement company and Chair Designate of the Heritage Alliance. Her leading roles in housing, regeneration, infrastructure, and planning, including major developments as Chief Executive of the South East England Development Agency, led to an OBE in 2012 for her services to urban regeneration in the South East.
• John Walker – Former Director of Planning at Westminster City Council where he worked for over 34 years, John is Managing Director of CT Local, part of the CT Group. A member of the RTPI Major Developers Group and the Architecture Club, John has handled some of the most complex developments in the UK, including the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Westminster and Chelsea Barracks. John is also listed in Mace’s Top 100 political consultants in the UK.
• Stuart Robinson – Former Executive Director and Head of Planning at CBRE, where he worked for 33 years, Stuart has led numerous award-winning projects including Kings Cross Central, The Regent Street regeneration, Tate Modern as well as One Blackfriars; (London’s tallest residential tower) and over thirty major regeneration schemes elsewhere in the UK and Ireland. He has also been listed in Property Week’s Top 50 most influential property and legal figures.

As recognised industry figures with deep expertise, the Advisory Board will also play an instrumental role in aiding the development of all team members, from graduate through to senior director level.

John Chubb - CEO, RPS Consulting UK & Ireland, said: “We’re delighted to launch our Planning Advisory Board and welcome these industry-leading experts to the business, in what is a significant and planned strategic step. They all possess a wealth of knowledge and experience which crosses the public and private sector divide. Using their market knowledge, the Advisory Board will also help to shape our growth plans across the regional markets we are targeting.”

The news follows our recent appointment of Faraz Baber, who joined RPS last month as the Operations Director for our Midlands and South East Planning teams. He will be combining the existing regional planning teams to offer our clients an even greater proposition.

Paul Willmott - RPS Managing Director - Planning, adds: “The formation of the Planning Advisory Board is the next piece of the jigsaw following the appointment of Faraz to the team. It’s a very exciting period of growth for the planning division. Liz, Pam, John and Stuart will be enormous assets in helping to drive the business forward, nurturing thought leadership, but also giving our young professionals the opportunity to engage, learn and develop from four hugely influential industry stalwarts.”

“We are fully committed to building up our planning offer across the UK and today’s announcement is another big step towards that”.

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About RPS

Founded in 1970, RPS, A Tetra Tech Company (RPS) is a leading global professional services firm of 5,000 consultants and service providers. Operating in 125 countries, working across six continents we define, design and manage projects that create shared value to a complex, urbanising and resource-scarce world.

RPS delivers a broad range of services in six sectors: property, energy, transport, water, defence and government services and resources. Services provided across RPS' six sectors cover twelve service clusters: project and program management, design and development, water services, environment, advisory and management consulting, exploration and development, planning and approvals, health, safety and risk, oceans and coastal, laboratories, training and communications, creative and digital services.

RPS stands out for its clients by using its deep expertise to solve problems that matter, making them easy to understand. Making complex easy.

For further information, please visit www.rpsgroup.com.