Regional Management Board

Timothy Crawshaw MA MRTPI FRSA is an International Planning and Development Consultant in the areas of urban design, planning, green infrastructure, energy efficiency and sustainable transport. With experience in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East, alongside an expanding UK practice, he has a specific interest in the role of the nature based approaches to addressing the climate emergency, alongside improving health and wellbeing outcomes and tackling inequality.

Timothy is an experienced lecturer, trainer and facilitator with a passion for community development, and he continues to champion the role of planning as a key part of the solution to the challenges of our times. Timothy is currently the Chair of the Tees Valley Nature Partnership and Chair of the Historic Towns and Villages Forum.

Jen is an Associate Director at DPP. Jen has held positions in the public and private sectors, starting her career at Guildford Borough Council and private consultancies in the South East, prior to moving to the North East in 2009 and holding positions at various consultancies in the region. Jen has a BA Hons and Diploma in Town Planning from Newcastle University and became a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2012.

Jen is a commercially astute and skilled planner, with extensive experience of providing strategic planning advice and pragmatic solutions across a broad spectrum of development sectors including education, residential, commercial, mixed-use, rural and energy. Based in the North East with an intricate knowledge of the regional property industry, Jen also works across the UK, including recent major projects in Essex, Greater London, Surrey, Hampshire and Cardiff.

Jen is well-connected within the north east property market and regularly advises on consultant/sub-consultant appointments and collaborations, ensuring skilled, knowledgeable project teams capable of delivering complex development proposals. Jen is immediate past Chair of the RTPI North East Region (2023).

Dominic joined Lichfields in 2016 and now works as a Senior Planner in their Newcastle office. His experience includes development appraisals, the preparation and submission of planning applications, provision of strategic advice on major development sites, preparing planning appeals, drafting development representations and effectively engaging with local communities and key stakeholders. Dominic's experience has also included small to large scale mixed-use applications, bespoke heritage and design orientated projects, 5-year housing land supply analysis and SHLAA / HELAA reviews. Dominic is currently Vice Chair of the RTPI North East.

A chartered Town Planner and member of the Transport Planning Society Andrew is a Senior Transport Planner at Transport North East. He works in Transport and Infrastructure planning responsible for the development and delivery of the North East’s transport pipeline and transport plan. Andrew prepares major funding bids develops regional policy and strategy and project manages the delivery of capital and revenue funding in the region. Andrew works closely with local authority, national and subnational partners in linking transport planning wider spatial planning outcomes.

Prior to joining the Transport North East, Andrew spend six years at Transport for London working in development management across South London. He also gained experience in TfL’s Commercial Development team. Whilst in London Andrew was Chair of the RTPI region in 2016 and was Honorary Secretary prior to that. He is now the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer for RTPI North East and is a Planning Aid England volunteer, part of a team providing advice through PAE’s advice line service.

Jan has significant experience of examining (former Examining Inspector PINS) and advising on a wide range of nationally significant infrastructure and major development projects across the full range of sectors including new settlements and urban extensions, energy, water and waste water, transport, business and commercial, ports and airports dealing with a wide range of issues from development consent orders, strategic plans, EIA, biodiversity, design, Water Framework Regulations, Habitats Regulations Assessment, community engagement and compulsory purchase. Jan has been recognised as one of ‘the most influential women in UK planning’. She is Board Chair of the National Infrastructure Planning Association.

Jan is a Fellow of the Royal Town Planning Institute (FRTPI) and currently sits as Vice Chair of the RTPI English Policy Committee and is North East Regional Representative on General Assembly. She also continues to be engaged with Planning Aid.

Ifeanyi joined the Planning Inspectorate in 2019 as an Appeals Planning Officer and is currently on secondment to the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities as a Senior Planning Technical Officer. Prior to this, he worked with the Marine Management Organisation and Defra. His experience includes Marine Planning and Marine Licensing, Environmental Project Management, Planning Appeals, Habitats Regulation and Environmental Impact Assessment.  Prior to his time in UK he also worked in Nigeria and experience includes Urban Design, Development Control and Higher Education (teaching Town Planning Courses).