Current post:
Senior planner, Planning, Development and Economics Team, DTZ

Employment history:
Student planner, South Dublin County Council
Planner, ESA, 2004
Planner, Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners, 2005

Professional qualifications:
BSc in Zoology, University College Dublin, 2000
Masters degree in Regional and Urban Planning, University College Dublin, 2003

Sara Eustace has gained a broad range of valuable experience throughout her career working for a variety of public and private sector clients. She has provided planning strategy advice to clients wishing to promote their sites through the local development framework process and development control, including the submission of large and small scale applications and planning appeals.
Her work focuses on London and the South East and predominantly involves town centres, regeneration, hotels, large-scale residential and mixed-use schemes. She has diversified significantly since joining DTZ in 2007 and is now part of a multidisciplinary team providing advice on the viability of development schemes and mechanisms for delivery of development and regeneration, which is increasingly important in the current environment. Recent projects include securing planning permission for two new hotels near Heathrow, advising on a residential-led mixed use regeneration scheme in Shoreham and a study for the DCLG on planning for retail diversity in town centres.

Sara is passionate about the promotion of planning as a profession and strives to encourage continued learning and development, networking and active involvement among planners. Since 2008, she has been actively involved with the London Young Planners as a member of the steering group, as well as the RTPI London’s regional activities committee. Through this involvement she has sought to promote learning and development, particularly on London-based topical issues, including organising seminars, presentations and tours.

Sara seeks to promote networking and socialising among young planners through the organisation of events for the London region. She is an assessor for the assessment of professional competence and is involved in the organisation of annual seminars for licentiates on preparing for this. She also promotes learning and development among her colleagues and for the past two years has organised monthly CPD events at DTZ on various planning, regeneration and development issues. Her interests include running, reading, all kinds of music and socialising.

Statement:
Active involvement and engagement in planning is so rewarding, even if it is just socialising or attending a seminar or event with other planners. Communication across the planning profession is fundamental to the delivery of a sound and effective planning system. More active engagement among planning professionals will foster this and better learning and development will raise the standards of planning overall. I will continue to encourage personal development among planners through learning, networking and communicating and through the RTPI London region and Young Planners. Young Planner of the Year provides an incomparable platform to promote this and raise the profile of the profession and young planners, which I will pledge to do.

Citation:
Sara has a rare passion to promote the role of the planning profession as a whole and the development of individual planners and, unusually, a willingness to take positive action to do so ahead of short-term personal career ambitions. She demonstrates a genuine desire to enhance the skills and awareness of planners and to promote the profession through a number of activities. To maintain such an interest in the progression of the profession is credible but rare in many of us, particularly having regard to the present economic climate in which many individuals or companies may be tempted to adopt a relatively narrow focus.

Austin Mackie, Director, Austin Mackie Associates

Author:

Judy Woollett

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

23-Nov-09

Categories:

 

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