Richard is a chartered and independent planning consultant with over 35 years of experience. He has  worked as a Chief Officer in local government, for a regional partnership body and for small and large private practices. Richard is currently a member of the TCPA's Policy Council and Policy Advisor for RTPI Yorkshire. As a practicing strategic planner for over 25 years  Richard has led the preparation of a Regional Spatial Strategy , a structure plan and a non-statutory Spatial Framework – and acted as a PAS strategic planning advisor. Richard has been a member of the national expert Strategic Planning Group founded by Prior + Partners which  explored the future of strategic planning in England, culminating in May 2025 with the report ‘Planning Positively for the Future - Shaping a new era of strategic planning in England.’ Prior to this he co-authored the RTPI’s ‘Strategic Planning in England – Current Practice and Future Directions’ (2024) research with Catriona Riddell and the University of the West of England, which had a major influence on emerging legislation and national policy.