Reece Lemon is a Programme Delivery Officer at Thanet District Council, leading and delivering projects for housing regeneration programmes, including purchase and repair schemes and new build development, with a focus on brownfield development.

Reece was named the inaugural South East Young Planner of the Year in 2017, and a finalist for National Young Planner of the Year in 2018. He qualified as an Associate Member of the RTPI in 2017, and currently sits on the RTPI South East Regional Activities Committee. Reece also serves as the RTPI South East Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Lead for 2022.

Outside of work, Reece is a keen linguist and author having published his first bilingual poetry anthology in 2021.

Stephen is a Chartered Fellow of the RTPI, Deputy Head of Profession for Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.  With over 30 years of experience working across the UK, in the public and private sectors at National, Regional, County and District levels he is also a member of the RTPI South East Regional Activities Committee.  His work for the MOD has involved projects as far afield as the Ascension Islands and Belize.  He led the Town Planning work on the RTPI-SW & Sanctuary Award Winning Salisbury Plain Army Rebasing Plan, part of the largest relocation of British people since the Second World War  He’s currently working on some major redevelopments to deliver thousands of houses and new technical accommodation through consolidations of sites used by UK and US Visiting Forces.

Joe is a Strategic Land Manager working for a luxury home builder in Hampshire, with expertise in planning policy, site appraisals, strategic site promotion and development management gained from extensive experience working for a local authority, planning consultancy, a major housebuilder and latterly a partnerships business.

Vestalia Chilton is a curator, cultural strategist and emerging urban planner whose work centres on culture-led regeneration. She holds a Royal Town Planning Institute accredited Master’s degree in Urban Planning and Resilience from the University of Kent, building on more than two decades of experience in the visual arts and public cultural programming.

She was a Director of Arts at placemaking consultancy Futurecity and is the founder of Kensington and Chelsea Art Week and its Public Art Trail. Having worked at Sotheby’s and studied Valuation and Auctioning of Fine Art and Chattels, her practice focuses on the value of the arts to society and, more so now, on integrating visual arts into planning policy and development processes, using culture as a tool to support social resilience, economic revitalisation and long-term place quality.

Favourite Quotes:

“It’s time to reevaluate the role of the arts and culture in regeneration and retire the notion that artists are poor.”

“Standing on the shoulders of Giants”

“Places without people are just places”

Alex is an Associate Planner at DHA, prior to this Alex worked across planning, policy and strategic planning teams at Kent County Council. Alex works in the Environment team primarily dealing with Nationally Strategic infrastructure Projects, developments requiring Environmental Impact Assessment, energy schemes and other projects that are more environmentally sensitive. In addition to this, Alex has also worked with a number of clients from large developers to individuals across a range of sectors including commercial, industrial, medical, residential and agricultural across the Southeast and beyond. Out of the office, Alex is a keen guitarist, gig-goer and cyclist.

Connor is a planner at Barton Willmore, now Stantec having previously worked in the public sector in Buckinghamshire. Connor began his career at Buckinghamshire County Council assisting on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and planning policy. As part of unitarisation in Buckinghamshire, Connor’s work shifted to economic growth and regeneration, focusing on strategic funding bids, such as the Levelling Up Fund and sub-regional issues, including the Ox-Cam Arc.

After completing his Spatial Planning MSc at Oxford Brookes, securing an RTPI South East award for Academic Excellence for his research into Strategic Planning and deal-based agreements in Oxfordshire, Connor joined Barton Willmore, now Stantec. His role has him actively involved in a wide variety of projects whilst working towards his chartership.

Tony Chadwick has been involved in the Institute at local level since 1980 having served on both the former South East Branch (including as Chair and Honorary Secretary) and the current South East Region RAC. Over the years he has made major contributions to developing CPD policy and the operation of Planning Aid in the South East, as well as helping organise many CPD events over the years. He currently works for Gravesham Borough Council dealing with NSIP projects like Lower Thames Crossing and transport matters in general, based on experience with HS1 and widening the A2. Bulk of his experience has been in Planning Policy.

Amy Powell is a senior planner at Edgars Limited, a private planning consultancy based in Oxfordshire. Amy was one of the first apprentices to complete the RTPI’s apprenticeship programme, with her successfully becoming a Chartered Member in May 2022. She is an advocate of young planners and the important voice they have within the planning discourse and seeks to champion other young planners through her professional work and membership of the RTPI.

Chris is a Lecturer in Planning at the University of Reading. He is a chartered planner and started his career as a planning policy officer in English local government, following a PhD at the University of Sheffield. His research interests focus on issues of professionalism, decision-making and multi-scalar plan-making. He joined Real Estate & Planning in August 2019 as a Lecturer in Planning, with research interests in plan-making and professionalism.

Chris previously worked at Anglia Ruskin University and as a Planning Policy Officer for Bassetlaw District Council. Prior to this, he studied for his PhD at the University of Sheffield. His PhD draws on different ways in which the ‘public interest’ can be understood, and how these variations are present in plan-making. The fieldwork explored case studies of spatial plan-making in Central Lincolnshire and the Peak District National Park, using multiple qualitative methods. At the core of Chris’ research interests is understanding the relationship between normative theories of planning and the practice environment; both how planning theory should shape practice and how practice should influence the development of theory.

Joney Ramirez-Soto (pronounced ‘Honey’) is a Chartered planner and an Principal Strategic Planner at Oxfordshire County Council . She is originally from Venezuela, where she obtained a town planning degree and worked as a planner for 3 years. In 2012 she moved to the UK and worked as a planning officer in policy and DM on different LPAs in London and the South East. She specialises in residential, commercial and leisure developments and enjoys spending time with her partner, her baby and her 2 dogs, as well as singing in a choir. She volunteers with Bookmark, a charity that helps children improve their reading abilities.

Will is a chartered member of the RTPI and a Advisor - Oxford Growth Commission at Oxford City Council, having joined in 2024. He was previously a Team Leader at Oxford City Council, prior to that he was Principal Major Applications Officer at South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and was Senior Planner at Edgars Limited.  Before relocating to the Southeast, Will has been involved in plan making in Yorkshire, where he was on the Regional Activities Committee for the RTPI Yorkshire region. He also volunteers for the RTPI on the Planning Aid England Committee and RTPI Volunteers Steering Committee. He holds a PhD in Localism, Neighbourhood Planning and Urban Governance and has also been a sole practitioner preparing neighbourhood plans with communities.

Laura is an Associate Director at Turley, where she works on a variety of residential led projects, from immediate applications to long-term promotional work.  Prior to joining Turley, Laura spent sixteen years working in Planning Policy across a number of Local Authorities across Hampshire before joining a regional housebuilder as a Planning Manager.

Outside of work Laura enjoys running and spending time with her family, including two young sons who keep her on her toes!

Ian has been a charted town planner for over 30 years.  After a sandwich placement at LDDC he joined Wycombe District Council in 1990 and worked in various Development Control and Planning Policy roles for 13 years.  During this time he volunteered at Planning Aid for London and was on the RTPI Southern Area board.  He then spent time in planning consultancy in the Abingdon/Oxford area and also working as planning manager for Beechcroft.  In 2008 he joined Thames Water working on the planning strategy for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, leading the team that won the RTPI Silver Jubilee Cup.  He then spent 7 years working for Jacobs on a range of NSIPs and now works on NSIP scale solar projects.  He was a founding member of NIPA and was on the board from 2010-2024. 

Mark is a Lecturer in Planning & Development in the Department of Real Estate & Planning at the University of Reading. His PhD Thesis examined the role of planning under the austerity and localism agendas of the Cameron-Osborne Coalition and Conservative-led Governments 2010-2016. Mark’s main research interests focus on planning and development theory, policy and practice; particularly in relation to the role of power and politics in shaping plan-making and decision-making processes and outcomes. His current research examines the role of participation and time in planning. He teaches on several core real estate and planning undergraduate and masters practice-based modules.

Riaan is a Chartered Planner and Principal Planning Policy Officer at Guildford Borough Council (GBC). He has been with GBC since 2017 where he supported the progression of both parts of the Local Plan to adoption. Prior to that, he led a team of policy planners at the City of Cape Town after moving from his role as Associate at MCA, a planning consultancy in Cape Town. Riaan is particularly committed helping achieve development that enables sustainable travel choices. He also takes a keen interest in advancing planning’s contribution to improving health and well-being outcomes.

Roger had a professional career of 35 years in town planning , working  in 3 councils in and around London ,involving most fields of planning. Time was also spent as Northern Officer for the Town and Country Planning Association supporting two regional forums helping inform the TCPA on national policy making and contributing articles in the TCP Journal. He led a team supporting citizens actively improving  sites, buildings and places around  Manchester.  Roger spent time producing  protocols and design aids for planning staff. Since semi-retirement, work continues on finding better connections between planning  and citizen involvement.

Roger Smith is a Planning Director at Savills in Oxford. He has worked as a town planner since 1984 with experience in local government, house building and in consultancy. He specialises in the planning promotion of strategic and mixed use sites for a variety of clients including landowners, housing developers and land promoters.

Vicky is an experienced planner with over 25 years of planning experience.  She is currently a Planning Manager at Sport England.  Vicky’s other roles in planning have included planning policy & infrastructure planning for two district councils, consultancy and the property team at Sainsbury’s.  

Vicky recently returned to RTPI volunteering after a break to spend more time with her family.  She was previously on the RTPI Council, the RTPI London Chair and has held other roles on the RTPI South East committee including secretary and judging the RTPI South East awards.   

Outside of work Vicky enjoys Park Run, supporting her children at football and archery tournaments and helping with scouts. 

Toby is an Assistant Planner at Lewis and Co Planning

Phillip is a Planner at LEP (Lee Evans Partnership), based in Canterbury, Kent. Phillip works on a diverse range of projects across the south east in the residential, education, retail, and commercial sectors. Phillip enjoys collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high quality development. Outside of work you can find Phillip working on the latest lino print or on a long walk.  

Amelia graduated in MA Urban Planning from the University of Dundee in 2021 and then worked for Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils as a Planning Officer. Since October 2024, Amelia is a Planner within the Central Planning Team at Savills and is currently working towards RTPI accreditation. She co-founded HerCollective in 2021, which was created to facilitate the exploration of architecture, urban planning, and design with a gender lens. This has involved design projects, research, and teaching to both encourage and advocate for inclusivity within the built environment.

Amelia has been involved in a range of projects and planning decisions including residential, renewable energy, mixed-use and commercial as well as research and consultancy work on inclusive design. She joined the TVYP committee in January 2025 and is determined to give Young Planners the chance to broaden their experience through CPD workshops and networking opportunities.

Following the completion of her MSc in Spatial Planning at University College London, Ilaria joined Stantec's Reading office as a Graduate Planner in September 2023 and is currently working towards RTPI chartership. An earlier BA degree in Archaeology inspired an interest in changing land use, especially the ways in which the built environment can be reshaped to improve wellbeing in communities.

Since then, Ilaria has been involved in a range of mixed-use, residential, later living and strategic land promotion work across the Thames Valley and wider region.

She joined the TVYP committee in August 2024 and is passionate about giving young planners the opportunity to connect to contribute towards the future growth of the planning industry.