After graduating from the University of the West of England this Summer (2023) with a BA in Architecture and Planning, Abbie has recently started as a Graduate Town Planner for Bailey Partnership, in their Plymouth office. During her first three months working for the multidisciplinary construction consultancy firm Abbie has contributed to multiple projects within the South West of the UK. Abbie has a keen interest in planning for health, resilience to climate change and sustainable placemaking.

Abbie is new to the RAC and is excited at the prospect of contributing to future events and inter-professional networking opportunities, whilst also inspiring and supporting future / Young Planners and raising the profile of planning.

Outside work, Abbie enjoys playing hockey for Caradon ladies first XI, spending time with family and friends, alongside watching Cornwall’s sunsets.

Alice joined Wessex Water as Planning Liaison Manager in August 2025. Alice is responsible for engaging with planning authorities, developers, and internal stakeholders to ensure that Wessex Water’s current and future infrastructure and capacity requirements are strategically coordinated and understood in planning and development proposals.

Prior to joining Wessex Water, Alice was a Senior Planner at Arup in London. Alice’s work spanned across a range of sectors including water, marine, science and technology and transport. Alice led teams under both the Town and Country Planning Act and the Development Consent Order regime.

Alice studied Master of Planning (MPlan) at Newcastle University. As part of this course Alice undertook a placement year at Transport for London as an Assistant Planner. 

Alice is looking forward to meeting other planners in the South West, building strong professional relationships and supporting training and development

Bio to follow

Bio to follow

Adam is an Associate at JLL, located in the Bristol office and working on projects across the South West region. He started his career on the graduate scheme at Montagu Evans in London following undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Town Planning at the University of Newcastle. At Montagu Evans, Adam worked his year to RTPI accreditation, becoming ‘MRTPI’ in 2018. Following a short spell at another private consultancy, Adam moved into the public sector and spent two and a half years at the Royal Borough of Greenwich as a Planning Officer before relocating to Bristol in 2020. In his current role, Adam works on a mix of developments across the region with both public and private sector clients.

Adam is new to the RAC but is excited to get involved in both the committee itself and the various working groups.

Outside of planning, Adam is a keen racquet sports fan, and enjoys spending time in the great outdoors as well as in the cinema.

Charlotte is a Senior Town Planner at Mott MacDonald located in their Bristol office. Charlotte works on a mix of projects, from large scale rail projects to smaller scale renewable energy, for both the public and private sector. Charlotte previously worked for AECOM in their London office where she specialised in planning policy, site selection and allocations in local plans, and various development management work. Charlotte is new to the RAC as well as being relatively new to Bristol (she moved at the end of 2022). Charlotte is looking forward to meeting other planners within the South-West area as well as getting involved in the committee. Outside of work, Charlotte spends most of her time running around after two young children, and occasionally enjoys running and yoga.  

Cat is a senior lecturer at University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol and co-leads the BSc Urban Planning and Degree Apprenticeship, with over 20 years planning experience.

Cat has worked in the South West as a Chartered Town Planner for the past 15 within the academic, public, private and third sectors.  Cat’s current role at UWE involves teaching and research, working on their RTPI Accredited Masters and Undergraduate urban planning programmes. 

Cat’s research centres around Sustainable Planning and Environments and focusses on planning practice including development management and neighbourhood planning, climate change, affordable housing and Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs). 

Cat is passionate about training the planners of the future and championing sustainability through planning.  Before joining the RAC, Cat worked for the RTPI Networks and with Planning Aid as Neighbourhood Plans advisor.  Cat has continued to work on Neighbourhood Plans with IPE Ltd as a Neighbourhood Plan Advisor and Examiner. 

Outside of work, Cat likes to take advantage of the South West music scene, attending as many gigs and festivals as possible.

Chadernnay is a Senior Minerals and Waste Planner at Gloucestershire County Council since June 2024. She started her career in Cape Town South Africa, after graduating from the University of Cape Town with a Masters degree in City and Regional Planning. She has a diverse set of experience ranging from private sector land use planning, to working with the public sector on housing schemes and research programmes related to developing a census tool for transitional settlement arrangements across the City of Cape Town, in addition to working on various informal settlement upgrading projects such as the provision of basic services and livelihood initiatives across South Africa on behalf of the NGO sector and civil society. Her passion for planning is rooted in the firm belief that development should benefit the local community, economy and should not harm the natural environment but rather enhance it. Chadernnay has over the years mentored young professional planners and trained them specifically in development management, harnessing a skill which can easily be translated into different contexts.

Chadernnay is excited to join the committee and looks forward to growing her network with fellow planning professionals. She looks forward to bringing new ideas, her leadership skills and to add value to the committee in terms of thinking through regulatory changes and working on best practice.

Chadernnay enjoys being a town planner, it is a profession which shapes the environment we all live in and helps focus on important issues such as sustainability, climate change and the importance of functionality in a lived environment. It also allows you to have insight into various other sectors such as architecture, landscaping, ecology and highways which all contribute to place making, city making and liveability.

Outside of planning, Chadernnay is a mom to three busy little boys, enjoys the outdoors, when time allows enjoys getting lost in a fiction book and cooking.

After studying Law at Exeter University, Hannah began her career in Planning at Mid Devon District Council. Over five years, Hannah progressed to a Principal Planning Officer role and completed a Masters in Planning at Plymouth University. Hannah moved to the private sector in 2019, working for a medium sized consultancy. In 2023 Hannah began HC Planning Ltd, an independent consultancy covering the South West of England. Hannah works on all types of planning applications from minor to major schemes, including residential and commercial development, a wide range rural developments, along with Gypsy and Traveller site applications. Helping the Travelling community navigate the planning system is a particular passion of Hannah’s and is an area of work that is especially rewarding and changes families’ lives for the better. In her free time Hannah is usually found on Dartmoor, walking her whippet Winston, riding or wild swimming.

Ian has been a chartered planner since 1995, with a background in local authorities in Wales, the East Midlands and the West Country.

After many years managing plan-making teams and heading up planning and economic development functions, Ian became a Planning Inspector before working in private practice. In recent years, Ian has provided support to Tewkesbury Borough Council as their interim Policy Manager, working across boundaries helping to prepare a new joint local plan.

He is currently employed as the planning specialist for the Mendip Hills National Landscape, alongside his own private consultancy work. Away from planning, Ian likes food, drink and cycling a lot, but not usually in that order.

I’m Lisa Rasch, and I’ve been in the world of planning for the last nine years, hopping around between Local Planning Authorities and private practice. 

In March 2024, I took a bold leap and launched Claw App Ltd, a planning appeals search tool. Now, I’m also running my own consultancy, Freedom Planning and Design Ltd, which gives me the flexibility to work around my family life.

I’m excited to connect with fellow RTPI volunteers and share our passion for planning.

Nikki is a Chartered Town Planner with nearly 20 years’ experience across the UK and New Zealand. She’s worked in both public and private sectors, including time with councils, developers, and consultancy, and is passionate about creating sustainable, well-designed places that really work for communities.

Outside of planning, you’ll usually find Nikki at Parkrun, puzzling over a Sudoku, or listening to planning podcasts (yes, really!)

Nick Smith is a Lecturer in Spatial Planning at the University of Plymouth. He is a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and has worked across academia and practice. Before joining the University of Plymouth in September 2024, Nick was an Associate at LUC in Bristol and worked within the company's strategic planning team. Before that, he spent 16 years at UWE Bristol where he lectured across geography and planning, culminating in being the subject lead for the planning discipline. Nick lectures in environmental planning and design and is the programme leader of MSc Planning. Nick re-joined the RAC in January 2026 having previously volunteered between 2009 and 2021. He served as Regional Chair in 2013. Nick also volunteers nationally with the RTPI and has an interest in the development and lifelong learning of planners. Away from planning, Nick enjoys spending time with the family in the countryside or on coastal walks, cycling and daydreaming out of train windows.

Raymond is an RTPI Licentiate with an MSc in Infrastructure Planning and Sustainable Development from Oxford Brookes University and an MBA in Development Economics and International Development. With broad experience in planning policy, infrastructure analysis, and sustainability, he is passionate about creating places that balance growth with environmental responsibility. Raymond is particularly interested in how collaborative, evidence-based planning can help shape a more inclusive and forward-looking UK planning system

Rebecca has over 20 years of experience of working in planning. Rebecca is currently an Associate at Stantec, located in the Taunton office and working on projects in the South West region. Prior to joining the private sector, Rebecca worked in the public sector in Somerset working on a range of major projects including an urban extension and Hinkley Point C. Prior to joining the private sector in 2022, Rebecca was Head of Planning at Somerset West and Taunton Council where she managed a large multi-disciplinary team.

Rebecca is new to the RAC and is excited to get involved in the committee and the various working groups. 

Outside of planning, Rebecca enjoys spending time outdoors walking with her dogs and traveling to various countries to scuba dive. 

Suzanne started out as a Planning Assistant at Woking Borough Council. She graduated from Newcastle University with a Masters in Town Planning in 2007, specialising in urban design and conservation. This interest led to 8 years working in the Development Management section of Bath and North East Somerset Council, where she held a dual planning and conservation role, before moving on to Tewkesbury Borough Council. After a spell working in Strategic Sites, Suzanne is now a Principal Planning Officer in the Development Management team at South Glos Council.  Suzanne also has a Post Graduate Diploma in Historic Environment Conservation from the Ironbridge Institute. Outside of planning, Suzanne enjoys travel and yoga.

Vanessa is excited to connect with fellow RTPI volunteers and is committed to fostering collaboration across public and private sectors, facilitating cross-border policy development, and driving impactful change in sustainable development, housing accessibility and community resilience.

Vanessa Chemaly Graduated from the Institute of Urban Planning and Alpine Geography in 2023 and is specializing in transformative urban studies, international cooperation, housing, and change management. Drawing from her international experience in the EURASIA and MENA regions, she applies data-driven insights to design and implement innovative strategies that enhance sustainability, integrate affordable housing solutions, and address the evolving challenges in the global North and South.
Vanessa’s work is deeply informed by her engagement with diverse urban landscapes, where she has conducted research and analysis to identify trends, risks, and development opportunities in the care and supported housing, nature-based solutions, and urban design.

Outside work, she enjoys sunsets, travelling and hosting friends.