Regional Management Board

Kim Cooper

Chair

Kim is a Senior Town Planner at Arup working within the Planning, Policy and Economics Team. She is Vice-Chair of the national RTPI Education and Life Long Learning Committee and a member of the University of Liverpool Planning Advisory Board. Kim is also the founder and Chair of ‘Ideas for Liverpool’, a collective of young professionals from a range of disciplines working together to improve their city. Having volunteered with the RTPI for the last 10 years, Kim cares about the Institute and its future. In her year as Chair, Kim’s strategic aims are; to help planners embraces digital technologies, to continue supporting the next generation of planners and to help raise the profile of planning through celebrating success.

Ian Gilbert

Vice Chair

Ian is a Planning Associate in for Barton Willmore with 12 years-experience advising public and private clients across residential, commercial, retail, leisure and conservation based projects advising on development management, plan-making and EIA processes. Ian sits on the RMB for the NW RTPI in the Senior Vice Chair role for 2020. He is passionate about adding social value and ensuring that planning is used as an effective tool to engage across all sectors of the industry and its stakeholders; including the community. Ian is a member of the Education and Careers Regional Activities Committee and has focussed on promoting planning as a career in local schools as well as mentoring a number of Licentiates through the APC process.

Kieran Blaydes

Junior Vice Chair

Kieran joined The RMB as the Junior Vice-Chair for 2020 and is a member of the Education task group after chairing the 2019 Young Planner’s Conference in the North East. He previously worked for Barton Willmore and ELG Planning in the north east for 18 months before joining Hive Land & Planning in the summer of 2019 as a Graduate Development Planner and Surveyor. He is working towards submitting his APC in the summer of 2020 and is beginning the RICS Planning and Development structured training programme aiming to become a chartered Surveyor. His role on the RMB in 2020 will see him supporting the Chair and Vice-Chair.

Joanne Harding

Honorary Secretary

Joanne is the Local Plans Manager (North) for the Home Builders Federation and represents the members of the HBF in seeking to influence the production of planning policy in the North of England. Joanne is an experienced policy planner with more than 15 years in the profession. After starting her career in the private sector Joanne has mainly working within local government, contributing to planning policy for Stafford, Halton and Cheshire East. Joanne is strong supporter of the planning profession and is currently the Honorary Sectary of the RTPI NW region and a RTPI General Assembly member, and has previously served as RTPI NW Chair and as a Trustee of the RTPI. Joanne is a member of the CPD Task Group and is keen to help to support our local members through professional development and other RTPI services and events.

Ben Vickers

Honorary Treasurer

Ben is a local authority planner who’s spent most of his career working in London writing policy for Camden’s Local Plan and supporting neighbourhood planning groups (including the largest ever Community Right to Build Order). Now working for Cheshire East Council, Ben monitors the borough’s housing supply and works on the council’s development plan. He’s a supporter of ‘Garden Cities’ (having relocated to the North West from Welwyn Garden City) and new technologies which could ultimately lead to better informed decisions.

Emilly Kitching

Emilly is a planner at Arup with 3 years’ experience, working in both the public and private sectors. Emilly’s background in planning policy has given her an excellent understanding of the Local Plan process and experience in multiple areas of policy including Green Belt assessments, policy writing, consultations and engagement. Emilly is passionate about sharing the value of planning to everyone and supporting her fellow planners. Emilly sits on the Regional Management Board as the Representative for the General Assembly for 2020. Emilly is also a member of the Regional Activities Committee and part of the Education, Careers and Mentoring Task Group where she works as part of a team to help promote planning as a career.

Julian Jackson

Julian has over 40 years planning practice experience. Most of that was gained at various local planning authorities in Hertfordshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire mainly working on Local Plan making. Since 2012 Julian has been a freelance planner working with local authority and third sector clients on Local and Neighbourhood Plan preparation. Julian is a member of the Regional Management Board, for 2020 is a member of the Nations and Regions Panel and leads the North West Planning Aid Task Group.

Andrew Johnston

(Immediate Past Chair)

Andrew is head of planning at Urban Splash and Immediate Past Chair. Andrew is heavily involved with public private partnership projects on the committee, including the Planning Champions initiative. Andrew also sits on the Partnership Working Board with the University of Manchester. In between stints working in Manchester, Birmingham and London, Andrew has also worked in New Zealand, were he became a chartered member of the NZPI.

Rebecca Dewey

Trustee for Regions and Nations

Rebecca is a chartered planner with over ten years of experience in consultancy, local authority and client-side roles. She works for WSP | indigo as an Associate Director in Birmingham. Rebecca has held roles on the North West RMB since 2018, as General Assembly representative and more recently Ex-officio, whilst supporting the RAC’s Education, CPD and Awards task groups. Prior to this, Rebecca worked in Manchester and London, and volunteered with the London region as Young Planner and later as Honorary Secretary. She has a passion for nurturing the next generation of property professionals, through university liaison and mentoring colleagues. As recognition, she was awarded the 2016 Rising Star in Property Award, which supports the future pipeline of female leaders. Rebecca was elected to the RTPI Board of Trustees for 2020-2022.