Hannah Mitchell, Stockport Council
Hannah has excelled in planning over 8 years, notably at Stockport Council since 2021. She has embedded design skills and a passion for place, leveraging her expertise from public and private sectors. Hannah leads on design for planning policy, supports development management, and has crafted policies for the local plan, including education contributions. She developed the Town Centre Residential Design Guide and secured funding for a skills audit and training. As Design Champion and Place Advocate for the North West, Hannah drives change and supports colleagues not only in the council as well as mentoring students.
The judges were impressed with Hannah’s significant achievements in her career so far, particularly in embedding design skills and a passion for place within the Council. She has been involved in a range of different design guides within Stockport shows a clear commitment to improving the quality of design. The judges recognises her commitment to social infrastructure, especially noting her role in ensuring that development contribute to educational provision. Her leadership skills and ability to drive change were clearly evident.