RTPI West Midlands Young Planners’ Committee

Frances has recently joined Carter Jonas in the Planning & Development Team as a Senior Planner. Previously, Frances spent 4-years at Rugby Borough Council working her way up to be a Senior Planning Officer. During her time at Rugby Borough Council, Frances completed her Master’s degree in Planning and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University part-time. Frances became a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in June 2022. Frances currently works on a range of projects including city centre mixed use re-developments, student accommodation, education facilities and residential housing sites. Outside of planning she keeps herself busy with a number of sporting activities, competing for Leamington Cycling and Athletics Club.

Holly is a Heritage & Townscape Consultant at Node Urban Design, based in Birmingham. She joined Node in 2024 to pursue a career specialising in the historic built environment, following 4.5 years as a Town Planner at Arup. She is skilled in writing statements of significance and is interested in how heritage assets can be integrated into modern development contexts. 

Holly is also experienced in stakeholder engagement, and was seconded as an Engagement Officer during the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Holly completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Birmingham and is a Chartered member of the RTPI. She is excited to be the Co-Chair alongside Immi for this year’s committee.

Imogen is a Senior Planning Officer at South Staffordshire District Council and has worked within the Development Management side of Local Authorities since July 2018. During her earlier roles, Imogen completed her Masters degree part-time in Planning Built Environments at Birmingham City University. Imogen deals with a range of planning applications, from householder applications to major developments, and has a keen interest in the minefield that is permitted development. Imogen joined the Young Planners Committee in February 2019 and is an active member of Young Planning Officers Society (POS). Despite being a novice runner, Imogen is training for Manchester marathon in April 2025, and is welcoming any advice/song recommendations!

As Sandwell Council’s Capital Projects Manager, Alex has responsibility for a portfolio of major capital regeneration and construction projects across the borough. Alex is also responsible for Sandwell’s Commonwealth Games Legacy Plan and for the delivery of the West Bromwich Masterplan. Alex has worked in public sector regeneration- with a focus on town centre redevelopment- since 2018, and graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2020 with an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning. He obtained chartered membership of the RTPI in 2022. Alex has been on the WM Young Planners committee for over a year and now serves as the committee Treasurer.

Bart is a Senior Planning Policy Officer at Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council where he is part of the team preparing a new Local Plan for the borough. He has previously worked as a Planning Regeneration Officer successfully securing grant funding for regeneration projects and working on masterplan proposals. He graduated with a MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Birmingham in 2018 and was elected as a chartered member of the RTPI in 2020.

Bart is a keen cellist and plays with the Sinfonia of Birmingham in his spare time.

Charles is a Geographer and trained Planner with research and teaching interests in strategic planning/regional governance, community involvement, housing supply/affordability and planning history. His ESRC-funded doctoral research focused on the Green Belt, England's housing crisis and the planning system and is published in a range of practitioner and academic outlets. Charles' research is now moving into post-Covid cities and the greening of urban centres. A particular passion of Charles' is strengthening the links between the academy and planning practice. Outside of work, Charles enjoys visiting the coast, swimming and his Christian faith.

Gina is a Senior Planner at Savills in the Birmingham Planning Team. She joined Savills in 2021 and has worked on a variety of projects including major residential promotions, applications and appeals, strategic employment sites and town centre regeneration projects. She completed a part-time Msc in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Birmingham in September 2023 as part of the Level 7 Chartered Town Planner Degree Apprenticeship programme, and became a chartered member of the RTPI in March 2024. Gina joined the RTPI WM Young Planners committee in January 2024.

Emily is a Planner in the Savills Birmingham Planning Team. She gained a masters in Urban and Regional Planning in 2020 from the University of Birmingham, joined Savills on their graduate scheme in September 2020 and became a chartered member of the RTPI in May 2023. Emily currently works on a wide range of projects primarily across the West and East Midlands, including residential and employment site promotions and planning applications for large scale storage and distribution uses. Emily joined the Young Planners’ Committee in 2024.

Hello!  My names Hannah and I am Vice Chair of the Young Planners WM Committee for 2025.  I am a Chartered Town Planner and work as a Planning and Enabling Manager at Homes England.  I am very excited to be Vice Chair and support Imogen and Holly in their role as Co-Chairs.  We have plenty of ideas for fun socials and helpful CPD and are looking forward to the year ahead.

Jody Wu is a Senior Planning Officer specialising in Strategic Planning at Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Councils. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jody brings an international perspective to her work in development management, transport planning, and strategic planning. She currently focuses on drafting and consulting on Local Plans to ensure they align with sustainable regional growth goals. Jody holds an MSc in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Birmingham (2022) and is working towards MRTPI accreditation. Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, travelling, and exploring new hobbies.

Chloe is an Assistant Planner at Delta Planning, based in Birmingham. She joined Delta Planning in 2024 and is working on a range of projects including commercial and logistics and residential developments. She has recently graduated from the University of Birmingham gaining a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning, and she is working towards becoming a chartered member of the RTPI. Outside of work, Chloe enjoys travelling, spending time outdoors, and has recently become a keen runner.

Isabella is a second-year student studying BSc Geography and Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Birmingham. She recently became a student member of the RTPI after enjoying young planners networking events in her first year and wanted to have a larger role within the RTPI. She wishes to expand her networking capabilities and cannot wait to bring a student’s perspective to the 2025 committee.
Outside of her studies, Isabella is an Advanced Contemporary Dance teacher for the Birmingham University Dance Society and enjoys running, travelling and cooking.