RTPI NI is pleased to announce Northern Ireland Young Planner of the Year for 2023 is Emma Aldridge.
Emma is a Senior Planner with Juno Planning (NI Small Planning Consultancy of the Year 2022).
After spending 7 years working in England within the English planning system, Emma made the move back to Northern Ireland and has been working within the Northern Irish (NI) planning system for just over a year. In her first year of employment, Emma led and continues to lead on the post submission design changes for the regionally significant Belfast Transport Hub. Emma was elected to the RTPI General Assembly and is also a member of both the RTPI NI Executive Committee and the RTPI NI Young Planners Committee. She volunteered for these roles because she is passionate about promoting the planning profession and supporting young planners as they embark on their careers and she currently acts as a mentor to a number of more junior planners from companies that I previously worked for, offering advice and helping with RTPI submissions. In addition, she works with UrbanPlan to involve them in Social Value projects on which I am currently working, with a view to bringing their development workshops for secondary school children aged 16-18 (GSCE to A-level) to Northern Ireland.
Judges‘ comment: "Emma is energetic and enthusiastic. She has taken every opportunity to be involved in planning projects both through her work and through volunteering. She is a true role model for other planners old and young!"