Steering group

James graduated from the University of Aberdeen in 2013 (MA (Hons) in Geography and Spatial Planning) and is a Chartered Member of the RTPI. James is a Senior Planner with Aberdeenshire Council's Strategic Development Delivery Team, and works primarily on National and Major Energy and Transmission Developments. He has been a member of the SYPN since 2019 and is the current Chair for 2024.

Paul joined the SYPN as the Scottish Government representative at the beginning of 2018 and provides the link between the SYPN to Scottish Ministers and the Planning and Architecture Division. Paul is a Chartered Planner at the Scottish Government and graduated from Dundee University with an MSc in Spatial Planning with a specialism in Environmental Assessment. Paul has had a number of roles within the Scottish Government, but is now a permanent member of the Planning Decisions team and deals with a variety of planning matters such as notified applications, called-in cases and environmental assessments. Paul has particular interests in the digital transformation of the planning system, as well as getting more young people interested and involved in planning.

Dr Sepideh Hajisoltani is a chartered member of the RTPI and IHBC. With a multidisciplinary background in architecture, conservation, and community-based development in Iran, she moved to the UK and graduated from the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London (UCL) in 2011 (MSc in Building and Urban Design in Development). She has had a number of roles within Aberdeen City Council in the areas of Development Management and also Masterplanning, Design and Conservation. She has a PhD from Northumbria University in 2023 and her research focuses on the "Future of UK City Centres". Her latest publication is contributions to two chapters of the book "The Future of the City Centre- Global Perspectives" which was published in late 2022. She is a member of the RTPI Scotland Executive Committee and IHBC Scottish Committee and acts as the Education and Training Standards Rep.  Sepideh joined the Scottish Young Planners' Network in 2019 and is the Past Chair.

Hannah joined the Steering Group in 2021 and currently works as a Consent Strategy Manager with SSE Renewables. She is based in SSE Renewables Perth office and assists with the consenting regime on large-scale renewable energy projects.  She graduated from Heriot Watt University in 2018 with a BSc (Hons) in Urban Planning and Property Development. After graduating, Hannah worked for Savills and gained her RTPI Chartered Membership in September 2020.  Hannah also has experience working within the public sector whist completing two summer placements at Perth & Kinross Council, within the Strategy and Policy team.

Amy joined the Steering Group in 2023. She has an MSc in City Planning from the University of Glasgow, graduating in 2020. After graduation she undertook a 9-month research post at Heriot-Watt University, exploring the role of the planning system in tackling racial inequalities in housing. In 2022 Amy won an RTPI Research Award for this work. Following this, Amy spent 18 months working at the Improvement Service, supporting the work of Heads of Planning Scotland and also working on spatial data improvements for planning authorities. In conjunction with the RTPI, Amy worked on the Future Planners project which explored options for getting more planners into Scotland’s public sector. As of April 2023, Amy now works at East Ayrshire Council in the Development Plans team, and is looking forward to putting her knowledge of the development planning system into practice!

John is a Planning Officer at Perth & Kinross Council and was elected to the SYPN Steering Group in 2020. He graduated from the University of Westminster in 2016 with an MA in Urban and Regional Planning, and has subsequently worked in Development Management at the London Borough of Hounslow and at Falkirk Council. He is a past Honorary Secretary of RTPI London and was elected to Chartered Membership of the Institute in December 2019 before relocating to Scotland. John served as Convenor of the RTPI West of Scotland Chapter in 2022. He has a particular interest in exploring how planners can collaborate more effectively with other built environment professions to deliver sustainable places. John is also passionate about ensuring early-career planners, particularly those in the public sector, are equipped with the right skills to achieve this.

Holly is an enthusiastic third year undergraduate student at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, currently studying BSc (Hons) Urban Planning and Property Development. Holly hopes to bring a youthful/student perspective to the SYPN steering group. She looks forward to starting her professional career and bringing a continued focus on sustainability and inclusivity to Scottish planning. This year Holly is excited to gain valuable work experience in urban planning during the summer and to begin volunteering at Planning Aid Scotland. During her time in education she has also gained experience in retail and hospitality. In her free time Holly enjoys going to the gym, spending time with friends, and shopping.

Ian joined the SYPN Steering Group in January 2022 and is currently a Planning Consultant at Ryden, based in Aberdeen with projects ongoing across the UK in a diverse range of sectors. He also continues to volunteer for Planning Aid Scotland (PAS). He was previously a Planning Officer at Aberdeenshire Council. In December 2020, he graduated from the University of Glasgow with distinction in MSc City Planning and Real Estate Development, a joint RTPI-accredited and RICS-accredited degree, and won several academic awards. Prior to that, Ian graduated in June 2016 from the University of Aberdeen in MA(Hons) Geography. He is a Chartered Member of the RTPI.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ian-scott-ryden-planning

Max joined the Steering Group in early 2022. He has an MSc in Geographical Information Science from the University of Edinburgh. He also holds a BSc in Urban Planning and Property Development from Heriot-Watt University. He has volunteered with Planning Aid Scotland for various projects such as Heart of Newhaven and the A9 Dualling Consultation. He is currently a licentiate member with the RTPI. When not at his desk, he is an avid runner and holds a second-degree black belt in Uechi-Ryu Karate. Max is an assistant transportation consultant at SYSTRA.

Lenka joined the steering group in 2019. She is a Planner at Colliers where she has a number of responsibilities, supporting Colliers’ corporate clients and developments of all scales across the UK. Lenka has previously worked for Planning Aid Scotland (PAS) where she led the youth and community engagement of the National Planning Framework 4 and supported a local community developing a multigenerational centre. Outside of work Lenka is a keen gardener, wild swimmer and enjoys all sorts of sports.

Rim Chouaib is a senior planner at Kevin Murray Associates with a specialism in creative community and stakeholder engagement. Rim has an MSc in City Planning and Real Estate Development (with distinction) from the University of Glasgow and a DESS in Architecture from Academie Libanaise des Beaux Arts (ALBA), (Beiruit, Lebanon). Through her studies, Rim gained experience in planning by participating in several international workshops in Dessau Bauhaus (Germany), Turku (Finland), Venice (Italy), and Brussels (Belgium). During her postgraduate study at the University of Glasgow, Rim won the Royal Town Planning Institute West of Scotland Chapter Student Award 2016 for excellence in coursework on the Spatial Planning Strategies course for a project that involved creating a local development plan for Govan 2030. She is a chartered member of the RTPI and is currently the treasurer of the RTPI West of Scotland Chapter.

Anne completed her BSc in Urban Planning and Property Development at Heriot Watt University before moving onto an MSc in Urban Studies. Through her MSc she studied in Brussels, Vienna, Copenhagen and Madrid before she decided to settle back down in Edinburgh.

Anne worked a little bit as a planning assistant in the private and public sector. She was also an Intern Project Officer for RTPI Scotland in 2018/2019.

For the past two years Anne has been working as a Housing Strategy Officer in East Lothian Council. She's specialised in the housing need of young people and the delivery of home adaptations. She also enjoys her collaborative work with her planning colleagues, for example on the needs of the Traveller community.