Regional Activities Committee

Clare manages the planning policy team in Coventry, having joined the City Council at the start of 2021. Clare has extensive experience in planning policy both in consultancy and in managing policy teams at Lichfield and Cannock Chase Councils. Prior to this, Clare managed the Economic Development Service at North Warwickshire Borough Council, and spent over a decade working for Sandwell Council in the planning and regeneration services. She is especially passionate about community engagement, health and wellbeing and ensuring fairness and inclusion for all in the community.

Victoria graduated from the University of Sheffield with a BA (Hons) in Urban Studies and Planning in 2006 and completed her masters between Sheffield Hallam University and Birmingham City University. She is a chartered planner with 14 years’ experience in the public and private sector having worked for various local authorities, private consultancies and housebuilders. She has worked as a Principal Planning Consultant with RCA Regeneration based in Worcestershire, working on a number of residential-led development schemes across the West Midlands region and is currently working for Keepmoat Homes. Victoria has a passion for dance, particularly salsa, and you can regularly find her out and about on weekends strutting her stuff on the dancefloor.

A senior manager in Local Government, operating as Head of Planning at Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

I have a background in the built environment and economic development. I am also an effective local government officer with substantive senior experience transcending both operationally and strategically.

I am lead officer advising Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council Planning Committee, which is inclusive of leading advice in a virtual committee. I have significant experience of being lead officer in presenting reports to other formal Council meetings, inclusive of:
- Cabinet
- Executive Committee
- Overview and Scrutiny
- Audit Committee
- Council sub committee


While operating at senior level in Local Government I have maintained my technical knowledge and have experience in being expert witness at Public Inquiries and hearings, this is inclusive of enforcement hearings. In addition I was lead officer for Lichfield District Council for during the examination 2018 of their Local Plan document.

In addition to my planning expertise I can demonstrate proven experience in the management and review of other service areas, along with a track record of delivery. I can demonstrate experience in effectively working with communities, project partners and other stakeholders. I enjoy working in a political environment and adding value in this context.

Mark is a chartered Town Planner with over twenty two years' experience working in the public sector and advising clients in the private sector primarily in respect of minerals and waste development together with energy generation. He is a Planning Director at the Birmingham Office of WYG and is responsible for providing planning advice on development projects including minerals and waste development, retail, housing, regeneration, planning applications, appeals and environmental impact assessments. Mark has been a member of the West Midlands Regional Activities Committee since 2002 and was Chair of RTPI West Midlands in 2011. Mark was the Honorary Treasurer of RTPI West Midlands, a role he undertook from 2014-2019. Mark was previously Chair of West Midlands Planning Aid and a member of the RTPI Young Planners Panel.

Ray is now retired from planning practice. His last role was as Team Leader at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's Planning Casework Unit (PCU). Ray has previously worked for the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM) (2000-2011), working on local plans and the RSS. Prior to that Ray was a member of Birmingham City Council's Strategic Planning Team (1989-2000). Previous experience has been with the West Midlands Regional Forum, the fore-runner to the Regional Assembly (1986-89), Buckinghamshire County Council (1985-86), Cambridgeshire County Council (1983-85) and Southampton City Council (1980-81). Ray was awarded an MBE in 2019. Ray has been a member of the RTPI West Midlands RAC since 2011, where he assists the Regional Co-ordinator with the CPD programme. In 2020 Ray took up the role of Honorary Treasurer. Ray has also been a member of the RTPI's National training delivery advisory group.

Claudia is a Professor in Environmental Governance and Planning at Birmingham City University’s School of Engineering and Built Environment and has been Associate Editor (Socio-Economics) of the journal Environmental Values. Claudia teaches undergraduate and postgraduate planning modules and supervises Masters and PhD students in Planning. Her research relates to city-region planning, climate change and sustainability. Ongoing and recent projects include DT-Uni – Design Thinking Approach for an Interdisciplinary University (EU Erasmus+ funding) and the development of Participology, a resource to engage people in participative planning, decision-making and training using a board game format. One example of this work is the Place Makers game which received the RTPI West Midlands Chair’s Award in 2018. Claudia studied geography and environmental management in Scotland and for many years worked in academic and applied research on environmental policy and management, environmental values, public and stakeholder engagement, critical evaluation, and interdisciplinary research approaches. She has lived and worked in Birmingham since 2011 and became a chartered member of the RTPI in 2019.

Sarah is a chartered Town Planner with over 7 years’ experience in the public and private sector across England and Wales and more recently the West Midlands region. Her roles have included working for Powys County Council’s Planning Policy team, a UK energy company developing a new generation of nuclear power stations and she is currently a Senior Planner in Arup’s Solihull office. Sarah’s work primarily focuses on major infrastructure projects and she is particularly passionate about effective stakeholder engagement and consultation. Sarah has recently joined the RTPI West Midlands Regional Activities Committee starting in 2020.

Maria is a chartered Town Planner with over 14 years’ experience in local government. Currently Head of Development Policy at Birmingham City Council, Maria was previously Planning Policy Team Leader at Worcester City Council, where she was responsible for leading all aspects of the City's planning policy work. Maria started her career at Wyre Forest District Council where she worked on a number of planning policy projects and Neighbourhood Plans. Maria was awarded the RTPI West Midlands Young Planner of the Year Award in 2013 and was shortlisted for the National Young Planner of the Year Award in 2014 and featured on The Planner’s Women of Influence list in 2019. Maria has been a Planning Aid Volunteer since 2005, she has been a member of the West Midlands Regional Activities Committee since 2013 and previous to that she was a member.  Maria was RTPI West Midlands Chair in 2018. In 2021, Maria was presented with the RTPI Outstanding Service Award recognising excellence in service to the industry, benefitting RTPI members at large.

Stephanie is a chartered Town Planner with over 6 years' experience in private practice in the West Midlands. She is currently an Associate Director in Avison Young's Birmingham Office. She works on a wide range of project for clients in the public and private sectors and has significant experience in the preparation and management of major planning applications and the promotion of large strategic sites through emerging Local Plans and Neighbourhood Development Plans. Stephanie was Chair of the Young Planners West Midlands Committee in 2019 and has been a member of the Committee since 2012. She is also Chair of the RTPI West Midlands Annual Summer Ball Organizing Committee and has led the organization of the event since 2017. Stephanie was also awarded the RTPI West Midlands Young Planner of the Year Award in 2015.  Stephanie was RTPI West Midlands Chair in 2021.

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.

Luke Hillson, a Recognised Practitioner in Urban Design, MRTPI and Design Council CABE Built Environment Expert, with a background in town planning and expertise in urban design and masterplanning. Luke has broad experience in urban design, masterplanning and strategic land promotion. Project work has ranged from involvement on large-scale estate masterplanning studies to feasibility studies for mixed-use development, residential developments, public realm schemes and strategic land promotion. Through his contribution to design work Luke places emphasis on place-making through the application of best practice in design for accessibility, safety, mixed-uses, adaptability and sustainability. Recent work includes residential developments, design of sporting venues and masterplanning of sustainable new settlements and urban extensions. Luke is experienced in townscape analysis, place-making and a technical expert in the modelling and visualisation of both 2D and 3D urban landscapes.  Luke was RTPI West Midlands Chair in 2020.

James is a Planning Policy Officer at Walsall Council and is currently also working to help deliver the Black Country Plan alongside Wolverhampton City, Sandwell and Dudley. He is a part-time degree apprenticeship student studying Urban and Regional Planning (MSc) at the University of Birmingham, after which he hopes to attain RTPI accreditation. James has a varied experience working for Local Planning Authorities in both metropolitan and borough councils. Previously he worked on the Central Lancashire Local Plan for Chorley, South Ribble and Preston City Councils and in Development Control at Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester.

Polly currently works at St Joseph Homes as a Land and Planning Manager, covering the West Midlands. During her time at St Joseph, Polly manages a number of sites through all planning phases, including pre and post planning, and enjoys working closely with each of the sites to see them progress from typically brownfield sites, to flourishing new communities.

Polly joined the WM Young Planners Committee in February 2019, and has been involved in organising a number of events, and now takes on the role of co-chairing the 2023 Committee.

In her free time Polly attempts to learn Spanish, and enjoys taking time out to go travelling.

Ben joined National Highways in 2020 as a Spatial Planner for the Birmingham Motorway Box and Coventry & Warwickshire Patch, and was promoted to the position of Spatial Planning Manager in December 2021, overseeing the western side of the Midlands region.

Ben graduated from the University of Sheffield with a Masters in Urban Studies and Town and Regional Planning in 2008, and became a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2013. Ben has 15 years’ experience in the private / public sector. He started his career working at JMP Consultants Limited  In 2011 he joined Coventry City Council as a Transport Planning Officer and joined Warwickshire County Council in 2014 as a Senior Development Management Engineer. Ben has experience in both highways development management and land-use and transport policy development regularly represented the represented his organisations at planning committee, examination in public and public inquiries.

Ben is an active member of the RTPI, having the regional chair for Young Planners West Midlands in 2012, the West Midlands Regional Chair in 2016 and a member of the Education and Life Long Learning Committee between 2017 and 2019.

Philippa has worked in local government for over 30 years and has extensive experience in the planning and regeneration sectors. Following a number of years working for Sandwell Council in the areas of planning policy and regeneration, Philippa moved to Worcester City Council to manage the economic development and planning functions. She worked for a short time at Wychavon and Malvern Hills Councils concentrating on the production of the South Worcestershire Development Plan before returning to the Black Country to take on the role of project manager for the Black Country Plan.

Sandy was the RTPI West Midlands Chair in 2019. Sandy previously worked at at Birmingham City Council for nearly 30 years. He is a Trustee of the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust, and currently chair of Futures Network West Midlands. He is a member of the RSA and the Lunar Society. While at Birmingham, Sandy led the Council's Economic Strategy in the 1980s and 1990s, followed by extensive work at regional level on the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy and worked with AWM on regional Economic Development initiatives. In 2007 he was tasked with accelerating Birmingham's green agenda and successfully established the city's first Green Commission and Carbon Roadmap. Sandy has also worked extensively with European cities via the Eurocities network on international climate change and environmental issues. He was Chair of the Eurocities Environment Forum 2012/14 and its Air Quality Energy Efficiency and Climate Change Working Group 2007/14.  Sandy was RTPI West Midlands chair in 2019.