World Town Planning Day 2025

Creating places that last

For Huw Mellor, Partner and Head of Planning South, the reward is tangible. "For me, it's the long-term legacy of my work as a planning consultant," he said. "I can walk around or drive through an area and point to something and say that I helped deliver that new building or that new community. It's tangible and lasting. Not many jobs allow a legacy, but planning does”.

That sense of legacy runs throughout the team. Katy Davis, National Head of Planning, described the personal connection planners develop with their work: "Having a tangible outcome – speaking to someone who lives in a building you secured consent for, taking your children to a football match at a stadium you helped deliver, watching a performance in a theatre you made possible or knowing life-saving treatment is being offered in a hospital you brought forward”.

For Andy Cowan, Associate Partner in the North West, the appeal is simple: "Being able to see change happen around you as a direct result of your work”.

The variety of work emerged as another major draw. Colin Brown, Head of Planning and Development, highlighted "the sheer variety in the work we do on a daily and weekly basis, working with interesting clients and delivering on their objectives”.

Dominic Bryant, Partner in Development East, expanded on the role’s variety. “I need to have an understanding of planning, politics, construction, finance, technical matters like highways and flooding, design and engineering. My work means that I get to engage with a diverse range of people.”

Tackling the loneliness epidemic

When asked what challenge they feel most enthusiastic about solving, responses ranged far beyond housing numbers. John Mason, an Associate based in Cambridge, drew attention to a crisis that planning is uniquely positioned to address.

"In 2022, nearly half of Britons said they felt lonely some or all of the time," John said. "Our built environments are a big cause of that. Planning can help to create places that are accessible, inclusive and encourage neighbourliness."

The figures back up this sentiment. The Campaign to End Loneliness recorded that 49.63% of UK adults felt lonely occasionally, sometimes, often or always, while estimating that loneliness costs UK employers £2.5bn annually, forming a clear economic argument that well-designed places work for both people and business.

Planning's role in fighting climate change

Climate change featured prominently in the team's responses. Angela Briggs, Senior Planner, said she was passionate about "responding to climate change and the need to adapt our construction methods, design of buildings and open spaces to create more resilient places”.

Her concern is well-founded. According to the UK Green Building Council, 80% of buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built, making retrofit and careful planning of new developments critical to meeting the UK's net-zero target.

Protecting heritage, building homes

The challenges planners identified span the breadth of modern Britain's needs. Rachel Turner, Associate Partner, spoke about her passion for heritage: "I love playing a part in shaping and improving our towns and cities, whether that is delivering new buildings or land uses for all to enjoy or being involved in proposals that protect and enhance historic buildings, securing them for the future”.

Historic buildings make up a significant portion of Britain's building stock, with 5.9 million buildings constructed before 1919. With successful retrofit, waste is prevented and proves more beneficial in lifecycle carbon terms than demolition and reconstruction, which is why protecting and adapting some of these structures for modern use is essential.

The housing crisis also emerged as a priority. Patrick Franklin, Senior Planner, pointed to the need for "improving equality throughout the country by providing homes and creating access to jobs”.

Katy Davis, National Head of Planning, also acknowledged the complexity: "Technically, planning could help solve many issues – the housing crisis and the role of our town centres, for example. Political cycles and the negative reporting act as hurdles, but it's about breaking down those barriers and trusting the development industry to just do its job.”

The future of town centres

The challenge of town centres surfaced repeatedly. Britain lost 6,000 retail outlets in just five years, according to 2023 data from the British Retail Consortium, with the pandemic and rising business rates driving closures. 

Caroline Searle, Partner specialising in Town Centres and Urban Change, described the satisfaction of creating "socially sustainable places”. Her work addresses one of the defining challenges of our era: how to reimagine town centres for a changing economy.

Purpose-driven work

Several planners emphasised the sense of purpose their work provides. Phoebe Gilchrist, Senior Planner in the North team, said: "For me, the most rewarding part is seeing how planning decisions make a real difference to people's lives. I particularly value projects that deliver new healthcare facilities or highways depots, which play a vital role in keeping communities safe and connected”.

Angela Briggs summed up the broader purpose: "Being part of the future and bringing development opportunities to communities that will improve their life, their natural environment, their wellbeing and the ability to cope with climate change and an ever-evolving digital world”.

Balancing competing needs

For some planners, the reward comes from striking a balance between development and protection. Andy Cowan described his passion for creating "development which balances competing needs but ultimately delivers change that improves on what was there before”.

Huw Mellor echoed this: "Planning, when looked at positively, can be very strategic and it can balance development with sustainability. Both are needed, but can seem incompatible, and the challenge I always enjoy is finding that correct balance and delivering successfully on both fronts”.

Call for recognition

Colin Brown, Head of Planning and Development at Carter Jonas, concludes: "Planning has a significant role to play in addressing the challenges facing communities today. Through improved spatial planning and rational decision-making, we can reduce carbon consumption, enhance nature and create development that genuinely improves on what was there before, and that is what motivates our team”.