Introduction to Town Planning in the UK

Luke Coffey and Will Whiting of Mott MacDonald will be giving an insight into their role as town planners. Town planning is a profession that decides how land should be used or protected and is a fundamental part of any construction project from start to finish. It ensures that local regulations are met, stakeholders are managed and satisfied and that our towns and cities are developed to be more attractive, safe and sustainable. They work with a huge range of professionals both within and beyond construction including politicians, businesses and other community organisations to facilitate a process whereby all interests are managed and considered.

Luke Coffey is Planning Team Leader and Local Environment Lead at Mott MacDonald for the Midlands region. He has over eleven years’ experience in planning practice and has been chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He possesses a comprehensive working knowledge of the planning system in England and has extensive experience in promoting a range of development and infrastructure projects. He has notable experience in providing both strategic advice and securing planning approvals for projects across a range of sectors to include, infrastructure, education, health, housing, employment and mixed-use regeneration and waste focussed schemes.

Will Whiting is a Planning Consultant at Mott MacDonald in Birmingham. Will has worked in planning for four and a half years and has recently been elected a chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He has worked on projects in a number of different development sectors covering buildings and infrastructure, and in doing so has begun to grow a strong understanding of the England planning system. Will has contributed to some of the UK’s biggest infrastructure schemes, including HS2 Phase One, and has also held roles in planning some of Birmingham’s most significant upcoming developments such as Birmingham’s University Station, Camp Hill Line Railway Stations and the expansion of the University of Birmingham’s main campus. He continues to build experience in many additional sectors such as health, residential, employment and mixed-use schemes.