PURE TOWN PLANNING LIMITED - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• a Planning Consultant
• Associate Director at Pure Town Planning and Chartered Town Planner
• Planner
• Secretary of State

Chris is a chartered town planner who has extensive experience working within local government, the civil service and the private sector. He uses his mix of public and private sector experience to give clients the upper hand in the planning process, where he prefers to negotiate and work with local planning authorities to achieve mutually agreeable schemes. Chris was born and educated in Bristol where he attained a First-Class BA (Hons) degree in Town and Country Planning and a Masters in Planning with Urban Design at the University of the West of England (UWE). Upon graduating from UWE in 2012, Chris moved to Dorset and began working as a Planning Officer at Dorset Council. Whilst working for local government, Chris gained a thorough understanding of the planning system and its various quirks and complexities. In 2014, Chris joined Pure Town Planning as a Planning Consultant and he worked on a variety of planning applications and appeals over a five-year period with the company achieving a high success rate for his clients. In 2019, Chris was appointed by the Secretary of State to be a Planning Inspector, a position which he held for two years before re-joining Pure Town Planning in 2021 as an Associate Director. During his time at the Planning Inspectorate, Chris determined over 300 planning appeals, including many cases in London, which included written representation appeals and hearings. Consequently, he has an in-depth knowledge of the appeal system, and he draws on his considerable experience when submitting appeals for clients to give them the best chance of success. Due to the various positions held by Chris, he has experience working on all types of planning applications and planning appeals from small scale planning, commercial and advertisement applications to complex listed building consents and major residential developments. Chris has an extensive knowledge of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) and the wide range of prior approval applications that can be submitted. Chris also volunteers with the RTPI. He has previously been the Chair of the RTPI Dorset Young Planners Steering Group and is now the Group's Treasurer. He also sits on the RTPI South West Regional Activities Committee who are responsible for the organisation and delivery a range of activities including the region's CPD event programme, inputting into consultations and policy updates, contributing to research and Judging the RTPI South West Awards for Planning Excellence. Chris also mentors licentiate members who are working towards their chartered membership. Chris splits his time between working from home in Weymouth and our Bournemouth office. When he isn't busy helping clients secure planning permission, he enjoys nothing more than playing a round of golf. He's currently a member at Came Down Golf Club near Dorchester.

Job Titles:

• Director, Experienced Town Planning Consultant and Knowledgeable Chap

Dan has a particular interest in the technical side of planning and likes nothing better than getting into the minutiae of planning policy or some obscure planning legislation. Formerly a designer, Dan is skilled on the electronic drawing board and has been known to create simple nice-looking site plans as well as keeping all the firm's documents looking swish. Dan grew up in the Wiltshire countryside. He originally trained in Product Design at Bournemouth University and dabbled in designing domestic goods for the likes of Hotpoint and Dyson. A spell editing maps at the Ordnance Survey in Southampton persuaded him to seek a different path. He retrained as a Town Planner at the University of Reading where he obtained a Master of Science degree with Distinction and was awarded a prize from the Royal Town Planning Institute for his academic work. After qualifying, Dan rose rapidly through the ranks of private sector planning consultancies along the south-coast in Southampton, Ringwood and Bournemouth - planning assistant, assistant planner, planner, senior planner, associate… including a couple of years on the inside of one of the country's leading retirement housing developers. Dan has enjoyed working on projects large and small right across the country. He relishes getting his teeth into the finer points of planning law and is particularly adept with appeals. Dan lives in Winchester, Hampshire with his wife and their three children.

Job Titles:

• PLANNING Director
• Planning Consultant

Matt is driven and loves to get a result. He likes nothing better than adding to his list of planning permissions (yes he does have one). Matt has a winning smile and a pragmatic ability for steering a planning application gently through the system. Matt was born in Poole, Dorset and was educated in Wimborne. He went on to gain a BSc (Hons) degree in City and Regional Planning from Cardiff University and later added a Masters in Housing. Having completed his work placement in a Bournemouth consultancy, Matt knew that this was the place for him and returned to embark on his professional town planning career. During his time in planning consultancy he has dealt with a range of planning applications and planning appeals of varying scales predominantly in Dorset and Hampshire although has handled planning cases throughout the country. Matt's knowledge and experience of the local area is of great benefit to clients and he has developed a strong working relationship with the local authorities. His biggest asset to clients is his high success rates which he feels can be attributed to two things; first, a well thought out and presented planning application and secondly his negotiating style in which he aims to work with the local planning authority in arriving at a mutually agreeable scheme, avoiding the need for costly appeals or revised applications. Outside of work, Matt is a keen golfer and currently plays off a handicap of 15. If there are any fellow golfers out there who fancy catching up on the latest news in the planning world over a round of golf, then do get in touch with Matt, but be warned, he's extremely competitive!

Job Titles:

• Associate Director at Pure Town Planning and Chartered Town Planner
• Planner

Neil is a chartered town planner who enjoys the challenge that the planning profession presents on a daily basis. He is a straight-talking and dedicated individual with experience in navigating applications through the sometimes complex stages of the planning system. Neil was born and raised in County Meath, Ireland and was originally employed in the banking sector. However, a change in career path led to Neil completing his MA in Geographical Analysis from NUI Maynooth, securing placement with a private sector planning consultancy and finishing his MA in Regional and Urban Planning from University College Dublin. In broadening his career opportunities, Neil moved to Bournemouth some years ago where he gained valuable experience in both Dorset and Hampshire planning consultancies. After a spell with a large Southampton planning consultants Neil returned to Bournemouth and Pure Town Planning as a chance too good to pass up. He has local experience working on a diverse range of planning applications for both private individuals and developers alike and enjoys the fact that his role in planning can help change the built environment and landscape for the better. When Neil is not knee-deep dealing with planning applications he enjoys keeping up to date with the Irish national and club rugby scene, trying to lower his golf handicap as well as playing Gaelic Football with St. Jude's GAA, Bournemouth.