Imogen Holgate, Chair of RTPI Young Planners

Imogen joined Hallam Land in January 2023 and is a Development Planner within the South West region. Alongside this role, she is also the Chair of RTPI Young Planners Cymru, a network which is open to professional planners in the first 10 years of post-qualification experience. We discussed with Imogen the importance of her role as chair and how the committee is progressing.

‘I was elected as RTPI Young Planners Chair for Wales (Young Planners Cymru) in December 2021 and lead the Committee in the organisation of CPD events, socials and networking experiences for professional planners. Throughout my time as Chair, the Committee has continued to go from strength to strength and we are in an incredibly strong position with 13 members spanning the private sector, local authorities and housebuilders.

2023 was a very successful year for Young Planners Cymru with the following events being organised, attended and receiving great feedback:

  • St David’s Day networking events (with plenty of welsh cakes of course!)
  • CPD event hosted by Sioned Davies at No5 Barristers: “How to give evidence at a planning inquiry”
  • Drop-in sessions with students at Cardiff University offering advice on how to approach a career in planning
  • “Built Environment BBQ”, a joint event with RICS Matrics South Wales, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb), The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Women in Property South Wales and G4C Wales
  • CPD event focussing on the regeneration of Newport, with details on Newport Market. Speakers included Newport City Council, Asbri Planning, Loft Co, EWA and Austin Partnership
  • Mulled wine and mince pie evening

This month not only marks my third year being elected Chair of Young Planners Cymru but also my first year at Hallam Land. During this past year, I have been very fortunate to have had exposure to a range of projects at various stages of the strategic land cycle and have enjoyed tackling all the challenges that present themselves throughout these projects (in particular the new NPPF in December 2023!). I very much look forward to continuing to promote Hallam’s schemes through the planning process in 2024 and continuing the effort to source new opportunities alongside my colleagues within the South West team.

I am incredibly proud of the Committee and everything that has been achieved over the past 2 years. 2024 will be my third year as Chair of Young Planners Cymru and I am very excited to continue this role (alongside my role at Hallam Land!) to work with the Committee in the organisation of events which provide the opportunity for young planners to network and build connections within the profession.’