Catriona is an independent consultant providing professional support on a wide range of spatial planning issues but focuses on local plans and specifically, strategic planning, working with local authorities and their partners to develop different approaches to strategic planning, including governance structures. She recently authored two linked reports on behalf of the County Councils Network [ Report calls for a new planning model, as two thirds of councils say the pressure on their infrastructure is ‘excessive’ due to housing – County Councils Network ] to help inform the Government’s planning reforms and has contributed widely to the debates on devolution and levelling up.
Previous roles include Head of Strategic Planning at Surrey County Council and Director of Planning at the South East England Regional Assembly where she was responsible for the Regional Spatial Strategy (The South East Plan).
Catriona’s other professional roles include:
Strategic Planning Specialist for the Planning Officers’ Society (POS)
- Vice-Chair of the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)
- Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) England Policy Panel
- Visiting Fellow at Thinktank Localis
In 2022 Catriona was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Oxford Brookes University for her services to Planning, was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Town Planning Institute and was included in The Planner’s list of top 50 Women of Influence in Planning. She is a regular columnist for both Planning Magazine and the TCPA’s Journal.
