I retired from the post of Assistant Chief Planner in the Scottish Government’s Planning and Architecture Division in September 2013. During my time in Scottish government, I led the teams which prepared Scotland’s first and second National Planning Frameworks. I have many years of experience in the development of strategic planning policy, development management, the assessment of development policies and proposals, and stakeholder engagement.

I have a strong background in urban regeneration and rural development issues and a keen interest in community participation in development and environmental management. I have been active in promoting the exchange of good practice in spatial planning in the Celtic and Baltic countries and was a member of the British-Irish Council’s Working Group on Collaborative Spatial Planning.

I have a B.Sc. in Botany from the University of Aberdeen and a Diploma in Town and Country Planning from Heriot-Watt University. In 1988 I was awarded a Ph.D. for my research on the work of the pioneer Scottish planner, Sir Frank Mears.

During the 1990s, I was a Director of the environmental charity, Reforesting Scotland, and served on the John Muir Trust’s Land Management Committee. I am a Founder of Carrifran Wildwood and a Stakeholder in the Border Forest Trust’s Devil’s Beef Tub project.

Between 1977 and 1979 I was a Research Assistant to the SNP Parliamentary Group at Westminster. From 1982 to 1984, I was a member of the Editorial Board of the magazine, Radical Scotland.

I am a member of the RSPB’s Advisory Committee for Scotland and currently advising Reforesting Scotland’s Thousand Huts campaign on planning matters.