Nia Borsey, a senior planner based at our Chester office, will be celebrating at a ceremony at the Deansgate Hilton Hotel in Manchester on Friday 24 June at the North West regional final of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2022.
The awards recognise and reward the brightest talent in the profession; the most outstanding projects, teams and people helping to transform economies, environments, and communities and focus on rewarding the excellent work done from across the profession.
Nia Borsey, based at our Chester office has been shortlisted in the North West region. She has built a reputation as an exceptional planner, proactively expanding our planning services from Cheshire across the border into North Wales.
Through a broad range of general practice work, Nia has shown a real flair for creative solutions from farm diversification schemes to listed barn conversions, including a reputation as the go-to planner for dog exercise areas. Now our expert in this area, she is currently advising our development agency team on the local development plan process in Wales. Nia’s range and experience is broad and includes both residential and commercial developments including listed and unlisted barn conversions, holiday lets, replacement dwellings, heritage assets and even an electrical substation for Tesla in Scotland.
Through the RTPI and the National Farmers Union (NFU) she is using her platform to inspire young planners and engage the agricultural industry in the vital role planning plays in the future of farming and land development. Outside of work, she is Chair of Young Farmers Betws Yn Rhos and Clwyd County Representative for the National Young Farmers and in 2020 she was selected to become one of only 11 NFU Young Ambassadors. She also sits on our Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) group focused on educational outreach and promoting careers in planning.
Nia said: “I feel very honoured to have been selected as a finalist, I would like to say a massive thank you to the organisation and my colleagues for the nomination.”
James Beverley and Antonia Wyatt, senior planners based at our Ashby office and Melissa Balk, an associate based at our Bedford office, are also through to the regional finals. A project Melissa worked on; Featherbed Fruits, has also been shortlisted in the Best Project category in the South East Region.
Liberty Stones, Head of Planning, said: “It’s great to see a number of our planners shortlisted for Young Planner of the Year. I am proud to be part of a hardworking, proactive, and successful team who all deserve recognition for the work they do. It is wonderful to see the RTPI awards celebrate young planners and their contribution to the industry.”
Winners across the regions will be announced and celebrated locally in June and July and will go through to the national finals. Finalists for all 15 categories will be announced in October followed by a final ceremony in central London in November.
