Meet the Team - Katie
Next up in our series getting to know the Euan Kellie team, it’s Katie.
Katie joined the firm five years ago as a senior planner and is now one of our directors. She currently works remotely in Perth, Australia which means she’s always one step (or, seven hours) ahead of us.
Katie will be back in the UK for a short visit in May to attend UKREiiF.
Tell us about your slightly unconventional route into planning.
I originally went to university to do teacher training but switched to physical geography after a year. I didn’t particularly enjoy either course, so I wasn’t sure what my future career was going to look like.
I needed a complete change in perspective so went backpacking across Australia. It was while I was there, applying for a location planning role at Tesco, that sowed the seed for town planning as a career. So, on my return to the UK I studied for a masters in town planning at Manchester which I absolutely loved – achieving a distinction and the NW RTPI prize.
And your career to date has been pretty varied too, hasn’t it?
I’ve always thought of myself as a generalist, and I enjoy trying different things. My career progression has had as many twists and turns as my studying did!
My first job was as a transport planner but while I learnt a lot, ultimately I realised that buildings, people and places were more my bag.
My next move was to a planning and architecture practice which taught me the foundations for being a good planner. Then after two years at a larger, corporate planning practice I moved to a local authority to gain some experience on the other side of the fence.
It was through a mutual friend that I was introduced to Kelly and Euan, and I made the move back into the private sector. Let’s just say it was a good move and has taught me that while it may take time to find your fit, job-wise, it’s worth it when you finally land in a role where you can flourish.
What makes Euan Kellie Property Solutions different from its competitors?
I think it’s that we’re able to provide such a personal service to our clients. It’s great to be a trusted adviser and for most of my projects, I feel like an extension of the client team rather than an external consultant.
Being so embedded in projects means we understand the broader picture and our clients’ objectives. That helps us have an agile approach and advocate for our clients’ interests. I am guilty of becoming very personally invested in all the projects I work on!
What do you bring to the team?
I actually really enjoy keeping up with case law and find the interpretation of it all fascinating. I think that’s why I typically choose to work on the difficult things! I find those smaller but challenging technical projects – like a Green Belt site, or a debate about whether a proposed use would be lawful – more interesting. I enjoy thinking through how to make the argument to overcome planning hurdles.
I’ve been lucky to work of a number of education projects - which is perhaps an ode to my previous desire to be a teacher. I really enjoy these projects, particularly the specialist education projects, both because I feel like I’m making a difference and because the project timescales are usually quite pacey, which keeps me on my toes.
What have you learnt so far during your time in Australia?
Culturally, it’s been a huge shift, and we soon realised that it wouldn’t work to try and replicate our life back in the UK. The Western Australian culture is to get up extremely early. The busiest time of day is 6am when everyone is exercising, and you can forget going out for dinner at 8pm – everything is closed.
From a development perspective, the city here is at an extremely exciting time in its evolution. Perth is the fastest growing city in Australia and as a result there is huge investment in development. Architecturally, the suburbs are extremely interesting, with relaxed planning controls resulting in huge architectural variety along each street. I believe that they only have an infill target of 47% - which is dramatically different to our focus on brownfield land in the UK.
One thing that’s the same is that NIMBYism is alive and kicking, but because most major applications are determined at the state (equivalent in scale to the UK central government) then the larger regeneration projects do seem to have a smoother route to delivery.
Interestingly, they’ve just brought in a new approach for determining some mid-scale applications too. These new “development assessment panels” are made up of both elected members and technical experts. Having independent experts on the panel seems to make so much sense and perhaps this is something which could be considered in the UK.
What do you love about Manchester?
For me, Manchester isn't just a city; it's home. It's where I took my first steps, where I learned to ride a bike and where I forged friendships that have lasted a lifetime. The city centre was even where I chose to get married. So Manchester feels like it is a part of my identity.
Growing up, my dad was a Manchester black cab driver and he was always so passionate about the city – I think that was also infectious. The people in Manchester are truly what sets Manchester apart – with proud, resilient and fiercely loyal Mancunians at the heartbeat of the city.
Tell us about your typical working day in Australia.
I work an adjusted day to accommodate the time difference, so I’ve been enjoying having more leisurely mornings and making the most of the nice weather.
I spend most mornings walking my dog Pepper along the beach and I’ve also taken up ocean swimming. I live less than 200m from the beach and am fortunate to have found ‘the pod squad’; an inclusive group of ocean swimmers who swim 2km each morning followed by a coffee. It’s great to swim in a group and slightly tempers the (very real) fear of sharks!
My working day starts at 12noon through to 8pm. While the UK is still sleeping, I can get ahead of my emails and focus on my written work. Then from around 4pm, when everyone in the UK comes online, my day is full of meetings and phone calls. It’s a really intense period but always great to connect with colleagues and clients.
Katie will be in the UK between 6 May and 4 June and will be attending UKREiiF in person. She is looking forward to some non-virtual catch ups so do get in touch if you want to catch her face to face while she’s here!