Director, Head of Regen & Commercial
chris.sinton@asteerplanning.com

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Chris graduated from the University of Manchester with a Distinction in his Master of Planning (MPlan) degree in 2009. He began his career at Wardell Armstrong before moving to HOW Planning in 2012. Following a brief period at GL Hearn, Chris joined CBRE’s national planning and development team establishing himself as a commercially minded, trusted advisor over a 7 year period and rising to the role of Director in 2022. In 2024, joined Asteer Planning as Regeneration and Commercial Director with a focus on complex urban developments and commercial schemes across the north of England.

Associate Director
phil.grant@asteerplanning.com

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Phil graduated from the University of Manchester with a Masters in Town Planning (MTPl) in 2002. He has spent his entire career in planning consultancy, working firstly for Deloitte (formerly Drivers Jonas) for 10 years and then Avison Young (formerly HOW Planning) for 9 years. He has significant experience of advising on projects across a range of sectors including residential, commercial, retail, leisure, industrial and logistics. He has a detailed understanding of the development management system and is also experienced at promoting schemes through the Local Plan process.

Associate
georgina.blackburn@asteerplanning.com

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Georgina graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA(Hons) in Geography in 2016, after which she gained her Masters in Planning from the University of Manchester. Following a placement at Avison Young (formerly GVA), Georgina joined the company in September 2018, advising clients across a range of sectors, including residential, commercial, student, and mixed-use developments. Georgina was elected as a Chartered Member of the RTPI in December 2020 and currently sits on the Regional Activities Committee for the RTPI North West and is part of the Education, Careers and Mentoring Task Group.

Associate
aira.temporal@asteerplanning.com

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Aira graduated from King’s College London with a BA in Geography in 2018, followed by a Masters (MSc) in Urban Planning from Newcastle University. Prior to joining Asteer, Aira began her career in London working for Montagu Evans LLP and Temple respectively, where she progressed to Senior Planner level. She was elected as a Chartered Member of the RTPI in November 2022. Aira’s experience ranges across multiple sectors, having worked on major developments across the Capital and the South East including residential, commercial, leisure and mixed-use schemes.

Senior Planner
cassy.swain@asteerplanning.com

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Cassy graduated from the University of Chesterin 2016 with a BSc in Geography and Natural Hazard Management, before completing an MSc in Environment, Politics and Society at University College London. She has over five years’ experience in the planning sector, working across a wide range of development types across the country. Cassy began her planning career at DHA Planning in Kent, before moving to Manchester to join JLL. She later joined Savills, where she worked as a Senior Planner, delivering planning advice on major developments across the North West. Her experience spans retail, education, industrial and logistics, leisure, and residential schemes.

Senior Planner
jack.woodford@asteerplanning.com

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Jack graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in Urban Planning in 2021 before furthering his studies in 2022 with a Master’s course at the University of Manchester in Global Urban Development and Planning. Jack began his career at Avison Young before moving to Asteer Planning where he has advised on a range of residential, commercial and large regeneration schemes across the north west.

Planner
jasmine.swanborough@asteerplanning.com

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Jasmine graduated from Newcastle University in 2021 with an Undergraduate Degree in Geography and Planning and began her career as an Assistant Planner in Winchester, working at two specialist planning consultancies: Whaleback Planning & Design and Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd. She returned to Newcastle University in 2022 to complete a Masters Degree in Urban Planning, before joining Arcadis Consulting Ltd in Manchester, where she spent over two years as a Planning Consultant. Jasmine joined the Regeneration and Commercial team at Asteer in December 2025, bringing experience of working on complex major infrastructure projects and Development Consent Orders across the UK, and is currently working towards her RTPI Chartership.

Graduate Planner
will.mccullough@asteerplanning.com

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Will graduated from the University of Manchester in 2023 with a first class honours in the integrated masters in Planning.