Managing Partner
jon.suckley@asteerplanning.com

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Jon graduated from the University of Manchester with a Masters in Town and Country Planning (MTCP) in 2003 and began his career at the former Macclesfield Borough Council (now Cheshire East Council). He joined HOW Planning in 2005 where he became a Partner in 2013 and an Equity Partner in 2017. Following the sale of HOW Planning in 2018, he became a Senior Director at Avison Young until 2021. Jon founded Asteer Planning in April 2021.

Partner
alice.routledge@asteerplanning.com

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Alice graduated from the University of Manchester with a Masters in Town and Country Planning (MTCP) in 2013 and began her career at Knight Frank in Manchester. She joined Avison Young (formerly GVA) as a graduate in 2015 and became an Associate Director in 2019. Since becoming a Chartered Town Planner in 2015 Alice has established herself as a commercially minded planning and strategic advisor. Alice joined Asteer Planning as Partner in November 2021.

Senior Director
richard.lloyd@asteerplanning.com

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Richard is a former partner for the national planning team at Eversheds Sutherland and has a 30 year career in law.  He has worked on a high number of landmark and complex redevelopment and regeneration schemes nationally, spanning the residential sector, mixed use developments, large-scale regeneration and town centre redevelopment projects, including the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Ancoats Urban Village in Manchester, and the regeneration of Salford Central. Richard will bring his extensive expertise in all areas of planning law to the team at Asteer.

Director, Head of Strategic Planning & Land
jon.power@asteerplanning.com

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Jon graduated from the University of Manchester with First Class honours in his Master of Town and Country Planning (MTCP) degree in 2007. He began his career at Drivers Jonas LLP (now Deloitte), before moving to Australia in 2011 to advise on a diverse range of strategic development, planning and regeneration projects both in Melbourne and across regional Victoria. Jon returned to the UK in 2015 and has worked in client focussed strategic planning roles at HOW Planning and, more recently, as part of CBRE’s national planning and development team.

Director, Head of Residential
paul.nellist@asteerplanning.com

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Paul graduated from the University of Sheffield with a Masters in Town and Regional Planning in 2011 and has spent his career in private consultancy practices, starting in the Midlands before becoming chartered in 2013 and moving to Manchester in 2014. Following a 3 year spell at Lichfields, Paul moved to Avison Young (formerly GVA and HOW Planning) and has continued to establish himself as an expert residential planning advisor for a range of clients, with a focus on small, medium and volume housebuilders.

Director, Head of EIA
liz.mcfadyean@asteerplanning.com

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Liz graduated from the University of Manchester with Masters in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in 2006 before pursuing a career in Environmental Planning. Liz began her career in private consultancy practices and has also spent time working in South Africa to advise on water and mining schemes across the KwaZulu-Natal province. Liz returned to the UK in 2012 and moved to HOW Planning which was acquired by Avison Young in 2018 and is an established and commercially minded environmental planner with extensive town planning experience.

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 Director
duncan.wenham@asteerplanning.com

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Duncan is a residential-focused planner with strong experience advising clients across the north of England on strategic and immediate opportunities. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MSc in Urban Regeneration and Development in 2016, having graduated in 2015 with a first-class BSc (Hons) degree in Geography. Duncan commenced his career in Town Planning at Knights Plc whilst completing his education and then spent seven years working at Savills where he focused on residential projects to delivery consents for national and SMA housebuilders in addition to promoting land for residential and employment uses. Duncan joined Asteer in mid 2024 where he continues to advise a wide range of clients to secure schemes across England. Duncan was elected as a Chartered Member of the RTPI in early 2019.

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.

Associate Environmental Planner
josh.thomas@asteerplanning.com

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Josh graduated from the University of Manchester with an MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment and Management in 2015. He began his career working in the water industry at Ricardo Energy and Environment as an Environmental Consultant, primarily working on projects within the water sector before joining Avison Young in 2019. Josh has experience in all aspects of the EIA process and has provided advice to clients on environmental planning risks on a wide range of projects including residential, commercial and infrastructure developments.

Senior Strategic Land & Planning Lead
michael.harrison@asteerplanning.com

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Michael graduated from the University of Sheffield with a Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, and worked for both Keepmoat Homes and Hallam Land Management prior to joining Asteer. Michael forms part of Asteer Strategic and has experience working directly with landowners to advise on planning strategy and site disposal for land ranging from 1-acre to 150+ acres.

Senior Environmental Planner
mike.fisher@asteerplanning.com

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Mike graduated from the University of Manchester with an MSc in Environmental Impact Assessment and Management in 2021. He then joined Arcadis as a Graduate Environmental Consultant progressing to Consultant grade where he worked on various infrastructure projects for a range of sectors including highways, energy, and water. Most notably, he supported the submission of the Lower Thames Crossing Development Consent Order as a Deputy EIA Coordinator. Mike also has strong client side experience through secondments with National Highways and the Canal and River Trust.

Senior Environmental Planner
emma.stone@asteerplanning.com

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Emma graduated from Bangor University with a BSc in Geography in 2020 and an MSc in 2021. During her postgraduate studies, she worked part-time as a Junior Planner at Green Energy International, gaining valuable experience in the renewable energy sector. She subsequently joined Tetra Tech as a Graduate Environmental Impact Assessment Consultant, before moving to Pell Frischmann as an Environmental Consultant. Through these roles, Emma has developed a strong foundation in Environmental Impact Assessment and has contributed to a wide range of residential, commercial, and infrastructure projects.

Senior Planner
hope.bleasdale@asteerplanning.com

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Hope graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BA in Geography in 2019, followed by a MSc in Geographic Data Analysis in 2021. Hope began her planning career at BDP in Manchester where she joined as a Graduate Apprentice Town Planner and completed her MSc in Urban Planning part-time at Sheffield Hallam University. She was elected as a Chartered Member of the RTPI in June 2024. Hope’s varied planning experience includes working across strategic regeneration and masterplanning projects alongside working on major planning applications for both private and public-sector clients.

Senior Planner
francesca.opokugyamfi@asteerplanning.com

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Francesca has over three years' experience delivering market-leading planning advice on a national scale. She specialises in commercial and mixed-use urban regeneration projects having worked with a diverse range of clients including institutional funds, private equity, developer, and commercial occupier clients.

Francesca began her career at Savills after graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Urban Planning and Development. While at Savills, she also completed a Master’s degree (MSc) in Urban Planning at Sheffield Hallam University. Her experience spans a broad range of planning applications, including advising clients on sites with complex land constraints and ensuring the deliverability of development projects.

Senior Planner
will.hopcroft@asteerplanning.com

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Will graduated from the University of Manchester with a Masters in Planning and Real Estate in 2019, and spent two years in the New Business team at Trafford Housing Trust (L&Q), undertaking site appraisals and viability exercises for large-scale residential developments. He then spent four years in Development Management, assisting and leading in the determination and assessment of a wide range of major and minor planning applications, appeals, listed building consents and discharge of condition applications, achieving his MRTPI in November 2023. Joining in 2025, Will brings wealth of client-side and public sector experience to Asteer and is well-placed to provide uniquely tailored advice to a variety of clients.

Senior Planner
cassy.swain@asteerplanning.com

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Cassy graduated from the University of Chester in 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.

Graduate Planner
adam.heapy@asterrplanning.com

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Adam graduated with a Master’s (Msc) in Global Urban Development and Planning from the University of Manchester in 2025.

Assistant Planner
james.prike@asteerplanning.com

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James graduated in Geography from the University of Sheffield in 2017. After gaining experience in a different field, he is now pursuing a career change and is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Planning at the University of Manchester.

Consultant
charlotte.fowler@asteerplanning.com

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Charlotte graduated from the University of Manchester with a Masters in Planning in 2007 and became chartered in 2009. She has worked in private sector consultancy for 15 years holding senior and managerial positions and has acted for a wide variety of clients across property sectors including residential, retail, commercial, logistics, education and care. Charlotte’s experience ranges from complex proposals in sensitive locations to strategic site promotion and green belt release.

Consultant
richard.woodford@asteerplanning.com

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Richard started his career at Leicestershire County Council working on strategic planning applications and economic development projects. Following a move north, Richard has spent over 30 years of his career working in the north of England but also servicing projects around the country for certain clients. After a spell at St Quintin Chartered Surveyors, he worked as a Partner at Drivers Jonas before jointly owning and managing HOW Planning. After the sale of HOW to GVA (which became Avison Young) Richard set up his own consultancy but now spends a considerable amount of his time working as a Consultant to Asteer. Richard’s focus at Asteer is mentoring staff, providing strategic input into complex projects and winning new business.

Practice Associate
anna.ellam@asteerplanning.com

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Anna has been working in the world of communications for over 25 years having graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1994 with a public relations degree. Gaining extensive experience whilst working at a Manchester based PR consultancy she then set up her own business in 2000 establishing a strong and varied client list. Anna has worked on a wide range of projects in both consumer and B2B environments, with the majority of her experience in the property sector, working with clients in the planning, development and construction sectors.

Office Secretary
jessica.lee@asteerplanning.com

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Jessica graduated from the University of the Arts London in 2018 and currently works as Office Administrator and Personal Assistant to Jon and Alice. Providing high-level administrative support, with a strong focus on clear communication, a proactive approach, and exceptional attention to detail to ensure efficient business operations.