Elizabeth Welch BSc (Hons) MSc MRTPI

I was brought up near to Ashford and have spent all of my career working for companies based in Kent. With previous experience working for two national housebuilders and an East Kent Local Planning Authority I’ve been working throughout Kent for around 20 years. I now live in East Sussex and have developed a good network of contacts here too and have been part of a small group who have set up Sussex Women Planners (now part of the national Women in Planning network) to support those working in our profession and other related fields. I am a Chartered Town Planner and have been a Mentor as part of the national Women in Planning Mentoring Scheme for several years.

The team here at Hobbs Parker is extremely talented and friendly, and we cover a broad range of sites, from small-scale development through to large-scale mixed use developments. We not only prepare and submit planning applications but also make representations to Local Plans, meaning that we take sites forward from ‘empty’ fields all the way through to when construction starts onsite.

Local Plan Making Process

I have a particular interest in promoting sites through the local plan making process, and enjoy assessing the development potential of new sites, especially on cases which are not clear-cut and where there is a need to challenge policies in order to achieve a favourable outcome.

Planning Experience

The Planning Team here deal with a variety of different projects including large-scale residential schemes, retail projects, commercial units and all other types of planning work. My experience is broad and covers many planning enquiries; here’s a selection of projects which I have worked on over the few years:

• Conversion of former agricultural buildings to residential, including Listed Buildings
• Single dwellings in the countryside through replacement of dwellings and through ‘Paragraph 84’ dwellings to deliver exceptionally designed houses in the countryside (and within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as the National Landscape)
• Full and outline planning permission for small scale schemes (under 5 units) on unallocated sites on the edge of settlements including within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (now known as the National Landscape) and redevelopment of sites including those formerly in commercial use
• Reserved Matters consent for a 81 dwelling scheme and 34 unit scheme following outline by others
• Provision of tourist accommodation in the countryside: change of use to glamping site (15 bell tents), extension to seasonal camping site (23 pitches in total), retention of Shepherd’s Huts
• Farm diversification schemes including a dog walking field and pet incineration
• Various submissions to the Local Plan processes including attendance at Examination in Public, most recently at Dover as part of the Hearing Sessions on housing allocations, and making written submissions as part of the formal consultation processes

About me

Outside of work much of my time is taken up with my family, however, when I get time I enjoy walking in the countryside, exploring local history with a particular focus on the railways stemming from living near Ashford, and gardening. My green roots come from my father’s side of the family and I’m trying to reduce food miles with having a well-stocked vegetable garden!