Public Practice reaches 100 Authorities milestone with new cohort

Public Practice has announced its Autumn 2025 cohort of Associates, bringing new expertise and energy into the public sector. This intake will see 22 Associates join 20 Authorities across England, including new additions: Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Cheshire East Council and Cheshire West and Chester Council.

• With this milestone, Public Practice has now placed Associates in over 100 public sector organisations since launching its Associate Programme in 2018 - a significant achievement in its mission to strengthen the capacity of local government. To date, the programme has delivered 398 placements across 102 Authorities.
• The new cohort reflects Public Practice’s commitment to skills-led recruitment, enabling talented professionals from architecture, planning, and related disciplines to transition into public sector roles. These placements also respond directly to government priorities, including a Principal Digital Planning Officer at Brent Council and an Urban Design Officer at Sevenoaks District Council - roles vital to improving design quality and innovation in planning, including across challenging Green and Grey Belt contexts.
• The Associate Programme strengthens public sector placemaking capacity by recruiting skilled professionals for year-long placements within local authorities, supported by a unique learning and development course and a network of like-minded peers.
• Pooja Agrawal, Chief Executive of Public Practice, said: “This cohort marks a significant moment for Public Practice and for local government…”

This announcement follows the publication of Public Practice’s 2025 Recruitment and Skills Report, which highlights the continuing recruitment and resourcing challenges facing planning and placemaking teams. The report revealed a decline in planned recruitment, with nearly three-quarters fewer roles expected to be advertised compared with three years ago, despite continued skills shortages.

It also showed that while Digital and Data (71%), Environmental Sustainability (67%), and Landscape Architecture (65%) are seen as critical skills gaps, few roles are being planned in these areas - risking a further widening of the gap between strategic needs and recruitment practice.

The recent Autumn Budget significantly increased the government’s recruitment ambition from 300 to 1,400 new planning recruits by the end of this Parliament, and reinforced the commitment to delivering 1.5 million homes, underscoring the urgent need for local authorities to strengthen their placemaking and planning capability.

It is therefore encouraging to see that the new cohort represents fresh capacity and a diverse mix of disciplines, ranging from digital planning and landscape architecture to mechanical and structural engineering - helping to build the multidisciplinary teams vital for tackling the complex challenges of today’s built environment.

Among those joining this cohort are:

• Ben Flatman, former Architectural Editor at Building Design, joins Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council as Principal Planning Policy Officer (Infrastructure).
• Amy Nestorowytsch-Irwin, a senior architect and certified Passivhaus Designer, joins Sevenoaks District Council as Urban Design Officer, helping to strengthen design quality across both Green and Grey Belt areas.
• Derin Fadina, previously an architect at Barr Gazetas with extensive experience working with heritage and existing buildings across London, joins Brent Council as Principal Digital Planning Officer.
• Laura Heykoop, with a mixed background in architecture, housing, and urban planning, has spent the majority of her career working internationally for the UN and NGOs. Laura joins Somerset Council as Principal Planning Officer, utilising her experience in town and city planning to transition into a Development Management role for the first time.

Pooja Agrawal, Chief Executive of Public Practice, said:

“This cohort marks a significant moment for Public Practice and for local government. We’re proud to have supported over 100 Authorities in accessing the skills they need to deliver better, fairer, and more sustainable places.

But our work does not stop here. The capacity and skills crisis facing local government is critical and ongoing. We welcome the Autumn Budget announcements, including additional measures and new funding for planners, which will support the delivery of new housing. As always, our focus is on quality and longevity, and we continue to work hard to bring in more multidisciplinary skills to strengthen local government teams and deliver the homes our communities are calling out for.”

Daniel Davis, Recruitment and Partnerships Manager at Public Practice, said

“This cohort shows the power of skills-led recruitment. We’re helping both Associates and Authorities to recognise the breadth of talent that exists across the built environment - and to think more flexibly about transferable skills, career paths, and even commuting patterns. By broadening what good recruitment looks like, we’re opening up opportunities for professionals who might not have previously considered a public sector role, while helping Authorities access the skills they need most”

Ben Flatman, Principal Planning Policy Officer (Infrastructure), Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, said:

“I applied to the Public Practice programme because I am a huge admirer of the incredible work that many local authorities undertake around the built environment and placemaking across the country, often in the face of significant financial headwinds. I am excited to be joining Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council at a critical moment for the area, with major housing extensions planned and the need to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to create real places that sustain thriving communities and active lifestyles. I am looking forward to joining a local authority that is well-resourced and proactive in addressing the challenges of growth and the needs of its communities.”

Sam Stafford, Managing Director of the Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF), said:

“Planning is cool, and Public Practice helps to make it cooler. It is really great to see them going from strength to strength and extending their reach into more parts of the country.”

ENDS

ASSOCIATE BIOS

Ben Flatman

Ben Flatman is a registered architect and licentiate planner with experience spanning design, programme management and journalism. Before joining the Autumn Cohort 2025, he was Architectural Editor at Building Design, leading coverage on housing, regeneration and planning.

He spent 10 years at the British Council commissioning cultural projects and managing a global property portfolio. He has also lived and worked in Bangladesh, delivering education and training projects for the World Bank and others. He is interested in how public sector leadership can promote design quality, sustainability and social value through planning and development.

Amy Nestorowytsch-Irwin

Amy is a senior architect with ten years of experience in the private sector, specialising in the design and delivery of housing and mixed-use projects across the UK. She has led multidisciplinary teams through all stages of design and delivery, fostering strong working relationships and a positive, collaborative environment.

A certified Passivhaus Designer, Amy is committed to creating sustainable and inclusive places that respond sensitively to their context. She believes in the power of place-shaping as a vehicle to create enduring, sustainable and well-designed cities.

Derin Fadina

Derin is an architect with a background in urban research and design. Before joining the Autumn Cohort 2025, he was an architect at Barr Gazetas, delivering a range of mixed-use and commercial refurbishment projects. Drawing on extensive experience working with heritage and existing buildings across London, he has served on the NLA’s Expert Panel for Retrofit and Conservation.

Alongside teaching BA Architecture at Central Saint Martins and Ravensbourne University London, Derin writes on architecture and culture, with work published in The Architects’ Journal, The Architectural Review, RIBA Journal, e-flux Architecture, and Frieze.

Laura Heykoop

Laura has a mixed built environment background in architecture, housing and urban planning. She has spent the majority of her career working internationally for the UN and NGOs - including most recently in Ukraine, Nigeria, Türkiye and Iraq - focused on housing, infrastructure and urban planning in contexts of crisis and recovery.

In the UK, Laura has also previously worked in local government on housing strategy and policy, and for the TCPA (Town and Country Planning Association) managing research projects focused on affordable housing and inclusive planning. Laura has strong interests in community engagement, inclusive planning, resilience building, and systems thinking.

The full cohort list can be accessed here

MEDIA PACK

Here is a selection of images to accompany the press release. Photography by Dion Barrett.

NOTES TO EDITORS

All media requests, including requests for comment/interview from/with Pooja Agrawal (CEO), should be sent to felicity.gransden@publicpractice.org.uk

ABOUT PUBLIC PRACTICE

Public Practice was founded as a social enterprise in 2017 to build the public sector’s capability to improve the quality, equality, and sustainability of places. It believes that the role of local government is crucial in creating and managing everyday places that work for everyone and that to achieve this, it must be well-resourced with diverse placemaking skills and the right support to lead the way. The organisation delivers services to help the public sector build capacity and develop its placemaking capabilities. This includes the recruitment of talented placemaking professionals into the sector through its Associate Programme, a jobs board for senior placemaking officers, the publication of its Recruitment and Skills Survey Report and public placemakers magazine Public Notice.

www.publicpractice.org.uk/

FUNDERS

Public Practice has support from the private, third and public sectors. Public Practice’s grant funders and supporters include MHCLG and the Greater London Authority. Partners include Legal and General, L&Q, Land Planning and Development Federation and the RTPI. More information here.