Multidisciplinary consultancy RPS has added a principal planner to its expanding planning team in the Midlands.
Jacob Bonehill joins the company from the West Midlands Combined Authority, where he was Strategic Delivery Advisor.
He has built up over 12 years of experience in the industry and is well versed in Birmingham’s planning policy, having held senior positions at Birmingham City Council, where he advised on and developed planning policy for several sectors including employment land and education within the city.
He also provided advice on a number of key developments in the region, including the 1,150 home Port Loop development, the 71 ha Peddimore industrial site and the Langley Sustainable Urban Extension.
Jacob said: “Having the opportunity to join a business like RPS was something I couldn’t really turn down, and I’m looking forward to getting involved in the major projects which the business is advising on.
“This is a new challenge for me, and I’m looking forward to starting a role where I hope my experience in with both public and private sector organisations and planning policy within the region will be a useful asset for the team.
“Birmingham and the wider West Midlands is thriving at the moment and the amount of ongoing and future development there is in the pipeline, with the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Coventry becoming the City of Culture in 2021 and HS2 makes it a fantastic place to be involved in this industry.”
Jacob’s new role will involve providing a number of services across different sectors, including providing core planning advice to clients, site promotion, environmental assessment statements and pre-application planning advice.
Operational Director at RPS, Tim Partridge, said: “Jacob’s appointment is great news for the RPS Birmingham Office, and we’re sure he will become a real asset to our team.
“He’s been at the heart of planning policy in Birmingham for much of his career, and we’ve no doubt that his experience dealing with different organisations across a number of fields will be of great benefit, and gives us a real insight into the workings of the City and metro area which will prove invaluable to clients.
“We are already talking to a number of major developer clients about development opportunities.”
