Consultancy appoints senior planner

Property consultancy Vail Williams has appointed a senior planner for the Gatwick area.

Iain Williams has joined the firm’s planning team, leaving his previous role at the London Borough of Sutton, where he spent over seven years and was a senior planning officer.

Based at the Crawley office, Williams will advise on mixed-use and commercial developments, negotiate planning legal agreements, and advise on permitted development and prior notification applications.

Danny George, the firm’s Gatwick regional managing partner, said that Williams is “a great planning and development all-rounder".

Williams said: “I wanted to explore the wider world of planning in the private sector in a new challenge. In my role as a senior planning officer, I covered a wide range of development issues and I am now looking to utilise those skills to provide realistic planning guidance.”

According to Vail Williams, in his new role, Williams has so far advised a social media company searching for a new headquarters in Reigate, advised on a residential scheme in Croydon and a convenience store in Reigate and Banstead.

He has a master’s degree in planning policy and practice from London South Bank University.