Post Graduate Diploma in Town Planning Studies, City of Birmingham Polytechnic, Birmingham, 1989
BSc (Honours), Birmingham Polytechnic, Birmingham, 1988
Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, 1999
Rachel Jones is a Chartered Planner specialising in mineral, waste and energy planning and environmental impact assessment with thirty years’ experience in UK Local Authority planning and consultancy. Rachel is the Director of RSJ Planning Ltd an independent Planning and Environmental Consultancy which specialises in providing planning and Environmental Impact Assessment support in relation to Mineral and Waste, energy and renewables industries and transport infrastructure projects.
Rachel was previously employed for over 28 years in Local Government, initially at District level as a development management Officer determining minor and major housing related development schemes and latterly in the area of Minerals and Waste culminating her Local Government career as the Manager of the Minerals and Waste Development Management and Planning Enforcement Team at Buckinghamshire County Council (2012 to 2016). Rachel continues to work with Local Authorities to provide Development Management support.
In addition, Rachel has significant experience in the field of strategic planning previously fulfilling the role of Regional Planning Officer for Buckinghamshire negotiating on regional housing, waste and highway infrastructure and Gypsy and Traveller pitch allocations for Buckinghamshire and neighbouring County areas and presenting evidence in respect of these to the South East Plan Inquiry on behalf of Buckinghamshire.
Rachel has consulted on major energy, minerals and waste operations in the UK, primarily in the South East of England and has worked on a wide range of development and infrastructure projects, preparing planning applications, appeals and Environmental Statements. This has included providing planning and EIA support for a range of energy and renewables projects and providing expert technical advice to Local Authorities on PPP/PFI projects for new Energy-from-Waste, MBT AD and Biomass facilities including both overseeing the determination of these applications for the Local Authority and participation in dialogue meetings and the preparation of planning and EIA documents and submissions for external clients.
Recent projects have included EfW development, AD plants, Biofuel generation plants and Peaking Power Generation Plants. Rachel also has experience as an expert witness at public inquiries on planning, energy, minerals and waste management policy and in stakeholder engagement.
