I was lucky that my dad started a business in the industry, so I had a natural route in. From the age of 16,1 spent my summers in the offices, attending appeal hearings, working with the in-house architects and putting together the relevant documents for each application. I did a construction course at college; of course, I was one of very few females and people of colour. I did a Property and Planning course at university, which was good because it allowed me to get an understanding of valuation, property management, property law and planning law. Having a holistic view allows you to understand not just your role but where you fit in the process. You understand how your decisions affect development costs, timescales, design, finance and funding options, because planning lies at the very centre of it all.
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