Catrin Jones joins LDA Design as Head of Infrastructure Planning. Her appointment reinforces the continuing expansion of our team, and planning and strategy services, in support of infrastructure consenting and delivery.
Catrin is a highly experienced planner and has worked on complex infrastructure and renewable energy projects in Wales and across the UK. She joins from her own independent strategic advisory company, and previously Savills.
Catrin has more than 15 years of experience in the sector. She was Policy and Strategy manager for Tidal Lagoon Power where she secured a Development Consent Order for the world’s first tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay. She led on advising on major development at the Environment Agency and on policy development in Sydney for New South Wales State Government.
“Catrin’s appointment is an important milestone in the growth of our strategic, environmental planning and consenting offer, and a really great fit,” said Martin Herbert, LDA Design’s Head of Planning.
“Catrin specialises in environmental and sustainable policy and has been involved in a number of innovative first-of-a-kind projects in hydrogen, carbon capture and tidal, so we are delighted that she’s joining to lead our major renewable energy infrastructure projects, providing strategic advice and nature-based solutions.”
In welcoming Catrin to the team, Alister Kratt, Head of Infrastructure at LDA Design, said: “Catrin brings strong creative and strategic skills to reinforce our consultancy offer and to help support our clients in delivering good infrastructure outcomes.”
LDA Design has helped secure consent for over 800MW of solar power. We are currently promoting over 1000MW of solar energy projects in the UK, which are some of the largest in the planning system to date. We have also worked on numerous onshore wind developments since the industry’s infancy. This translates to 4,500MW of offshore and 335MW of onshore wind farm development with our most recent involvement with Orsted at Hornsea 3.
Catrin commented on her appointment: “Securing a renewable energy mix for the UK is critical. We’ve seen such growth in this sector over recent years and LDA Design has played a pivotal role in this market from its infancy, so this is an exciting move for me.”
Catrin’s recruitment follows other recent appointments to increase LDA Design’s capacity to provide integrated strategic advice to clients. The appointment of directors, Andy Dowding and Tom Perry, is helping LDA to grow its expertise in urban design, planning and inclusive design so that we can tackle some of the fundamental issues the planning system should help to address. This means enabling projects to build in climate change resilience, maximise opportunities for improvements to biodiversity, and create places that promote social inclusion, and health and wellbeing.
