Josh always aspired to be an architect, studying 3D design at Newcastle College. After two years of CAD and computer modelling, he joined Northumbria University for interior architecture. Once Josh was asked to pick up a pencil and paintbrush, he suddenly learnt that he couldn’t draw. Josh admitted, “After the utter embarrassment of making the interior of a sleek hotel look like Fred Flintstone’s living room, I dropped out after only 6 months.”

He then worked at a famous Irish discount clothing retailer but soon returned to his passion for the built environment by pursuing a planning degree at Newcastle University, which he completed in 2016. Josh worked in local authority planning in North Yorkshire before returning to Newcastle in 2018 for a Master’s in planning and joined Fairhurst as a Graduate Planner.

Within six years, Josh advanced to Principal Planner in the Major Projects Team at Fairhurst. He thrived in the Marine Planning sector, becoming a credible consultant for marine environment development projects. Josh now leads a team focused on marine and environmental consultancy services, including Marine Licensing, EIAs, and Planning Applications. He is also an Affiliate Member of IEMA, working towards full chartered membership.

Josh has a diverse client base, offering planning consultancy services for both public and private sectors. He has a successful track record in securing planning permissions for high-profile UK development projects. Recently, Josh served as a planning officer for major applications during a local authority secondment, managing notable projects like the Newcastle United Fanzone.

Josh was also the winner of the 2024 RTPI North East Region Young Planner of the Year Award.

My favourite apart of my job is being part of growing a team and celebrating every win together (including the Fairhurst Newcastle Football Team). I also love to see the growth in other people and how we all as a team collaborate to achieve targets.

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