Liverpool City Council has appointed Samantha Campbell as its first female Head of Planning.
Mrs Campbell has worked at the city council since Autumn 1999 and has risen through the ranks of the Planning Department to hold various posts such as Principal Planning Officer, Deputy Team Leader of Urban Design and Heritage Team and City Centre Co-ordinator.
Her 19 year career at the council has led Samantha to take a lead planning role in a number of major regeneration schemes from Kings Dock to Liverpool Football Club’s stadium expansion to the development of the £2bn Knowledge Quarter and overseeing the growth of the Baltic Triangle.
The mother of two, who has a Masters in Environmental Planning from Liverpool John Moores University and Post Graduate Diploma in Urban Design at Salford University, has also played a key role in refreshing the strategy for Liverpool’s World Heritage site, liaising closely on projects such as Liverpool Waters and a new Cruise Terminal.
As Head of Planning her brief will be to also oversee the development of emerging growth zones in the city such as Ten Streets, the Fabric District, the new Beatles Quarter and the implementation of the Local Plan to build 35,000 new homes across the city over the next 15 years.
Talking of her historic appointment, Samantha said: “I’m delighted to be Liverpool’s new Head of Planning and it’s a real honour to be the first female officer in this role. Hopefully the first of many more to come!
“Liverpool is undergoing phenomenal change and although this presents a great many challenges in terms of which areas need developing and how, it also provides huge opportunities to make the city a better place to live, work and visit.
“Liverpool’s World Heritage status is a fascinating issue to be involved and I’m lucky to be at the heart of many exciting projects that will shape the city for generations to come.
“I’ve learnt a great deal over the years and I’m looking forward to using all that experience to continue to build on existing relationships to promote a positive, engaging and customer focused planning department.”
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said: “I wish Samantha every success in her new role. She has a great track record working on some of the biggest schemes the city has seen and her expertise will be invaluable to the city council.
“Liverpool is undergoing unprecedented growth and with our ambition to create thousands of new homes and develop areas like Ten Streets the Head of Planning will play a key role in ensuring that growth is sustained.”
Nick Kavanagh, Director for Regeneration at Liverpool City Council, said: “Samantha will make an excellent Head of Planning. Over the years she has developed a huge amount of experience across a vast range of complex planning schemes and high profile issues and has handled them all with great aplomb and professionalism.
“Samantha is a fantastic asset to the city council and I’ve no doubt she will provider her team and the planning committee with the leadership, counsel and expertise they will need for the challenges that lie ahead.”
