Planner | Youth Central

Name: Claire

Job Title: Senior Consultant, Coomes Consulting Group

Qualifications

  • BUPD (Hons1) MPIA MVPELA CPP
  • Bachelor of Urban Planning and Development, First Class Honours, University of Melbourne
  • Member, Planning Institute of Australia
  • Member, Victorian Planning and Environmental Law Association
  • Certified Practising Planner

Career overview

Claire's experience as a planning professional is mostly in private consultancy. Whilst undertaking a degree at Melbourne University, Claire worked as a student planner for Harlock Jackson Pty Ltd.

After three years working on a range of projects from residential and commercial developments to wind farms and animal management, Claire moved on to Coomes Consulting Group where she currently works in a multi-disciplinary team of planners, engineers, landscape architects, environmental scientists, agronomists, surveyors and urban designers.

Claire engages in almost all facets of strategic and statutory work all over Victoria, covering a range of planning issues. Being a Senior Consultant, Claire’s responsibilities are diverse and demanding, but very rewarding!

Career highlights and achievements

Winner of the Victorian Young Planner of the Year at the Planning Institute's Awards for Planning Excellence in 2007, Claire has achieved a great deal as a consultant, especially more recently working on some State significant strategic and statutory projects for the Department of Planning and Community Development.

The results have influenced some recent major changes in the State government planning agenda. Other achievements include working for the Victorian Young Planner's Committee, becoming a 'Certified Practising Planner', promotion to Senior Consultant with Coomes Consulting Group and being nominated for this year's Urban Development Institute of Australia's 'Young Professional Award'.

Why planning?

"After a fleeting sojourn in landscape architecture, I soon realised that my true calling and talents lay in planning. Having achieved great success at Melbourne University with a number of awards and an honours thesis, I have been quick to apply my knowledge and passion for urban environments in the professional consulting realm. I simply enjoy contributing to, and getting involved in shaping the environs in which we live to create sustainable and healthy communities in harmony with our natural systems. I am particularly interested in continually improving the way we 'plan', seeking out innovative and creative solutions to complex planning issues."

Getting started

Planning Institute of Australia
The peak body representing professions involved in planning Australia’s cities, towns, regions and places.

Find out more about this career path at myfuture.edu.au (Note: free registration is required to access the myfuture site).