Climbing the career ladder: Deborah Baker
Planning consultant Deborah Baker talks about her work at Indigo Planning and her career aspirations.
Why have you chosen planning as a career?
At university, the idea of a career spent shaping the urban landscape for the better was my inspiration.
What was your first role in planning?
I was an assistant planner at Salford City Council, helping to shape policy direction and reviewing applications. I volunteered with a Building Preservation Trust, which gave an insight into heritage significance, scheme viability and funding mechanisms.
What does your current role involve?
I work for a national planning consultancy advising clients with land and property interests. I design strategies to help secure planning permission, manage meetings with council officers, statutory consultees and the project team, and submit planning appeals and applications.
What projects are you working on now?
I’m seeking redevelopment of a derelict listed building, a retail megastore on land that has been unsuccessfully allocated for employment uses for two decades, and I’m working on several solar farm applications.
How do you see your career developing?
I enjoy the variety of my role. A new area of interest is the use of social listening to inform community engagement strategies.