people with passion,
experts in planning
meet team gln.
say hello
to our directors
get to know
our team
Greg New
Infrastructure Funding
& Delivery Consultant
“Modern, liveable communities demand that water, sewer, roads, drainage, parks and community facilities are provided in a timely fashion. Decisions about who provides these elements and how they are funded are critical for creating successful places.”
Greg New is an expert in land use, infrastructure and development contributions planning. His 30-year career stretches across both government and the private sector.
Greg shares his development contributions knowledge in seminars and publishes articles in industry journals.
Pip Hyde
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
“I love the variety of my work – every project, and every site, brings a different set of challenges and opportunities.”
With 18 years’ experience in both NSW Local Government and in the UK, Pip brings a balanced approach to her work as Senior Town Planner with GLN.
Working toward the same goal within two legislative systems has given Pip the ability to see pathways through the most complex of planning issues. Because of this, she is able to achieve the best outcomes for GLN clients and the community.
Jonathon Carle
Associate Director Infrastructure
“Infrastructure – our public parks, playgrounds, libraries, and pedestrian connections – is critical to liveability and place. Infrastructure funding and delivery plans should be integrated, financially sustainable, and provide confidence infrastructure will be delivered alongside development.”
Jonathon Carle is an expert in strategic land use, policy, infrastructure and development contributions planning. His 20-year stretches across the government and private sector, locally and overseas.
He has chaired and presented at numerous infrastructure funding and delivery seminars and webinars. He is a current board member of non-profit Street Library Australia and former board member of the NSW Division of the Australian Institute of Urban Studies (AIUS).
Michael Hanisch
Associate DIRECTOR
“The complexity of our planning system requires a planner that can efficiently navigate a proposal to approval.”
Having worked across a range of administrative and physical environments on projects of varying scales and typologies, Michael provides great insight into the application of planning controls and formulation of approval strategies.
Michael’s diverse experience includes working on Development Applications in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Michael has assisted private clients deliver consents for iconic development projects across the Greater Sydney Region, with many having a Capital Investment Value in excess of $150 million.
Peter Jobson
PRINCIPAL PLANNER
“Planning is an industry that has the rare opportunity to create real change. Understanding and navigating the planning system is essential to achieving positive change.”
Peter has over 15 years of planning experience in both the private and public sectors. He has experience in managing and progressing a wide variety of projects, both in urban and regional areas. His experience has allowed him to focus his passion of working with clients
to navigate the planning system from project commencement to completion, to ensure the highest and most effective outcomes are realised.
Peter also has the unique position of having exposure to both the NSW and Queensland planning systems.
Jillian Sneyd
CONSULTANT TOWN PLANNER
“Clients can find the development process confusing and overly complicated. Our role is to steer them through and bring clarity.”
With close to 30 years’ experience in both the Local Government and private sectors, Jillian Sneyd has a deep understanding of all aspects of strategic and statutory planning.
She also holds a Diploma in Law which informs and complements her work. This knowledge of legislation, coupled with strong communication skills, allows Jillian to navigate clients through the planning process and find the best solution to any obstacles.
Janina Olmos-New
ENGINEER / PLANNER
“Planning is about negotiation and navigation through a complex system, while always staying focused on the final goal – improving the built environment and the infrastructure networks that support it.”
Janina Olmos-New is a qualified civil engineer and urban planner with experience in development contributions plan preparation, contributions systems management and planning agreements.
She also has experience in the assessment of development proposals and the preparation of statements of environmental effects for both private and public clients.
Patricia Sim
Senior Infrastructure Planner
“Going from plan to place takes collaboration, creativity, and commitment. When infrastructure planning embodies these values, it supports vibrant and connected communities.”
Patricia is an urban planner and architect with infrastructure contributions experience in State and local government
and in private consultancy. Patricia is passionate about continuous improvement and challenging the concept of “business as usual”, driving change through inventive ideas across the infrastructure contributions, strategic planning, policy and procedures sectors.
Alex Carter
INFRASTRUCTURE CONTRIBUTIONS PLANNER
“Alexander is a qualified urban planner with 10 years’ experience working in the specialised field of infrastructure contributions at the State and local government levels.”
During his time in local government, he was responsible for the negotiation and preparation of multiple Planning Agreements, amendments to Planning Agreements and Works-in-Kind Agreements. He was also involved in the negotiation and preparation of Deeds of Novation for the transfer of land and obligations of Planning Agreements to third parties, and has been responsible for the preparation of numerous Deeds of Assignment facilitating the transfer of Works-in-Kind and Land Dedication surplus value to third parties.
Zack Wilson
SENIOR PLANNER
“The planning system is difficult to understand at times. I’m keen to help clients understand the planning approval pathways so that we can together achieve quicker approvals, better decisions, and ultimately better places.”
Zack strongly believes seeking town planning advice at an early stage can be invaluable in quantifying development potential of a site and potentially avoiding costly errors and omissions. He is focused on formulating integrated and practical solutions and believes town planners play a key role in providing positive built environment outcomes through the relationships of public and private interests, and it is these results which Zack strives to deliver.
He is passionate about creating great places, balancing commercial outcomes with high quality urban design, sustainability principles and positive community outcomes.
Alicia Desgrand
SENIOR PLANNER
“I love working in such a dynamic industry where I have the opportunity to assist clients navigate complex statutory planning issues within an ever-changing regulatory landscape.”
Alicia has extensive experience working across the NSW planning jurisdiction. Her experience includes the preparation of state significant development applications, regional development applications and large-scale strategic planning applications. She has a keen interest in environmental law and enjoys helping clients navigate complex regulatory frameworks.
Sam Johns
SENIOR PLANNER
“Good planning provides a practical, forward-looking framework that balances competing interests within the development process. I enjoy the challenge of ensuring sustainable and affordable outcomes in old and new communities.”
Sam brings experience in statutory and strategic planning to the GLN team. He provides perceptive and easy to understand planning advice across a range of complex government and non-government projects. Sam is passionate about urban economics and in innovative mechanisms to deliver a range of affordable and sustainable housing products.
Katie Waters
PLANNER
“My qualifications in sociology, history and planning provides a unique understanding of the factors necessary to shape vibrant communities and the special factors that foster a sense of place.”
Katie brings international experience from Ireland where she has worked in the private sector since 2018 on a range of residential and commercial proposals including managing multi-disciplinary design teams, providing strategic and assessment planning advice on large-scale residential, mixed-use schemes, commercial, and retail development as well as preparing environmental impact, social impact and retail assessments.
Jessica Head
Planner
“Delivering projects in Sydney can be a complex puzzle at times – I am passionate about helping our clients navigate the complexities of the NSW Planning System to deliver projects in a timely and effective manner.”
Jessica is dedicated planning professional who is passionate about designing a sustainable and liveable residential communities through innovative greenfield subdivision planning, with a focus on efficient land use and management of environmental factors. Jessica’s strong project management skills and knowledge of planning pathways allow her to build relationships with our clients and lead projects from concept to completion.
Edward Scott
PLANNER
“Every development has its unique challenges and constraints. Helping clients to navigate various approval pathways and produce an outcome that benefits many stakeholders is very rewarding.”
GLN is Edward’s first experience in a professional role. He brings enthusiasm and technical expertise in a range of areas including GIS applications.
Edward has a passion for responsive urban design and sustainability which motivates him to deliver the best outcomes for clients and the community. as well as to broaden his knowledge in different areas. He seeks to expand his knowledge of town planning greenfield and brownfield areas and the contributions framework.
Sophia Lin
Financial Accountant
“Working as an accountant in a town planning company can be quite interesting! You’ll be involved in financial management that supports urban development projects, budgeting for planning initiatives, and ensuring compliance with regulations.”
With a strong background in finance and a passion for urban development, Sophia plays a vital role in ensuring our projects are not only financially viable but also sustainable. She brings over 10 years of experience in managing budgets, forecasting, and financial reporting, all while collaborating closely with our planners to support innovative town planning initiatives. Committed to fostering transparency and accountability, she helps us turn ambitious ideas into reality, ensuring that our financial practices align with our mission to create thriving, well-designed communities.