Denis is a retired Chartered Town Planner and has worked extensively as a Planning Officer in Local Government and as a Planning and Development Consultant in private practice. The latter part of his career was spent as a Senior Civil Servant in what is currently known as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
At the Department, Denis provided expert planning advice to Ministers, other Government Departments, local authorities and the general public, etc. He dealt with a full range of planning issues including, legislation, planning policies, procedures, guidance and good practice as well as planning casework on major planning applications and Development Plans.
Denis has served as a Bearsted Parish Councillor from 2011 – 2015 and again from 2019 to the present. He is currently Vice Chairman of Bearsted Parish Council and serves on 5 of its 6 committees.
He has been a Borough Councillor for Bearsted Ward since 2017; was Vice Chairman of the MBC Planning Committee from 2019 until 2021; and Chairman from 2021 to 2024. He has also been a member of the MBC Planning, Infrastructure and Economic Development Committee since 2017 and frequently attends other MBC committee meetings.
Denis has particular interests in planning, development and property matters where his experience in private practice and from parish council to Central Government level is invaluable. He considers the planning system to be an essential democratic process to provide the homes and other development that we all require whilst as the same time protecting the character of our natural and built environment.
He is keen to do all we can to cope with the climate change and biodiversity crisis and feels strongly that these issues should be at the heart of every decision that MBC makes.
