Waterman Aspen welcomes Jonny Pennick as Projects Director

We’re excited to welcome Jonny Pennick as Projects Director in our Town Planning team. His appointment is part of our ongoing investment in the secondment services we provide to clients, supporting councils and public sector partners with their priorities today and in the years ahead.

These pressures reflect a wider, structural capacity challenge across the planning system, with many authorities struggling to recruit, retain and resource the skills needed to meet rising expectations.

Planning services across the UK are under significant pressure. Expectations are rising as reforms take shape. At the same time, many Local Authorities are operating within tight budgets and managing heavy workloads with fewer experienced staff than they need.

The strain is being felt across the system, internal teams are stretched and applications can take longer to move forward.

Jonny joins Waterman Aspen with a clear focus: to help clients keep projects moving by bringing in the right expertise at the right time. He will help local authorities maintain performance and make timely, well-evidenced decisions, while supporting private sector teams to advance their development ambitions without unnecessary delays. As he says, it’s not just about talking through challenges, it’s about rolling up your sleeves and delivering practical support that makes a real difference.

That’s where Waterman Aspen’s Town Planning team adds real value. By embedding experienced professionals within client teams, we help maintain momentum, build resilience and keep decision-making on track. Waterman Aspen’s embedded resourcing model gives clients access to experienced planners quickly and reliably, providing a stable, value-for-money alternative to traditional agency support. Alongside flexible resourcing, Jonny will work with the team to shape outcome-focused solutions that respond directly to what clients really need. He’ll start by spending time with our existing clients to understand what support helps most and use that insight to shape how we grow our offering.

Jonny brings over 20 years of experience across public sector planning and senior leadership roles. Combining frontline local government knowledge with extensive experience supporting councils and planning teams at scale.

“I’m really pleased to join Waterman Aspen. Having worked alongside planning teams for over 20 years, I’ve seen first-hand how much pressure they’re under and how vital timely, practical support is to deliver a customer-focused, high-performing planning service. I’m looking forward to working with our clients and colleagues to strengthen resilience, support outcomes and help our teams deliver work they’re proud of.”

He added that he’s excited to join the team and help clients navigate the pressures on planning services with practical, outcomes-focused support. He also aims to make a real difference at Waterman Aspen and for clients by nurturing talent, guiding secondees and supporting careers in Planning through structured development and mentoring while building the wider capabilities that teams rely on.

We’re thrilled to have Jonny on board and look forward to sharing more as our Town Planning team continues to grow.