Planner Spotlight

Michael Llewellyn-Smith AM MPIA (Life Fellow)

Managing Director, Llewellyns International

What first drew you to planning?

It took me seven years to qualify as an Architect. I was the Job Architect for a new school in North London. The principal of the firm advised I needed to go and talk to the local planning authority to obtain a planning approval for the scheme.  (It was a failure of my architectural education that I knew little about the development assessment process). I had a scale model built and, with my assistant, attended a meeting with the Council’s development assessment officer. We sat across a table and I explained the scheme.  The young lady said there were a number of things she didn’t like about the design and I would have to change them.

I queried her background and qualifications. She advised she was a geographer/planner and her recommendation to the planning committee of the Council would carry weight so if I wanted an approval I would be advised to make the changes required. That someone who had no design background could tell a qualified architect what to do I found quite astonishing. So, on the basis that if you can’t beat them join them, I enrolled in the part time town planning course at University College London while continuing to work as an architect. Not the best reason to be drawn into planning ! 

Is there a project or moment you’re particularly proud of?

I came to Australia to teach architecture at Sydney University and. as a member of the joint Faculty, was able to read for the Master’s degree in Town and Country Planning with credits for what I had completed in London.  I was also a member of the consultant team, led by George Clarke, which produced the first City of Sydney Strategic Plan. I subsequently became the Deputy City Planner of Sydney with responsibility for the Action Planning Programme arising from the Strategic Plan.

The statutory plan for Sydney provided that the whole of Woolloomooloo was zoned commercial. Developers had bought up most of the low-cost housing and expected to make substantial profits.  George was not convinced this was viable in terms of land use/transportation and Woolloomooloo was identified as one of the Action Plans. A detailed analysis soon determined that the best use of the land would be residential to provide accommodation for workers to service the CBD and not an alternative commercial centre which couldn’t be served by private/public transport. 

The Whitlam Government and, in particular Minister Tom Uren, was expressing considerable interest in the policy of the retention of inner-city housing. I take responsibility for negotiations behind the scenes to arrange for Minister Uren to meet with the then Lord Mayor of Sydney, Sir Nick Shehadie. Meetings were then held with the State Minister for Planning, Sir John Fuller.  It was agreed there should be a Woolloomooloo Review Committee which I was appointed to chair with representatives of the three levels of government.

This resulted in the first signed agreement between the three levels of government in Australia. The State would compulsorily acquire the land and rezone it, the Commonwealth would provide the funds, and the Council would lead the design process for the residential renewal of the area. I am particularly proud of this project which saved Woolloomooloo from a commercial disaster and provided for low-cost housing close to the city centre.

Rather than being viewed as a constraint through the development assessment process, planning should be seen as giving a strategic direction to the kind of cities and regions Australians want.

Looking back over PIA’s 75 years, what do you think has been the institute’s biggest impact?

The Institute has elevated planning into a trusted and recognised profession with an advocacy role to all levels of government and has influenced important national policy debates on many issues but particularly housing and climate change.

 

What advice would you give someone considering a career in planning?

Are you someone who wants to make a difference? What are your own values? If you want to work with communities for the public good; promote the integration of land-use planning and transport; influence and shape policy debates; and maintain ethical standards, then you should certainly consider planning as a career.

What has/does it mean to you to be part of PIA?

While I have also had careers in architecture and city management, planning has been a very important part of my life in Sydney and Adelaide and as an international consultant in Krakow (Poland), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Bloemfontein (South Africa). In November 2007 I was honoured to be elected a Life Fellow of the Institute by my peers. In 2013 I was awarded an AM for significant service “to local government through the promotion of city and state relations and planning” (my emphasis). In 2019 I received The University of Adelaide Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Alumni Award for my influence on city planning practice and shaping urban planning (my emphasis) in Sydney and Adelaide. So, being part of PIA has meant a lot to me in terms of these awards.

The Institute has elevated planning into a trusted and recognised profession.

What excites you about the future of planning?

As Australia continues to grow there will be significant pressures on cities and regions, particularly in terms of housing. At the national level, PIA should be influencing the federal government to have a public policy debate to ensure the growth is planned in a strategic way to integrate housing, transport, infrastructure and services. The State Divisions should have a similar advocacy role with their respective State Governments.

This could be an exciting time for the profession as there is the opportunity to bring about change in how communities evolve through engagement and transparency and delivering outcomes which are in the overall public good. Rather than being viewed as a constraint through the development assessment process, planning should be seen as giving a strategic direction to the kind of cities and regions Australians want. As it happens, I have delivered lectures on many occasions with the topic “Is development assessment really planning?”

So, I am of the view PIA should step up to take the lead in strategic planning rather than statutory planning and, excitedly, concentrate on outcomes which shape how people live in functional, sustainable, and equitable communities. 

In three words, what do you think makes a great planner?

Comprehending political processes.