Member Article

Chester planner's unwavering support of North West farming community earns her major award

A chartered planner based in Chester has won a top industry award thanks to her unwavering support of the farming community in the North West.

Nia Borsey, Senior Planner at leading property consultancy Fisher German, scooped the Young Planner of the Year for the North West region at the RTPI Awards.

The judges felt she was a ‘great advocate’ for the farming community in the region and was ‘passionate’ about improving the relationship between farmers and planners. They also praised her drive to extend Fisher German’s planning expertise into north Wales – with around half of Nia’s clients being based there.

Nia, originally from Llysfaen near Colwyn Bay, is also chair of Betws yn Rhos Young Farmers, and the only planner to be one of the NFU’s 11 Young Farmer Ambassadors. She said: “I’m really happy the judges felt my expertise in rural planning and how I’ve used my farming connections to build positive relationships in the North West and north Wales was worthy of the award.

“While there is understandably a lot of focus on the development of cities and towns in the region, it is vital that the farming community can access expert planning advice – whether for a barn conversion, a diversification project, or promotion of land for development.

“Farmers need that expertise as planning regulations can be incredibly complex, with localised policy restrictions such as the UNESCO Jodrell Bank Telescope Zone in Cheshire complicating things further.

“I’m looking forward to continuing to build strong relationships with the farming community as I continue my career with Fisher German and I hope this award acts as a springboard for further success.”

Nia joined Fisher German as a graduate planner in 2018 before becoming a chartered planner in December 2020.

Her manager Nial Casselden, Associate Director at Fisher German, added: “Nia has been an absolutely fantastic planner since she joined the company, and it’s great her work in growing the firm’s reputation among the farming community has been recognised.

“She completely deserves this award and is a brilliant role model to any young planner coming into the profession. I am confident that she will continue to be increasingly influential, which will not only help her career but also our own ambitious growth aspirations as a firm in this area.” Nia will head to the national RTPI finals in November, where she will find out if she is the national Young Planner of the Year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .