Simon is the Acting Assistant Director within the Planning and Development service area for Birmingham City Council. As a qualified Architect Simon is Birmingham City Council's lead design advisor championing design quality within the built environment. Having responsibility for 'Specific Specialist Areas' such as the City Design Team, City Centre Planning Management, City Centre Development, Enforcement and Householder Simon encourages and enables the highest standards of Place Making, Planning, Architecture, Urban Design, Arboriculture, Historic Conservation and Landscape Design across all new development in the City for the benefit of all the citizens of Birmingham. Simon is known for his ability to successfully combine Architecture and Urban Design to create holistic environments and is responsible for recent Masterplans such as ‘Birmingham Curzon HS2 Masterplan for growth’, ‘Birmingham Smithfield Masterplan’, ‘Langley Sustainable Urban Extension’ and most recently the ‘Rea Valley Urban Quarter Masterplan’. This includes acting as the focal point on design issues and stimulating design quality through multi-agency project team working and close interaction with external developers, key stakeholders and partners in relation to the design of new development being promoted and managed through the Planning and Development Service that reflects the international standing of the City of Birmingham. Simon is listed in the Birmingham Central University ‘Sphere of Influence’ the 50 top influencers within the architecture and landscape sector to graduate from the Birmingham School of Architecture.