People

Lin is West Country based and a town planner by background. Following a brief period at Leicestershire County Council, Lin began her planning career with the new town development agency at Milton Keynes. She entered private sector consultancy in 1989 and was a founder member of Three Dragons in 1996.

Lin’s specialist expertise lies in development economics, analysis of market demand, the delivery of mixed communities and the use of planning policy and mechanisms to achieve wider social benefits and place-shaping. Lin advises clients from the public and private sectors and has worked with local authorities across the South East and South West in developing their policies, plans and guidance most recently with particular emphasis on infrastructure planning and setting a CIL.

Lin led the 3D/University of Cambridge team which wrote the prize-winning SEEPB guide “Developing A Local Development Framework Affordable Housing Evidence Base” She regularly delivers conference papers covering a variety of planning topics and provides training workshops for local authority officers and councillors. Lin is a housing association board member, a member of her Local Strategic Partnership and a trustee for other charities.

Kathleen is an economist with over 30 years experience in housing and construction. She is an expert in the provision of affordable housing and her experience covers the perspective of the private developer, voluntary sector provider and public authority. She worked for many years as Social Housing Consultant for the House Builders Federation (1988-2000) and before that for Milton Keynes Development Corporation and the Building Employers Confederation.

Kathleen was one of the team who developed the GLA/Three Dragons toolkit and has since developed versions for a range of local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales. She has undertaken viability appraisal work for the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit, the Zero Carbon Hub and a range of private sector landowners and developers. She is retained as a policy advisor on viability issues by the House Builders Association.

Kathleen has a particular interest in housing and care options for older people and has developed a model for forecasting demand for market and affordable older persons housing for Retirement Housing Group.

Sheila is a town planner with over twenty five years experience working in planning and regeneration for all levels of government from local authority to national and European and has also worked as a consultant in the private sector for nine years for landowners, major housebuilders and regeneration agencies. From 2001 to 2010 she worked for English Partnerships/HCA with particular responsibility for strategic planning, the promotion of major EP/HCA sites through the planning process and the planning/delivery of enabling infrastructure in the south east and east midlands.'

As well as understanding the economic, social and political drivers which underpin both private and public bodies’ decision making Sheila has also promoted and managed projects on the ground in different contexts such as remediation of contaminated brownfield sites, new green infrastructure, sustainable urban extensions and major infrastructure such as strategic flood schemes and new roads.

Since leaving the Homes and Communities Agency in 2010 Sheila has concentrated on advising on viability appraisals for housing developments , infrastructure planning and policy advice to public bodies.

Paul has a background in IT, construction and surveying. He has worked for more than twenty five years in the house building industry. He has worked for Wates Built Homes and Antler Homes and was employed for many years at Prowting Homes where he was IT Director. His expertise includes project management of infrastructure provision on large housing developments, land bank management and Quality Assurance.

Paul works with the Three Dragons team on viability appraisal at scheme specific level and on policy development.