Hitting The High Notes is town planning’s equivalent of Desert Island Discs. In these episodes Sam Stafford chats to preeminent figures in the planning and property sectors about the six planning permissions or projects that helped to shape them as professionals. And, so that we can get to know people a little better personally, for every permission or project Sam asks his guests for a piece of music that reminds them of that period of their career.

Unlike Desert Island Discs you will not hear any of that music during the episode because using commercially-licensed music without the copyright holders permission or a very expensive PRS licensing agreement could land Sam in hot water, so, when you have finished listening to this episode, you will have to make do with YouTube videos and a Spotify playlist, links to which you will find below.

Sam's guest for this episode of Hitting The High Notes is Anna Rose. After eschewing a career in fashion, Anna worked as a legal advisor at the National Farmers Union before joining Rugby Borough Council and working her way to become Head of Planning & Culture. After a spell as Service Director at Milton Keynes Council, Anna has since 2017 been the Head of the Planning Advisory Service at the Local Government Association. Sam and Anna's conversation takes in the relationships and skills required to plan strategically and deliver major new development; leadership and systems thinking; and LPA recruitment practices.

Anna's song selections.

Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys

Human - The Killers

Try – P!NK

Zombie – Jamie T

Tilted – Christine & The Queens

If I Got It (Your Love brought It) – Aaron Frazer

Anna's Spotify playlist

Some accompanying reading

The Planning Advisory Service

Houlton, Rugby

MK Futures 2050

PAS' 'Return To Work' project

Any other business.

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If you are a new listener do please check out the back catalogue where you will find episodes on myriad planning topics, as well as other episodes in this Hitting The High Notes series, and remember that by subscribing new episodes will magically appear in your phone as soon as Sam has published them.

50 Shades of Planning is the podcast by planners and for planners and so if you would like to use it as a platform for sharing anything you think that the sector needs to be talking about then you are very welcome to get in touch with Sam via [email protected].

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