Introducing the LI’s four new Standing Committees, putting members at the heart of our work.

The Landscape Institute (LI) is delighted to celebrate the successful recruitment of a talented cohort of members to its four new Standing Committees, following a diligent recruitment process. With a diverse range of high-quality applicants, the intake of new members strengthens the Institute’s commitment to member-led governance and strategic development.

The new Standing Committees put members at the heart of the LI’s work, shaping the future of the profession and collaborating to oversee and facilitate much of our member- and external-facing work. After a successful recruitment campaign, we are delighted to present our four new committees, representing the breadth of the landscape profession. We are thrilled by the very high calibre of professionals who stepped forward to join our Standing Committees. Their expertise and passion will be invaluable in shaping the future of the profession.

If you are interested in contributing, look out for future rounds of recruitment, or consider contributing to a Task & Finish group or our CPD programme. Get in touch at events@landscapeinstitute.org.

Policy & Public Affairs Committee

Ian Phillips CMLI MRTPI Chair

The Policy and Public Affairs (PPA) Committee aims to focus the expertise and experience of its members and Institute staff in raising the profile and influence of the Institute and its policy objectives with key decision makers and actors, particularly in government. It builds on the legacy of the Policy & Communications Committee and I am pleased to have welcomed several new members who have extended the new Committee’s capabilities and connections.

The committee identifies and prioritises issues on which the Institute should lead and works with partners and third parties on issues of shared concern and interest. It liaises with other LI standing committees and maintains a close relationship with the LI marketing and communications team.

We know that landscape professionals contribute wide-ranging skills and services that can meet and successfully address the ongoing tensions between developmental growth, the natural environment and civil society. We aim, through the work of the PPA Committee, to promote a wider awareness of the importance of good landscape and of LI members’ ability to resolve complex challenges in ways that will be valued by all concerned.

Members

Ian Phillips (Chair), Marc Tomes, Annie Coombs, Richard Copas, Luke Engleback, Ian Houlston, Anastasia Nikologianni, Richard Sumner, Andrew Smith, Chris Fairbrother, Scarlett Towse, Simon Bell

Knowledge & Practice Committee

The role of the Knowledge & Practice (K&P) Committee is to inform and assist with development and dissemination of technical guidance and best practice on landscape issues, to inform the knowledge and practice of members and the wider profession, and to oversee the LI’s influence on technical landscape matters.

The committee promotes an evidence-based ethos within the landscape profession and members will ensure the full range of expert input is sought from across and beyond the membership to address and promote best practice.

As Interim Chair, I’m excited to see such a diverse and committed group of members coming together to help shape the technical direction of our profession. Our focus is firmly on supporting members with robust, relevant guidance rooted in real-world practice. We’re revitalising the Task & Finish groups to reflect current priorities – from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA), Guidelines for Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (GLVIA), and Zone of Theoretical Visibility (ZTV) modelling, to climate resilience, carbon, soils, and plant biosecurity – ensuring that our technical work is rigorous, responsive, and future-focused.

Members

Jane Findlay (Interim Chair), Joe Robson, Carly Tinkler, Jon Rooney, Lucy Elphick Jenkins, Thomas Yunqing Bai, Paul Reynolds, Mirna Joanna Melki, Michael Shilton, Heather Simeonov

Membership & Professional Standards Committee

The MPS Committee plays a key role in driving high standards in the landscape profession, monitoring and ensuring compliance against the Institute’s professional standards, providing strategic oversight to ensure a high-quality profession, and growing membership in inclusive and equitable ways. This committee oversees the development of all routes to LI membership ensuring that the membership proposition is fit for purpose and monitored and communicated effectively.

It provides guidance and oversight supporting the development and strengthening of Branches, and will be involved in the Branch review. In concert with our work with Branches, we are also required to consider how volunteers can be recruited, retained and supported and will be reviewing the member satisfaction survey to guide us.

The committee is chaired ex officio by the Honorary Secretary, who is a member of the Board of Trustees and also of the Council. We are building the committee and would welcome any application to join us, and to aid representation, we would particularly welcome applications from members who are working in any of the devolved nations.

Members

Mark Smeeden (Chair),Vanessa Ross (Vice Chair), Nick Harrison, Lucy Marshall, James Brisco, Carol Ann Newell

Education & Careers Committee

The Education & Careers (E&C) Committee plays a vital role in supporting the Institute’s work to promote the landscape profession as a career of choice, and in ensuring that traditional and alternative routes in to the profession meet the highest standards and are relevant, robust and adaptable to a fast-changing world. The committee supports the development and delivery of an education and careers strategy, and leads the LI’s strategic engagement with university and academic partners, including the accreditation of courses.

Education is vital to our profession, and with universities increasingly under financial pressure, it is essential that we support them by providing a clear career focus. The LI will continue to work with educational institutes to look at alternative routes into the profession in order that we remain diverse and inclusive.

Members

Chris House (Chair), Jonathan Emery (Vice Chair), Kristoff Fatsar, Rachel Cox, Alistair Kratt, Usue Ruiz-Arana, Anna Rhodes, Marko Yao Chung, Kenny Fraser, Robyn Friesner

Interested in contributing?

Join a Task & Finish group to support the work of the committees and our CPD programme. We’d love to hear from you if you are an expert in:

Biodiversity and green infrastructure | Water management, including SuDS and NFMs | EIAs, LVIAs LVAs, LCAs and the planning system | Infrastructure | Landscape and carbon | Plants, trees, soils, ecosystems (specifying, plans, health, biosecurity) | Visualisation, Photography, photomontages, mapping, GIS systems | And so much more…

Get in touch at events@landscapeinstitute.org