One of our senior female planning inspectors reflects on nearly nine years at the Planning Inspectorate - from trainee to Band 3, juggling family life, navigating imposter syndrome, and finding support from colleagues along the way. What does a career as a planning inspector really look like?
The philosopher Lao Tzu wrote that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. My first step towards becoming a band 3 planning inspector at the Planning Inspectorate began at the turn of the millennium, when I applied for a masters in Town Planning at Newcastle University. Looking back, I couldn't have made those many steps without invaluable support along the way - and this feels like the right moment to reflect on that journey.
Starting out
Before joining the Planning Inspectorate, I worked in planning policy in local government. I was fortunate to have female line managers and senior leaders around me who were great mentors and sounding boards, and who made me believe I could progress as a planner. I was also involved in a long-running local plan examination led by an experienced female inspector, who managed the most difficult of barristers in a no-nonsense way. She was a great role model - though I didn't yet know I'd one day be doing the same job.
For a long time, I didn't think I was cut out to be an inspector. It took seeing my partner go through inspector-in-training (IIT) life first-hand to give me the confidence to apply. Eventually, I took the plunge. At my last local plan hearing before leaving for the Inspectorate, the inspector wished me well - and I was genuinely floored. A year later, one of my interviewers sought me out at a training event to welcome me to the organisation. These small gestures stayed with me.
Top tip: Any encouragement can feel significant when someone is doubting themselves. Don't underestimate the impact of a kind word.
Training and building a support network
When I joined the Inspectorate as a Band 1 inspector, I was pleased to find I wasn't the only woman in my intake - there were four of us, and we supported each other through training. Several colleagues in my cohort, both male and female, had young children. My daughters were five and ten at the time. Training was then undertaken on a full-time basis, so the juggling act was sometimes tough, particularly when school bugs spread through the household and my partner and I were trying to cover site visits and hearings at the same time.
What kept us going was the quality of support around us. My seconded inspector trainer was calm and approachable, and a female colleague in the same role provided both a positive role model and a supportive ear. Our readers were fantastic in giving sage advice on casework, but they were equally interested in how we were getting on as people - not just as inspectors in training. They were sympathetic when things weren't going well, and that matters.
Top tip: Ask colleagues what they've done to get through difficult periods. Their approach won't necessarily be replicable, but you won't know unless you ask.
Flexibility as a foundation
Once I'd completed training, my partner and I both moved to 90% working patterns, which helped us cover most of the school holidays without spending them trudging around muddy sites - though I won't pretend there wasn't the occasional busman's holiday. The flexibility the Inspectorate offers has been genuinely invaluable in allowing us to be there for our children.
I've also had to be flexible in return at various points, particularly during periods of change and additional pressure. The arrangement works because it's based on honest communication.
Top tip: Be upfront about your sitting patterns and availability for hearings and inquiries. It allows everyone, including participants, to plan around real lives.
Progression and the power of peer support
A positive competitive spirit among my inspector colleagues was a key part of what pushed me to go for band 2 around two years after joining. By then I had my hearings passport under my belt and had started to genuinely enjoy hearings. Several women I knew went for Band 2 at the same time, and we supported each other in drafting applications and preparing for interviews. It really helped with both motivation and knowledge.
Top tip: A support network is key - whether that's your team, your line manager, a mentor, or your intake cohort.
A few years on, I took on seconded inspector trainer work myself. It cemented a growing sense of confidence, but I gained most from watching trainees progress. I still enjoy reading cases to learn new things, giving back to others, and - most of all - meeting new people.
I became a Band 3 inspector just over four years after joining the Inspectorate. I've now been an inspector for almost nine years. In that time, I've had four managers, both male and female, who have been supportive of my career progression and my desire to work flexibly. I've had wonderful mentors for specialist training who provided positive reinforcement at the right moments. I'm still sometimes the only woman at a hearing or inquiry, but I know there are more female colleagues out there than ever before. It would be great to reach a point where I'm not handed a key to a retiring room with a note that it's for the inspector "when he arrives" - but we are getting there.
On imposter syndrome
If you haven't already gathered from reading this far, I have felt like something of an imposter at various points in my career. Imposter syndrome is not uncommon whatever your gender, but it is generally more prevalent among women. It's still there, sitting on my shoulder like an invisible gremlin. However, the gremlin is smaller, quieter, and it disappears from time to time - because I've reached a point where I've accepted that if I don't know something, I can learn it.
What next?
If any of this resonates with you, I hope it's useful to know what a career as a planning inspector can look like - the support structures, the flexibility, and the sense of community that comes with being part of an organisation that is genuinely working to improve.
We can all play a part in advancing opportunities for women and girls: role-modelling what we want to see, calling out stereotypes, challenging discrimination, questioning bias, and celebrating success. Sharing knowledge and encouragement with others is also key.
My commitment is to keep doing that - and I hope this blog is a small part of it.
Find out more about inspector roles at the Planning Inspectorate.
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