Tom Warth appointed Chief Operating Officer at The Planning Inspectorate

Image: Tom Warth - courtesy of The Planning Directorate

The Planning Inspectorate has recently announced the permanent appointment of Tom Warth as Chief Operating Officer (COO), following a competitive recruitment process.

Tom has held the role of interim COO for the past eight months, overseeing the Inspectorate's five services using the skills and experience he has built in his many years with the Inspectorate taking on a variety of key roles. 

He originally joined as a case officer in enforcement and succeeded in a number of roles across planning and infrastructure casework. Before stepping into the interim COO role, Tom was Head of the Planning and Environmental Appeals Service, where he led the team responsible for processing and determining around 20,000 planning, enforcement and other appeals the organisation receives each year. 

Tom Warth said: 

I’m honoured to take on the role of Chief Operating Officer permanently. Having worked across multiple parts of the Inspectorate over many years, I’ve seen first-hand the dedication our teams bring to every case we handle. I’m looking forward to continuing that work, supporting our people and making sure customers get the very best service.

Graham Stallwood, Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate, said: 

I’m really pleased Tom has been appointed permanently and I know he will bring the same steady, thoughtful leadership to the role of COO that has defined his years with us. 

His appointment means we are gaining a leader who genuinely understands the Inspectorate from the ground up.

The Planning Inspectorate deals with planning appeals, national infrastructure planning applications, examinations of local plans and other planning-related and specialist casework in England.

The organisation shares its expertise with its customers, communities, businesses, local and national government to enable good planning outcomes.

The Planning Inspectorate’s service covers five main areas: Appeals, Applications, Infrastructure, Plans Examinations and Rights of Way and Commons.

The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency, sponsored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.