I am a chartered surveyor, working as an independent public interest practitioner, with public- and private-sector experience of planning, financing and delivering mixed-use developments, and community-led neighbourhood regeneration.

My Fellowship research brought together many areas of interest from my professional practice: social and economic justice through land reform, the role of community organising in redemocratising the experience of urban populations affected by development, and professional ethics.

I have been involved in the creation of the community land trust concept in the UK since 1989, and have contributed to the development of public policy, legislation and public funding for community-led and self-build housing, currently working on new policies to increase community ownership of land.

My Fellowship gave me the insight and confidence to challenge my professional body, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, to become publicly accountable for its public interest purpose, particularly its Royal Charter duty 'to secure the optimal use of land to meet social and economic need'.

I have completed the first two proposals as set out in my Fellowship – the third proposal is a work in progress...