Lucy Knowles

Lucy recently moved to Scotland from New Zealand, where she gained experience in housing policy and urban planning. Working as part of the Homes for Scotland Planning Team, Lucy’s key roles are to:

▪ Work on behalf of HFS and its members on local and regional planning matters across Scotland

▪ Build and maintain ongoing dialogue with local authority planning services to influence/engage with policy and practice

▪ Review and prepare responses to emerging new style Local Development Plans providing advice to members

▪ Engage and work collaboratively with local authorities on their housing land audits, feeding in insights from home builder members

▪ Engage and influence key stakeholders during the formation of Local Housing Strategies and Housing Need and Demand Assessments

“Since graduating university with a planning degree, I’ve worked on housing and urban planning policy that makes it easier to build homes in New Zealand. In my role at Homes for Scotland, I want to contribute to improving the planning system so that more homes can be delivered. In doing this, I want to provide any relevant lessons learnt from my experience with housing and planning in New Zealand.”

“New Zealand is also experiencing a housing crisis, and I have lived in many damp and cold homes. Since moving to Scotland, I have experienced the stress of trying to find a suitable rental property and competing with many other tenants.  Luckily, I found a wonderful flat to rent in an apartment building in Leith which is the warmest home I’ve ever lived in!

Eventually I will be ready to stop renting and to buy my first home. I want this to feel realistic and exciting rather than the impossible task it currently feels like. Through my role at Homes for Scotland, I want to make the housing journey for first home buyers, like my future self, easier.”