We’re delighted to welcome Jennifer Wells to the Planning Aid Scotland Board of Directors.

Jennifer is a Scottish solicitor specialising in planning, environmental and public law. Before qualifying as a solicitor, she spent 14 years working in education, an experience that continues to shape her approach to engagement.

Speaking about joining the Board, Jennifer said:

“It will be a privilege to support an organisation that works to improve public understanding of planning and strengthen community participation across Scotland.”  

What inspired you to join the Board of Planning Aid Scotland?

Working in planning law has made me very conscious of the impact that planning decisions can have on people and communities, but also of how difficult the system can be to navigate without specialist knowledge. Planning Aid Scotland’s focus on helping people understand and participate meaningfully in that system really resonates with me. I was particularly attracted by the opportunity to contribute to that work while bringing a legal perspective to the Board.

How has your experience across both law and education shaped your interest in planning and public participation?

My background in education has had a lasting influence on how I approach my work as a solicitor. Teaching is fundamentally about taking something that may initially seem complicated or inaccessible and finding a way to make it understandable and relevant. I think there is a real parallel with planning. The system is necessarily technical, but the decisions it produces affect people’s homes, neighbourhoods and communities. People should be able to understand how those decisions are made and how they can have a meaningful voice in the process.

What do you think could help make the planning system more accessible and understandable to communities?

Clearer communication is a big part of it. Planning has its own language, processes and terminology, which can create an unnecessary barrier to participation. There is real value in providing people with clear, practical information about what a planning process involves, when and how they can participate, and what influence that participation can realistically have. Building confidence and understanding is important if engagement is to be genuinely meaningful.

What are you most looking forward to as a Planning Aid Scotland Board Director?

I’m looking forward to learning from the experience of the other Board members and the wider Planning Aid Scotland team, and to contributing my own perspective from planning and public law. Most of all, I’m excited to support an organisation whose work helps people feel more informed, confident and able to participate in decisions about the places where they live.

Find out more about our Board of Directors