Keeping the nation’s lights on: my NIPA story

15 July 2024

Jordan Martin
Associate, DWD

Like many people working in infrastructure, it was not necessarily what I thought I would end up doing as I was picking out university courses. I did know, however, that I wanted to be a planner!

Initially at sixth form I was very uncertain about future careers. Then one day my dad, knowing I liked geography and the environment and that I hated climate change, pulled me aside when the BBC was screening ‘The Planners’ and said, ‘you should take a look at this – this could be up your street.’

And he was right, so off I went to university to study ‘City and Regional Planning’.

In my final year, we studied infrastructure and Development Consent Orders (DCOs) and, as I approached graduation, an infrastructure role came up at my current company. From chatting in the interview, I knew I would find it both fascinating and fulfilling to play a part in delivering the DCOs that, in turn, would keep the lights on, the roads and railways running, and the taps flowing.

I’m now working on a portfolio of predominantly energy projects across solar and Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS). These are tangible assets which have a clear goal and purpose. I like that you can’t argue with the need for these things, though getting the ‘how’ and the ‘where’ right is a different matter. Those can up for debate. But I enjoy the challenge of the process and, I have to say, the cut and thrust of the arguments.

NIPA is great and I’m glad to be part of the organisation as well as an Early Years Practitioner (EYP) sitting on the Council. I’ve always taken the view that professional networks should be inherently valuable, and I’ve had real benefit through what I’ve done with the RTPI, as one example. But the NIPA family is wider. The knowledge and the specialisms are broader. So the result is richer and you can gain perspectives from all disciplines which, in turn, inform your understanding, and give you real empathy too. I now appreciate so much more of what goes on within the DCO process or the Examination because I know why fellow professionals see things or care for issues the way that they do.

On the subject of caring, diversity in the planning profession is something that matters to me. Given our profession shapes society, it’s important our profession reflects society. There’s undoubtedly under-representation at the moment.

But everything is a journey and I see the solution in education and awareness. That’s one of the reasons I’m writing this article and why I’m always happy to make time to lift the lid on a career in planning for those who don’t yet know about it or have a feel for whether it could be right for them.

What energises me most of all is doing a good job. I want to make my mark by contributing to projects and proposals that are objectively good and the right thing to do – and I get that opportunity every single day. It’s one of the many reasons why I love my job.

Thanks for reading my NIPA story and, should anyone want to know more about my journey into the world of infrastructure planning or if I can help with any insight or information based on my experience, you know where to find me.