Hannah Thornton
Denmark ,Western Australia
Summary
Dynamic urban planning professional with over 15 years of experience leading impactful projects within State and Local Government in Western Australia, most recently as Acting Manager of Strategic Planning. Expertise in fostering community consultation and guiding cross-functional teams to develop policies and outcomes that align with public needs, driven by a commitment to creating inclusive, healthy, and sustainable urban environments for future generations. Notable achievements include two projects recognized as finalists in the Planning Institute of Western Australia Awards, serving as templates for subsequent initiatives. Recently expanded planning skill set through a year-long exchange at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia, enhancing strategic planning knowledge within the ASEAN context while becoming conversational in Bahasa Indonesian and actively engaging with faculty and students through guest lectures and seminars.
Overview
2026
2026
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Coordinator of Local Area Planning and Policy
City of Swan
12.2018 - 04.2025
- Project managed the successful State Heritage Registration of Guildford-Mandoon, including multiple agency coordination, a complex regulatory and community engagement process and community education program.
- Project managed politically sensitive strategic planning policy reviews such as the Midland Activity Centre Structure Plan and developed a cross divisional project group to coordinate implementation and improve communication with elected members.
- Seconded to the Finance team and successfully coordinated the development of the Henley Brook Developer Contribution Plan and its adoption by Council and the Department of Planning Lands and Heritage.
- Implemented a City wide community engagement program (Local Area Plans), to link community aspirations with strategic land use planning projects and state government priorities. Reformed the City's engagement program to drive the 10 year Strategic Community Plan.
- Reformed the City's Corporate Business Plans to reflect the community engagement results from individual planning areas and match to the City's Capital Works program, allowing easy tracking of community priorities and building trust with stakeholders.
- Successfully wrote businesses cases for new IT products such a Social Pinpoint and Foresttree to improve community engagement and to track tree canopy across the City.
- Managed a dynamic team of Town Planners, Urban Designers, Architects, Environment Planners and Economists (4 FTE and 7 people), that were recognised for their proactive, innovative and productive outputs and team cohesion in year City appraisals.
- Presenter at the 2023 WALGA Local Government Convention on the community engagement success of the Guildford-Mandoon Heritage Area Local Planning Policy.
- Panel member and mentor for Curtin University planning and architecture students.
Acting Manager Strategic Planning
City of Swan
12.2023 - 07.2024
- Led the Strategic Planning Business Unit (12.5 FTE and 17 people), while sustaining a collaborative and harmonious work environment through clear leadership, direction, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Represented the City of Swan in confidential and politically sensitive high profile state government projects including the New Midland Train Station, Ellenbrook Train Station, Whiteman Train Station and Malaga Train Station as part of the Metronet project.
- Negotiated with state government agencies and the development industry on behalf of the community on master planned residential development projects such as North Ellenbrook (50,000+ residents).
- Built productive relationships with key developers in the region including Mirvac, Peet and Stockland to maximise community benefit through regular high level monthly meetings with the CEOs.
- Drove industry best-practice and increased the profile of the City of Swan by participating as a panel member at the 2024 UDIA National Housing Pipeline Northern Forum.
- Leveraged data and analytics through programs such as Social Pinpoint, .id statistics and ForestTree to make informed decisions and drive business improvements, such as increased community engagement.
- Evaluated employee performance and conveyed constructive feedback to improve skills through the Formal PDR methods and constant open dialogue and project tracking.
- Recruited, interviewed and hired employees and implemented mentoring program to promote positive feedback and engagement.
Acting Senior Strategic Planner
City of Swan
2017 - 01.2018
- Provided technical expertise on complex strategic projects.
- Mentored staff and assisted with project management to meet project timelines maintain the team's KPIs.
- Project managed 12 Local Area Plans and the annual review of their strategies and actions.
- Identified gaps in the city's policy framework and developed new local planning policies for parking, food trucks and tree management.
- Maintained and applied knowledge of local and state government codes and requirements regarding land use.
- Provided high quality customer service through clear and timely correspondence with clients and project contributors to provide status updates and solidify timelines.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with planning and other divisions in the city such as Finance, Engineering, Health and Building teams to cement partnerships and achieve mutual goals.
Strategic and Statutory Planner
City of Swan
07.2014 - 01.2017
- Coordinated strategic planning advice by collaborating with internal staff in Statutory and Strategic Planning, Community Development, Engineering, Health and Building, as well as external agencies such as Main Roads, Western Australian Planning Commission and Swan River Trust.
- Project managed multiple Local Area Plans; eighteen month strategic planning projects that involved research, statistical demographic analysis, consultation design and implementation, adoption by Council and annual reviews of the adopted strategies and actions.
- Assessed complex statutory planning applications including land use zoning changes, structure plans, and multiple dwellings in heritage areas, while maintaining a high KPI output of 30 simultaneous applications within statutory timeframes.
- Provided technical advice on development applications, structure plans, and on state strategic planning instruments. .
- Responded to public inquiries and complaints, both in person and on the phone with concise and relevant advice and deescalated many situations through calm and clear communication.
- Communicated with elected members though detailed and accurate reports and presentations to Council every month on a range of planning matters.
Research and Project Officer
Wheatbelt Development Commission
01.2011 - 01.2013
- Provided statistical analysis and research support for the development of Avon Sub-Regional Economic Strategy, Central Coast Sub-Regional Economic Strategy and Wheatbelt Planning and Infrastructure Framework.
- Provided technical expertise including GIS mapping and analysis.
- Prepared presentations for elected members.
- Assisted local governments with grant writing for applications for the Royalties for Region Funding.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Asian Studies
University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia09-2026
Diploma of Arts - Linguistics (Indonesian)
Charles Darwin University
Darwin, Northern Territory01-2022
Bachelor of Science - Urban and Regional Planning (Honours)
University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia 01.2011
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Management and Geography
University of Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia01.2010
Awards
- 15 Year Service Award Surf Life Saving Western Australia
- Planning Institute Australia WA Award 2024 Commendation - Climate Change and Resilience - Tree Protection and Management Approach
- Planning Institute Australia WA Award 2023 Finalist: Great Place - Guildford-Mandoon Heritage Area Local Planning Policy.
- Planning Institute Australia WA Award 2023 Finalist: Improving Planning Processes - Local Area Planning
- Planning Institute Australia WA Award 2022 Finalist - Stakeholder Engagement - Guildford-Mandoon Heritage Area Local Planning Policy
Certification
- Silver Medallion Surf Life Saving Western Australia
- 2017-present
- Bronze Medallion Surf Life Saving Western Australia
- 2015 - present
- Senior First Aid Surf Life Saving Western Australia
Languages
English
Indonesian
Software
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
ArcGIS
Social Pinpoint
Timeline
Acting Manager Strategic Planning
City of Swan
12.2023 - 07.2024
Coordinator of Local Area Planning and Policy
City of Swan
12.2018 - 04.2025
Strategic and Statutory Planner
City of Swan
07.2014 - 01.2017
Research and Project Officer
Wheatbelt Development Commission
01.2011 - 01.2013
Acting Senior Strategic Planner
City of Swan
2017 - 01.2018
Bachelor of Arts - Asian Studies
University of Western Australia
Diploma of Arts - Linguistics (Indonesian)
Charles Darwin University
Bachelor of Science - Urban and Regional Planning (Honours)
University of Western Australia
Bachelor of Science - Environmental Management and Geography
University of Western Australia