Director of Planning and Development to Retire

The Highland Council’s longest serving Director – John Rennilson, Director of Planning and Development – is to retire at the end of the year after nearly 12 years at the helm of the frontline service. Mr Rennilson (60) has given the Council three months notice of his decision to retire, advising his staff of his move earlier this week.

Born and educated in Edinburgh, Mr Rennilson graduated in 1968 from the University of Edinburgh MA (Hons) in geography and in 1970 from the University of Wales with MSc in town planning.

From 1970 to 1974, he held a number of positions in the Planning Department of Lanarkshire County Council. He then moved to Suffolk County Council where he spent 10 years, rising to the post of Assistant County Planning Officer (Environment).  From 1984-95, he held the position of County Planning Officer with North Yorkshire County Council in Northallerton.  During this time, he qualified as a chartered surveyor, thus adding to his planning and management qualifications.

Mr Rennilson joined The Highland Council as Director of Planning in January 1996. From April 1998 his role was expanded to cover economic development, countryside issues and archaeology and from April 2002, tourism.

Between 2000-2001, he was chairman of the Scottish Society of Directors of Planning and has been an executive committee member throughout his time with The Highland Council.  He is a Director of Highland Birchwoods and of Inverness Airport Business Park Limited and a member of Highlands and Islands Committee on the Scottish Council for Development and Industry.

Councillor Drew Hendry, Chairman of The Highland Council’s Planning Environment and Development Committee, paid tribute to Mr Rennilson’s outstanding service to the Council over the past 11 years.  “John has been a tremendous servant to The Highland Council and an excellent leader of the Planning and Development Service, playing a key role in the development of Inverness as a city and in the economic growth of the wider Highlands. I am indebted to him for his advice and guidance in my early months in the job. He will be certainly be a hard act to follow. I wish him the very best of health and contentment in his well earned retirement.”