About Ivy Legal

Neill Whittaker MRTPI holds a Masters degree in Planning Policy and Practice. He is immediate past Chairman of NAPE and has over 15 years’ experience working in planning enforcement, having previously managed the enforcement teams at Runnymede & Hertsmere Borough Councils and LB of Waltham Forest along with the delivery of the existing service for LB Ealing. Neill is an extremely effective service manager & problem solver,  dealing personally with more complex prosecutions and appeals. His  authoritative knowledge of planning enforcement satisfies landowners, complainants, managers and inspectors alike.

In his spare time Neill is an accomplished triathlete and has qualified to represent Great Britain in his age group at the 2020 and 2021 European Triathlon Championships.

Roderick Morton is a partner in Ivy Legal. He holds a BA(Oxon) in law. He has been a solicitor for 23 years and was previously a partner at international law firm Herbert Smith Freehills LLP. Roderick provides legal review support to our planners, prepares appeals and acts as advocate. Roderick provides an extensive and deep understanding of planning law and his first class legal brain has ensured that our approach to appeals is robust and successful.

 Izindi Visagie LLB, MBA, LARTPI is a solicitor who worked in the planning legal teams at Local Authorities at Bromley, Kensington and Chelsea and Harrow before setting up Ivy Legal. Izindi has a hands-on approach to client work, and is as experienced on an early morning raid as she is as advocate at public inquiry. Izindi’s experience within local authorities means that she fully understands the needs of her LPA clients and the subtle interaction of politics, policies, resourcing and legal requirements that bedevil planning enforcement.  

Izindi is a member of the RTPI's Education and Lifelong Learning Committee and is the London and South East Representative for NAPE, the RTPI's network group for Planning Enforcement.

Ingrid Smith holds an Honours degree with economics, town and regional planning. She has over 11 years' experience managing a LPA enforcement team and her achievements include overhauling and improving the service, developing a model for financial independence, assisting the development of a new case management system and contributing to an award winning  'Beds in Sheds' project. At Ivy Legal Ingrid works with a number of different LPAs managing enforcement projects, regularly gives evidence in planning prosecutions and public inquiries and hosts Ivy Legal’s annual Introduction to Planning Enforcement training event. 

Ingrid loves animals, art, music, moody interiors, and idea of deadlifts. 

Ahsan is a qualified and chartered town planner with over 20 years of practical experience. He has worked in private and public sector. Since 2007 he was a Planning Inspector rising to Professional Lead at The Planning Inspectorate. He trained and managed inspectors and led/developed continued professional development training and quality assurance systems for the appeals service. His expertise is enforcement, planning, community infrastructure levy, prior approvals, tree preservation and high hedge appeals and procedures.