A council employee has become a chartered town planner, the ultimate qualification for the profession.

Matthew Roberts, who works for Three Rivers District Council received the award from the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The 31 year-old planner, who joined Three Rivers in 2008, graduated from South Bank University with an RTPI-accredited MA in planning policy and practice. Upon graduation he joined the institute to become a licentiate member building on his work experience through working on a variety of planning applications and enforcement investigations.

Finally, following the RTPI’s licentiate assessment of professional competence, Mr Roberts is now a RTPI chartered town planner.

He said: “This has been an interesting journey for me and I am very proud to be a member of the RTPI and promote the planning profession.”

Geoff Muggeridge, director of community & environment at the council, added: “Our congratulations to Matthew who clearly demonstrates that he has achieved a high level of knowledge, understanding and competence in his chosen spatial planning field. Matthew will be able to share skills, knowledge and experiences with other planners and in doing so, build a strong social as well as professional network. Matthew will also continue to use all his abilities to the benefit of our residents.”

The RTPI is Europe’s largest professional body for planners, with 25,000 members worldwide working in public, private, charitable and education sectors. As well as promoting spatial planning, the institute sets high standards for planning education and is the only body in the UK that accredits chartered town planners.