Members

John Stimson

Presiding Member

John is a qualified Urban Geographer, Town Planner and Project Manager with over thirty-five years of experience. Over the past seven years he has worked on a variety of land development projects (including Springwood, Burgundy Estate, Parkvale, Heights View and Heights View East) as well as gaining approvals for residential, commercial and retail projects.

John was also contracted to the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure in the role of Pilot Infrastructure Scheme Coordinator. He is currently the Independent Case Manager for the Roseworthy Township Expansion Road Deed.

John has also recently finalised his role as the Presiding Member of the Expert Panel undertaking the Implementation Review of the planning system.

Chris Branford

Ordinary Member

Chris is a Planner and Urban Designer with over 37 years experience in urban development delivery. He joined Delfin Property Group 1988 working on both West Lakes and Golden Grove and then moved to Brisbane in 1992 to work on a range of Queensland projects, most notably Forest Lake in Brisbane.

Chris returned to SA in late 1997 to work primarily on the multi award-winning Mawson Lakes project and was also involved in the start-up phase of Caroline Springs (Vic) in planning and urban design management roles. He was Project Director of the Mawson Lakes Development from 2003 to 2007, after which he took on a range of new business, planning and design management roles for Delfin Lend Lease.

In 2012 he established Branford Planning + Design focusing on urban design, master planning, project management and feasibility. He has since worked on award winning projects in South Australia and interstate including the Springlake and Springbrook developments at Mt Barker, Parkland at Littlehampton, Woodvale and McKinlay Rise in Gawler, Seaside on Kangaroo Island and Woodbridge at Angle Vale. He was also involved in the design development and delivery of the national award-winning affordable housing product the Hampton Cottage. He was a member of the South Australian State Commission Assessment Panel (formally Development Assessment Commission) from 2015 to 2020 and a Board Member of Common Equity Housing South Australia from 2017 to 2024.

Cindy Oliver

Ordinary Member

Cindy is a Principal Civil Engineer and leader of the engineering team at GREENHILL. She has over 20 years of experience working on civil infrastructure projects to support the urban development industry in South Australia. Her expertise includes stormwater design, project management and contract administration.

Cindy leads a team of 20 working across electrical engineering, transport engineering and landscape architecture. Her ability to engage and collaborate has served her in leading multiple award-winning projects across industry, state and local government.

David Kwong

Ordinary Member

David is the co-founder of Empirical Traffic Advisory (ETA), an advisory engineering firm which was established in Adelaide in 2023. ETA has experience with projects of significant technical complexity across all sectors of transport and land use planning.

David has over 20 years of experience in transport engineering, completing many successful planning and design projects in Australia and the UK. He possesses a strong understanding of state government processes and their requirements for access and traffic management related to various developments.

David has worked in both state government and private consulting, giving him a comprehensive skill set and a deep understanding of design criteria for all transport users. As a Senior Accredited Road Safety Auditor and a Restricted Access Vehicle Route Assessor, he effectively uses safety design principles in his work and approaches projects with innovative thinking, informed by relevant Australian Standards and Design Guidelines.

Emma Herriman

Ordinary Member

Emma is a senior planning, infrastructure, regulatory and environmental lawyer. She has over 20 years’ legal experience in both the UK and Australia, acting for large and small-scale private and developer clients as well as energy providers, industrial operators, and local and State governments. She has significant experience in advising on planning applications, assessment, policy, processes, obligations, constraints, and decision-making across all use types, as well as negotiating supporting infrastructure agreements and deliverables, and leading reviews and appeals. In the environmental law space, she advises on contamination, assessments, voluntary arrangements, compliance and prosecution and risk. She is passionate about sustainable development and renewables, and her overall approach to work is strategic and commercial.

Kate Vugts

Ordinary Member

Kate is a Senior Civil Engineer with several years’ experience within the urban development industry. She has been responsible for delivering numerous developments for both private and government clients over her career. During this time, she has gained extensive experience within the urban development field, while also gaining experience working on civil infrastructure, road infrastructure and stormwater management projects. Kate has seen these projects through from concept master planning to detailed design and construction. She is a member of the UDIA and Stormwater SA and is a chartered professional engineer.

Melissa Mellen

Occasional Member

Melissa is a chartered professional engineer and the sole director of MFY Pty Ltd. She leads a team of specialist traffic engineers who consult to both private and government sectors on a wide variety of projects Australia wide. She is well recognised for her expertise in specialist traffic engineering matters and unique ability to achieve outcomes for complex puzzles. She has provided advice as an expert witness on a number of occasions and holds the position of Chair on two Boards. In 2010 Melissa was awarded the accolade SA Business Woman of the Year as part of the Telstra Business Women’s Award series and was the recipient of the National Commonwealth Bank of Australia Award for the Business Owner Category. Melissa is also a mum of three gorgeous girls.