Stuart MacDonald

Director of Research and Operations

As Director of Research and Operations, Stuart leads on all of CLES’s research work and the strategic operations of the organisation. His interests in planning and urban development brings a CLES voice to debates in physical planning to deliver fairer, more prosperous places.


Stuart joined the organisation in January 2017. We asked him, ‘why did you choose CLES?’.

‘Planning has a key role to play in delivering widely shared economic, social and environmental goals, however continual reform has failed to deliver for all places. The ‘presumption in favour’ has clearly favoured some areas at the expense of others and national planning reforms have broken any remaining links between planning and social justice as an outcome. CLES’ focus on community wealth generation and position as a small but independent and influential public policy think tank will enable me to apply CLES’ values of equality and fairness to planning.’

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