Meet Our Team
Our team are nimble, creative, and thought leaders in our field.
We are strong advocates for high quality-built form and land developments, clearly understood planning controls and an efficient planning system.
Our team hold roles on the National Board and State Committees of the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA), Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA), Local Government Planners Association (LGPA) and more recently the Global Planning Network (GPN), giving us the platform to advocate for best practice across Australia.
Nicola Smith
Director
Bachelor of Arts (Urban & Regional Planning)
Masters of Communication
Grad Cert (Ecotourism & Sustainable Development)
Registered Planner (Fellow) of PIA
Nicola is the Founding Director of Niche Studio. She is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner with over twenty years’ experience in planning, design, consultation and land development in government and the private sector across Australia, with specific experience in Victoria, WA and Tasmania.
Tamara Vreeken
Director
Bachelor of Arts (Geography)
LGPA Committee Member (WA)
Full Member of PIA
Tamara leads our WA Office, bringing more than twenty years’ experience to her role. Having worked in both government and private consultancy, Tamara experience ranges across all aspects of town planning, with emphasis on activity centre planning, major development, cultural heritage, land acquisition and disposal and policy formation.
Matthew Buckmaster
Associate Director
Bachelor of Social Science Arts (Planning) (Honours)
Cert IV Landscape Design
Full Member of PIA
Matthew brings over sixteen years’ experience in local government planning, built form outcomes and statutory implementation to his projects at Niche Studio. An experienced and respected advocate at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Matthew has strong knowledge in residential, commercial, industrial and rural proposals.
Karen Liddell
Principal Planner/Designer
Graduate Diploma (Early Childhood Education)
Graduate Diploma (Urban & Regional Planning)
Bachelor of Arts (Urban & Regional Planning)
Registered Member of PIA
Karen is a qualified urban planner who brings a wealth of experience in the areas of urban renewal, built form guidelines, complex development applications and structure planning. Karen’s experience is built on over twenty years in the industry working in variety of roles including private consulting and local government, across Australia and overseas.
James Paull
Senior Associate
Bachelor Urban & Regional Planning (2014)
Full Member of PIA
James is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner working across both our WA and Victorian offices. James has more than ten years’ experience in state and local government, together with private consultancy focussing on strategic planning (particularly Precinct Structure Planning and structure planning) community engagement, subdivision approvals and policy review.
Naomi Beck
Associate
Master of Urban Planning & Environment (2018)
Bachelor of Arts (Art Histroy) (2015)
Full Member of PIA
Naomi manages a team of planners and consultants in the provision of specialised planning and community engagement advice. Naomi’s particular focus includes integration of environmentally sustainable and community driven outcomes in planning, with a keen interest in regional areas, where she has contributed to a number of strategic, statutory, urban design and community consultation projects.
Joshua O’Connor
Senior Planner
Bachelor of Design (Architecture) (2011)
Postgraduate Diploma in Built Environments (2015)
Master of Urban Planning (2016)
Certificate in Planning for Bushfire Prone Areas (2018)
Member of PIA
Josh is a skilled, well-organized, and flexible urban planning professional of 7+ years’ experience with a background in land use, statutory and strategic planning, and project management. Having worked in both the public and private sectors, his interests and capabilities involve offering creative foresight, guidance, and problem-solving within planning frameworks spanning rural, regional, and urban areas of Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, and New South Wales.
Nivedita Ravindran
Senior Urban Designer
Master of Urban Design (2020)
Bachelor of Architecture (2018)
Member (Associate) of PIA
Registered Architect at the Council of Architecture, India COA
Nivedita is a qualified architect and urban designer with a passion for creating spaces informed by lived experience, legacy, and community. Nived has more than five years’ experience in the built environment and currently heads a varied portfolio of projects ranging from Structure Planning to detailed design, across Australia.
James Petts
Urban Planner
Master Sustainable Environments and Planning (2018)
Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (2012)
Australian Army (Reservist)
Member (Associate) of PIA
James is a certified urban and regional planner and industrial designer with five years experience working in a variety of planning and design roles in the public and private sectors in Queensland and Victoria. He currently specialises on built form outcomes and public realm solutions across projects undertaken at Niche Studio.
Joyce Chung
Urban Planner
Bachelor of Design (Urban Planning) (2021)
Member (Graduate) of PIA
Joyce is a motivated Town Planner with strong communication and time management skills. With more than three years experience in state, local and private planning, she is passionate about creating diverse and socially cohesive communities in emerging towns and metropolitan urban renewal.
Amy Longva
Urban Planner
Masters in Urban Planning and Environment
Bachelor of Science (Botany/Genetics), Hons.
Bachelor of Agriculture (Plant Science), Hons.
Member (Graduate) of PIA
Amy is an urban planner with a diverse career background and passion for systems design. With experience in environmental consulting, public health and planning, she believes in holistic development of communities and places.
Erin Hautea
Student Planner
Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning, Hons. (2023)
Member (Student) of PIA
Erin is a motivated final-year Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning Honours student at RMIT. Erin has a strong interest in community engagement and social planning within the urban growth area.
Aisling O’Connor Buckley
Office Manager
Bachelor of Marketing and Bachelor of Media Communication (Public Relations) (2024)
Aisling is a highly valued member at Niche Studio, running all administrative and marketing operations across all offices. Seperately, she is currently completing a double degree in Marketing and Media Communication at Monash University.
Nicola Smith
Director
Bachelor of Arts (Urban and Regional Planning)
Masters of Communication
Grad Cert (Ecotourism & Sustainable Development)
Registered Planner (Fellow) of PIA
Nicola is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner with over seventeen years of experience in a wide range of planning and development roles in government and the private sector across Australia.
This breadth of planning and design experience has provided Nicola with an excellent background in coordinating the statutory implementation of major projects, including scheme amendments, structure planning, plans of subdivision and planning permits. Her diverse experience has recently resulted in her appointment as member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee to review the Victorian State Planning Policy Framework.
Nicola has an excellent understanding of all facets of the land and development process with significant experience in project management and land development through her previous role as Development Manager with Peet Limited, Victoria.
Nicola’s commitment to the planning profession is evidenced by her continual involvement in the Planning Institute of Australia for the past fifteen years. She has previously held the role of the Victoria Division of the Planning Institute of Australia.
Nicola has an excellent understanding of all facets of the land and development process with significant experience in project management and land development through her previous role as Development Manager with Peet Limited, Victoria.
Nicola’s commitment to the planning profession is evidenced by her continual involvement in the Planning Institute of Australia for the past fifteen years. She has previously held the role of the Victoria Division of the Planning Institute of Australia.
Matthew Buckmaster
Associate Director
Bachelor of Social Science Arts (Planning) (Honours)
Cert IV Landscape Design
Full Member of PIA
Matthew is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner with over 16 years experience in a wide range of planning and development roles in government and the private sector across Victoria.
After more than a decade working local government, Matthew established his own planning firm, and four years later joined the team at Niche Studio as Associate Director.
Matthew is experienced in motivating teams and providing mentoring to colleagues to improve their capabilities to drive positive outcomes. He believes that excellent communication, emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills, and his ability to deal professionally with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, are some of his greatest strengths.
An experienced advocate at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Matthew has represented both Council and permit applicants in a variety of land use and development applications, ranging from residential developments to rural and commercial proposals.
Tamara Vreeken
Director
Bachelor of Arts (Geography)
LPGA Committee Member (WA)
Full Member of PIA
Tamara is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner with twenty years’ experience in a wide range of planning and development roles in government and the private sector across Australia, with specific experience in Western Australia.
Tamara’s experience ranges across all aspects of town planning, with emphasis on activity centre planning, major development, cultural heritage, land acquisition and disposal and policy formation.
Tamara’s positive attitude, combined with strong communication and organisational skills, provides her with the ability to develop good rapport with clients and approval agencies to ensure positive outcomes are achieved.
Tamara has an excellent understanding of all facets of the land development process in Perth with significant experience in land acquisition and disposal through her previous role as Special Projects Officer at the City of Rockingham.
Tamara also supports the broader development community, holding the role of sub-committee member on the Tranby College Board. She was also recently reappointed onto the Local Government Planner’s Association Committee (previous term 2008-2010).
James Paull
Senior Associate
Bachelor Urban & Regional Planning (2014)
Full Member of PIA
James is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner with over ten years’ experience in a wide range of planning roles in government and the private sector across Australia.
James has an excellent understanding of planning matters, with a specific focus on statutory and strategic planning. This is reinforced by a strong work ethic and dedication to excellence that ensures his work is of the highest standard.
James’ skills cover a variety of subjects including strategic planning (particularly Precinct Structure Planning and structure planning) community engagement, statutory planning, subdivision approvals, and policy review along with well-developed research skills. This ability is reinforced by extensive training in both state government, local government and private practice within Victoria and WA.
His work background has provided him with a depth of understanding and practical application in both statutory and strategic planning processes. He is experienced in a diverse variety of planning matters, ranging from rural land uses to precinct structure planning process and multi-unit developments.
As a PIA Member, he is committed to developing and increasing his skill set, with aims to broaden his experience as a Planner.
James Petts
Urban Planner
Master Sustainable Environments and Planning (2018)
Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design) (2012)
Australian Army (Reservist)
Member (Associate) of PIA
James is a qualified urban and regional planner and industrial designer with five years of experience working in a variety of planning and design roles in the public and private sectors in Queensland and Victoria. As a result of his experience working in local councils in both urban and rural areas, James has developed the abilities necessary to address community needs when circumstances need thinking outside the planning discipline. He is dedicated to growing as a PIA Member and expanding his skill set in order to expand his expertise as a Planner.
He is especially interested in how population, design, and planning intersect with sustainability and the environment to provide practical results that can enhance both community life and, more significantly, the lives of the individual.
His main areas of focus within planning and design convergence is on the public realm and the demands of pedestrians. He has developed the capacity to think extensively and precisely about the design of places that will improve people’s lives as a result of his work in a variety of professions. This is accomplished through a grasp of materiality, manufacturing and design, and wayfinding.
James is an active member of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) as an army reservist in his spare time. He has passed through army basic training courses and been involved in a number of exercises, including aiding in the Army’s response to the Victorian Bushfire Crises 19/20 and the COVID ASSIST 20.
Joyce Chung
Urban Planner
Bachelor of Design (Urban Planning) (2021)
Member (Graduate) of the PIA
Joyce is a motivated Urban Planning graduate with strong communication and time management skills. She is passionate about creating diverse and socially cohesive communities in emerging towns and metropolitan urban renewal. As a young person of colour, she hopes she can engage with and assist people from various backgrounds through her urban planning endeavours.
Joyce’s extensive background working in customer service and securing a student placement at the VPA, all whilst balancing full-time tertiary studies, has established her ability to manage tasks to achieve set objectives. Joyce has gained valuable experience at Local and State Government, as well as assisting senior planners at Niche Studio.
Her interest in Geographical Information Systems and conveying data graphically stems from her minor in Spatial Systems, allowing her to create a wide range of maps for spatial analysis for presentation to stakeholders. Joyce is organised, has excellent interpersonal skills and pays close attention to detail. She prides herself on producing immaculate and high-quality outcomes.
Naomi Beck
Associate
Master of Urban Planning & Environment (2018)
Bachelor of Arts (Art History) (2015)
Full Member of PIA
Naomi is committed to addressing issues stemming from climate change and social justice and isolation through her work.
Naomi has worked both in the public and private sector in diverse projects including the project management and building of a mud brick home through to assisting Councils with planning assessment overflow (both regional and metro), regional and metro infill development applications, Precinct Plan subdivision applications as well as community engagement projects.
Naomi has excellent communication and effective time management skills, a good sense of team commitment and is capable of working under pressure to a consistently high standard. She has a strong understanding of Victorian Planning Schemes and their application within a built form and subdivision context.
Naomi is a Co-Founder of Planners Declare and currently holds the role of sustainability lead at Niche Planning Studio. This role has involved the preparation of an Environmental Management Program, implementation of a number of sustainability improvements to the Niche office and management, as well as running training sessions for the team.
In 2018 she was awarded the Victorian Planning Institute of Australia Award for her work on the City of Whittlesea Community Environmental Park Feasibility Study.
Nivedita Ravindran
Senior Urban Designer
Master of Urban Design (2020)
Bachelor of Architecture (2018)
Member (Associate) of the PIA
Registered Architect at the Council of Architecture, India
Nivedita is a qualified architect and urban designer with a passion for creating spaces whose design quality is informed by lived experience, legacy, and community. She also has a keen interest in the real world applications of the Planning System and understands that the two professions of design and planning go hand-in-hand. As a recent graduate from the University of Melbourne, Nivedita endeauvors to gain experience in a wide variety of disciplines. She has previously gained employment in architecture, interior design and brand development.
Nivedita’s core passion and talents lie in interpersonal communication and converting ideas into design outputs through technical and hand drawing skills. Her postgraduate thesis focuses on healthy transitional spaces in the post COVID world. Nivedita is a staunch advocate of the fact that even the smallest of changes can make huge impacts if implemented in the right way.
Karen Liddell
Principal
Graduate Diploma (Early Childhood Education) (2017)
Graduate Diploma (Urban & Regional Planning) (1998)
Bachelor Arts (Urban & Regional Planning) (1994)
Registered Member PIA
Karen is a qualified Urban and Regional Planner with over twenty years of experience in a wide range of planning and development roles in government and the private sector across Australian and internationally, with specific experience in Western Australia.
Karen’s experience ranges across all aspects of town planning and urban design, with an emphasis on inner city urban renewal projects, design guidelines, statutory and strategic planning and policy formulation.
Karen’s focus lies in working in a collaborative setting to achieve positive outcomes for clients. This is achieved through her strong communication skills and excellent rapport with clients, consultants and approval agencies.
Having worked in numerous locations, Karen is skilled in being able to adapt to and understand the local planning framework, resulting in a diverse depth of knowledge and understanding of the land development industry that can be applied to a variety of projects.
Joshua O’Connor
Senior Planner
Bachelor of Design (Architecture) (2011)
Postgraduate Diploma in Built Environments (2015)
Master of Urban Planning (2016)
Certificate in Planning for Bushfire Prone Areas (2018)
Member of PIA
Josh is a seasoned senior town planner with over 7+ years of experience. With a strong background in project management, Josh has adeptly handled planning applications from the initial Development Application (DA) stage through to planning appeals, providing expert advice and evidence in addition to working across extensive planning scheme amendments in the ACT, Tasmania and Victoria.
Josh’s professional portfolio boasts a diverse array of significant projects across Australia, encompassing the management of planning applications and provision of ongoing advisory for projects across transport infrastructure, renewable energy (including solar and wind initiatives), greenfield and infill residential development, industrial complexes, rural and commercial developments. His adeptness extends beyond mere project execution, as he continues to foster robust and enduring collaborations with stakeholders including various levels of government, regulatory bodies, and consultancy firms within the development, real estate and built environment space.
Josh’s expertise and proven track record continue to underscore his role as one of Niche Studio’s newest town planners. With exceptional skills in communication and negotiation, proficiency in project management, adeptness in navigating intricate planning processes and keen ability to cultivate productive relationships with stakeholders, Josh thrives where he’s able to deliver successful outcomes on complex urban and regional development projects.
Amy Longva
Urban Planner
Masters in Urban Planning and Environment
Bachelor of Science (Botany/Genetics), Hons.
Bachelor of Agriculture (Plant Science), Hons.
Member (Graduate) PIA
Amy has recently completed her Masters of Urban Planning and Environment at RMIT, with a final GPA of 3.9. Her interest in Urban Planning stems from her background in botany and life sciences and the way biodiversity in urban areas is represented. She focused on sustainability and community throughout her masters degree. Her final research project was investigating the interactions between biodiversity, microbiomes of urban residents, public health and strategic planning responses.
Amy began her career as a botanist, working extensively in the field, and continued into a role in a clinical genetics laboratory. Both of these roles required a focus on detail, and a capability for managing multiple projects with demanding timeframes. At Niche, Amy is assisting Seniors with all flavours of planning projects and utilising her love of learning to her advantage.
Amy is keenly interested in environmental, social and corporate governance frameworks and approaches. She has taken the lead in championing and developing various initiatives at her workplaces, at both AGRF and Niche Studio, that seek to recognise and empower our First Nations peoples. At Niche Studio, Amy has been co-ordinating the drafting of our Reconciliation Action Plan.
With her passion for community work, Amy combines baking with charity and is the Secretary of the Australian branch of the Cookie Brigade, an organisation dedicated to improving the well-being of children in hospital and domestic violence shelters by providing video and board games. She has facilitated the raising of $90,000 to date, demonstrating her project management skills through the co-ordination of a team of volunteers.
Erin Hautea
Student Planner
Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning, Hons. (2023)
Member (Student) of PIA
Erin is a motivated and passionate final-year Urban and Regional Planning Honours student at RMIT, committing to an infrastructure thesis topic on the gaps in provision and state-to-national benchmarks. She offers thoroughness, reliability and professionalism in her work and constantly aims for a reputation of reliability and diligence.
Growing up and moving across marginalised and under-resourced communities, her interests focus on planning and community engagement within a diverse and dynamic organisation. Erin exhibits strong communication skills established in professional employment, community engagement, and a well-ranged voluntary experience.
With her passion for leading and making meaningful contributions to her community, she actively engages with various societies and organisations, such as the RMIT Urban Planning Society and RMIT Student Union. Additionally, she is a selected peer mentor and serves as a member of the Student-Staff Consultative Committee, contributing to curriculum development and representing her peers. She served as a Community Leader at Brimbank City Council and Melton City Council, participating in youth-focused initiatives and providing valuable insights on community-related issues. She also contributed as a Plenary Session Assistant at the National Housing Conference (2022), assisting with the execution of sessions and ensuring a smooth attendee experience.
Erin is solution-focused, modelling herself as a professional exemplar to others with core values of collaboration and openness, translating her skills and efforts into tangible results to support your team and vision.
Aisling O’Connor Buckley
Office Manager
Bachelor of Marketing and Bachelor of Media Communication (Public Relations) (2024)
Aisling is a highly valued team member at Niche Studio having held the role of Office/Marketing Manager since 2022. Separately, she is completing a double degree in Marketing and Media Communications, majoring in Public Relations, at Monash University.
In her current role at Niche, she drives the marketing strategy, creating promotional material regarding staff, projects, and the general planning landscape. Promotional material includes graphics, posters, brochures, and captions which have been promoted across LinkedIn, Instagram, the company’s website, and at Council events. These marketing strategies have not only improved Niche’s online presence but have also increase engagement with clients, and stakeholders such as councils and industry bodies.
Further reflecting her ongoing commitment and drive, throughout her studies, she worked as Events Director and Social Media Officer for the Monash Marketing Students’ Society (MMSS). In these roles she curated and ran events for the marketing student body within Melbourne, with over 1,000 students in attendance across four events. In this role she collaborated with the publications and communications teams to produce event promotion campaigns across social media, physical marketing activations on campus, and EDM content.