James Burton has been with HH for just over 3 Years. He kicked off his HH career in the Melbourne office after working for the esteemed City of Melbourne and quickly became a very safe pair of hands for our clients.

He is our internationally acclaimed planning celebrity, the only TV Star in our office as far as we know.

James moved back to his hometown of Brisbane earlier this year and has played an inaugural role in setting up our Brisbane office under the Direction of Will Pearce. James is thriving in Bris-Vegas and thrilled to be back in his hometown where we he can support our clients’ projects and shape Queensland in the lead up to the 2032 Olympic games.

James, can you give us a little background as to your beginnings? What was your first ever job?

I had a couple of odd jobs at the end of high school until I found my feet as a delivery driver at a restaurant in Brisbane called Vespa Pizza. To this day I still I own a Vespa – they’re a great way to get around town!

How did you start your career as a Town Planner?

I started out on the Gold Coast, working for a building certifier advising on compliance and obtaining small scale approvals.

Things got a bit more interesting when I moved to London and worked in planning enforcement. It was an eye-opening role for a boy from Brisbane – amid the dodgy renovations, there was lots of over-crowding and strange building conversions. The highlight was being able to feature on a day-time TV show (BBC’s Housing Enforcers) which was a fun experience!

What was it that first drew you to private consultancy and has since kept you so focused?

Consultancy works for me because I’ve always been interested in cities, and I love finding solutions to complex problems. Although I enjoyed my time in local government, I prefer the faster pace of consultancy and generally find the outcomes more rewarding.

At HH in particular, it’s great to be part of a team that has a lot of energy, with leaders that empower the team to take on challenges.

Do you have a favourite project?

Yes. That would be a project called Royal Wharf, that I worked on during my time in London. At the time, it was the largest construction site in the UK.

It was a staged development made up of 3385 new homes (I still remember the exact number) and it also included a school, and a range of commercial uses. The pace of construction was amazing, every time I visited something had changed – It will be great to go back one day.

What has been one of your best achievements over the last year?

My partner and I bought our first house in the last year, which was massive for us. It’s great to get on the property ladder, and I’m enjoying the added responsibility of home ownership.

How about giving us your greatest life achievement to date.

Wow – that’s a really hard question! It might sound boring but I’ll say getting through Melbourne’s lockdown. It was a really challenging time for a lot of people, but there’s a lot to be proud of about the way Melburnians dealt with it.

Favourite Album….ever…?

I’ll go with Wolfgang Amadeus Pheonix, by Phoenix. It’s great from start to finish and takes me back to those first few years out of school.

Favourite building in Melbourne?

Does the MCG count? Hard to beat in terms of atmosphere and for the good memories.

Favourite open space in Brisbane?

St Lucia Golf Course… It’s a public course so I think it counts. Otherwise its hard to beat New Farm Park.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs

Holiday destination for 2023

Tasmania – I’ve never been!

Last stamp in your passport?

Singapore – awesome place to visit for a planning nerd!

What superpower would you choose if you could?

Probably flight – it would be great to never have to sit in traffic.

Last one for the fans… Beach or Snow?

Beach – I must have terrible balance because I can’t ski or snowboard to save myself.