MATTHEW Bell has joined the planning team at Smith Gore’s Darlington office.

He recently graduated from Northumbria University with an honours degree in Planning and Development Surveying after ten years working in the retail sector.

Mr Bell, who has enrolled on Smith Gore’s in-house training scheme to become a chartered surveyor, he said: “With the planning system going through its biggest change in decades I feel that this is an exciting time to be starting my new career. I am looking forward to becoming involved with all aspects of the varied planning projects that Smiths Gore deals with.”