John was the kindest, thoughtful and selfless cousin to know. He hadn’t a bad bone in his body. It was my privilege to know my dear cousin only in his later years but loved him dearly. xx

Marianne De’ath

I am deeply saddened to hear about John’s passing. I was privileged to meet him face to face and chat to him in his house after his cardiac arrest. He will always be in my heart, in my thoughts & in my prayers.

Nergiz Fradd

I have very happy memories of John’s positive and smiley attitudes to life, and solid support for the Town and Country Planning Association over so many decades as a fellow Trustee and Council member. John was a special person, and very generous with his time and energy.

David Lock

John was the best cousin anyone could have. In fact he was more like a brother & certainly a good friend from my childhood. He was always there when I needed help or advise. He embraced my extended family, even visiting my daughter when she moved to Canada. It has been a great privilege to have John as part of our lives. We will always love you dearly.
Jenny, Rodney, Christina, Stuart, Ollie & Joe, Suzanne, Philip, Roan, Aaron & Una.

Jenny Bird

I worked with John from 1970-74 when we were at the Countryside Commission at 1 Cambridge Gate overlooking Regents Park. The Commission was a new agency and had recruited an enthusiastic group of young and motivated people.
John worked on a landscape study of the proposed A66 new road across the northern part of the Lake District National Park. It set a standard for many other roads, and I always think of John as a drive along the road. I remember that John had a period as an Assistant Professor in USA.
In 1974 the Commission moved to Cheltenham. John stayed in the civil service in London, and I moved to Exmoor National Park. We saw each other at RTPI and TCPA events over the years.
John passionately believed that town planning can improve the lives of people. We still need passionate people like John to help to make a better world.

John Anfield

 John was a colleague and mentor when we were both working on European Planning in the civil service in the 1990s. He was a great diplomat and visionary, many times bringing together representatives-officials and politicians – to agree and adopt common ways forward on planning in respective countries. He was also a friend, full of wit and wisdom. I’ll miss him

Christabel Myers

I have very positive memories of John. We first met in 1976- 77 when he was head of international affairs at the DOE.
I was enquring on greater London policies, compared with Paris Région practices. After our first meeting many doors opened. Later I joined his team at OECD. I learned a lot ! I recall his fantastic ability to ease diplomatic frictions… On his advice , Élisabeth and Roger came over to visit me and we became the best friends in the world.!! Jean louis Husson

Jean Louis Husson

 I met John at our local bridge club. He was a clever and thoughtful player and an eloquent, witty and interesting partner. Our car journey home was always a joy and an education as John was always up to date on current affairs. John loved his family and proudly shared news of their achievements. He introduced us to his lovely wife, Elizabeth, and enjoyed live jazz at the local pub. Thank you, dear John, for the enrichment. May you rest in peace and your family enjoy many happy memories.

Sabina de Gaston-Cooper

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