ellipsis

About us

 

Ellipsis town planning consultants is operated by Managing Director and Principal Planner, Phil Smith.

 

Phil established ellipsis in 2022 after over 30 years professional planning experience in municipal government, local government and consulting organisations in Toronto, Melbourne, Horsham and Adelaide.

 

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Phil worked for the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in the Planning Department before re-commencing his planning career in Australia. A member of the Planning Institute of Australia, Phil has worked for planning consultants, rural and urban levels of government on various projects from dwellings additions to complex infill development, large commercial proposals and industrial projects, to name a few. 

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Phil enjoys working with clients and the various development disciplines and knows how important it is to balance the needs of clients with community interests, and in doing so, can quickly communicate and create short and long term, win-win solutions. He has provided expert testimony in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and the Environment, Resources and Development (ERD) Court and has considerable experience in representing both applicants and councils.

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In his personal life, Phil is married with two teenage children, a passionate advocate for all things autism and author of '19 Ways to Attack and Defeat Autism Stress'.

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Phil's Background

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Phil has worked in cities and rural settings, as a council officer and as a consultant. Here is a brief glimpse into his background:

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• Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto​

• Manningham City Council (Metropolitan Melbourne)​

• Urban Edge Consultants (Metropolitan Melbourne)​

• Horsham Rural City Council (Rural Victoria)​

• City of Charles Sturt (Metropolitan Adelaide)​

• City of West Torrens (Metropolitan Adelaide)

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