Yass Valley Council Welcomes Two New Permanent Directors

Published on 21 October 2025

Yass Valley Council is pleased to announce two key leadership appointments to our executive team.

Firstly, we are delighted to welcome Andrew Neil as our new Director of Planning and Environment.

(Pictured right: Andrew Neil)

Andrew joins Yass Valley Council with twenty years of experience in statutory and strategic urban and regional planning across local and state government and the private sector.

A well-rounded and versatile planner, Andrew’s background spans work with the City of Sydney, Maitland City Council and Glen Innes Severn Council – covering a variety of council areas, from dense urban and high-growth regions to small rural communities – as well as senior state government and consultancy roles.

He brings valuable expertise in urban design, placemaking, active transport and sustainable development, and has led the preparation of key strategic planning documents including Land Use Strategies, Local Housing Strategies, Rural Lands Strategies, Rural and Aboriginal Heritage Studies, Planning Proposals and Developer Contributions Plans.

Welcome Andrew! 

Director of Corporate and Community

Council is also pleased to confirm that, following a competitive recruitment process, Peta Gardiner has been appointed as the permanent Director of Corporate and Community. Peta has been an integral part of Council’s leadership over the past six months, playing a key role in the IP&R policy reviews and using her corporate and governance experience to deliver the workplace organisational review and improve Council’s ways of working.

Together, these appointments mark an exciting new chapter for Yass Valley Council as we continue to plan for a sustainable future for our region.

Read their bios here.