Prior + Partners

What data and evidence is needed to plan strategically and effect real change in your area? The work of the Strategic Planning Group continues into 2025, pressing onward with topic-led sessions. In the year that the government embarks on significant legislative changes to enable the delivery of Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs), discussions with the Group have continued to highlight the critical role of new Strategic Authorities in setting clear spatial priorities to support the delivery of high-quality homes, sustainable infrastructure, regeneration, and high-quality skills and jobs. Our third topic-led session focused on ‘Exploring the Evidence Base,’ with discussions emphasizing the importance of robust and integrated data in shaping effective, long-term SDSs. Key priorities emerging from this workshop included: > Using evidence to test visions and strategic ambitions to deliver SDSs that are justified, reasonable, and effective; > Cross-cutting evidence that efficiently and effectively "slots into" the Local Plan process, ensuring consistency and securing buy-in from stakeholders across SDS geographies; > Synthesis of place-based evidence that distinguishes the truly strategic from the local, balancing evidence that informs immediate priorities with evidence that inspires vision and future drivers for growth; > Driving efficiency, insight, and transparency from data, with a renewed focus on digital planning and a systematic approach to updating plans. We’d like to hear your thoughts below – how would you design an effective strategic planning evidence base to drive real change in your area? Learn more about the Strategic Planning Group and its topic-led sessions here: https://lnkd.in/e2T437Hx

How will your area's Spatial Development Strategy deliver a step change in ambition? Strategic planning is making a comeback in England with the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the English Devolution White Paper. These spotlight the need for co-ordinated planning across local authority boundaries, empowering new "Strategic Authorities" with responsibilities including spatial planning, economic development, skills & employment and regeneration.   Last week, the Strategic Planning Group held its second topic-led session. This workshop explored how can we best set vision and ambition at a strategic scale.   Developing future SDSs will be a journey shaped by diverse voices, drawing consensus through constructive dialogue and positive debate. Key points from discussion at Session 2 included:   > Resilient visions: SDSs need a bold vision that transcends political cycles. A vision that delivers clarity and confidence, guiding investment in infrastructure and delivering good growth; > Delivery focussed: SDSs must translate ambition into a clear, actionable spatial framework; > Effective communication: Clear place specific spatial diagrams should illustrate the vision of an SDS; > Collective energy: Building cross-party and cross-sector commitment should be a key focus for SDS visions.   Your turn – how can SDSs drive ambitious change in your area? Share your thoughts below.   Learn more about the group and its workshops: https://shorturl.at/bboKX

Could a new generation of Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) that promote a joined-up approach to growth and development across England deliver benefits for both people and the planet? Last week, the Strategic Planning Group held the first of five initial topic-led sessions. This inaugural workshop session sought to define the purpose and objectives of strategic planning, generating rich discussion. A clear emerging focus was the importance of communicating the value of larger-than-local plans to all stakeholders, including public sector organisations, the development and investor community, and the public. Key areas of consensus around the purpose and objective of strategic plans included the requirement to: > Inspire the public and stakeholders, and centre ambition around the benefits of well-planned development by promoting good growth in the right locations. They should demonstrate a clear rationale for the scale, location, and distribution of growth; > Integrate ambitions from other key national, sub-regional and local documents – such as the National Industrial Strategy and local growth plans, National Infrastructure Assessment, and Local Nature Recovery Strategies – to align priorities to support growth, major projects and investments over the long term; > Encourage investment and long-term commitments to support good placemaking, boosting investor confidence and enabling sustainable growth. Through this exploration, we also began to tease out effective routes forward, including considerations around scope, evidence requirements, and engagement strategies. These themes will be explored further in workshop session #2: Setting Vision and Ambition at a Sub-Regional Scale. In bringing together our findings, the Strategic Planning Group is also keen to hear from the wider professional community, so please do share your thoughts below on our latest topic of conversation. Chaired by independent consultant Catriona Riddell and founded by Prior + Partners, the Strategic Planning Group aims to lay the groundwork for future strategic plans. It brings together a diverse mix of planning professionals, including local authorities, academics and other experts. While not formally part of the group, officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG Digital) and the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) are attending key sessions to share progress, hear from the group and engage in the discussions. To find out more about the Strategic Planning Group and follow our programme of workshops over the next few months, visit our website: https://shorturl.at/gKdVQ

A significant milestone towards re-establishing #strategicplanning in England took place last week with the launch of the Strategic Planning Group at London’s Royal Society Of Arts. Chaired by independent consultant Catriona Riddell and founded by Prior + Partners, the group is represented by a diverse mix of planning professionals, local authorities, academics and technical experts. At its core, the group’s purpose is to reinvigorate and help shape England’s approach to strategic planning, developing frameworks that enable sub-regions to work together on growth priorities that are beyond the reach of localised plans. The initiative addresses a crucial need: without a strategic, sub-regional approach, England’s communities’ risk fragmented development and inefficiencies that impact housing, transport, and access to resources, and ultimately the health of both people and planet. Spatial Development Strategies will serve as guiding frameworks that facilitate coordinated, evidence-driven decision-making and secure the long-term economic, social and environmental resilience of the country’s urban and rural areas. Initially, the group’s ambitions are being explored through a series of five in-depth sessions designed to lay the groundwork for future strategic plans. Each session will bring together leading voices and stakeholders to tackle critical aspects of strategic planning, with members including: Andrew Carter, Mark Dickens, Paul Frainer, James Harris, Hannah Hickman, Bev Hindle, Alexandra Notay, Vicky Payne, Zack Simons, Peter Studdert, Judith Sykes FREng, Graham Thomas BSc (Hons), MRTPI, DMS (Dist), Anna Rose, Simon Ricketts, Pooja Agrawal, Andrew Wood, Laura Wood, Richard Wood and Alex Yendole. While not formally part of the group, officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) will attend key sessions to share progress, hear from the group and engage in the discussions. Following this initial period of work by the Strategic Planning Group, a publication will be released which summarises the key points of discussion and provides focused recommendations for a new era of Spatial Development Strategies. To find out more about the Strategic Planning Group and our programme of workshops over the next few months, visit our website: https://lnkd.in/e3EEcEnZ

Last night Prior + Partners was honoured by the Royal Town Planning Institute, who crowned us as the winners for two categories at their Awards for Planning Excellence 2024. Now in their 47th year, the awards programme showcases and celebrates the very best plans, people and projects, and highlights the positive contribution planning professionals make in communities around the world. Prior + Partners award for Planning Consultancy of the Year recognises the significant work our team have achieved in six years of practice. In this short time, we have worked on transformational urban regeneration and new community projects across the UK and globe, from the scale of city and region, to town, street and block. Our clients benefit from our integrated multi-disciplinary offer which comprises planners (including RTPI and RICS accredited), economists, masterplanners, urban designers, landscape architects and engagement specialists. Of rapidly increasing significance to our work is spatial data and analytics, with our in-house team of data scientists developing innovative tools that bring clarity and understanding to our clients’ complex problems and enriching our solutions to these. Another particular success over the past six years has been developing deep expertise around strategic spatial planning, skills we are enthused to soon deploy across a reformed planning agenda in England – but that we have been fortunate to continually practice across the world. This includes leading the Thimphu Structure Plan 2023, which received last night’s International Award for Planning Excellence. Thimphu is the capital and largest city of Bhutan, a landlocked Buddhist kingdom located in the Himalaya Mountains. Our recently adopted Thimphu Structure Plan articulates the future vision for the City through a regenerative framework, limiting further land conversion and promoting revitalisation within existing boundaries to ensure the environment is protected for future generations. In developing the Thimphu Structure Plan, we worked arm in arm with our client, the Ministry of Infrastructure & Transport, Royal Government of Bhutan and thimphu thromde municipality, and led an inter-disciplinary consultant team including Arup and Gerald Eve, with specialist advice from Peter Studdert, feedback from an International Advisory Panel including chair Jonathan F.P. Rose, and experts such as Dame Alison Nimmo DBE and Janette Sadik-Khan, along with guidance from Kate Raworth and the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL). Thank you to the RTPI for these honours and congratulations to all the Prior + Partners team, as well as our clients and collaborators, who have been part of our journey – we are looking forward to 2025 and beyond. #rtpiawards

How do you unlock the potential of your place? With the recent political shifts and emerging reform across the UK, many of us are thinking about how we best approach this question; Prior + Partners think collaboration, constructive challenge and the sharing of big ideas are essential to this. We are engaging with local authorities, landowners or institutions who are driven to create better place futures. Through hosting a workshop (without obligation), our team of urban designers, planners, economists and data scientists will help you critically engage with the social, environmental, economic and infrastructure challenges unique to your place. Whether at a strategic regional, city or town wide scale, or aligned to large and complex development opportunities, Prior + Partners bring expertise in shaping long-term, ambitious visions for place. In turn, these clear and committed visions are the foundation for collaborative working across a range of stakeholders, encouraging investment and helping drive successful delivery well into the future. Our workshop offer will also benefit from Prior + Partners latest research into health, and how it's influenced by where we live – this research includes a publication with the Quality of Life Foundation for the Local Government Association, which was recently commended as part of the Healthy City Design Awards. To register your interest, please contact Simon Mattinson MRTPI or Elise Baudon, or email placefutures@priorpartners.com More about our offer and relevant expertise can be found on our website: https://shorturl.at/0iOJS

Following the continued growth and development of the practice, Prior + Partners announce two senior promotions. Claire Perrott has been promoted to Masterplanning Director and brings a 25+ year track record in UK masterplanning, regeneration and urban design, with expertise in developing clear strategic visions with robust delivery approaches to support implementation. Her portfolio includes estate regeneration and town centre strategies, such as the development framework for Newquay in Cornwall, to city-scale transformation including Prior + Partner’s recent work in London for Ealing’s Regional Park. Currently, Claire is providing masterplanning leadership for the Southampton Renaissance, a major project which is bringing together the practice’s urban design, planning and place economics expertise to shape the future of this vibrant and dynamic port city. Alongside her track record of urban regeneration projects, Claire has also led major new town proposals, including West of Ifield for Homes England, Aylesbury Garden Town, Tendring Colchester Borders, and most recently a new 4000 home garden community in Hertfordshire. She is a chartered architect and sits on the Design South East expert design review panel. Taking the position of Masterplanning Associate Director is Pablo Guijarro Eguinoa, an urban designer and registered architect in the UK (ARB/RIBA) and Spain (COAM). Having recently graduated from the Future of London Leaders programme, Pablo brings experience across scales and geographies. He has worked on UK-based projects which include infrastructure-related masterplanning and city-scale strategies, such as in Southampton where he is collaborating closely alongside Claire to bring forward an overarching vision for the City Centre alongside area frameworks and associated delivery strategies. Internationally, Pablo has been instrumental to Prior + Partners work at AlUla in Saudi Arabia, where he was involved in setting out the long-term vision and principles which form the basis for the ongoing development of the region. He has led detailed masterplanning of districts within the county, interfacing with diverse stakeholders and focusing on delivery and implementation of specific sites on the ground. Congratulations to our colleagues on these well-deserved promotions. To find out more, please visit our website - https://shorturl.at/Do0mh

Prior + Partners welcomes Amer Mneimneh as our Regional Managing Director for the Middle East and North Africa. Effective from 1st of September 2024, Amer will be based in the Middle East and brings to the role 24 of years’ experience as an Architect, Strategic Planner and Urban Development Specialist. The appointment reflects Prior + Partners’ continued commitment and investment towards servicing our projects and clients across the MENA region, as well as fostering local talent development. It also coincides with the practice’s recent The King's Awards for Enterprise for International Trade, an honour which celebrates our growing portfolio of work across the globe. This includes the masterplan and economic strategy for a major large-scale industrial site in Abu Dhabi, along with urban growth and regeneration schemes across the wider region including for The Royal Commission for AlUla in the articulation and implementation of their strategic vision, regional development framework, and detailed masterplans. This commission was recently recognised by UK Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds MP in his statement to Arab News on the UK's economic growth plans and its relationship to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prior to joining our team, Amer secured numerous achievements and awards, and held key leadership roles including a decade as Vice President of the Urbanism and Planning team and the Operations Lead for both the Urbanism and Planning and the Architecture practice lines at AECOM ME. Jason Prior, CEO of Prior + Partner comments: “With a career focused on understanding socioeconomics and delivering multi-disciplinary development plans across Europe, Middle East and North Africa, Amer understands what truly drives cities and communities to grow successfully and sustainably – this aligns perfectly with the founding purpose of Prior + Partners, which was set up in 2017.’’ Amer adds: “I am thrilled to lead Prior + Partner’s continued growth in the MENA region, and we are eager to harness and contribute to its growing cultural landscape. Since my initial collaboration with Jason on transformative global projects at EDAW in 2007, which marked the beginning of a career-defining journey, our professional synergy seamlessly extended into our subsequent tenure at AECOM. This partnership culminated in the successful design and execution of the prestigious Dubai Expo 2020 Masterplan. Given the depth of our shared experience, it now seems both natural and imperative that we reunite—not merely to serve clients and deliver outstanding projects, but also to lay the foundation for regional growth, fostering a purposeful and impactful practice.’’ In carrying out his role, Amer will also work closely alongside co-Managing Directors Graham Goymour and Elise Baudon, who will continue to oversee the practice's presence in the UK and other countries across the globe. To find out more, please visit our website - https://shorturl.at/EsZIw

Prior + Partners is proud to announce publication of ‘Empowering Healthy Places: Unveiling the powers and practices of local councils in fostering healthy neighbourhoods’ for the Local Government Association. The guide, which Prior + Partners developed alongside the Quality of Life Foundation, explores powers spanning planning, public health and environmental health, and sets out a series of recommendations for both local government and national government on how to improve local health and wellbeing outcomes. This includes four case studies, exploring how councils are currently working to create healthy neighbourhoods in different ways. It seeks to build upon work such as the LGA and Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA)’s Developing Healthy Places report from 2018 which sets out how councils can work with developers to deliver healthy places. Shaun Andrews, Director at Prior + Partners, comments: "As we seek to realign planning with public health, restoring its original purpose, this guide seeks to unlock the power of planning to create health and wellbeing through excellent place shaping. Healthy places can in turn unlock productivity and boost economic growth so I hope that the guide will prove valuable for local authorities seeking to empower healthy and prosperous places. It provides clarity on the mechanisms available to councils and the case studies included demonstrate real-world applications of these principles, making the guide both practical and inspirational." Our work for the LGA is Prior + Partners latest commission where health, and how it’s influenced by where we live, is brought to the fore. As a placemaking practice comprising urban designers, planners, economists and data scientists, we continue to deepen our understanding of shaping healthy places through evidence gathering and its spatialisation, developing locally specific principles and, fundamentally, successful application, with our portfolio spanning from research to practice, both in the UK and internationally. To access the guide as well as find out more about how Prior + Partners is creating health through planning and design across the UK and internationally, visit our article - Applied Healthy Placemaking - on our website: https://lnkd.in/eEFGthER #AppliedHealthyPlaces #HealthyPlaces #CommunityWellbeing #PublicHealth #LocalGovernment

The regeneration plans for #SmithfieldBirmingham have been unanimously approved by the city council’s Planning Committee. The proposals will transform the predominantly vacant 17-hectare site into a new urban quarter, expanding the city centre and unlocking economic and social opportunities for the communities living and working there. At the helm of this significant opportunity is the major landowner Birmingham City Council in a joint-venture partnership with Lendlease. Working closely alongside this client group since the project’s beginnings in 2018, Prior + Partners has worked as masterplanners to develop the urban framework, and led a wider team of architects, landscape architects, artists and other specialists to bring together designs that establish a cohesive and distinctive place that reflects the area’s rich history. The delivery of 3,000 new homes will create major economic opportunities, including 9,000 new jobs. These residences will sit alongside new cultural and leisure attractions, as well as space for start-ups, small business, and entrepreneurs. Birmingham’s historic Bull Ring Markets remain at the heart of these plans, rehomed in two new buildings; one consisting of an indoor food market, dining hall, restaurant and event space, and the second the home to the Rag Market. The Outdoor Market will take up residence in a brand new square. The high-quality architecture sits alongside a network of green infrastructure and public spaces, including the new Smithfield Park. Together these verdant spaces will improve the area’s biodiversity and create a variety of natural habitats, assist with the microclimate, with extensive new tree providing shade in the heat of summer, with Smithfield Park carefully sculpted to attenuate water and manage flooding, to avoid overwhelming the nearby River Rea. Construction is expected to commence on site later in 2024 and the delivery will be completed in four phases over 15 years. The exceptional design team we have led to bring forward these proposals include: David Kohn Architects, dRMM, EASTSIDE PROJECTS LIMITED, Field Operations, Fira Landscape Ltd, Haworth Tompkins, Intervention Architecture, Minesh Patel Architects, RCKa, TLG Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, Speirs Major Light Architecture, DP9 Limited, AECOM, Ramboll, WSP AND Cotswold Archaeology.