The Townscape Consultancy

The Townscape Consultancy’s third birthday gives us good cause to reflect on what the business has achieved in three years. We have expanded from the seven staff working with Peter Stewart when we acquired Peter Stewart Consultancy in October 2021, to the 22 staff we now have, led by five directors across a diverse portfolio of projects. Together we have continued to support clients to achieve consents on challenging and sensitive sites, with more consents achieved in the past year than ever before. We continue to engage with local planning authorities for clients on projects that involve feasibility for tall buildings, works to heritage assets or within their settings, and amendments to existing consents. While Peter retired from active duty in the summer, we were pleased that he was able to join our autumn study trip to Amsterdam and Rotterdam and will remain helping to guide the future of The Townscape Consultancy.

Mecanoo’s mixed use scheme for Hadley Property Group group, as part of the International Quarter London, North in Stratford was given unanimous consent at LLDC’s last committee meeting on Tuesday.   Over the past two and a half years TTC has worked as part of the design and planning team with Deloitte to bring forward and exemplar scheme that will provide 6 new buildings of market, social and student housing amongst a network of new landscapes and public squares. The scheme incorporates an innovative approach to bringing buildings of this scale to the ground, through activated podiums and providing spaces for community groups.   Situated between Westfield and the East Village the proposals will stitch together one of the remaining parcels of land as part of the Olympic Legacy, an exemplary scheme that leads with its response to the townscape context.

TTC recently provided townscape and heritage advice for the Belgravia Mews redevelopment, a Fairway Capital Ltd scheme that has just been granted planning permission. The redevelopment was designed by Leconfield Property Group and architectural practice MSMR Architects.   The transformative project balances contemporary design with respect for historical significance - enhancing the urban environment and meeting modern needs while preserving key elements of heritage significance.    We look forward to continuing to support projects that shape the future of our built environment with care and expertise.   #Heritage #UrbanDevelopment #BelgraviaMews

Thank you to Praneet Bhullar, Fiona Stewart, Greg Moss and Russell Brown of Hawkins\Brown who joined us to present the latest in our series of Architecture Talks. They guided us through highly varied case studies of their work including 1 Golden Lane, a collaboration with The Townscape Consultancy which is on site now. It was also fascinating to hear about their approach to ‘embedded sustainability’ which aims to reduce the environmental impact of projects as much as possible through considered design, stitching a project into the existing urban network. We look forward to working with them again soon.

Last night we celebrated Peter Stewart's retirement from front-line duties with many long-standing industry friends – clients, architects, planners, and lawyers. We had the pleasure to hear about Peter’s long career from Stuart Lipton and toasted Peter’s future adventures! While his regular presence in the office will be missed, we look forward to enjoying his continuing mentorship and collaboration in setting the strategic direction of The Townscape Consultancy.

We are delighted to announce that Whitbread Property has secured planning permission for a new flagship 693-bedroom hub by Premier Inn at 5 Strand in the City of Westminster.    The Townscape Consultancy provided expert heritage and townscape advice throughout the project on this sensitive site within the Trafalgar Square Conservation Area, working alongside a great design team including James Mitchell at Axiom Architects LLP, and DP9 Limited.

Last month the TTC team went on their annual study trip to Amsterdam and Rotterdam.   The team were immersed in the rich architectural history of these two cities, exploring the fascinating blend and contrast of old and new, led by our wonderful tour guide from Guiding Architects. From the timeless charm of Amsterdam’s historic canals to Rotterdam’s bold modern architecture, pioneering design, innovation, and creativity in urban design. At the forefront of how both of these cities operate, sustainability and infrastructure are core to their forward thinking planning.   While in Amsterdam we took the opportunity to check out some of the visionary projects of one of our clients, EDGE. Our visit to their office schemes, Edge Stadium and Edge headquarters at Edge Olympic, and residential scheme, Valley by MVRDV, were insightful into their approach where sustainability takes the lead.   And of course, no trip is complete without a little fun! Our study was fuelled by some great local food and visits to a few lively bars - maybe even a few too many stroopwafels along the way.   An inspiring trip which has left us with fresh ideas and new perspectives to bring to our work.   #Architecture #UrbanDesign #StudyTrip #TTC #Amsterdam #Rotterdam #DesignInnovation #sustainability #edgedevelopments #GuidingArchitects

Last month the TTC team went on their annual study trip to Amsterdam and Rotterdam.   The team were immersed in the rich architectural history of these two cities, exploring the fascinating blend and contrast of old and new, led by our wonderful tour guide from Guiding Architects. From the timeless charm of Amsterdam’s historic canals to Rotterdam’s bold modern architecture, pioneering design, innovation, and creativity in urban design. At the forefront of how both of these cities operate, sustainability and infrastructure are core to their forward thinking planning.   While in Amsterdam we took the opportunity to check out some of the visionary projects of one of our clients, EDGE. Our visit to their office schemes, Edge Stadium and Edge headquarters at Edge Olympic, and residential scheme, Valley by MVRDV, were insightful into their approach where sustainability takes the lead.   And of course, no trip is complete without a little fun! Our study was fuelled by some great local food and visits to a few lively bars - maybe even a few too many stroopwafels along the way.   An inspiring trip which has left us with fresh ideas and new perspectives to bring to our work.   #Architecture #UrbanDesign #StudyTrip #TTC #Amsterdam #Rotterdam #DesignInnovation #sustainability #edgedevelopments #GuidingArchitects

For the latest in our series of architecture talks we were joined by Joe Morris and Edmund H. of Morris+Company last week. It was a great opportunity to hear more about their approach to design, which includes working with real-life models, elevation prototype, material testing and a focus on structural efficiency to produce buildings that everyone can be proud of.  This was followed by an insightful discussion about their highly successful work, including 3 Sheldon Square, Featherstone Building, 15 Norton Folgate, and Camden Hotel. The Townscape Consultancy and DP9 Limited very much look forward to collaborating with them on our current projects and again in the future.

Last week TTC wished Peter Stewart a very happy retirement from front line duties, though he will stay on as Chair of the The Townscape Consultancy Board and as an occasional advisor to the team on projects.    Peter has been a beacon of wisdom for us - his insightful advice and pragmatism, grounded in years of experience, has helped guide us through our rapid growth in the three years since our inception.    While we will really miss his warm personality and clever humour in the office, we are pleased that he will continue to help steer the company forward.   Please join us in wishing Peter a very happy, busy, and fulfilling retirement.   #Retirement #Farewell