End of year Greetings from Tibbalds

This year has been a great opportunity to reflect on where we started, the values that have driven us forward, and the many people who have contributed along the way. We’ve thought about the variety of projects we are involved in and the way we approach our work.

Given this milestone in Tibbalds’ history. We were beyond delighted to have been chosen as Planning Consultancy of the Year at the Planning Awards. It’s truly an honour to be recognised for what we do.

The judges highlighted our approach to community engagement, which is a core aspect of our mission to create people friendly places through good planning, policy and design. There could be no better accolade.

Throughout this year we have continued to work with many communities including:

The Lennox Estate in Wandsworth: The project aims to add two new buildings to the estate, providing more housing for social rent while also improving the quality of the surrounding green space. As part of this initiative, we led a series of community engagement events to understand the needs and opinions of the existing residents.

One of the key events was a youth workshop held on the MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area), where we discussed the proposed play spaces with the people who would be using them. We adopted a “You Said, We Did” approach for the other engagement events, showing residents exactly how their feedback influenced the design. This process will hopefully result in a proposal that the community can feel a sense of ownership over.

Guernsey Harbours: An opportunity for us listen to residents, local business owners and news outlets helped us understand the local issues affecting the island's inhabitants. We loved hearing about the pride associated with St Peter Port and its history as well as learning about the importance of the local sea grass! The project is at an important milestone with the inquiry taking place this December. It will pave the way for the adoption of this new addition to the island’s planning policy which will shape the future of the harbours at St Peter Port and St Sampson.

Collaboration remains at the heart of our approach to meeting increasingly complex urban environments and more challenging viability conditions. Together with our clients and co-consultants a few of our projects have reached key milestones towards the delivery of public benefit:

Carpenters Estate: Following 73% of residents voting 'yes' in a ballot on the redevelopment plans; earlier this year the £1bn Stratford estate regeneration plans were given the green light at committee. The proposals have been based, from the outset, on community feedback. Streets and spaces are prioritised and at its centre is a new neighbourhood park, with lower rise apartment buildings, houses and maisonettes served by intimate mews streets and communal courtyards radiating out, allowing in as much light as possible.

Hereford House and Exeter Court: A new public urban park along with a total 190 trees will be planted in South Kilburn as part of the replacement of Hereford House and Exeter Court. Brent Council has been given the go ahead for 250 new homes, commercial units and a new park within the regeneration area.

Northstowe Phase 2: We are continuing to support the delivery of this Healthy New Town with day-to-day planning and design advice. This year’s visible progress includes the construction of the new sports hub in Phase 2, which will provide the cricket pitch and wider outdoor sports facilities for the growing community. This will include the first BMX track which is in for planning.

Kersfield: It is always nice to see a project being completed. Having supported LB Wandsworth on this project for many years working with Mae as architects, and then working with Wates during the construction stages we look forward to seeing new residents, including those that have lived in the area for a long time, living in these homes. Improved landscape and new play space will provide the setting for their lives and those who live nearby.

Greyfriars, Bedford and Bracknell Town Centre SPDs: These masterplans are moving a number of town centre sites in Bracknell and Bedford closer to delivery. They help meet the housing demand on brownfield sites as well as support the existing centres with a broader range of uses, additional footfall and new public spaces and play opportunities.

A revised scheme at Ordnance Lane, York received full planning permission in August. This will increase housing delivery to 101 homes on-site with the intention that all will be affordable. This year has seen Tibbalds continue to support City of York Council on the award winning Housing Delivery Programme. The programme is underpinned by the need to respond to housing need and climate change, whilst delivering distinctive places in healthy neighbourhoods.

Previous permissions secured under the programme, Duncombe Square and Burnholme Green, are due to be completed in 2025. Something to look forward to for next year!

Having reflected on the history, present and future of Tibbalds - we are certain that we want to continue to enjoy what we do, and balance day-to-day project demands with time for learning and exploring. For many of us the commitment to good placemaking goes beyond our project work.

• Neil McKenna, Senior Planner at Tibbalds, has published his first academic paper as he continues with his PhD into community-led housing. The paper looks at the evolution of community-led housing in Leeds, a city recognised as a front-runner for community-led housing in England. It evidences the rich history and variety of models that have been established over time, drawing out the importance of less celebrated examples and their contribution to developing local skills, knowledge, and role models for different communities and ways of living. Ultimately the paper is a call for people, civil society organisations, and the local and West Yorkshire authorities to recognise the particular strength of community-led housing in Leeds, and build on this as a rare source of hope and inspiration against various societal crises.
• This includes commitment to training and up-skilling our team with John Wilkinson, Senior Planner, recently completing the Future London Leaders programme, and James Hawkins, Senior Planner, being our latest team member to join the course.
• This year's interns and work placement students included Vasiliki Tamvaki - who joined us for six weeks as our formal intern placement, and Amelia Maneco - who joined us for a two week placement from UCL Bartlett. We also supported a number of students for work experience throughout the year.

We also continue to support Gingerbread City which brings design challenges that are very different to our other urban design projects!

This year’s theme is ‘Recycled City’ - focussing on re-imagining urban spaces by re-using land, buildings, and materials to create inspiring environments for living, working, and playing. The vision of a truly circular urban development is brought to life.

Tibbalds' plot includes: Candy Church Leisure Centre – the retrofitting of an historic church into a leisure centre, respecting the building’s heritage while providing a space for fitness, wellness and community activities; Sugarloaf Lofts – a former warehouse repurposed for housing, utilising renewable materials, reflecting the adaptability of industrial architecture for contemporary needs; Ginger Mill hub – a disused factory transformed into a mixed-use hub featuring co-working spaces, artisanal shops and cafes; and The Snowman’s Square – a regenerated brownfield site providing a communal space for social engagement and sustainable travel.

We wish you all a happy, healthy and successful new year!

The Tibbalds team

Appointed to Homes England Development and Regeneration Framework.

Tibbalds will be making a charitable donation to groups and communities in need of support.