Award-winning planning consultancy, Nexus Planning, has announced that five of its urban planning consultants have been appointed as Experts by the High Streets Task Force. Over the coming months, the senior members from Nexus’s London and Manchester offices will be helping communities and local government transform their high streets – by helping to solve complex, interdisciplinary issues and bringing expertise to entrenched problems and new challenges.
High Streets Task Force Experts advise on a range of issues, including planning, urban design, placemaking, landscape architecture, resilience, transport, valuation, asset management, investment, governance, data and analytics, place management and leadership. Once assigned, Experts also help to prescribe Task Force support that best meets the needs of the places that they visit and advise, helping to tackle a range of issues that could be blocking the potential of the local high streets.
Nexus Planning’s High Streets Task Force Experts
- Shaun Andrews, Executive Director, Nexus London: A town and city centre regeneration specialist with 25 years’ experience advising both private and public sector clients on the formulation of masterplans and strategies.
- Peter Tooher, Executive Director, Nexus Manchester: A planning and regeneration consultant with over 25 years’ experience in delivering town centre schemes and advising on town centre strategies for the public and private sector.
- Rob Pearson, Executive Director, Nexus London: A chartered town planner with 20 years’ private sector experience, specialising in the retail, residential and commercial sector as well as experience in producing a number of studies for Local Authorities.
- Richard Shepherd, Director, Nexus Manchester: A chartered town planner with over 16 years’ consultancy experience advising both public and private sector clients on development and strategic policy issues.
- James Singer, Associate, Nexus London: A specialist in retail planning and town centre strategies with nine years’ experience across the private and public sectors, including residential and commercial mixed-use projects.
Shaun Andrews, Executive Director at Nexus London, comments: “I’m honoured to have been appointed by the High Streets Task Force. Resilient town centres build resilient communities and we cannot wait to get started and help with the next stage of their evolution.
“Having five Experts appointed from Nexus’s London and Manchester teams demonstrates what a central passion town centres and retail transformation are to our business. We have each helped deliver transform town centres sector across the country – so we look forward to sharing this expertise in the coming months.”
Richard Shepherd, Director at Nexus Manchester, comments: “I’m delighted to have been appointed by the High Streets Task Force as an Expert alongside a number of other senior members of Nexus Planning. I’m looking forward to working with the Institute of Place Management and drawing on our varied past experience to provide tailored solutions which respond to local issues.
“We believe that the High Streets Task Force provides a genuine opportunity to provide innovative solutions to ensure that our high streets respond to current difficulties and are able to thrive. It will be an honour to collaborate with experts across a range of disciplines to develop and hone best practice and bring about real and lasting change on our high streets.”
About the High Streets Task Force
The High Streets Task Force is an alliance of place making experts that provides encouragement, tools and skills to help communities and local government transform their high streets. The High Streets Task Force is now providing support to local leaders in town centres and high streets in England. A wide range of training, learning, and data insights is available through their website, including the COVID-19 Recovery Framework to help places identify what they need to do now, as well as how to plan and build capacity for recovery.
The role of Experts
The Experts register includes three different roles which individuals are appointed to: Experts, Mentors and Facilitators. Each are appointed to provide specific expertise to nominated places, local authorities. Experts are experienced and respected professionals, at Member or Fellow level of their respective professional body, or, in the case of the Design Council, Built Environment Experts. Their role will be to:
- Visit specific high streets and town centres to work with place leaders and the community to identify the important key issue(s) that are hampering successful transformation, and how to address these.
- Consult with local authorities and place stakeholders to help solve complex challenges, which may also include running vision workshops and brokering relationships within the local community.