“We can’t thank you enough for the fantastic job you have done for us on the Neighbourhood Plan. Without your extensive professional knowledge and tireless patient explanations, our task would have been impossible. I hope you are as delighted as we are with the outcome of the referendum and the quality of the final document.…
Journal
Visiting Practitioner
Over the years, we’ve been lucky to work with a number of locally based universities, either on a longer term basis, as lecturers for the landscape planning module for post graduate students at the University of Gloucestershire, or as visiting practitioners at Bristol’s own University of the West of England. This week we have been…
Our “why” and social impact
When we’ve sat down and thought about what we wanted Place Studio to be as a company (over 10 years ago now!), we reflected on our values and discussed how those should define, and guide us as a small business. In his famous TEDx Talk, business leader Simon Sinek talks about the importance of knowing your…
Project Update: TWO yes votes on the same day!
We’ve been involved with more than 20 Neighbourhood Plans, but yesterday was a first for Place Studio: two referendums on the same day…double the nerves! Though we work hard to lay the foundations for a Plan which reflects community consensus, it’s always a nerve-racking time, and the teams behind them often stay up late to…
Mainstreaming co-design and engagement in design – RIBA Plan of Work Engagement Overlay
The Association of Collaborative Design (ACD) brings people together through a shared passion for co-design and participatory engagement. Back in 2019, over a few drinks after a workshop on engagement in design, the ACD was conceived. Sarah Jones-Morris, Dr Noha Nasser, Finlay McNab, and our very own Katie Lea founded the ACD which became a…
Prove it!
Last year we worked with Planning Aid Wales on a series of guidance toolkits for Place Plans (the Welsh equivalent of Neighbourhood Plans) commissioned by Conwy Borough Council in North Wales. The toolkits have just been published and look great. There are 6 documents on a range of topics from evidence, engagement and implementation –…
Digital storytelling and celebrations
We always appreciate collaborating with Planning Aid Wales, and the Colwyn Bay Place Plan exemplifies why: a comprehensive overall plan making process that brought together tried and tested techniques, with innovative and accessible digital methods. This enabled them to deliver a Place Plan to the communities of Colwyn Bay that is both meaningful and impactful. It is such…
Guidance for engaging communities in preparing Design Codes…
Our colleague Jeff Bishop has developed some really practical guidance for local authorities and design professionals on how to fulfil what is now a requirement to engage communities in work on design codes (guides etc.) – and that includes how to ‘pay’ for it! It was drafted in the summer of 2023, and comes in…