We’re proud to join the B Corp movement

PRD was founded on the principle that development and regeneration can, and should, have positive local impacts – and that there is a “win win” way to drive urban change that meets the needs of local communities, councils and developers.

So, we are delighted to announce that in August 2025 we received B Corp accreditation, recognising over a decade of unlocking place-based impactful development and equitable change for communities, towns and cities.

We are a delivery-focused consultancy, committed to creating lasting social, economic, and environmental value for places and communities.

By supporting impactful investments, considered development, and more empowered communities, we help deliver successful places, fairer and more resilient economies, and greater social equity.

We work at different scales, from individual assets and neighbourhoods to cities and regions, always grounded in collaboration and long-term impact

Why did we go for B Corp accreditation?

B Corp certification is for businesses that demonstrate high social and environmental impact. For us it was a way to make the work we are already doing more visible to our clients, partners, employees and wider network.

While the movement is gaining traction in the built environment sector, there are still relatively few B Corps in our field. We’re proud to join regular PRD collaborators We Made That and Stride Treglown (to name a couple) as impact-driven businesses that are putting principles into practice and delivering projects with purpose.

And while we’re proud of what we’ve achieved so far, we’re dedicated to doing even better. B Corp gives us a framework to better measure our impact against going forward.

We’re committed to tracking and reporting our impact so watch this space for our impact reports.

What did the B Lab see in us?

This has been a long and intense, but important, process for us. B Corp accreditation crystallises much of what we value, believe in and practice, in how we work with clients, communities and partners and operate as an organisation in our own right.

The highlight of the process was getting a better understanding of our governance structures, and our impact on our clients, partners and the communities we support, our staff, and the environment.

Key findings we’re proud of include:

Since 2021, PRD has supported some of the most deprived areas in the UK to secure approximately £140m through the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and Towns Fund
84% of our clients are from the public sector
Currently, 59% of us are female; 12% of consider ourselves to have a disability or health condition; and 30% of us are from a minority ethnic group
We’ve delivered 9 projects that have supported the reuse of assets or had a climate focus
We’ve supported 6 organisations through our staff volunteering hours

All of this, along with powerful impact stories like the ones below, and a whole lot more, was taken into account by the B Lab. We were thrilled to get a B Corp score of a whopping 108 points – when the threshold for achieving accreditation is 80 points and the median score for businesses who complete the assessment is currently 50.9. A more detailed breakdown at our score is here.

The impact we have through our projects: a snapshot

Our B Corp journey isn’t just about policies or processes; it’s about the impact we create in the places we work. Every project we deliver is an opportunity to put our principles into practice: creating fairer economies, stronger communities, and more sustainable places.

From regional regeneration strategies to local engagement and delivery support, our work demonstrates how inclusive, evidence-led development can deliver tangible benefits for people, places and the planet. The examples below illustrate the breadth and depth of PRD impact as a force for positive change.

Thames Estuary Fairness Plan: increasing understanding of, and responding to, deprivation in the Estuary

We developed a regionally adopted strategy and a replicable methodology for addressing local social and economic need across the Thames Estuary. By creating an in-depth evidence base, structured around the Fairness Foundation’s “Fair Necessities,” and integrating it with detailed resident conversations led by our collaborator Chris Clarke, PRD identified specific local challenges. This work culminated in the Five Point Fairness Plan, a set of practical recommendations that the Thames Estuary Growth Board formally adopted as a key strategic guide. Furthermore, the methodology – combining detailed indicator mapping with targeted local engagement – has been replicated by developers across the region, directly ensuring that social value contributions meet specific community requirements.

PRD are fabulous. And beautiful. We work with them because they so know what they are doing, so care about what they do and so live and breathe about the ‘fairness agenda’ which is at the core of all that we do on the Thames Estuary. We love them.

– Kate Willard OBE, Thames Estuary Envoy and Chair

Bristol Temple Quarter: delivering an inclusive and sustainable economy

Bristol Temple Quarter is one of the UK’s largest city centre regeneration programmes, with capacity to deliver more than 10,000 homes and 22,000 jobs over the coming decades. For the past two years, we’ve provided ongoing capacity support to help the BTQ LLP establish a clear sense of purpose regarding inclusive and sustainable growth and to mobilise specific delivery programmes and initiatives in support of this – including extensive engagement exercises with local businesses and residents to understand aspirations for regeneration. In 2024, we developed the BTQ Inclusive and Sustainable Growth Strategy, which identifies a series of long-term missions focused on the success of the economy, environmental resilience, and community health and wellbeing. On the back of that work, we have produced the BTQ Charter and launched the BTQ Community Fund to support delivery on those ambitions.

Working with PRD over the last year means that we have experienced firsthand how their insight, enthusiasm and values drive significant social impact in the communities we work for. Their direct involvement in engaging with communities and partners has been invaluable, but the deep thinking and strategy development takes this to another level.

Having their advice and support at the heart of our strategy has embedded inclusive growth into all our projects. PRD’s work means that Bristol Temple Quarter can put regeneration to work for local people, with the realistic but ambitious aim of driving long-term social value where it is most needed.

– Simon Cowley, former Director of Inclusive and Sustainable Growth, Bristol Temple Quarter LLP

Peterborough Development Atlas: a strategic regeneration review

PRD undertook a strategic review for Peterborough City Council to reposition the fast-growing city as a more dynamic regional centre, addressing its deep structural challenges. We built a comprehensive evidence base, identifying 68+ hectares of developable land with capacity for 4,350 homes and 26,000 sqm of commercial space, despite issues like fragmented ownership. The key impact was delivering a clear strategic pathway and credible, market-facing framework for regeneration. This included recommending a city centre-wide supplementary planning document, recalibrated site prioritisation, and a delivery strategy focused on growth catalysts like the train station redevelopment and University expansion. We continue to work in Peterborough to provide the Council and Homes England with the tools for a new era of city centre growth.

Working with PRD provided the City Council with invaluable insight at a critical stage in strengthening its strategic planning capability. The team undertook a thorough deep dive into a complex array of social, economic, market, and environmental data, helping the Council to better understand the full picture of Peterborough’s development landscape.

Their analysis delivered clear, evidence-based recommendations that are already helping the Council and wider partners to prioritise development and investment decisions with greater confidence. Just as importantly, the work has informed the evolution of our governance structures—supporting more effective collaboration, transparency, and long-term outcomes.

– Wayne George, Director of Place, Local Partnerships (providing capability and capacity support to Peterborough City Council)

What’s coming next?

For PRD, B Corp is far more than just a logo on our website and email signatures.

Getting this accreditation has helped us reflect on, and articulate, the 12-year journey we’ve been on to build a different and better business model that makes a positive difference by designing, mobilising and evaluating bold, transformative place and asset strategies.

In the coming year, and beyond, we intend to use this process as a springboard to keep moving forwards and to do more. We’re committed to:

mainstreaming social and environmental impact into project management, with a particular focus on underserved populations
empowering staff to direct our time and resources responsibly, including CSR activities, the projects we chose to do and how we operate as a business
innovating to tackle inequality (for example, through pro-bono R&D)
committing time and resources (including pro-bono research and development resource) to develop new ideas tools and approaches that tackle social, economic and environmental inequalities
becoming active members of the B Corp movement
reporting regularly on our efforts, progress and impacts.

You can find out more about B Lab and B Corp certification here.