Projects

Brighton & Hove City council sought to develop a new Economic Strategy to guide their activity between 2024-2027.

It was important for Brighton & Hove City Council that the Economic Strategy was shaped in partnership with businesses and organisations across the city, who will help deliver any actions. They were also keen that in process of developing the strategy itself new relationships were established.

PRD took a collaborative approach which sought input from stakeholders from the start of the process. This involved a series of themed workshops with council officers, civil society organisations and businesses. Our conversations were broader than what might be included in a traditional economic strategy, for example bringing in representatives from public health, culture and circular economy, recognising the links between these and the economy of the city.

Alongside this, we developed a short evidence base shaped around how Brighton & Hove’s economy could be more fair, green and productive. This situated Brighton & Hove’s economy within wider national economic challenges and opportunities.

Our outputs are still being developed, but include a short visual evidence base and a strategy report.

The North Worcestershire Economic Development and Regeneration team, a multi-authority body, commissioned PRD and project partners AR Urbanism to review options for two key high street sites on behalf of Bromsgrove District Council. The sites are at either end of the town centre, which Bromsgrove DC aims to revitalise with new workplaces, retail, and leisure.

To complement the council’s own ambitions, PRD and ARU consulted various stakeholders throughout the town centre. With this feedback, the project team developed options for the sites and PRD assessed the deliverability and viability for each, resulting in scheme options that would be attractive to the developer market, fundable, and play a wider role in regenerating the town centre.

The proposals included a mix of housing and ground floor community uses for one site and a mix of workspace and meanwhile use leisure on the other, which will enhance the existing town centre by bringing in new residents and modern, bespoke spaces for different uses.

Coast to Capital is the Local Enterprise Partnership covering Brighton to Bognor Regis on the coast up to Epsom, Surrey. The region is expected to be disproportionately affected by Covid-19, with vulnerabilities due to high-risk groups for Covid-19 exposure living along the coast, reliance on Gatwick Airport for employment, a high proportion of self-employed people, business closures in Brighton & Hove, and more.

With the right investment and support, the Coast to Capital area is well-placed to recover. PRD developed a brochure for the LEP illustrating the potential for the area to ‘build back stronger, smarter, and greener’, focusing on development and infrastructure projects that can tackle long-standing socioeconomic challenges as well as issues caused or exacerbated by Covid-19. The brochure is a tool for the LEP to set out its vision for the region with a view to attracting investment and government funding.

For example, the brochure outlines the LEP’s aspirations to see a £2m upgrade to Brighton mainline for better train reliability and quicker journey times; development around Gatwick and Crawley build a more resilient worker base and innovative business practices; urban innovation districts in Brighton & Hove; and embedding zero carbon and clean energy across the region’s new development and existing operations.

Folkestone and Hythe District Council commissioned a multidisciplinary team, which included PRD, to develop a Place Plan for Folkestone town centre—a critical exercise to define the future role of the town centre following a year of Covid-19 related lockdowns and ongoing challenges facing the high street.

The Place Plan addresses themes such as public realm, employment, skills and training, investment, and transport. PRD developed the socioeconomic evidence base for the Place Plan as well as recommendations to enable business growth, economic development and long-term community participation.

Guided by the views of local people, the project team developed a ‘mission-driven’ approach with six missions to structure the actions of the Place Plan and galvanise external investors around shared goals. PRD helped develop these missions and identified specific outputs and outcomes against each one to enable the council to measure success and progress.

The Place Plan provides the council with a robust evidence base upon which to bid for central government regeneration funding and the ‘mission-driven’ approach has allowed external partners to see both what the council is doing and where their own investments can make contributions to the aims of the Place Plan.

Frome Gateway is an area of industrial land close to the centre of Bristol. It has a range of uses including community and cultural, industrial, manufacturing, warehousing, and retail activity. Bristol City Council re-designated the area from a Principal Industrial and Warehousing area to an Area of Growth and Opportunity. This reflects an ambition to have a denser and broader mix of uses, including new homes, workspace, retail and leisure. A Strategic Regeneration Framework is being developed to guide this change.

To support the Strategic Regeneration Framework, Bristol City Council commissioned PRD to develop an Employment Land and Skills Strategy for the area. The strategy will provide guidance on the level and nature of future employment space, ways to support existing businesses, and employment and skills approaches which will maximise the benefits for local communities. As part of this, PRD will develop scenarios promoting different growth sectors and levels of business retention as well as test viability of these.

The Strategy is underpinned by a thorough social and economic baseline which details the community, skills and employment, and local economic context of the area. Our approach to this included quantitative data collection and analysis, policy reviews and consultation with council stakeholders.

We worked with Gravesham Borough Council to help direct the council’s regeneration vision up to 2040. This involved the production of an up to date social, economic and environmental evidence base to demonstrate intra-borough inequalities, particularly around health and wellbeing.

Using evidence of challenges facing local communities, we worked with officers at the council across housing, open spaces, regeneration and economic development to develop the outcomes they wish to achieve as council-wide ambitions. This Theory of Change process allowed the council to think more holistically about the roadmap to delivering change for the borough’s residents and businesses, and the outcomes of the exercise will inform the council’s future regeneration strategy and case-making over the coming decades.

The Gravesham 2040 vision document is available to read on the council’s website.

Comprising nine local authorities across the west midlands, the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) area is at the heart of the country and is one of its economic heavyweights. The region is experiencing strong growth and investment, from Levelling Up funds to HS2 to international companies taking advantage of great connectivity to the rest of the country.

GBSLEP commissioned PRD and We Made That to review workspace supply and demand throughout the LEP area, with a view to understanding gaps in the market. In particular, the study is attempting to uncover areas throughout the region where workspace demand is outpacing supply and which specific workspace typologies (e.g. manufacturing space, lab space, kitchens, offices) are most in need. Our team’s approach includes desk research on workspace throughout the region, market and sector analysis, and interviews with local authorities, workspace operators, and other stakeholders or property experts.

The work will result in two major outputs. First, a map of workspace across the region showing workspace typologies and other information will give potential tenants, operators, local authorities, and developers a new resource to aid in business and policy decisions. It will also help determine spatial gaps in workspace provision.

Second, a report with findings about what types of workspace are needed and where, analysis on the value and benefits of workspace for towns and cities, and bespoke recommendations will give the LEP and local authorities a starting point for making the case for and directing investment towards workspace.

Huntingdonshire Futures is a collaborative strategy which sets out a shared vision for the future of Huntingdonshire in 2050 and a clear way forward to achieve it. ​Huntingdonshire District Council commissioned PRD to deliver a wide reaching and deliberative programme of community engagement to ensure that local people’s ideas and perspectives informed the strategy.  ​

We had more than 800 conversations about the future with local people from across the District ranging from eight to 94 years old. We used a variety of approaches, from pop-up exhibitions in high footfall areas to focus groups and classroom sessions in schools. ​

To ensure diversity of voices we collaborated with community organisations, such as food banks, older people’s groups, youth organisations, schools, and colleges. This approach meant local people were able to shape the priorities and actions for the future.

Huntingdonshire Futures can be read here (PDF).

Together with Hatch, PRD supported Invest Northern Ireland to explore and develop a range of structured joint venture models to co-ordinate investment into Local Enterprise Agencies (LEAs) across Northern Ireland with the aim of delivering affordable workspace.

Working closely with Invest Northern Ireland and in consultation with a broad selection of LEAs, PRD analysed the barriers to and opportunities for delivery, then tested several new models and approaches for delivery through client consultation.

PRD proposed innovative delivery models with new, active stakeholder roles for local and national government alongside the LEAs. The models made best use of the resources, property assets, skills and powers of each party to deliver locally-tailored workspace.

Liverpool City Region, comprising six Liverpool-area local authorities, commissioned PRD to establish a portfolio of sites that would benefit from Homes England funding for infill and small-scale residential development.

The Liverpool region has some of the most challenging viability constraints in the country, making development at this scale difficult. PRD identified additional obstacles, such as remediation and demolition costs, fragmented ownership, conflicting landowner ambitions, and costs of utilities/services. We consulted individual local authorities, small developers, landowners, and registered providers to understand their own barriers to delivery, the most effective ways for funding to unlock development, and ideal site types.

From this, we developed scoring criteria to help whittle down a longlist of 650 sites into a shortlist of 50 best sites that can be delivered in the shortest amount of time and with minimal intervention. We also built a ‘roadmap’ of next steps for LCR and Homes England to begin rolling out a programme of procurement and funding for the first wave of sites.

In 2020, PRD and project partners We Made That worked with Thanet District Council and the Margate Town Deal Board to develop a Town Investment Plan underpinned by extensive community engagement and a widespread desire to transform Margate into a town with a strong year-round economy.

The TIP charts a 10-year course of improvements for Margate, focusing on scaling Margate’s creative economy and skills through a new Creative Land Trust; tackling deep health inequalities by providing more wellbeing amenities linked to Margate’s coast; improving public realm and connectivity; and making Margate’s nationally-renowned heritage assets more sustainable and inclusive. It is underpinned by PRD’s extensive socioeconomic baseline to ensure interventions are targeted in areas that need them most.

PRD subsequently worked with partners to lay the groundwork for the Margate Creative Land Trust (MCLT), which now has a fully operational Board of Trustees. MCLT’s purpose is to safeguard sites for creative industries, mainly through purchasing property and taking headleases with a view to subletting at discounted rates. To assist MCLT with this process, we designed a property acquisition decision framework for MCLT to assess the suitability of potential properties for their portfolio. The framework sets out how MCLT can collect and analyse information on available sites, taking into account factors such as site size, price, condition and refurbishment needs, potential number of jobs, businesses, or creative activities it can support, and the extent to which the property’s end use can align with MCLT’s vision and aims.

Frome is a thriving market town in northeast Somerset. Steeped in history, the town is home to a wealth of cultural, natural, and economic assets. Frome has a strong economic identity and is well known for its independent retail, manufacturing heritage, and creative industries.

Saxonvale is the last major development site in Frome town centre. Mendip District council purchased the site in 2018 with the aim of turning an underused part of the town into a new mixed-use community. However, the council’s original proposal sought to maximise housing, with less focus on civic and economic infrastructure. Believing that a better alternative is possible, Mayday Saxonvale has prepared an alternative masterplan for the site. Mayday Saxonvale is a not-for-profit social enterprise incorporated as a company limited by guarantee with the sole objective of developing the Saxonvale site for the social, community, and economic benefit of Frome. Mayday’s alternative approach takes a community-led, balanced approach to development at Saxonvale, marrying the homes that Frome needs with the community and commercial space integral to prosperous and sustainable place.

To support Mayday’s alternative planning application, PRD produced an Economic Manifesto for the Saxonvale site. Setting out a clear case for change, the Manifesto proposed interventions to embed a new approach to the economy, enabling Frome to become greener, fairer, and more resilient by design. The Manifesto is underpinned by national and international best practice case studies, embedding a more inclusive economy approach from the outset.

The Manifesto has supported Mayday’s alternative planning application for the site and has been endorsed by a range of local partners including Frome Town Council.

Working alongside and Atkins, Oxford City Council, Oxford County Council, Network Rail, and the Oxfordshire LEP, PRD is providing strategic property development, value capture, viability and delivery advice to inform and guide the updated masterplan for this globally important city gateway.

Drawing on our experience of harnessing infrastructure investment to drive wider benefits, our economic work in Oxford and our strong background in formulating delivery options and viability assessments, we are establishing a business case for adjacent station redevelopment and bringing delivery certainty to the project.

Development in Runcorn faces several delivery challenges and constraints, including multiple land ownership, safeguarded land and challenging local property market economics.

PRD provided market insight for Runcorn’s Station Quarter as part of a multidisciplinary team. Our input included an in-depth contextual market baseline of local and regional property market economics, developed through data analysis and consultations with agents, key public-sector stakeholders, landowners and key leaseholders. PRD also appraised the development options for the emerging masterplan, which includes consideration of how the council can use its assets to deliver the masterplan and stimulate wider investment in the area.

The masterplan will catalyse wider regeneration in Runcorn, including the town centre, and harness the regeneration potential of HS2.

Sheffield City Council, with support from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), commissioned PRD to assess social and economic benefits of proposed extensions to its Supertram network for the city centre and city-region. The first extension would involve repurposing underused and disused railway infrastructure to connect Stocksbridge and Chesterfield to Sheffield city centre, covering a distance of 40 km and incorporating 17 stops. The other extensions would involve new track to extend existing tram infrastructure in the city centre, connecting Royal Hallamshire Hospital and the southern edge of the city centre through six new stops.

We started by developing a tram extension atlas which reviewed data relating to the communities and land uses falling within an 800m radius of each proposed stop. Data included house sale and rent prices, employment and income deprivation, risk of food poverty, land use, site allocations, local amenities, population density, and population characteristics. The atlas allowed us to identify development opportunities along the proposed routes and estimate what the tram extensions could bring in terms of new businesses, jobs, housing, and amenities. We also developed an individual one-page ‘spotlight’ report for each proposed tram stop to highlight local development opportunities and outcomes.

Our analysis estimated that the tram extensions, taken together, could spur 22,000 homes—almost 2/3 of Sheffield’s housing target—71 hectares of employment space for 22,000 jobs, around 100,000 additional residents having access to Sheffield’s Supertram network, and £171m in council tax and business rates revenue.

As a follow-up, SYMCA commissioned PRD to apply the same methodology to a potential tram extension from Rotherham to Killamarsh, which would pass through the region’s important Advanced Manufacturing Park.

Excerpt from our Sheffield tram extensions atlas

The Thames Estuary Growth Board was established by central government to provide a coherent approach to development and growth throughout the Thames Estuary, one of the most important regions in the world for creative and cultural production and innovation. The Growth Board comprises representatives from estuary local authorities and businesses.

Building on PRD team members’ track record of work in the Thames Estuary, we have been working with the board via the dedicated Thames Estuary envoy to help them define what successful change and growth looks like throughout the region. We have defined what ‘levelling up’ means for the Thames Estuary and created a bespoke measurement framework based on region-specific data analysis and engagement with the board.

Worcester Shrub Hill Station is a Grade-II listed building nearing dereliction through lack of investment. The station surroundings are similarly disinvested and poorly signposted to the nearby city centre. Early business cases and cost-benefit ratios for redeveloping the station did not support investment.

PRD is working on a long-term project with Worcestershire County Council to develop a feasible strategy for station investment and development. Following extensive viability testing, socioeconomic profiling, visioning workshops, and reviewing funding and land value capture models, we advised WCC that unlocking wider regeneration around the station and land value capture would make investment viable.

This has enabled WCC to buy 4.5 hectares of land around the station with a view to catalysing 1000 homes, 7000 jobs, and 102,000 m² of new commercial space for Shrub Hill over the next 30 years, with flexibility built in so development can respond to market changes. WCC themselves will act as an anchor tenant, moving from an out-of-town office park back to the heart of the city and repurposing an underused asset.

We are now supporting WCC and Worcester City Council to form a development plan for the 4.5 ha plus surrounding sites under other ownership. This involves identifying reusable assets, deliverable parcels throughout the site, phasing options, and potential partners.

PRD supported London and Continental Railways and Worthing Borough Council in designing, structuring and launching an innovative public-public partnership focused on development and regeneration.

The partnership will initially focus on promoting and realising development on several publicly owned but previously stalled town centre sites. Development of the sites will help realise the council’s vision for the town centre.

We subsequently provided further development management and commercial support to mobilise the partnership.