Projects

LB Hackney commissioned PRD to develop and administer a new business grant fund for Hackney Central using Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding that the council had received from central government. PRD had been working closely with Hackney Council on the development of the Hackney Central town centre strategy and we used our extensive research on the area’s communities and economy to shape the scope of the new grant fund. The aim of the fund was to support local businesses with Covid-19 recovery and to deliver exciting new projects for the town centre.

In January 2022, the Hackney Central Impact and Ideas Fund opened for applications, receiving almost 200 applications and over £3.5 million of funding requests. PRD led the assessment process and decided, in partnership with the council, on the projects that would be funded. The council awarded almost £600,000 to 23 local independent businesses.

Successful projects include free retail space for emerging fashion designers, a festival celebrating Caribbean culture, a 3D printing process using waste plastics and a walking map showcasing the borough’s history. PRD are now working with successful applicants to evaluate the impact of their projects.

Limerick Colbert is a large regeneration site at the edge of Limerick city centre with capacity for more than 2500 homes and 112,500 m² of retail and workspace, which will support anticipated 50% population growth by 2040. For Ireland’s Land Development Agency, the site is an opportunity to set a standard for public development in the country.

Working as part of a multidisciplinary team of architects and planners, PRD supplied a socioeconomic baseline, reviewing local demographics, the current housing and employment space markets, and inward investment to inform a masterplan for Limerick Colbert.

To ensure the masterplan can be delivered on this complex, multi-landowner site, PRD co-ordinated a landowner workshop and developed a delivery strategy which sets out a proposed joint venture structure, financing options, and delivery priorities.

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.

PRD has supported Norwich City Council across a series of commissions that are shaping a more inclusive, resilient and purpose-led economy for the city. Together, this work is building the strategic foundations for renewal, spanning governance reform, economic strategy and delivery planning for major regeneration.

We led the development of the Norwich 2040 Inclusive Economy Vision, a 15-year strategy to help Norwich become the happiest, healthiest and most liveable city in the UK. Underpinned by a detailed evidence base and wide-ranging stakeholder engagement, the Vision identifies five long-term outcomes for prosperity, planet, potential, place and promotion. It now acts as the city’s investment prospectus and informs new economic development strategies.

In parallel, we were commissioned to define the economic purpose of East Norwich – the East of England’s largest brownfield regeneration area, set to deliver over 3,000 homes and 4,000 jobs. Our work was underpinned by a focus on deliverability, shaping a market-facing vision for East Norwich as a hub for growth, innovation and liveability. We tested delivery routes, assessed viability challenges, and mapped the role East Norwich can play in supporting both the city and region’s evolving journey.

Alongside this, we recommended local government organisation. In doing so, we highlighted evidence to show the urban area’s growth potential, articulating how a unitary authority focused on the needs of the Norwich urban area would be best placed to tackle long-standing barriers to resident prosperity.

Together, these commissions reflect PRD’s ability to integrate evidence, strategy and delivery thinking. Our work in Norwich has brought these three tenets together, allowing the council to define a credible and market-facing approach to inclusive growth, while also making the case for investment, empowering local leadership, and aligning major development with broader outcomes for people and place.

Peterborough is a fast-growing city with strong fundamentals but deep structural challenges. Commissioned by the Peterborough City Council, PRD undertook a strategic review of development opportunities across Peterborough to reposition the city as a more dynamic regional centre.

We built a comprehensive evidence base exploring market dynamics, spatial opportunity, and delivery barriers. While the city benefits from high connectivity, housing affordability, and significant development potential, it is marked by fragmented land ownership and viability challenges. Our analysis identified over 68 hectares of developable land with capacity for 4,350 homes and 26,000 sqm of commercial space.

In synthesising the ‘so what?’, we set out a clear strategic pathway for delivery: a city centre-wide supplementary planning document to provide planning clarity and design ambition; a recalibrated approach to site prioritisation; and a delivery strategy aligned with governance and infrastructure plans. We identified that the redevelopment of land at the train station and the Anglia Ruskin University expansion are prime catalysts for growth in the city.

The work provides a credible, market-facing framework for regeneration, giving the council and Homes England the tools to bring forward a new era of city centre growth, resilience and public value.

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.