Expertise
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Laura Alvarez
BArch (Hons), PG Dip, MAUD, UDGRP, PhD
Urban Design Group
Laura practiced architecture and urban design for over two decades. In her Nottingham City Council role, she was the creator of the award-winning Design Quality Framework and its Co-PLACE engagement platform. She is a guest lecturer at various UK universities and she conducts research in practice and has numerous publications on social sustainability, design quality and community engagement; including the recent A Beginner’s Guide to Urban Design and Development: the ABC of quality, sustainable design.
Veronica Barbaro
MSc, MRTPI
Diagonal
Veronica is a chartered Town Planner now working in digital. She has a real interest in sustainable place-making, resilient design, regeneration and community-driven development. Her experience includes over 10 years in private multi-disciplinary consultancy, working on a breadth of major projects, from national infrastructure schemes (including HS2) to complex city centre regeneration sites in Bristol, Bath and the wider South West. Veronica has a robust understanding of the development management process, as well as development economics and viability considerations. She is a visiting lecturer at UWE and has recently become an Academy of Urbanism Academician.
Kirsty Barker
PGDip, CMLI
LDA
Kirsty is a highly experienced landscape and public realm designer with over 12 years’ experience. Specialising in public realm design for streets, parks and coastal defences, Kirsty’s designs explore the notion of introducing contemporary public spaces within the historic fabric of our cities, facilitating human interaction, and promoting cultural expression. Kirsty has had the opportunity to design high profile schemes such as Southsea Coastal Scheme, Westfield Avenue, Holborn Public Realm Strategy, and Stratford Waterfront.
Pepper Barney
BA(Hons), BArch, PGCert
BiBO
Pepper is an architect and masterplanner with a post-graduate specialism in urban regeneration. Previous project experience included working on strategic housing allocation sites as well as smaller rural brownfield infill sites for private developers. Recently, her work has focused on town centre regeneration and supporting landowners with rural diversification strategies.
Steven Bee
BA Hons MRes AoU MRTPI
Urban Counsel
Steven Bee established his practice in 2010, providing advice, guidance and expert support to those planning and developing better places. He has 40 years’ experience at local and national level, in the public and private sectors. His experience embraces community planning, urban renewal, tourism development, public transport planning, environmental assessment, masterplanning, planning briefs, town centre development, research and policy formulation. He specialises in the integration of new development into historic contexts. Steven is Chairman of the Historic Towns and Villages Forum and former Chairman of the Academy of Urbanism. He is a member of the Urban Design Group and of several Design Review Panels. He was previously a Board member of English Heritage, Director of Planning at Winchester City Council, a Director of Llewelyn-Davies Planning, and began his career at LB Lewisham.
Tom Bell
Ba (Hons), MArch, PGDip, ARB, RIBA
Ridge & Partners LLP
Tom is a Chartered Architect at Ridge & Partners LLP, the RIBA Wessex Regional Chair, and was shortlisted for the RIBAJ Rising Stars being described as a ‘rare balance of big ideas and drive’. Representing 2600+ members across the Region, Tom has established an array of initiatives that champion design excellence, advocates and upskills on climate literacy, and working with client groups, policy-leaders and central government promotes policy-led improvements; from planning to procurement; to facilitate better buildings and outcomes. Within his day job, Tom is an Architect at Ridge & Partners LLP, a multi-disciplinary practice with 800+ property and construction professionals nationwide, an AJ100 and Building Magazine Top 20 Building Consultancy. Working predominantly between the Bristol and their Cheltenham office, Tom is part of the project team for the £2.6bn Gigaplant in Blyth - a UK first, and the fourth largest building in the country - alongside a number of more regionally-focused commercial, office, healthcare and residential projects. Tom values working for a multi-disciplinary practice as he considers collaboration to be key to challenging the Climate, Biodiversity and Ecological Emergencies, facilitating sustainable innovation across disciplines, and to design and deliver better buildings for clients, occupants and future generations.
Rob Beswick
BA Landscape Arch, Dip LA, CMLI
B|D Landscape Architects
Through a broad and diverse background Rob has worked on a range of internationally acclaimed and award-winning projects for design practices in Bath, Bristol, London and Chicago. As founder and director of B|D Landscape Architects Rob’s interest lies in innovative contemporary landscape design that leaves a sustainable legacy for the future. Rob is a Landscape Institute Committee member for Awards & Competitions, External Examiner and visiting Lecturer for Leeds Beckett University, a Trustee for the Cheltenham Design Foundation and a Design Council Expert.
Juliet Bidgood
MA Dip Arch RIBA
Chair
Juliet Bidgood
Juliet Bidgood is an architect/urban designer and RIBA Client Adviser. She is experienced in working with communities, enterprises and organisations to envision and shape engaging places. She is expert in design policy, design for public buildings and spaces, and residential neighbourhoods. A design review panel chair since 2010 Juliet led the co-design of the West of England Placemaking Charter. Formerly a senior government advisor at CABE and founding member of the award-winning collaborative practice muf Architecture/Art.
Graham Bizley
BArch BSc(Hons)
Prewett Bizley Architects
Graham is a director of Prewett Bizley Architects, a practice specializing in low-energy and low-carbon residential design. He is a part-time teaching fellow at the University of Bath and is a visiting reviewer at various UK schools of Architecture. He is a regular contributor to the architectural press and the author of two books on architectural detailing.
