Panel

  • David Watkins

    David Watkins

    MEng (Hons), CEng, MCIHT, FCIHT

    Arup

    David is a Chartered Engineer and an Associate Director at Arup where he leads the west transport planning business. Chair of the CIHT in the south-west, David has 19 years‘ experience across a breadth of transport planning disciplines including active travel, street design, parking, business case and development of new public transport services and interchange facilities. He enjoys working with public and private sector clients to integrate sustainable transport into projects to make it the mode of choice.

    Highways & Transport, People & Place

  • James Webb

    James Webb

    BSc(hons) MSc (hist con) Pg Dip UD IHBC

    Forum Heritage Services

    James Webb is a planning consultant with over 25 years’ experience and Director of Forum Heritage Services, a consultancy specialising in the historic environment. He worked as a principal conservation officer for several local authorities in the UK, including the City of Westminster, Hampshire, and Dorset Councils. James has sat on several design panels including the Cornwall Design Review Panel and the Bournemouth Design Panel. He was a Trustee of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and remains as the Dorset representative for the South-West region.

    Heritage

  • Charles Wellingham

    Charles Wellingham

    BA (Hons) BArch ARB AABC SPAB Lethaby Scholar

    Connolly Wellingham Architects

    Charles is a practicing Architect and lecturer with a passion and expertise for the conservation, continuity and reuse of our built heritage. He was elected to undertake the SPAB Lethaby Scholarship in 2014, and elected to join the AABC conservation register in 2016. Charles brings a particular expertise for contemporary design in sensitive settings, including strategic master planning for heritage sites and environmental upgrade.

    Heritage, Strategic Development

  • Michael Wells

    Michael Wells

    RDI FRSA FCIEEM MIBiol MCIWEM PhD MA (Nat. Sci) C.Env C.Sci C.Biol CWEM

    Biodiversity by Design Ltd

    Mike is both a professional ecologist and an ecourbanist, with nearly 30 years of consultancy experience and 40 years in ecological science. He co-founded Biodiversity by Design Ltd in 2006 with the express aim of focusing on creative multifunctional ecology. Mike's key interests lie in exploring opportunities for biodiversity enhancement and ecological education in the creative gaps between Ecology and other disciplines including Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Civil and Structural Engineering and Art. Mike has led the ecological design of several benchmark exemplars of ecourbanism including the Athletes' Village (now East Village) Stratford for the 2012 Olympic Games and the regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula. Mike has practiced globally in over 20 countries and published widely in relation to the ecological aspects of urban regeneration, masterplanning and design. He is an expert in innovative habitat creation including multifunctional wetlands and vegetated architecture.

    Housing, Landscape, Strategic Development

  • Mike Westley

    Mike Westley

    CMLI, FHEA

    Westley Design

    Mike is a Chartered Landscape Architect, inclusive designer, university teacher and researcher, with 35 years’ career experience. His expertise covers wellbeing & green infrastructure, inclusive public realm, healing/ learning environments and participatory design. He has worked across the UK, Europe, Australia and USA. Previous appointments include Principal at a Groundwork Trust, and Programme Manager at Sensory Trust (Eden Project).

    Climate, Landscape, People & Place

  • Clare Wilks

    Clare Wilks

    MA UD and MA (Oxon) Fine Art

    LDA

    Clare is an urban designer and master planner leading LDA Design’s new multi-disciplinary team in Bristol. Using her creative approach and communication skills, she looks for ways to make places memorable and responsive to the existing environment. Her previous work with communities has strengthened her belief that all good designs are firmly rooted in local people’s experience and knowledge. Recent work includes new garden villages in the south-east, Somerdale in Keynsham, the Nylon Spinners Factory in Pontypool, and city visioning for the regeneration of Bangor, Wales.  

    Housing

  • Jake Williams

    Jake Williams

    MEng, CEng, MCIBSE, MIMechE

    Buro Happold

    Jake has extensive experience in the field of environmental design, carbon reduction, energy and building simulation. Using his in depth understanding of environmental design, Jake is able to drive the design response towards solutions that reduce energy demand, improve well-being and ensure a healthy and comfortable internal environment. He has played a key role in defining the low energy design and environmental strategies on a wide range of projects, including education, cultural, scientific and office buildings. Following through projects from concept to completion and into occupation has given him a solid grounding in the reasons for the performance gap between design and operation, important knowledge of how buildings are managed and operated in practice, as well as an understanding of how users interact with buildings in reality. He is particularly passionate about bringing this learning into his projects, and is focused on delivering designs that are robust, user-centric and avoid unnecessary complexity. Jake’s specialist expertise includes studying energy transfer through the façade, natural ventilation design, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, low energy HVAC systems and low carbon energy generation strategies. He has defined net zero strategies for a wider range of new and existing buildings.

    Climate

  • Rhiona Williams

    Rhiona Williams

    BSc (Hons), MArch, PGDip, ARB

    RCKa

    Rhiona, a Project Architect at RCKa, has expertise spanning across private and public sectors, in master planning, placemaking and policy projects, specialist residential, community assets and engagement initiatives. She spearheaded the public engagement for the award winning Nourish Hub, Hammersmith and Fulham. She champions high-quality that enhances lives and places. Rhiona's portfolio includes community land trust projects, mixed-use developments and strategic planning projects, producing Design Codes and SPD’s for Lewisham, Isle of Wight, and Brent council.

    Housing, People & Place, Strategic Development

  • Neil Williamson

    Neil Williamson

    BA(Hons), MA, Dip Mgt, FLI, PPLI, FCMI, AdCert EDCP

    Neil Williamson Associates Ltd

    Neil is a landscape architect and urban designer with more than 35 years’ experience. He is a Design Council Expert (Associate), a past President of the Landscape Institute and serves on a number of design review panels including that of the Design Commission for Wales. He has helped develop and promote design policy at local and national level and collaborated with Rob Cowan on Design and Access Statements Explained published in 2008.

    Landscape, People & Place, Strategic Development