In just over a month, our colleague Nadya will be heading to Rwanda to take on the role of Community Engagement Lead as part of the two-week Bridges to Prosperity programme. Nadya will join a team of 10 volunteers from across Sidara companies, travelling to the Muhanga District to help build the Kajeje Trail Bridge – a 45-metre suspension bridge that will connect over 4,000 residents to vital resources.

This is one of the many bridges Bridges to Prosperity are building to end rural isolation. These photos show the opening ceremony of last year’s bridge, with an update on the 2025 build to follow in June.

Find out more about their incredible work here: Bridges to Prosperity: Rural Infrastructure Development

Urban Initiatives are proud to announce the launch of the ‘Urban Flourishing Initiative’, a collaborative partnership with The London Collective, Demos and E.C.F.
Together, we are developing a ‘systems-thinking’ framework that responds to the social and environmental challenges shaping our cities today.

Our partnership brings together multi-disciplinary expertise across academia, industry and public engagement, with the goal of influencing how cities can adapt and thrive in the face of these challenges. By combining evidence-based research with meaningful community input, we aim to create a framework for resilient and future-ready urban development.

We’re excited to begin this project and look forward to sharing our progress as the project evolves.

Over the past year, Urban Initiatives has been working in close partnership with Sevenoaks Town Council to develop two masterplans: one for the Town Centre and another for the St John’s Hill area, located just north of the town centre. These plans aim to integrate new and existing buildings while enhancing public spaces and connections, creating a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly environment that supports community life and promotes healthier lifestyles. Improved links between key town assets will also encourage longer visits and attract future investment.

The masterplans have been shaped in collaboration with the local community through a series of in-person and online workshops and engagement events. These sessions helped establish core design principles to guide the plans and ensure they reflect the needs and aspirations of local residents. Sevenoaks Town Council is now consulting on the Draft Masterplans. A consultation event for the St John’s Hill area was held on 17 March 2025, with the relevant documents advertised on the Town Council’s webpage: https://www.sevenoakstown.gov.uk/. Consultation for the Sevenoaks Town Centre Masterplan is scheduled to take place in June

Urban Initiatives are delighted to announce that the elected members of Cork City Council unanimously approved the Part 8 planning process for the Railyard Apartments. The 217 cost-rental apartment scheme on Albert Quay in Cork comprises a mix of studio, 1, 2, and 3-bedroom units, with 40-50 units designed specifically for older people and those with disabilities. The 25-storey building will be the tallest to be constructed in Cork City Centre and will serve as a landmark and beacon for the expansion of the city into the Cork Docklands. The adjoining listed former Blackrock and Passage Railway station will be converted into a restaurant and office, and a series of green courtyards will bring people in and through the scheme. Urban Initiatives supported JCD Group, Henry J Lyons Architects, and the wider team with the design of this proposal and prepared the urban design and tall building statement, as well as the visual impact assessment for the application. Construction is set to start next year.

Over the past few months, Urban Initiatives has prepared the Design Guide for Derby city centre. The area is targeted for significant new development and regeneration. The aim of the guide is to establish clear design principles that will elevate the quality of design in the city centre. It seeks to ensure that future developments will respond appropriately to their context and prioritise sustainability, accessibility, and safety, whilst providing certainty around the Council’s expectations. The guide consolidates strategic, best-practice, and area-specific guidance into a single, easily accessible document.

Derby City Council is now consulting on the Design Guide and has set up two surveys for feedback: one for general views on the document, and the other for detailed, section-specific comments. The consultation is open until January 13, 2025, and can be accessed here. Following the public consultation, feedback will be reviewed and used to refine the document. Once finalised, the city centre Design Guide will be recommended for Council endorsement, making it a material consideration in future decision-making processes.

We are pleased to announce that on Wednesday, 13th December 2023, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council adopted the Building Height and Tall Buildings Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which Urban Initiatives prepared on behalf of the council.

Much of the Royal Borough is comprised of low-rise villages and suburban settlements set within the landscape. Building heights increase slightly in the urban areas of the borough. The town centre of Maidenhead, in particular, has been the focus of several developments of significant height, necessitating specific guidance to ensure an appropriate response to the surrounding context.

The SPD provides a definition of a tall building for different parts of the borough and identifies heritage and townscape assets that are sensitive to tall buildings. It identifies sites in the borough where there may be opportunity for increased building height or tall buildings and provides guidance on heights and building design.

Urban Initiatives Director, Hugo Nowell, recently had the fantastic opportunity to speak in Plymouth at the National Urban Design Conference hosted by Urban Design Group. Hugo shared insights into Urban Initiatives’ approach to creating places that are built to last—rooted in community, shaped by local context, and designed with longevity in mind.

The conference highlighted the essential role of multi-disciplinary collaboration in the built environment, showing how, by working together, we can shape better, more inclusive places to live.

As a co-author of By Design—the foundational manual for urban design in the UK—Hugo reflected on its continued relevance today, calling for a renewed Urban Renaissance: One that not only champions public value and lived experience but also addresses the pressing global challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, water quality, pollution, and the erosion of sense of place.

For many years we have been working to guide positive change within the London Borough of Hounslow. This includes a masterplan for Feltham town centre, development framework for the Golden Mile / Great West Corridor and a vision for the west of the borough. Earlier this year we prepared a Tall Buildings Study for the borough. In line with London Plan guidance this provides a locally specific definition for a tall building in Hounslow and identifies potential locations, and maximum heights, for tall buildings within the borough.

The Study informs the new Tall Buildings Policy in Hounslow’s new Local Plan 2020-2041. Both the Tall Buildings Study and our Great West Corridor masterplan form part of the evidence base to the Plan.

Consultation on the new Local Plan started today and will run until 28 October 2024.

In August 2023, Urban Initiatives was appointed by Watford Council to prepare a vision and framework plan for the southern part of Watford High Street. The quality of development and the public realm in this area is notably lower than in the successful and thriving parts of Watford town centre further north. The area is fragmented, dominated by traffic from the ring road, and apart from Watford High Street Overground Station, offers little to residents and town centre visitors. The aim of this project is to transform the area into an attractive gateway to the town centre, with improved pedestrian and cycling facilities, quality open spaces, and vibrancy from new developments, including housing.

To support this project, we recently completed an extensive consultation exercise in the study area, aiming to gather insights into local issues, perceptions, and aspirations. Towards the end of July, our staff members Nadya and Subham spent four days in the area, speaking with over 100 people from various walks of life who were passing through. In parallel, an online questionnaire was made available for individuals to leave their feedback. Combined, we gathered an impressive response of over 800 completed questionnaires, which provide a detailed picture of how local people perceive the area, their attitudes towards change, and what improvements they would like to see. The consultation findings will inform the scope of change in the area and shape our recommendations to the council.

Additionally, we have just been appointed to prepare a concept public realm design for a proposed new public space outside Watford High Street Station. This work will also benefit from the consultation findings, enabling us to respond effectively to movement routes and desire lines as well as, the issues, opportunities, and aspirations identified by local people.