Editor for a website archive on Tolmers Square.

Client: Patrick Allen.

See Tolmers Village Forum website

Support for the development of a neighbourhood plan for West Marina, St Leonards-on-sea, East Sussex.

Client: West St Leonards Forum.

See West St Leonards Website
See West Marina Group website

Research for a doctoral thesis entitled Making Places Better submitted successfully for a PhD by Publication.

Client: The University of Brighton.

 See thesis, Making Places Better

Helping the Resident-Led Partnership undertake some targeted in-depth consultation on the first 3-year Plan and create a new Plan for Years 4 to 6.

Client: Big Local NE Hastings Resident-Led Partnership
Undertaken by the Love NE Hastings Consortium led by NWA comprising Caf Fean, Jane Freund, Jill Fricker, Linda King, Susan Lelliott, Steve Manwaring, Erica Smith and Nick Wates.

 See the full Plan
 See Plan leaflet
 See Consultation Record
See project website

Advice on community engagement strategy for a project to turn a former pub in Brighton into a neighbourhood hub, and the production of an independent report on the results.

Client: Bungaroosh Project Steering Group

 See project  website
 See project report

Assistance with a one-day visit to a thriving area of Brighton for members of Big Local groups from other towns to see what lessons can be learnt for them.

Client: Jim Boot for Big Local Trust

 See results on Community21  website
 See project report

Helping shape a community engagement programme to increase the health and wellbeing  of communities in East Sussex as part of the County Council’s East Sussex Better Together project.

Client: Hastings Voluntary Action for East Sussex County Council

 See project report
 See ABC Consulting website 

Client: University of Brighton

 See project summary report

Helping to develop a community consultation process and supplying an independent report on the results.

Client: Battle Health Pathway Project Group

 See project report 

Team member for this event on the future of London’s biggest new development area.

Client: JTP in collaboration with London Tenants Federation, Just Space and University College London.

Development work for a project to create a community history of the regeneration of Hastings

Client: University of Brighton, Hastings Voluntary Action and Nick Wates Associates.

An online guide to help community groups become resilient to the impact of weather and climate change.

Client: The Environment Agency.

Helping with the planning and facilitation of a visioning event to relaunch this initiative.

Client: Energise Sussex Coast

 See project website
 See photo gallery

Assistance with organising and facilitating a half day event to learn lessons from the past for the future, including launching a project to create a Hastings Regeneration Timeline.

Client: Hastings Exchange at University of Brighton.

 See web pages 

Strategic advice on engaging the residents of Hastings and Bexhill in reducing pollution of the sea. A project identified as national best practice by the Environment Agency.

Client: Hastings Voluntary Action and Rother Voluntary Action for the Environment Agency.

 See project website
 See project report

Revising and updating a new edition.

Client: Routledge, Taylor & Francis.

  See details in Books section
 Go to publishers webpage

Facilitation of a workshop for key stakeholders to share information and attempt to agree an approach to the future of a former quarry in the South Downs National Park.

Client: Hargreaves Group

See project report   

Assisting with the Getting Started phase of a project to engage residents in spending £1million improving their area.

Client: Big Local North East Hastings Interim Steering Group
Undertaken with Hastings Voluntary Action and Hastings Trust.

See project website
See project report

Six day support visit to Taipei including facilitation of a stakeholder workshop and a Masterclass.

Client: Cosmos Inc., for the Urban Regeneration Office, Taipei

   see photo gallery of masterclass

  See Cosmos’s souvenir booklet of the visit:
April 2013: Nick & Jane’s first visit to Datong and Wanhua, our story begins here.  

Member of a consortium providing support for communities and neighbourhoods in planning in England. Upgrading of communityplanning.net, developing workshop programme, support to local groups.

Client: Locality for the Department for Communities and Local Government.

 Go to communityplanning.net

Support for Hove Station Neighbourhoods Forum in preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan including helping facilitate a Have Your Say Dropin event.

Client: Professor Mike Gibson for Locality for the Department for Communities and Local Government

Support for Ringmer Parish Council, East Sussex, in preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan including advice on community engagement strategy and liaison with the local planning authority, Lewes District Council.  92% of residents voted to adopt the plan at a referendum (with a 42% turnout) on 12 November 2015.

Client: Locality on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government

See project website (select the ‘Ringmer to 2030’ button)

Research on methods and engagement strategy for new housing by volume housebuilders.

Client: Shelter

Organisation of two energy cafés in Playden, East Sussex to engage local people in renewable energy and energy saving initiatives.

Client: Energise Sussex Coast for Department of Energy & Climate Change.

 See client website

Establishing a partnership initiative to create better resources for community engagement in planning and regeneration in Hastings & St Leonards

Client: University of Brighton

 See project output

Team members and facilitation assistance for this event to generate momentum for the regeneration of Central St Leonards and establish a Town Team.

Client: Local Space

 See website page on Town Team progress

Public consultation on the future of a greenbelt site in West London.

Client: Highbridge No2 Limited

See project report 

Public consultation on the future of a former farm site in the greenbelt in Berkshire.

Client: Farmglade Limited

 See project report No 1
 See project report No 2

Development of a training module on how to engage communities in reducing carbon emissions.

Client: Centre for Creative Urban Regeneration, University of Portsmouth, on behalf of European Union funded Strategies for Low Carbon Settlements project.

See training module details

Production and publication of a book of colour photos of a London squatter community at Tolmers Square in the 1970s.

Client: NWA

  See details in Books section

Development and facilitation of a training workshop on stakeholder engagement in sustainable mobility projects for a conference in Zagreb, Croatia.

Client: Regional Environmental Center, Slovenia on behalf of the European Union

Facilitation of four workshops to consult with local residents on the future of a semi natural public open space on the outskirts of Brighton.

Client: Brighton & Hove City Council

 See Friends of Wild Park website
See project report

Providing archive material for exhibitions in Berlin and Dresden on radical art and politics in the Seventies, and participating in a gallery debate.

Clients: NGBK Gallery, Berlin and Motorenhalle, Dresden

 Go to Tolmers Gateway on this website
 See NGBK Gallery archive webpage

Undertaken with Urban8, Manchester

Assistance to the council’s planning team in devising and facilitating an informal consultation programme on the Site Allocations & Designations Development Plan Document.

Client: Hastings Borough Council

Helping with a report on how community engagement in the planning system relates to Community Development.

Client: Resources for Change for the Community Development Foundation

Helping produce a local action plan for Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, including devising a public involvement strategy, facilitating events and graphic design.

Client: Rother Voluntary Action

 See project report

Member of Design and Steering Group for a new website providing resources to help communities become more sustainable.

Client: University of Brighton

 See Community21 website

Untertaken with CSC Regeneration

A data capture exercise to assist Rother Local Strategic Partnership establish priorities.

Client: Rother District Council

See project report

Development and facilitation of a training workshop on stakeholder engagement in sustainable mobility projects for a conference in Gent, Belgium.

Client: Regional Environmental Center, Slovenia on behalf of the European Union

Facilitation of two stakeholder workshops at the start of the development of a Local Development Framework core strategy, and production of an event report and record.

Client: Harlow Council

See project report

Helping to plan and facilitate a Design Day to involve young people in creating a Youth Hub at St Mary-in-the-Castle, Hastings

Client: Hastings Trust

See project report

Major improvements to www.communityplanning.net including sections for Case Studies, Policy and UK Housing as well as the introduction of a third column, search facilities and database linked inputting facilities.

Client: Royal Town Planning Institute, Academy for Sustainable Communities and the Department for Communities and Local Government

 Go to communityplanning.net website

Training and advice on the production of a Town Design
Statement for Petersfield, Hampshire.

Client: Petersfield Tomorrow

 Go to project website
See Town Design Statement, October 2010  

Project managing the remodeling of former farm buildings to create two new homes for local families in Selside, near Kendal, Cumbria.

Client: Joanna Gent

  See cutting from local newspaper. 

Editing and producing a toolkit on action planning for local support groups of the URBACT programme for sustainable urban development.

Client: URBACT Secretariat, European Union

 See The URBACT II Local Support Group Toolkit

Compiling a book on how to organise collaborative planning and urban design events; a revised version of the 1996 publication ‘Action Planning’.

Client: Earthscan Publications and English Partnerships.

See details in Books section
 Go to publishers webpage

Facilitation of a workshop to help key stakeholders finalise a consultants’ brief for the preparation of a masterplan for the town centre.

Client: Aylesbury Vale Advantage

Production of a draft report on the first five years of a successful neighbourhood management pathfinder in Hastings.

Client: Greater Hollington Partnership

Project managing the comprehensive renovation of a rundown Grade II Listed building in the Hastings Old Town Conservation Area using Conservation Area Partnership grant aid from Hastings Borough Council.

Client: Nick Wates.

Planning and facilitation of a workshop in the Filwood neighbourhood in Bristol as part of a Re:Invigorate conference event.

Client: British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA).

Assistance with planning and facilitating a public evening workshop as part of the preparation of an Area Action Plan for the Local Development Framework

Client: Surrey Heath Borough Council

Facilitating the design and implementation of public consultation on a new town plan for Winchelsea, East Sussex.

Client: Winchelsea Town Plan Steering Committee

Regeneration advisor on public engagement for a Channel 4 TV series on regeneration screened in 2005. Based on regeneration activity in Castleford, Yorkshire. Including directing the setting up of a regeneration centre in the town centre.

Client: Talkback Productions and local regeneration agencies including Groundwork Wakefield and Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.

Watch the programmes on the Channel 4 website
See photo gallery – Community planning event
See photo gallery – Cutsyke visioning event
See photo gallery – The Green visioning event
See photo gallery – Fryston visioning event
See photo gallery – Carlton Square visioning event
See photo gallery – The Riverfront visioning event
See photo gallery – Wilson Street visioning event
See photo gallery – Making a regeneration centre
See photo gallery – Exhibition of design ideas
See photo gallery – Designers day

Participation in an international seminar in Florence to assist the Tuscany Region develop legislation on public participation.

Client: Regione Toscana, Italy

Providing good practice advice on the best way to proceed with producing a Town Design Statement for the historic market town of Great Dunmow in Essex

Client: The Countryside Agency

 See project report

Advisor and facilitator for series of three events to involve local people in the preparation of a Development Brief for a former hospital site.

Client: English Partnerships, Thames Gateway

See photo gallery – Design workshop
See photo gallery – Open house exhibition

Copywriting and formatting for The Kent Design Guide and for a summary of the Guide titled Creating Environmental Excellence

Client: Kent Architecture Centre on behalf of the Kent Design Initiative

Facilitation of public consultation on a draft Development Brief for an area around Peterborough station.

Client: Halcrow on behalf of Peterborough City Council.

See photogallery of open house day
See photogallery of stakeholder workshop

Making an independent assessment of proposals by local stakeholders for enhancing the centre of Shaftesbury and making suggestions for improvement.

Client: Shaftesbury Town Council.

 See project report

Planning and facilitating a stakeholder consultation day as part of producing an Area Action Plan for the eastern edge of Cambridge which includes the city airport. Production of a comprehensive
event report, electronic and paper.

Client: Cambridge City and South Cambridgeshire District Council

  See event report
  See photo gallery 

Assistance with developing a design concept and editing a brochure on strategic changes planned for the county of Kent.

Client: Kent County Council

Study to assess the impact of the neighbourhood renewal programme in Hastings and recommend action to ensure the sustainability of initiatives.

Client: Hastings Borough Council.

Managing and conducting consultation on a Masterplan for Aylesham, Kent. As part of its adoption as Supplementary Planning Guidance by Kent County Council. Proposals include over 1,000 new homes, a new central public park, workspace and transport improvements

Client: BBP Regeneration for English Partnerships.

See photogallery of Aylesham Masterplan Exhibition

Three-day programme of meetings and seminars to help develop an urban plan for Tacoronte ‚ population 20,000 ‚ and promote community planning methods in the Canary Islands generally.

Client: Instituto Canario de Animacion Social (ICAS).

See photogallery

Analysis of 850 questionnaires completed at a public exhibition of alternative proposals by three design firms for Bexhill town centre.

Client: Sea Space, Hastings & Bexhill Renaissance.

  See report
See photogallery 

Facilitation of a placecheck consultation day for the Brunel Railway Village.

Client: Swindon Borough Council.

See photo gallery 

Planning and facilitating a process for engaging key stakeholders and the general public in developing an Area Development Framework for the southern edge of Cambridge. Proposals included over 2,500 new homes, a major hospital expansion, landscaping, community facilities and transport improvements.

Client: Cambridge City Council on behalf of a Reference Group including Cambridgeshire County Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Addenbrooke¹s NHS Trust, Countryside Properties, Monsanto and the Bell Educational Trust.

  See event report
  See photo gallery 

Producing a feasibility study on community facilities needed in West St Leonards, East Sussex, an area facing major change.

Client: Hastings Trust

  See project report
  See report appendices
  See photo gallery 

Planning and facilitating a two-day planning workshop prior to declaration of a new housing Renewal Area in St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex

Client: Hastings Borough Council

See photogallery

Project management of initiative by residents to digitally map their local neighbourhood in Hastings

Client: Ore Valley Forum.

See photogallery

Week of presentations, workshops and training sessions to assist community planning initiatives in the State of Vermont, USA.

Client: The Preservation Trust of Vermont.

See photogallery of Planners workshop
See photogallery of Brookfield Awayday
See photogallery of Charlotte Reconnaissance
See photogallery of Bristol workshop

Comprehensive consultation programme on the future of Hastings & St Leonards and Bexhill. Included a Masterplan, Community Strategy, Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy, Local Action Plans and proposals for a Millennium Community and new Housing Renewal Area

Client: Hastings Borough Council, South East England Development Agency and English Partnerships.

Consultation results report
Umbrella consultation brochure
Masterplan consultation brochure
Community Strategy consultation brochure
Millennium Community consultation brochure
Housing Renewal Area consultation brochure
Castle Ward Local Action Plan consultation brochure
Ore Valley Local Action Plan consultation brochure
Gensing & Central St Leonards Local Action Plan consultation brochure

See photogallery of West St Leonards exhibition
See photogallery of Sainsbury Superstore exhibition
See photogallery of Gensing & Central St Leonards Local Event
See photogallery of Greater Hollington Local Event
See photogallery of Castle Ward Local Event
See photogallery of Tesco Superstore Exhibition, Hollington
See photogallery of Ore Valley Local Event
See photogallery of Priory Meadow shopping centre exhibition
See photogallery of Regeneration Centre and Launch event
See photogallery of posters

Devising a public consultation strategy for a proposed town extension including 1,900 new homes for Chelmsford.

Client: Countryside Properties.

Creation of a Masterplan by means of public consultation for improving Hastings’ second largest park.

Client: Hastings Borough Council

 See flyer/poster
 See Consultation Draft Masterplan
 See Masterplan
 See background report 1
 See background report  2

Evaluation of three pilot projects – in Selby, Stratford upon Avon and Maldon – and production of national good practice guidance.

Client: The Countryside Agency.

 See good practice guide
 See research findings

Conception and management of a training programme for practitioners including 17 one- day training modules on a range of methods

Client: The Prince’s Foundation with The Civic Trust.

  see flyer/poster

Assistance with the production of a handbook in Slovenian on public participation including facilitating an expert seminar

Client: Regional Environmental Centre for Central and Eastern Europe.

Facilitating a session for councillors on community involvement principles and methods

Client: Rother District Council.

Devising and facilitating a community planning day in Central St Leonards

Client: Gensing Residents Association.

Design and Construction of a test website for sharing good practice on setting up and running area resource centres for the built environment

Client: Department for International Development.

Editing material for a website on community involvement

Client: Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Developing the concept, assembling the team and initiating the process for producing a photographic book celebrating contemporary Hastings and St Leonards, East Sussex

Client: Seachange Publishing.

See book on Amazon

See project launch

Planning and facilitating a conference for key stakeholders to devise a strategy for local involvement in the future of Dorchester and surrounding area.

Client: West Dorset District Council.

Design and Construction of website on community planning based on The Community Planning Handbook.
See www.communityplanning.net

Client: Department for International Development.

Go to communityplanning.net website

Planning and facilitating an event to involve local people and Action for Market Towns conference delegates in the future for Liskeard cattle market.

Client: Caradon District Council.

Planning and facilitating a conference of key stakeholders to develop a strategy for involving local people in developing a new vision for the future of Felixstowe.

Client: Town & Country Planning Association for Trinity College Cambridge.

Planning and facilitating a day of workshops in Artigarven, Northern Ireland.

Client: Regeneration through Heritage

Planning and facilitating a workshop to involve local people in refining an action plan for the town.

Client: Environmental Resources Management for The Countryside Agency.

Planning and facilitating a conference on improving community involvement in villages.

Client: Sussex Rural Community Council.

Helping local residents develop proposals for the future of their estate in Deptford, London

Client: Pepys Community Forum.

Facilitating of four workshops to involve local people in developing an action plan and create a regeneration partnership.

Client: South Downs Council for Voluntary Service.

Research on methods, principles and other material from developing countries for a book on community planning (The Community Planning Handbook).

Client: Department for International Development (DFID – R7141)

Design and production of a book on community planning.

Client: Earthscan

See details in Books section
Go to publishers webpage

Planning advice on, and facilitation of, a one-day design workshop for local stakeholders on the potential of a large riverside site.

Client: Medway Council

Project managing an action research programme to explore good practice by assisting and evaluating twelve participatory urban design events in England and contributing to the organization of
ten seminars and workshops.

Client: Urban Design Group (with funding from DETR)

See project report as Urban Design Quarterly special issue July 1998

Undertaking a reconnaissance and designing an action planning event in Beirut and Sidon as part of an urban design Task Force.

Client: The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture with Solidere, Lebanon

See  unpublished article 

Planning and facilitation of a planning day to establish a brief for a new church in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Client: John Simpson & Partners

Coordination of a series of fourteen evening forums in central London on topical issues.

Client: The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture 
with the Urban Design Group (part)

Establishing a programme to develop and promote good practice in community architecture, planning and design through the production of high quality, universally applicable, how-to-do-it information using action research and participatory editing techniques.

Client: The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture

Planning and facilitating the community planning component of a summer school task force in Richmond, Virginia, USA

Client: The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture

Advisor and facilitator for a week of activities to involve local people in the revitalization of Kazimierz, Krakow, Poland

Client: The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum with the City of Krakow and Krakow Development Forum

Design and production of a book on action planning.

Client: The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture with Inner City Aid, Urban Villages Forum, Inner City Aid and English Partnerships

See details in Books section
Go to shop 

Planning and facilitating the community planning component of a summer school task force in Chinon, France and Viterbo, Italy.

Client: The Prince of Wales’s Institute of Architecture

Conservation Advisor and UK researcher for a market appraisal of the training needs for building conservation skills in the Kent/Nord Pas de Calais Region.

Client: Camargue Communications for the Building Crafts and Conservation Trust

Revitalisation of Hastings Urban Conservation Project and converting it into an independent development trust.

Client: Hastings Borough Council, East Sussex County Council,
English Heritage

 See St Mary-in-the-Castle Prospectus 
 See project Prospectus and Review 1991, Turning the Tide
 See Environment Week Programme 1990

UK Coordinator for the Second International Conference on Community Architecture, Planning and Design, Pittsburgh, USA

Client: American Institute of Architects

Co-authoring with Charles Knevitt the first book on community architecture.

Client: Penguin Books

Co-organiser of the First International Conference on Community Architecture, Planning and Design, Astoria Theatre, London which attracted over 1,000 delegates.

Client: Community Architecture Information Services (CAIS)

Helping organise a tour for Prince Charles on 26 March 1986 to see both problem housing estates and good examples of rehabilitation in East London.

Client: URBED with Hunt Thompson Associates

See photogallery of tour

Campaigning to secure the quality regeneration of the Limehouse area of London docklands. Including acting as press officer for a local community group and compiling The Limehouse Petition.

Client: Limehouse Development Group, Limehouse & Ratcliffe Road Action Group, Greater London Council.

  Listen to the Limehouse episode of ‘East London with Charles Saumarez Smith’, first broadcast by Resonance FM on 24th May 2017.  With politician Lord David Owen; light artist Peter Fink; community activist Nick Wates; urban historian Professor Michael Hebbert and Cynthia Grant who worked for the Docklands Development Corporation from 1985 to 1998.
  See the Limehouse Petition; for a future inner city, paperback and digital.
    See Community Architecture, (chapter 2 is a case study on Limehouse)

Initial editing and production of an English language edition of Mark Edward’s book on the Christiania freetown in Copenhagen; eventually published in 2021 by Hard Rain Trading Company as Christiania: 50th Anniversary Edition.

Client: Bay Leaf Books

Undertaken with Steve Platt

See Christiania book website

Coordination of conversion of a former seaman’s mission to six homes with communal gardens and indoor swimming pool.

Client: Self and friends

Establishing the Self-help Housing Resource Library in London and compiling and publishing a book on squatting.

Client: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Bay Leaf Books.

Co-ordinating the establishment of a local community association and compiling a book and film on a classic community action campaign to save a community in central London from the effects of property speculation.

Client: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Routledge & Kegan Paul