Nexus Planning consultants named as High Street Task Force Experts

Planning consultancy, Nexus Planning, has announced that five of its urban planning consultants have been appointed as Experts by the High Streets Task Force to help tackle the problems on local high streets.

Over the coming months, the senior members from Nexus’s London and Manchester offices will be helping communities and local government transform their high streets. They will advise on a range of issues, including planning, urban design, placemaking, landscape architecture, resilience, transport, valuation, asset management, investment, governance, data and analytics, place management and leadership.

The High Street Task Force Experts are: Shaun Andrews, executive director, Nexus London; Peter Tooher, executive director, Nexus Manchester; Rob Pearson, executive director, Nexus London; Richard Shepherd, director, Nexus Manchester; and James Singer, associate, Nexus London.

Commenting on his appointment, Shaun Andrews, executive director at Nexus London, with more than 25 years’ experience, said in a statement: “I’m honoured to have been appointed by the High Streets Task Force. Resilient town centres build resilient communities and we cannot wait to get started and help with the next stage of their evolution.

“Having five Experts appointed from Nexus’s London and Manchester teams demonstrates what a central passion town centres and retail transformation are to our business. We have each helped deliver transform town centres sector across the country – so we look forward to sharing this expertise in the coming months.”

The Experts register includes three different roles which individuals are appointed to: Experts, Mentors and Facilitators, and each are appointed to provide specific expertise to nominated places, local authorities.

Their roles will be to visit specific high streets and town centres to work with place leaders and the community to identify the important key issue(s) that are hampering successful transformation, and how to address these, as well as consult with local authorities and place stakeholders to help solve complex challenges, which may also include running vision workshops and brokering relationships within the local community.

The High Streets Task Force was commissioned by the government in 2019 as part of its Plan for the High Street and in response to recommendations of an expert panel on the high street chaired by entrepreneur Sir John Timpson. The Task Force has been set-up to strengthen local leadership in high streets and town centres in England by providing information, advice, training, knowledge and data.