Turley Associates

Stephen Bell has joined Turley Associates as a Director in its Manchester office. Bell joins after 14 years at GVA where he headed the Manchester Planning business. He brings expertise in a range of sectors including residential, renewable energy, healthcare and commercial development.

Dave Trimingham, Office Director at Turley Associates, Manchester said: “We are thrilled to welcome Stephen to the team. He is a highly respected figure in planning consultancy in the North West with a proven track record in delivering major projects. Stephen’s experience will complement and strengthen what is already the leading team in the region.”

Bell joins a Manchester team that includes nine directors and a total of 30 fee earners. His appointment is the latest in a series of high profile additions at Turley Associates.

Stephen Bell said: “I am delighted to be joining such an experienced and diverse team. With the market in recovery clients are increasingly looking for the integrated approach to promoting development that Turley Associates offers. I look forward to adding my contribution to this.”

Earlier this year, Jaimie Ferguson joined Turley Associates from BDP as the National Head of Urban Design and Richard Laming joined the company from GVA to become Head of Economic Planning. Both teams have since expanded through further recruitment.

Turley Associates helped to secure consent for a number of high profile projects across the North West including Wirral Waters, the Barton Renewable Energy Plant in Trafford, redevelopment of Central Retail Park, Manchester; redevelopment of Cains Brewery in Liverpool and range of residential schemes including successes at appeal in Preston, Chorley, Ribble Valley and Cheshire West.

Dave Trimingham adds: “We have grown our Manchester business to over 50 people and added significantly to the range of services we can offer clients. We are well known for our planning and urban design but we can now offer clients complementary expertise in economic planning, heritage, local engagement, and graphic design as part of an integrated offer.”

Rob Lucas, Chief Executive, Turley Associates, stated that: “We celebrated our 30th Anniversary earlier this year and the growth and diversification of our Manchester team is part of a concerted investment strategy. We are achieving growth across our market areas and in the specialist services that we have added to our core skills. Our recent growth has been possible due to the strength and depth of our teams and Stephen, Jaimie and Richard are key additions to our Manchester business.”

Turley Associates has a total of 10 offices across the UK and recent expansion has seen the company become the second largest planning consultancy in the UK (according to Planning Magazine’s annual survey of planning consultants, published in November 2013). The firm has recently taken additional floor space at its 1 New York Street offices to accommodate growth.