Bidwells is further strengthening its Planning Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) team with the appointment of Lisa Hall.
Lisa joins the planning team in Cambridge from the Waterman Group where she managed a team to coordinate and prepare EIAs for complex, large-scale urban regeneration developments. Prior to this she worked at Quod, Atkins and via secondment, Crossrail.
She is a Chartered Planner with over nine years' planning and EIA experience and has worked on a range of projects for the public and private sector, including highways, rail and energy infrastructure and urban regeneration developments.
Among achievements to date, she has been part of a team to coordinate the EIA and secure consent for a 675 unit residential-led development in the Green Belt and inform the design of a large-scale regeneration scheme at Old Oak Common. She has also advised and led on a number of EIA developments in the London Docklands area and been part of a team to prepare a Local Plan for Kuwait City.
Mike Derbyshire, Head of Planning, said: "EIA is high on the agenda for many developers and it forms a crucial part of our work within the planning team, so I am delighted to be able to further increase our EIA expertise with the appointment of Lisa.
"Developers are finding that gaining planning permission is still very challenging, especially as the planning system is under so much pressure at the moment. Therefore, it is vital that developers need to be given the right help and guidance from the start and it is why we continue to grow our diverse range of planning specialisms covered by the team.
"There is a huge benefit in having planners as EIA coordinators since they are often central in project coordination and can add value in identifying political and planning sensitivities.
"Lisa has a wealth of knowledge within the EIA field and we are certain she will play a vital role within our ever growing team."
Lisa added "For EIA to be of value and robust in its approach, it needs to be fully integrated into the planning process. I was attracted to Bidwells as EIA is firmly embedded within the planning team and as such, EIA strategy can be carefully tailored alongside planning objectives. I am delighted to have joined Bidwells and look forward to working with such a talented and energetic team."
The appointment brings the Bidwells' Planning head count to 46.