Panel

  • Colin Cobb

    Colin Cobb

    BA(Hons) DipArch ARB

    FCB Studios

    Colin is an associate at FCB Studios, where he has worked since 2007. He specialises in education and performing arts buildings, and has completed a number of schools and university buildings. These include the Plymouth School of Creative Arts and the Birmingham Conservatoire, which features a 480 seat orchestral concert hall, multiple smaller venues and a suite of recording studios. He also sits on the Bristol Urban Design Forum review panel.

    Housing, People & Place, Strategic Development

  • Ben Coleman

    Ben Coleman

    BA (Hons) MSc Town Planning

    PJA

    Ben is an Urban Planner working for PJA with over twelve years’ experience of urban planning and street design. Prior to joining PJA, Ben has worked at consultancy, local authority and third-sector organisations. Ben’s technical experience ranges from initial site analysis and concept design, through to public engagement and detailed design. He has wide ranging experience of developing schemes in both local authority and consultant environments in the UK, and has also worked on international urban planning projects.

    People & Place

  • Phil Collins

    Phil Collins

    SMLI, MCIEEM, AMA, MRSB

    Phil Collins Associates/ Phil Collins Design

    Phil Collins is Director of Phil Collins Associates. He has over 30 years’ experience as an influential and innovative leader of heritage, and environmental organisations in the public, private and third sectors and in advising a range of public, 3rd and private sector clients. He has multidisciplinary expertise in the<br /> landscape, the historic environment, ecology, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable design and development and extensive experience of<br /> research and project development.

    Ecology, Heritage, Landscape

  • Matthew Coombe

    Matthew Coombe

    MA, PG Dip, BSc (Hons)

    Plymouth City Council

    Matthew Coombe is an Urban Design Group Recognised Practitioner. His twenty-five years' experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors, including as a BFL assessor and CABE Enabler, have given him a rounded perspective on regeneration and development. Matthew creates and advises on design guidance, policy, proposals from city-wide strategies and masterplans, site development briefs, and detailed public realm schemes. He acts as urban design input on major projects through the development management process.

    Density, People & Place, Strategic Development

  • Alan Corner

    Alan Corner

    MICE, B.Eng, C.Eng

    Corner Water Consulting

    Alan is a chartered civil engineer with over 40 years’ infrastructure, flood risk, hydrology plus foul & surface water drainage experience in the UK, middle and far east. Working for a UK Water Authority plus international multi-disciplinary consultancies where he has been a technical lead in drainage and flood risk design, delivering solutions for hundreds of residential, commercial and industrial development sites in all flood zones. Also experienced in drainage and flood protection for highways, nuclear facilities, ports and airports. He was Global SuDS Knowledge Leader at Halcrow plus assisted in drafting the National SuDS Standards and The SuDS Manual 2015. More recently undertaking lots of Nutrient Neutral designs – particularly around mitigating or absorbing phosphates from new housing. Alan has been a design review panel member in the Midlands and the Southwest for over 8 years.

    Climate, Landscape, Water

  • Michael Cowdy

    Michael Cowdy

    FLI MAUD Ba (Hons)

    Michael Cowdy is a masterplanner, landscape architect and urban designer with over 20 years of international experience. He specialises in regenerative, nature-led design that weaves together ecology, heritage and community. Known for his strategic clarity and contextual insight, Michael leads interdisciplinary teams from concept to delivery—creating places that restore landscapes, strengthen social connection, and promote long-term resilience and wellbeing.

    Landscape, People & Place, Strategic Development

  • Len Croney

    Len Croney

    MBA, DMS, Final Dip PRA, Dip Hort, Cert, ARB

    Based in Cornwall, much of Len’s work has been around assisting public bodies to improve the quality of design proposals from developers. This has included writing developer contribution policies and minimum standards of open space and community provision. He worked extensively with Local Authorities through CABE on open space strategies. He has been engaged by individual Local Authorities, Sport England, Play England and Natural England to write policies on standards of Provision, e.g. "Nature Nearby"

    Ecology, Landscape, People & Place

  • Ben Croot

    Ben Croot

    BSc (Hons), MSc, CMLI

    CSA Environmental

    Ben is a Chartered Landscape Architect with over 17 years’ professional experience. He has worked on a range of development projects, including nationally significant infrastructure projects. He has co-authored technical guidance for the Landscape Institute and regularly acts as an expert witness. Ben believes strongly in design as both a process and an outcome and the importance of understanding place and the wider context to shape a clear and compelling narrative that underpins projects to deliver memorable and cherished places.

    Ecology, Heritage, Landscape, Strategic Development

  • Frances Crow

    Frances Crow

    BA(Hons), DipArch(UCL), RIBA, ARB

    Crow Architecture

    Frances Crow is a chartered architect and Director of Crow Architecture. The practice specialises in retrofit, conservation and regenerative development in a rural context. Her experience in practice, teaching, research and engaged-arts projects, combines to define her approach to development. She champions projects that consider demolition as a last resort, use a ‘fabric first’ approach, privilege bio-based materials and use principles of the circular economy to reduce the embodied and in use carbon.

    Climate, Heritage, Housing, People & Place