Environmental consultancy looks to double size of Manchester office
Since the launch of its Manchester office in 2017, environmental consultancy LUC has been working to grow its regional offering. Following a fruitful year, the office’s leader has said that it intends to double its headcount in Manchester to grow the business further.
UK-based environmental consultancy LUC has launched a bid to double its staff tally in Manchester, as it celebrates its first anniversary of launching in the city. LUC, which has offices in London, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lancaster, launched its Manchester office in summer 2017, with the office’s Head, Tom Jonson, joining from AECOM.
Jonson said he plans to double staff numbers to around 15 in the next 12 months, following several new client and project wins and it is part of his strategy to provide LUC’s full suite of services out of Manchester. These have included being appointed by Eden District Council to lead on the preparation of a strategic master-plan to create between 5000 to 8000 new homes, a new link road as well as a 70-hectare employment site, alongside being appointed by Manchester City Council to provide landscape appraisals at Heaton Park, while continuing to work for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
“It has been an excellent 12 months and we are delighted to have achieved so much in such a short period," Jonson said. He added, “The team has grown significantly, and we are delighted to welcome the new members on board, all of whom have a wealth of expertise and skills which will play a vital role in the future development of the Manchester office.”
Jonson’s arrival at the firm was accompanied by the hire of landscape architects and urban designers, Jacqueline Whitworth-Allan and Chris Cox, and since then the office has already expanded its services to include planning and before welcoming five further new recruits. Most recently, this saw Melissa Kurihara join as an Associate Director to lead the Manchester planning team. She was previously at Urban Vision in Salford where she was an associate planning consultant.
Kurihara said of joining the firm, “It is an exciting time to join LUC. The company has an excellent reputation and is involved in some of the UK’s leading landscape and urban design projects. I am looking forward to growing the Manchester team.”
Stephanie Crewe has also joined the landscape planning team as a principal landscape architect. Meanwhile, principal planner Jennifer Rea has relocated to Manchester from LUC’s London office. On top of this, two graduates are soon to join the Manchester office to work in the design and planning teams.
Jonson concluded that this period of expansion will ultimately help LUC to add to its growing client base. He stated, “In the next 12 months our strategy is to deliver all LUC’s core services from our new office including landscape design, urban design, planning, environmental impact assessment, landscape management, heritage and ecology which will put us in a great position in the Manchester market.”
Related: UK environmental consulting market growth slowed by Brexit.
