PFAS contamination is rapidly becoming one of the UK’s most complex environmental issues with growing public concern and scrutiny. As the government releases its first national PFAS Plan, it faces the same dilemma Australia confronted a decade ago: scientific uncertainty,…
Active travel in England is at a crossroads. Last year, ECF alongside Velocity Transport Planning and Modescore, surveyed local councillors across England for our first annual Active Travel Barometer report. The report reveals that councillors across the country recognise the…
Local government reorganisation in England is a very hot topic at the moment, and our Managing Director, Oliver Deed, sat down with Rowan Cole, as part of The LGR Series to discuss its impact on elections in May. Earlier in…
As summer gives way to autumn, we’re reflecting on a busy and inspiring few months in Peterborough. ECF has been supporting Peterborough City Council on three major projects since last year, each with its own character, challenges, and creative ways…
The Government is restructuring local government by replacing two-tier authorities with larger unitary authorities. Under this new system, smaller district councils will merge into single authorities managing all local services, including planning, highways, and waste collection, across entire counties. These…
ECF would like to congratulate LandsecU+I and TOWN for receiving a commendation at the Thornton Education Trust’s Inspire Future Generations Awards for their work on the Hartree project in North East Cambridge. The commendation was for Hartree’s Child-Friendly Design Strategy,…
Recent data from the Urban Road Safety Index has revealed a significant shift in Londoners’ attitudes towards road safety initiatives, marking a positive turning point for the city’s approach to urban transport. While only 50% of residents felt confident about…
This past weekend, ECF spent two vibrant afternoons in Peterborough, engaging with the community about the Peterborough Station Quarter project. Our aim is to reimagine the area around the station, enhancing it to better serve the needs of residents, visitors,…
Earlier this year, NLA launched the ‘Reimagine London’ competition, which was aimed at generating innovative and aspirational ideas to help shape the future of the capital. Partnering with the Involve Foundation, we entered with our idea to reimagine democracy in…
As the UK grapples with a modern housing crisis, the concept of new towns is being revisited as a potential solution. The Labour Party’s manifesto promises a “new generation of new towns,” reminiscent of the settlements constructed by the Attlee…
Back in late June, we held our London Festival of Architecture event on the use of artificial intelligence within the community engagement process. The video we have produced captures the event and the conversation that we had. Oliver Deed opened…
Last night, our London Festival of Architecture event on the role of AI in community engagement took place, and fair to say it was a success! Following an introduction from Oliver Deed who chaired the event, the panellists each gave…
Reflecting on Michael Gove’s tenure as Levelling Up Secretary, his announcement to resign from politics at the next General Election has sent ripples through the built environment sector. First elected as MP for Surrey Heath in 2005, Gove has served…
When it comes to community projects, the timing of engagement can make all the difference. As emphasised in a recent ECF blog post, initiating community engagement at the project’s inception is not just beneficial—it’s crucial. A great example of this…
The concept of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has garnered significant attention in recent years, with aspirations and impacts evolving rapidly. ECF has analysed several of its LTN case studies where support was given from 2021 through to just recently in…
This year we saw a particularly rowdy House of Commons for the budget statement. Noise is somewhat customary, but it does traditionally wait for the Chancellor to announce something. Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor Laing had her work cut out, but…
For the election lovers, and psephologists, 2024 is set to a bumper year. At the time of writing, at least 64 elections are due to take place over the next 12 months, with around 49% of the world’s population heading…
This summer, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, delivered a speech in which he laid out the Government’s long-term plans for housing. An intriguing feature of these plans is the reanimation of a concept over…
Active Travel has witnessed several significant developments over the last 18 months. Active Travel England (ATE) was established as its own statutory body, in January 2023 the Government announced huge investments that was subsequently reduced in the Chancellors Spring budget,…
The team at ECF have recently concluded a project in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, facilitating online and in-person co-design workshops with a community forum group, and are reflecting on the benefits these groups bring to planning processes…
Similar to what transpired in the rest of the country, the results reflected a mixed bag for the Conservatives. On the one hand, the party experienced a defeat in Woking and losses in Tandridge, while on the other, it retained…
Unless you were dwelling in a cave or on a remote island in the Pacific, you probably noticed we had a set of local elections last week. Across much of the country, voters schlepped to the polls to cast their…
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson brought optimism to voters in the North of England as he spoke of a need to “level up across Britain” and “answer the plea of the forgotten people and the left-behind…
Last week, ECF attended the annual OxCam Arc conference, run by Built Environment Networking, in Milton Keynes. Aside from the backdrop of a rather impressive stadium (even more impressive for a team competing in the doldrums of English football), the…
© 2022 All Rights Reserved.
ECF is the trading name of Forestville Communications Ltd. Registered in England. 11329697
