Earlier this month, Prior + Partners hosted a panel event to mark the second anniversary of our Place Economics team.
The event brought together clients, collaborators and leading voices from across economic development, planning and investment to discuss how places can drive sustainable, place-based growth. Panelists included senior leaders from across the sector, including Anthony Hollingsworth – Director of Planning and Place, Cambridge Growth Company; Brett Leahy – Executive Director for Environment and Communities, London Borough of Enfield; Jackie Sadek – Chair, UK Innovation Corridor; and Shazia Hussain – CEO, London Legacy Development Corporation. Together, they discussed how places can translate ambition into tangible economic outcomes, particularly at a time when national prosperity is increasingly shaped by local performance.
The discussion highlighted the importance of aligning economic strategy with spatial planning and delivery to unlock long-term growth. Examples included the ongoing regeneration at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London, the opportunities presented by the proposed New Town at Crews Hill in Enfield, and the work of the Cambridge Growth Company in supporting the region’s next phase of growth and innovation.
Place Economics at Prior + Partners
Launched at the outset of 2024 under the leadership of Patrick Gulliver and Polly Barker, the Place Economics team is integrated with the wider Prior + Partners expertise, ensuring economics sits at the heart of planning and placemaking, while also bringing new areas of work and experience to the practice.
The team’s distinctive blend of skills brings a new perspective, supporting confident decision-making to deliver successful place-based outcomes across a broad range of expertise including:
- Evidence and Insight: Combining expert analysis with geospatial tools, digital platforms, and graphic design to provide clear, accessible insights that inform policy and strategy decisions;
- Growth Strategies and Investment Plans: Developing evidence-led strategies and investment plans at multiple spatial scales, from city regions to high streets, identifying constraints and opportunities for growth and prioritising interventions based on impact and deliverability;
- Casemaking and Impact: Combining robust economic analysis with strategic story telling to develop business cases, funding bids, and investment narratives that are persuasive, evidence-led, and grounded in place, assessing both realised and projected social and economic impact.
Across the UK, this work has included delivering the Southampton Renaissance for Southampton City Council – developing a unified vision, six Renaissance Area Frameworks, a delivery strategy, and an investment prospectus – placing economic vision at the core of placemaking. We have also provided integrated support on aspects of the wider East West Rail project to help create resilient, connected communities; maximised inward investment and economic growth in the offshore energy sector for Great Yarmouth Borough Council at South Denes; and unlocked Luton’s investment potential with Luton Rising as a catalyst for sub-regional economic growth.
On behalf of the London Legacy Development Corporation, the team launched the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Economic and Social Impact Report, highlighting the wider benefits of regeneration, and worked with Centrepoint across London and Manchester to develop an HM Treasury Green Book business case and practical toolkit to expand the Independent Living Programme, providing a model for addressing youth homelessness.
We have also supported the launch of the UK Innovation Corridor’s first Investment Prospectus, helping to position the corridor as a compelling destination for investment. And now, with insights from Prior + Partners’ digital innovation team, the team is currently supporting Maritime Belfast Trust using a data-led approach to inform decisions and maximise the impact of future investment.
Internationally, the team has delivered projects of significant scale with regional and national impact. This includes supporting Abu Dhabi’s long-term economic competitiveness through the Musaffah Revitalisation and Development Plan, which seeks to transform an industrial zone into a vibrant, future-facing network of complementary industrial clusters and advance Abu Dhabi’s ambition to become a globally competitive hub for industry and innovation.
Across all this work, Prior + Partners takes a genuinely integrated approach to placemaking, embedding economic strategy within planning and design from the outset. By bringing these disciplines together, we help clients shape ambitious yet deliverable places that unlock growth and deliver lasting impact.
For more information about our work, or to discuss how we could support future projects, please contact newbusiness@priorpartners.com.
Please access the full Place Economics capability statement here.
