Extraordinary

Our 'team first' and 'making memories' values are never far from our minds at EDP and they absolutely underpin our approach to our annual program of Whole Team Days and team building activities.

Our most recent event was held in the leafy surrounds of the St Pierre Country Club, Chepstow. The day started with updates on the commercial performance of the business (we pride ourselves on transparency), and the direction of travel of our new Business Strategy. Everyone then got an opportunity to say how they felt our business should develop, what needs to change and what we need to protect. The team engaged with this with vigour, generating over 200 individual suggestions which will directly influence business decisions in the future.

After lunch, we were challenged to discover our inner James Bond, Jason Bourne or, for some, Johnny English, and carry out a range of espionage tasks while avoiding being captured by ‘the enemy’.

After a day full of challenges, creative thinking and excitement, the evening allowed an opportunity to relax, catch up with friends, meet new colleagues and dance the night away.

Watch what we got up to here

Our team of BNG experts have been closely monitoring the rise in fame of BNG in the planning system. The wait is finally over!

From 12 February 2024, all new planning applications for major developments in England are required to deliver a minimum of 10% BNG measured against the pre-development baseline value of the site.

To help guide our clients and colleagues through the implementation of BNG, EDP has published a BNG Handbook which provides an overview of the BNG requirements of the Environment Act (2021).

Our Team’s passion for making a positive difference led us to partner with Life's a Beach for a beach clean at Berrow Beach, Burnham-on-Sea.

It was a fantastic opportunity for us to spend the day out in the fresh air catching up as a team, while also working hard for a great cause. Together we collected 283kg of litter, with the Team competing to see who could find the most unusual litter item and collect the most volume of litter.

Being outside and working as a team had a positive impact on our physical and mental health, and even the sun even made an appearance!

www.lifesabeach.org

By measuring engagement and making change, we can enhance our Team Members' experience and foster a positive work environment for all.

Our Annual Engagement Survey aims to gauge the satisfaction, motivation, and commitment of our Team Members. This provides valuable insight into our workplace dynamics, helping identify areas for improvement and voices our Team Members’ concerns.

When our Team Members are engaged, they are more likely to collaborate and provide an innovative and exceptional service to our clients. We have found that our engagement survey has promoted open communication, demonstrated our commitment to well-being and additionally given a voice to our Team Members to enable them to be heard and thrive in their roles.

Congratulations to Emily Williams for her remarkable achievement in discovering the nudibranch (Cadlina pellucida) off the coast of Pembrokeshire.

Nudibranchs, also known as sea slugs, are soft bodied marine molluscs that lack external shells, with more than 100 species in UK seas. Originally found off the coast of Portugal, the presence of Cadlina pellucida was first recorded in the UK around 2012, primarily in the South West region of England.

Emily’s achievement is even more remarkable, considering it was made during a volunteer Seasearch survey to record habitats and species associated with the Welsh coastline. By actively participating in such surveys, volunteers like Emily contribute to our understanding of marine biodiversity and ongoing research and conservation efforts related to marine ecosystems in Wales and the UK as a whole.

Kate Henson is the Ecology Discipline Lead at EDP, but her passion for the environment goes beyond the day job.

“It is sometimes tricky finding the time to get out in the field to maintain my love and passion for the outdoor world. Dog walking and family life fulfils much of this on a day-to-day basis, but experiencing the excitement and privilege of discovering wildlife living in those habitats that surround us, including on my very own doorstep, is special. Even more fabulous is sharing that experience with friends and family or when training other ecologists, and particularly when I am able to transfer my knowledge, excitement and wonder when discovering wildlife with other children, including my own!

I have been monitoring hazel dormouse populations across South Wales and South West England on a regular basis since 2007, on behalf of the National Trust and various wildlife trusts, as well as for private landowners. This data feeds into the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme which itself has run for the past 25 years across over 400 sites in the UK, the aim being to understand long-term population trends of this rare and declining European Protected Species. I am one of hundreds of trained and licensed volunteers doing so across the country, which includes other ecologists within the EDP team, yet each time I get a chance to encounter this beautiful animal, I feel especially lucky and grateful to be afforded the opportunity”.

Kate Henson

We believe that investing in the development of our Team is essential, not only to grow our business but also to establish an environment where everyone can thrive.

So, we’ve created the EDP KNOW-HOW training programme. It’s our commitment to providing the best possible learning and development opportunities for our team members, so they can have great careers and futures at EDP.

EDP KNOW-HOW is targeted at a large cohort of the team ranging from Consultant to Associate grade and will be delivered by some of our most experienced Consultants over the next two years to help train and develop our team in environmental planning, design and consultancy skills (an embedded part of EDP consultant life).

Rob is one of EDP’s longest-standing Team Members, and alongside his career at EDP he pursues his passion for running and pushing his limits to the extreme.

After running a few marathons, he decided to take on longer distances, and eventually ultra-marathons. For these races, he had to train relentlessly, and that's why his sabbatical was so important. He was able to train full time and prepare himself for these gruelling events.

Here is his incredible list of achievements from 2022:

• Won Wychavon Way (44 miles) 1^st Place;
• Atacama Desert Ultra (150 miles) 1^st Place;
• Bariloche Ultra Trail (46 miles) 1^st Place; and
• Mozart Ultra (62 miles) 9^th place.

Rob said: “I wore trainers most days of the year and racked up over 2,500 miles!”

Our Environmental Committee is made up of people who have a real interest in environmental matters. They want to be a voice for all areas of the business and put forth any ideas on how EDP might get involved with different environmental initiatives, how some of our activities could potentially be ‘greener’ and look at whether we’re doing all we can as a business to really represent the ‘E’ in EDP.

We also carry out carbon offsetting for both individual team members (we plant 20 trees per month per person) and for the business. Plus, perhaps most importantly, EDP is currently in the process of drafting our Net Zero Action Plan.

A great opportunity to bond with team members whilst raising money for The Cotswold Canals Trust.

EDP’s very own team of pirates, Adam ‘Red Beard’ Hughes, Dai 'The Plank' Lewis, Georgia ‘Peg Legs’ Croxford, Katherine ‘Cross Bones’ James, Marie ‘The Hook’ Clucas and Ben ‘Jolly Roger’ Rosedale took to the waters on the Green Pig (aka Samantha), and literally beat their way speedily past the other rafts to come a very impressive third place in the race. The team also walked away with a second trophy for the best raft (which was actually a newt and not a dinosaur – easy mistake to make)!!

“It was a magnificent, nail biting, fittest of the fittest, oggie of the oggiest epic challenge and a glorious moment in EDP’s history!”

EDP are proud to be accredited to ISO 9001, demonstrating our commitment to quality and excellence through regularly audited processes and systems, highlighting risks before any issues occur, and always looking to make things easier and more streamlined for our team and clients.

EDP actively engages team members in the charitable donation decision-making process ensuring that the donations we make go to causes they can personally relate to.

“A very, very big thank you from me. The Young People with Cancer Trust charity has helped are still helping my little family a lot and are so deserving of every penny. Thank you to all you lovely people for voting for them to receive a donation”.

Meg Williams

We are committed to the wellbeing of our employees and their mental health is taken seriously and is a priority.

We have a team of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) who are specially trained to provide support and guidance to team members struggling with mental health issues. They understand the importance of confidentiality and are there to provide a listening ear to people in need.

MHFAs are invaluable in helping to create a supportive and understanding workplace. They provide team members with the knowledge and confidence to approach them, if they are struggling and need help. This helps to normalise conversations about mental health and reduce the stigma associated with seeking help.

MHFAs are also able to provide practical advice and guidance to those in need. They are trained to recognise the signs of mental ill health, and signpost people to the relevant support services. This can include counselling services, peer-support groups and self-help resources.

EDP’s Design Hub were thrilled to be shortlisted to compete in the RIBA Journal’s Future Town Centres Competition.

Architects from across the country were invited to submit proposals to redesign one of three town centres – either the market town of Tredegar, the seaside town of Dover, or the inner-city town of Byker. The ideas competition sought designs and illustrations to demonstrate how the town centre could be reinvigorated to put it back at the heart of community, life and the economy.

EDP were one of three practices who were chosen to consider the market town of Tredegar in Wales, a historic iron and coal mining community in the Welsh valleys with a rich heritage, not least as the birthplace of our National Health Service.

Our proposals sought to capitalise on our multi-disciplinary approach with the aims of:

• Bringing The Inside Out – built typologies re-populate and re-animate the public realm.
• Bringing The Outside In – encouraging nature back into urban centres.

Our manifesto below sets out to achieve these aims through the three objectives of re-populate, re-wild and re-animate:

Urban centres have historically been the focal point for trade and commerce, serving a residential hinterland, supporting local jobs and industry. This reliance on retail and consumption is no longer viable. The high street of the future needs to be a destination in its own right – a civic place to meet and congregate, rather than endlessly consume.

Tredegar cannot hope to compete with large-scale out-of-town retail and the convenience of online shopping. The traditional retail high street is dead, and it must therefore offer an alternative to suit the needs of today’s community.

In our increasingly polarised society, the role of the public realm in facilitating public life and the opportunity to interact with a diverse mix of people is of ever greater importance. Tredegar town centre has an incredibly rich heritage from which to draw. Samuel Homfray Senior’s placemaking legacy will be celebrated and intensified with the formation of a parallel layer of development, integrated through a network of connective green infrastructure.

Re-populate – Tredegar cannot rely on the draw of its retail offer to increase footfall within the town centre, therefore, a critical mass of population should be created through the introduction of new residential and employment units. A diverse mix of built typologies will attract a diverse resident and worker population. The Gwent shopping centre is re-purposed as an independent living scheme – placing time-rich people within the heart of the town centre. A nursery in close proximity brings children and families into the centre. Interactions between young and old reduce loneliness and increase wellbeing. More homes within the centre create street activity and a vibrant environment to address the issue of the perception of safety at night.

Re-wild – Too much of the high street is given over to cars. Routes through the town will be re-prioritised, removing through traffic and limiting access to green public transport, walking and cycling. Space is freed up for rewilding. Vegetated landscape interventions encourage a greater diversity of wildlife, enabling a closer connection to nature. In our changing climate, street trees and urban planting can create a more resilient place, modulating temperatures, helping to purify the air, and managing and cleaning stormwater. The proposed landscape interventions will create a sensory experience that celebrates the natural environment of the Welsh valleys ­– the kinetic energy of rainfall landing and moving through the space and absorbing into rain gardens; the play of light throughout the day, filtered through tree canopies; the distinctive colour palette of the landscape, and seasonal variation.

Re-animate – Reinstate the public realm as the stage set for an urban life, which is less about consumerism and more about experience. To bring life back to the high street, town centre management should promote policy mechanisms to allow community groups to occupy vacant high street units, until such a time as a viable tenant becomes available. Spaces for creatives, artists, artisans and makers can catalyse transformation. Lobby spaces will be semi-private, spilling into the street and blurring the boundaries to create opportunities for communities to engage. Recognising new forms of remote working with co-working spaces, and flexible office facilities to foster enterprise. A high-quality stage will be provided allowing flexibility in the built form will enable the appropriation of the space by the community it serves.

All finalists should be featured in a future edition of the journal, so watch this space.

Our submission was published in a feature supplement to the July issue of the RIBA Journal.

Our team can work anytime, anywhere – trusted and supported to deliver their hours effectively and efficiently from a location of their choosing. They can work around their external commitments, focus on their families and pursue their hobbies. This is the ultimate in work/life balance.

Being ‘Team First’ is one of our core values and cohesion and familiarity remain key to our strength. We therefore strongly encourage everyone to get together in our offices twice a week whenever they can and we use our offices as a focus for training, development, pastoral care and fun (and quite often for baked treats…).

Coupling this ‘Fully-Flexi’ approach to our working hours with our generous Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) system (which sees up to 4 days additional leave returned to team members each month), we feel our model delivers a ‘best of both worlds’ solution. This enables Team Members to enjoy all the benefits of remote work, while retaining the connection, collaboration and conviviality of the office environment.

We are proud of our amazing offices; they are perfect for inspiring creativity and productivity.

We have put a lot of thought into the variety of rooms and areas within the office (especially since the pandemic) to provide plenty of space for both collaboration and individual work.

So, whether you like taking in the waterside feel of Cardiff, the vibrant city centre in Cheltenham or the idyllic rural setting of Elkstone (with farm shop and gym to boot!), we have an office location to suit you.

The Landscape Institute (LI) works collaboratively with accredited universities to make sure that the landscape professionals of the future have access to challenging, relevant and stimulating education and training.

EDP work with the LI to help achieve this in supporting the University of Gloucestershire.

Our Associate Director, Ben Connolley (CMLI), is part of (and joint chair of) the Professional Review Group (PRG) at the university. His role includes being a critical friend to the university; providing advice on current developments in practice, and ensuring graduates receive the foundation knowledge and understanding to take up their first employment in the profession. He also helps the school develop links with practices and networks, identifies new opportunities, offers advice to students, and attends careers fayres.

“It's incredibly rewarding to be able to help shape someone's future career path by offering guidance and advice at the earliest opportunity.”

Ben Connolley