Richard Brown “gets” town centre regeneration. His thoughtful and measured approach to negotiation and strategy pays clear dividends compared to more aggressive tactics, but that is not to say he is afraid to stand his ground when circumstances dictate. Richard is particularly adept at operating in, and managing, multi stakeholder environments, striking a fair balance between the competing pressures of public aspiration and development viability. Richard has been the lead negotiator on a number of complex land assembly agreements with which Nabarro has been involved in recent years, and has the rare distinction of being highly experienced in the esoteric world of compulsory purchase and compensation. Richard is a genuine all-rounder when it comes to regeneration projects. He is a pleasure to work with.
Chris Bowes, Simon Staite, Rob Raimes and James Madden,
Nabarro LLP
I worked with Richard when he was leading Hammerson’s £300m High Cross development in Leicester and I was CEO of the city’s Urban Regeneration Company. He delivered this complex project in a very short time frame and to the highest quality. The key to that success was his winning combination of astute, focused and forceful negotiation with being unfailingly pleasant and personable. He has a deft touch in grasping the competing aims and pressures of multiple project partners and in reconciling them without being deviated from progressing the project to time and budget.
John Nicholls,
ex CEO Leicester Urban Regeneration Company
Richard’s role, as Project Director for Hammerson, was to deliver and open the new Highcross shopping centre in Leicester kick starting the city’s regeneration masterplan as mapped out in 2001. Highcross is the new £350 million shopping and leisure offer in the heart of Leicester’s City Centre. He actively engaged across many departments in the Council, not just updating Members and Officers on delivery progress and on matters such as planning and highways, but more importantly, he was active in citywide issues collaborating with the Council and other stakeholders on the employment and training legacy, sitting on the Council’s public realm board which delivered the streets and spaces strategy in the city centre introducing wide ranging improvements including granite paving and new street lighting, and on the city’s park and ride strategy.
Richard is dynamic and thrives on hard work at pace. He brought a problem solving approach and infected the whole team with his can do attitude and enthusiasm. Richard was a loyal supporter of the Council’s stakeholders and demonstrated his excellent negotiation skills. I hope I have the opportunity to work with Richard again.
Andy Keeling,
COO Leicester City Council