Reflecting on an excellent first year in Nottingham

In the East Midlands, we’re proud to have completed a successful first year in Nottingham after opening a Lace Market base and experiencing rapid growth.

Home to only four members of staff initially, there is now a thriving team of 12 in Nottingham that is working on a flowing pipeline of work across multiple sectors.

As part of our regional growth strategy, we have established ourselves within Nottingham through a personal approach.

Associate Director and Nottingham office lead Peter Sparham said: “It’s been a terrific year since taking residence in Nottingham and we’re very pleased with not only the work we have been doing but the relationships we have been building in the process.

“We recently attended a careers fair at the University of Nottingham and earlier in the year one of our built environment specialists spent time with final year architecture students at Nottingham Trent University giving structural engineering advice and guidance in relation to the students’ design projects.

“It’s really important to us that we are investing time in opening up our industry to the next generation of talent, and what better way to do that than on your own doorstep where we’re fortunate to have multiple leading higher education institutions.”

Offering structural, civil, geo-environmental and transport planning services, there are multiple specialisms that we recruit for. In Nottingham alone, additions to the team have taken on senior, graduate and placement positions.

Managing Director Paul Spencer said: “From day one in Nottingham we were thinking about local recruitment and it’s really pleasing to see this plan executed – growing the business and furthering careers are of equal importance to us.

“It’s a competitive industry. Clients and young professionals care about the businesses they are engaging with, which is why a genuine presence in the areas we’re working is factored into our operations. From monthly line management to inclusive social events, we are very mindful of our culture and want to make each and every office of ours a great place to work.”

Providing multiple services including transport planning, a flood risk assessment and a drainage strategy, we have played a pivotal role in the proposed extension of Bilborough Sixth Form College gaining planning permission from Nottingham City Council in 2022. Elsewhere, comprehensive input to the environmental impact assessment process contributed to the Pleasley Hill sustainable urban extension planning application, which was approved by Mansfield District Council during the summer.

Director Kriston Harvey said: “You only have to look at the major projects taking place in the city centre to see that Nottingham is a place of significant development and regeneration opportunity. At Rodgers Leask, we’re invested in the mission to make Nottingham and the surrounding county an even greater place to live and work – collaborating with the public and private sector to achieve best outcomes for all.”

Since settling in Nottingham in 2021, we have also expanded into Liverpool and taken our number of offices across the UK from four to five. We now have 90 members of staff nationwide, made up of 79 in the Midlands alone. With current projections showing that the construction industry’s skills shortage is set to worsen in coming years, our regional growth strategy is one that intends to continue making the built environment more visible and accessible.