Award-winning property advisory firm Iceni Projects has today (9 August 2017) announced two new appointments in its Iceni team, based in Manchester.

Murray Graham joins the Iceni Projects team as Director for Planning and Chris Mawdsley joins as Head of Engagement (Manchester), providing political communication and community engagement advice.  The new recruits will join Rebecca Fieldhouse, who has been growing the Manchester office since it opened its doors in November 2016.

Ian Anderson, Executive Director, said:

Iceni Projects is fresh with energy and ambition as we continue to expand our offer across the UK.  I am delighted to welcome Murray and Chris to our Manchester office as we continue to grow our Iceni tribe.  Their appointments are a signal of our intent to continue expanding our client relationships and grow our presence.”

Murray joins from his own business, Urban Roots, which he ran for eight years. Murray was formerly Planning and Regeneration Manager at Cheshire County Council with responsibility for managing Spatial Planning, Development Management and Design and Regeneration teams. His previous work includes:

• Urban Roots: carried out the review of Waterways and Planning Policies with TCPA for British Waterways (now Canals and Rivers Trust)
• Urban Roots: with TCPA helped establish the Culture and Sport Toolkit
• Urban Roots: led a RTPI collaborative working group on the Code for Sustainable Homes
• Urban Roots: planning and urban design advice for Northwich Neighbourhood Plan
• Cheshire County Council: lead officer on key projects undertaken by the council and its partners including Northwich Vision Regeneration Strategy, the Cheshire Structure Plan Review, the Weaver Valley Regional Park, the regeneration of Cheshire's Market Towns and Cheshire Urban Design Strategy.

Murray also has a number of key private sector clients including Urban Splash and Wallace Land Investments. He is a Chartered Town Planner, member of TCPA and the TCPA’s North West Regional Representative, a Member of the Northwest Green Infrastructure Panel and the National Climate Change Coalition. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, elected for his contribution to planning and regeneration.

Chris Mawdsley has extensive political experience in both parliament and local government. For a decade, he ran the parliamentary and constituency offices for a Member of Parliament. He has previously served as a councillor in Lancashire where he was Labour Group Deputy Leader and planning and regeneration spokesman. Chris also spent several years considering planning applications on the planning committee.  Through his own consultancy, Evoke Communications, Chris provided communications and public affairs services to clients in the health, housing and property and development sectors.

Murray Graham, Director, Planning, said:

“This is an exciting time to be joining Iceni Projects’ Manchester office.  Working with excellent clients like Wallace Land Investments on their key strategic sites and on planning applications for innovative developers like Watch This Space is just the start.

“From our conversations with other key developers across the North West, West Midlands and further afield there is real interest in Iceni Projects’ broader strategic advisory offer when it comes to delivering their property ambitions.”

Iceni Projects’ Manchester office has recently secured planning consent for a 520-bed student scheme in Birmingham's Gun Quarter on the Former Globe Works site, helping to bring forward a site which has stalled for over five years.