Former Urban Splash exec sets up planning consultancy
Andrew Johnston, the housebuilder’s former head of planning, has launched Made It Together, headquartered in Manchester.
As founding director, Johnston intends to position his independent practice to provide commercial town planning services to clients including developers, land promoters, other private sector clients, designers, and communities.
He continues to work with Urban Splash at Made It Together, having been the Manchester housebuilder’s head of planning since January 2020. Before that, Johnston was a director at Avison Young, and, prior to that, associate director at Indigo Planning and a planner at DTZ.
A chartered town planner, he spent time working in New Zealand in the early part of his 18-year career.
Made It Together intends to focus on “building places that work for everyone”, Johnston said in a statement. “I’ve set up Made it Together to be open and collaborative, working with good people for better outcomes. I want to be able to give a leg up to others in the same way so many have helped me.”
He added: “Over the years, I have found that my most rewarding projects and best results have come when I have been seconded to clients. When I have been fully immersed as part of the team, physically working alongside people, and taking the time to understand what a place is about.
“Planning is very important but is not just about that – you have to see the bigger picture, too. I want to bring the same ethos to all the projects we work on at Made it Together.”
Johnston is working solo at Made It Together currently but intends to hire additional staff to join the company in the months ahead, he said.
Congrats & good luck, Andrew.
By Ian Pennington