Hourigan Connolly hires from HCA

The Manchester-based chartered town planner has appointed Laura Richardson as consultant, to develop the practice's commissions in Yorkshire and the North East.

Richardson was previously project manager at the Homes & Communities Agency, and has worked at both CBRE and Knight Frank in Manchester and Leeds respectively.

Richardson will assist in servicing the practice's growing housing and commercial based order book, and will work with the directors on the company's growth plans, which include securing further projects in Yorkshire and the North East.

Richardson will be based across Manchester and Leeds.

Ex-Colliers directors Marc Hourigan and Daniel Connolly founded the practice in 2009, with one of its first commissions being the extension of Chester's Oddfellows Hall to create a hotel. The firm is based in Swan Square in the Northern Quarter, and now has eight members of staff.

Daniel Connolly said: "We celebrated our fifth birthday in June this year. We have a growing order book, and are expanding as a result with this appointment to help service our Yorkshire clients. We are still on the look-out for additional senior staff to assist with a significant amount of public inquiry work."

Further appointments are expected later in 2014.