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NEW DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR SAYS ‘PEOPLE MUST COME FIRST’ - 29 March '05
One of the new generation of urban architects has been appointed Development Director with Walsall Regeneration Company.
The appointment of Will Evans follows a three-month search for the right candidate.
Chief Executive Dr Peter Cromar said he was very impressed by his new colleague's breadth of experience.
"We wanted to recruit someone who had worked in both the public and private sectors, who offered creative and negotiating skills and who could demonstrate a track record of delivery," he said.
"We were also keen to find people who had worked on a wide range of urban regeneration projects, ideally in this region."
Dr Cromar said the demanding criteria made it difficult to identify a potential recruit until the Evans CV landed on his desk.
"He will probably blush to hear it, but when we saw what Will had achieved in a relatively short period and then heard his evident enthusiasm for regeneration, we knew we had found the right person,” he said.
Evans comes to the WRC after a spell as development manager for the Cassidy Group, following five years as investment and development manager for British Waterways in its Midlands region.
His most recent scheme was overseeing the development of 20 ski apartments in the Alps.
Evans said highlights of his time with British Waterways included project managing the strategic phases of the £50 million redevelopment of Ladywood's Icknield Port Loop, and representing the company on the evolution of the Eastside Strategic Initiative.
He also spearheaded the renaissance of the Coventry Canal Basin; from the initial creation of a bar and restaurant within redundant 150-year-old coal vaults, through to the development of more than 20 apartments and leisure space.
Other projects in his portfolio include the identification and conversion of a grade II listed hotel in Stourport-on-Seven, and the transformation of a former lock-keeper's cottage in the Lake District into an upmarket 'foodie' pub.
Evans said a critical aspect of his work will be ensuring that projects are tailored to suit the environment.
"Before I moved into the regeneration sector I trained, qualified and worked as an architect and learnt how vital it is that they and their developers operate in partnership with planners and urban designers, rather than in isolation," he said.
However, Evans said the single most important element of his work - previously and now with the WRC - is ensuring that projects win public support.
"Regeneration is undeniably about having ideas and being able to turn them into reality, but unless you have the hearts and minds of the people with you, your projects are ultimately doomed to fail,” he said.
Evans is an enthusiastic supporter of Dr Cromar's belief that Walsall's canal network offers significant scope for both leisure and residential use.
"When we began development projects on the canals in Birmingham, we regarded them as pearls on a string. Once we had regenerated several areas a little way apart, then the private sector came along very swiftly to fill in the gaps," he said.
"Brindleyplace was created on the junction of Birmingham's canal network, and we are confident that a similar approach will work in the heart of Walsall."
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For further information contact:
Nigel Pipkin
Seal Communications
Tel: 0121 200 0780
Fax: 0121 200 0781
Email: nigelpipkin@sealcommunications.co.uk