People
Building Britain's first new city in 50 years requires vision, expertise, and commitment. Meet the people making it happen.
Expert Committee
Tara Austin
Partner, Ogilvy
Tara is a Partner in the Ogilvy Behavioural Science Practice and co-host of Nudgestock, the world's biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity. Over the course of her career Tara has worked on brand and behaviour change challenges with clients ranging from Coca-Cola, Unilever and Heineken to the UK Home Office, WRAP and the NHS. Outside her behaviour change work, Tara is one of the UK's leading proponents of psychedelic medicine for therapeutic purposes and is co-founder of the campaign for Psilocybin Access Rights, PAR.
Paul Powesland
Barrister, Roding River Trust
A specialist in employment and housing law for Garden Court Chambers, Paul has spent a decade at the civil bar, using his experience in contractual and commercial matters to fight tenaciously for justice on behalf of individuals or small businesses and organisations. He lives on a boat on the Roding river and is the founder of Lawyers for Nature, regularly giving talks and workshops on the rights of nature and the relationship between the law and the natural world.
Tom Chance
CEO, Community Land Trusts Network
Tom Chance is the Chief Executive at the Community Land Trust Network, a national charity and membership body working to make the community ownership of land and affordable housing commonplace. He worked for seven years at the Greater London Authority, where he developed a considerable expertise in housing and planning policy. Prior to that he was a freelance programmer and web developer.
Rico Wojtulewicz
Head of Policy and Market Insight, National Federation of Builders
Rico Wojtulewicz has been the National Federation of Builder's (NFB) and House Builders Association (HBA) policy mainstay for a decade. As one of the most experienced industry voices and a history in the public and private sector, Rico always found planning to be the barrier to growth, business opportunities or better services and came to the NFB after engaging with the planning process at a regional level. He sits on various government and industry working groups from housing, environment and placemaking, to renewables, energy and retrofit.
Edward Collinson
Founder, Collinson
Edward Collinson is a furniture designer, sculptor, woodworker, crafter. After a Fine Art Masters at Central Saint Martins, he established his multi-disciplinary studio in 2015 in North London. Working mainly with oak, some of which is felled from the land he grew up on, he creates furniture, freestanding kitchens, wardrobes, beds, chairs, semi-sculptural functional objects and bespoke pieces.
Bertie Wnek
Director, Public First
Bertie is a Director at Public First, a policy and research agency, where he specialises in housing and infrastructure policy and leads research on the local and national politics of development. Before joining Public First he worked for HM Treasury in infrastructure policy and won the IPPR economics prize for an essay about the UK’s productivity puzzle.
Tom Davenport
Founder, Times One Hundred
Tom Davenport is the founder of Times One Hundred, a systems-driven marketing agency where he led global campaigns across film, music, and high-growth sectors. His credits include Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Metallica, and the Coraline re-release, winning Campaign of the Year at the 2025 European Paid Media Awards. Beyond entertainment, Tom has designed growth systems for travel, technology, and property brands. A former contributor to WIRED, MIT Tech Review, and Gizmodo, he combines analytical rigour with narrative strategy.
Ray Rafiq
Retired Entrepreneur, Founder of Unmortgage
Ray is a retired entrepreneur most known for Unmortgage, where he secured a £2bn partnership to help people buy a home without a mortgage.
Rob Pickering
Technology Leader & Serial Founder
Rob Pickering is a UK technology leader and serial founder with 40 years experience in computer software, hardware design, networking and real-time communications. A hands on early Internet engineering pioneer, he has operated in a diverse range of organisations and roles. From delivering high-profile multi-national engineering programmes in large R&D environments, through to founding UK based product and service startups, leading them full lifecycle to successful exits. He now works as an advisor, mentor and investor in the UK technology industry.
James Gleave
Transport Planner & TPS Board Member
James is a transport planner who turns ideas into delivery. He blends rigorous research with real-world implementation—designing strategies, testing them, and expanding what works. His focus is on policy, governance and decision-making that unlocks better places, backed by meaningful public engagement. He doesn't sit on the sidelines - he builds. James serves on the Board of the Transport Planning Society and advises the Scottish Government.
Clare Delmar
Urban Planner & Healthcare Leader
Clare trained and practiced as an urban planner in the USA (MIT) before working in public/private finance for many years, moving into the healthcare space. She currently helps lead a healthcare business that provides innovative diagnostics and treatments to men with prostate disease. Her passions for healthcare and planning are at the heart of the "Listen to Locals" campaign, launched in response to the unprecedented scale of new building and development in London and the lack of meaningful engagement with local communities on the impact of this development on their health and wellbeing. Her approach combines professional planning knowledge with genuine dialogue with residents who understand their neighbourhoods best.
Board
Announced Soon
The board will provide strategic oversight and governance, bringing together leaders from business, public service, and civil society committed to Britain's urban future.
Patrons
Announced Soon
Our patrons are distinguished figures who lend their support, credibility, and expertise to the vision of building beautiful, affordable, and sustainable cities for Britain's future.
Advisory Voices
We're backed by some of Britain's most respected voices on growth and prosperity:
Dame Patricia Hewitt
Former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry & Health
"Building a new city may seem outrageously audacious but it's part of what will make national renewal real. And if it's done with genuine partnership and a focus on people and place, it could transform the opportunities for today's and tomorrow's new generations."
Professor Tim Leunig
Former advisor to two Conservative Chancellors and three Housing Secretaries
"The UK needs far more houses. They need to be in the right places…The area around Cambridge is such a place. Using a community land trust means that build out rates can be rapid - exactly as they were in the UK in the Industrial Revolution. Let's make this happen."
Founders
Joe Reeve
Co-Founder, Entrepreneur
Joe, 28, is an entrepreneur who believes Britain's best days should be ahead of us, not behind us. His successful campaigns—from cleaning the tube to championing growth—prove that determined action can move mountains. Co-founder of Looking For Growth, the campaign group that's already pushed the Labour government to change planning laws.
Shiv Malik
Co-Founder, Journalist & Entrepreneur
Shiv, 44, is a former investigative journalist, tech entrepreneur, and co-author of Jilted Generation: How Britain Bankrupted Its Youth. He's spent years documenting how we failed a generation. Now he's building the solution. His experience spans journalism, technology, and urban development.
Join the Movement
This is a project built by people who believe Britain can be ambitious, beautiful, and prosperous again.
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