Our socio-economic lead and honorary local in the places he works in
David joined Hive in 2025, bringing with him over 20 years of experience in regeneration, socio-economic insight and place strategy.
With Hive working alongside Layer.studio and PLACED on Radcliffe’s Pride in Place Programme, we caught up with David to talk about regeneration, community ownership and why confidence matters just as much as construction.
What first drew you towards regeneration and economic development work?
I was always interested in how places evolve and understanding why some thrive while others struggle. After completing a degree in geography, that naturally led me towards a career in regeneration and economic development.
What I realised very quickly was that regeneration can’t just be about physical improvements. You can’t simply throw money at a place and expect everything else to fall into place. The most successful projects are the ones where there’s a coherent long-term vision which understands the social, economic and physical challenges together.
I’ve seen that firsthand in places like Preston, where I helped advise their strategic public/private sector Board to develop their City Investment Plan. Getting under the skin of a place is key to understanding how interconnected housing, transport, skills, public realm, community facilities and civic pride really are. That’s what keeps regeneration interesting to me. It’s never just one thing.
A lot of people think regeneration is just about buildings. How much of it is actually about people, confidence and identity?
Honestly, all of it.
Physical works matter, of course they do, but regeneration is fundamentally about people and delivering better life outcomes.
Some of the most important regeneration conversations are asking people what’s missing from their day-to-day lives. That could be a better park, safer streets, youth facilities, improved health provision or simply cleaner and more welcoming public spaces. These things shape how people feel about the place they live, just as much as major capital projects do.
What are some of the common pitfalls with previous regeneration funding models, and what makes Pride in Place different?
One of the biggest frustrations historically has been short-termism. Regeneration can often be slow, so political cycles and frequent changes to the available funding pots make the process fragmented. Communities often get sidelined in the process.
What’s encouraging about the Pride in Place Programme is that it puts communities much closer to the centre of decision making. The funding has already been awarded based on identified need, removing any sense of competing against other places, allowing stakeholders to focus on making the best possible use of the opportunity over the next decade.
Community ownership is a huge part of Pride in Place. Why is that so important to making regeneration successful?
With the Pride in Place Programme, Neighbourhood Boards are central to shaping Regeneration Plans, including the 10-year vision and investment priorities. Local people understand their area better than anyone. They know what’s working, and what isn’t. That means more targeted, impactful investment.
It also builds trust and confidence. If people feel listened to and involved in shaping decisions, they’re far more likely to support long-term change, even where there’s short-term disruption along the way.
Ultimately, good regeneration should feel rooted in local identity rather than imported from somewhere else. That’s the crux of co-design.
Hive is leading the Radcliffe Pride in Place work alongside Layer.studio and PLACED. What role are you playing in the process?
Pride in Place Plans are submitted to MHCLG in November 2026. I’m leading our team to support the Neighbourhood Board to prepare their Plan, including a comprehensive programme of local stakeholder and community engagement activities.
Given our team’s mix of expertise, we’re working closely with Bury Council, the Neighbourhood Board, local stakeholders and community groups to understand the challenges and opportunities in Radcliffe through socio-economic analysis, evidence gathering and community engagement.
Drawing on that evidence and feedback, we’ll help shape a coherent 10-year vision and 4-year investment plan, all in good time for that November deadline.
How do you balance data, policy and funding priorities with what local people actually want from their area?
Data helps us understand the reality of a place and where the biggest challenges or inequalities exist. Policy helps shape what’s realistically deliverable. But neither fully captures how people experience a place day to day.
That’s why community engagement is so important. Our job is to bring those different perspectives together into a long-term vision and investment plan which is evidence-based but still grounded in the lived experience of local people.
Why can relatively small interventions or early investments sometimes have such a big impact on a place’s confidence and momentum?
Relatively modest or early interventions can change how people perceive a place including how investors view it. A refurbished public space or a community facility brought back into use can create momentum.
Investment often follows confidence. If people can see projects happening and local leadership delivering, it fosters belief that further change is achievable.
You’ve worked with places like Preston for years. How rewarding is it seeing projects move from funding bid to tangible change on the ground?
It’s definitely the most rewarding part of the job.
When you spend years working with a place, you naturally become invested in it. You end up feeling like an honorary local because you genuinely want the place to succeed.
Regeneration takes time, so actually seeing visible outcomes on the ground gives you a real sense that the work has made a difference. With Preston, it’s been gratifying to see projects like Animate, the new cinema and leisure complex, and the Youth Zone taking shape.
I also worked with Layer.studio and PLACED on the Pride in Place Plan for Newton-le-Willows, a Round 1 area to receive funding. Whilst still early days for their 10-year plan, some of the early win projects are commencing soon, which will have a tangible local impact for the community.
What excites you most about the potential of the Radcliffe project specifically?
Radcliffe has already seen public and private sector investment in recent years, so there’s already momentum building there. What this programme offers is the opportunity to build on that investment while giving local people much greater influence over future priorities.
Pride in Place is an opportunity for local people to help shape the future direction of their town themselves. That’s what makes it exciting.
