In September Vicky Payne has joined Jas Bhalla Works as an Associate, leading on our larger scale masterplanning and urban design work. Vicky is a strategic planner and urban designer with a background in illustration. She is passionate about strong concepts and design principles, sustainable development and equitable places.

She spent the majority of her early career working at award winning urban design co-operative URBED and joins Jas Bhalla Works from the Quality of Life Foundation, a charity campaigning for better standards of development to support health and wellbeing.

She has worked on research projects, strategic spatial planning frameworks, town centre strategies and large-scale masterplans for clients like DLUHC, Homes England and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

She helped to develop the National Model Design Code with colleagues and national government, has co-authored a book about the future of UK high streets and is the current Chair of the RTPI’s Urban Design Network.

Vicky’s first project at Jas Bhalla Works will be a 4,500-home Garden Community near Peterborough. The project incorporates a modern market square with a range of town centre uses, a network of walking and cycling links connecting the site to the Nene Valley and a sustainable learning and innovation district.