Property consultancy Montagu Evans has appointed specialist Scottish heritage adviser Nick Haynes as Partner in its Historic Environment and Townscape team.
Nick was Deputy Head of Listing at Historic Scotland (now Historic Environment Scotland) where he worked for 15 years before establishing his own consultancy. He is also a well-respected author, having published a number of books specialising in Scottish architecture.
At Montagu Evans, he will spearhead the partnership’s heritage consultancy activity in Scotland, as part of its Scottish planning team – one of the largest in the country – to provide commercially focussed heritage and townscape advice on a wide range of planning and development projects. At the same time, he will be aligned to and work with the firm’s 25-strong Historic Environment and Townscape team across the rest of the UK, helping to bring forward major projects nationwide and supporting its next generation of talent.
Nick is the second senior hire for the team so far in 2022, with James Keogh, previously Urban Design Principal at the Greater London Authority, joining the partnership in London earlier this month.
Andrew Munnis, Partner at Montagu Evans and head of its Planning team in Scotland, said: “Nick joins us at a time when specialist heritage advisers who are thoroughly grounded in the history and architecture of our towns and cities are in huge demand but short supply. Having held the ambition to grow our capability in this area for some time we are delighted to have found someone who shares our ethos, approach and the ability to deliver a commercial result in a heritage environment. Having the benefit of his expertise in-house will be an additional boost for clients with interests north of the border, particularly as the number of joint planning and heritage instructions we undertake continues to grow.”
Nick Haynes, Partner at Montagu Evans, added: “As sustainability plays an increasingly significant part in the planning system and in property development and management, the cultural, social, environmental and economic contribution of the historic built environment has never been more important. Montagu Evans has a reputation for finding solutions to complex planning and development projects and has a proven track record on some very high profile schemes. This, alongside its strong relationships within the industry and ability to continually provide outstanding advice are what drew me to the role, and I’m looking forward to working closely with the team to add value across a wide range of projects.”
Montagu Evans has worked on a number of high-profile projects across Scotland including at: Princes Street, St Andrew Square, Quartermile and Waverley Mall in Edinburgh; Portcullis House in Glasgow; Abertay University in Dundee; and the University of St Andrews. The team also continues to be involved in a variety of sensitive planning and heritage developments including in respect of listed buildings, conservation areas and at the Edinburgh World Heritage Site.
