01
Evidence base
Town centre strategy
Authority-wide studies, centre strategies, vitality and viability work, place plans and policy support.
Centres That Thrive
Retail, leisure and town centre planning advice for local authorities, developers, investors and landowners.
150+
Local authorities advised
UK+IE
Coverage across markets
Evidence
Inquiry ready advice
Retail evidence at scale
Planning advice that combines national retail and leisure experience with detailed local evidence.
Nexus helps clients make robust decisions about centres, demand, impact and investment.
Our Retail, Leisure and Town Centre team supports authority-wide studies, town centre strategies, impact assessments, sequential tests, peer reviews and expert evidence.
We combine planning judgement with GIS, smart data, survey work and demographic analysis to support clear evidence-led strategies and decisions.
150+
Local authorities
Public sector clients advised across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
UK+IE
Work across the UK and Ireland
GIS
Smart data, surveys and demographic insight
Appeals
Evidence defended at Examination and Inquiry
How we help places perform
Clear planning advice across the main retail, leisure and town centre workstreams.
The service offer has been grouped into four clear capability areas so clients can quickly understand where Nexus can add value.
02
Planning advice
Retail and leisure planning
Capacity studies, impact assessments, sequential assessments, commercial demand and visitor economy work.
03
Place shaping
Mixed-use regeneration
Advice for regeneration schemes, local centres, high streets and mixed-use development proposals.
04
Expert evidence
Evidence and appeals
Peer reviews, expert evidence, hearings, examinations and inquiry support for robust decision-making.
HighStreetPositives
High Street
Positives
Changing the conversation around high streets through better evidence, better narratives and better collaboration.
Founding supporter
A UK and Ireland initiative dedicated to reshaping the narrative around high streets.
We are a proud partner of HighStreetPositives, a UK and Ireland initiative dedicated to reshaping the narrative around high streets.
HighStreetPositives spotlights stories of regeneration, community innovation and resilience, bringing together the high street ecosystem of businesses, councils, landlords and community groups all working with the same goal: thriving, vibrant local high streets.
Together, we are championing better evidence, better narratives and better collaboration through events, webinars, knowledge sharing, insight reports and marketing.
The aim
Moving from decline-only thinking to a balanced, evidence-led view of high streets.
Supporting practical action that improves high streets.
Through better evidence, better narratives and better collaboration, HighStreetPositives helps bring together the people shaping stronger local centres.
Retail & Leisure projects
Retail Leisure in practice
Project experience across local plan evidence, town centre studies and major mixed-use regeneration.
Nexus supports local authorities, developers, landowners and investors with evidence-led studies, impact advice, sequential assessments, policy support and expert planning judgement.
Retail & Leisure
Discuss project
Milton Keynes Retail, Leisure & Hotel Study
Retail and commercial leisure evidence to inform the Local Plan to 2050, assessing existing provision, future needs, shopping patterns, centre vitality and hotel capacity.
Client
Milton Keynes City Council
Location
Milton Keynes
Year
2024
Services
Retail, leisure and hotel evidence base
Retail & Leisure
Discuss project
Earl’s Court Redevelopment Project
Retail, leisure and town centre planning policy advice for one of London’s largest regeneration projects, including the role and impact of new local centres.
Client
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Location
Earl’s Court, London
Scale
c.4,000 homes, 2.5 million sq ft workspace and new retail, leisure and cultural uses
Services
Policy advice, impact review and town centre planning input
Retail & Leisure
Discuss project
Neath Port Talbot Retail & Town Centres Study
Evidence to support the new Local Development Plan, including retail floorspace need, centre land-use profiles, shopping patterns, catchment analysis and policy advice.
Client
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Location
Neath Port Talbot, South Wales
Year
2025
Services
Retail and town centres evidence base
Sector leaders
The Retail Leisure team
Speak directly to the people leading our Retail, Leisure and Town Centre work.
The team supports clients across authority-wide studies, retail impact, sequential assessments, town centre strategies, peer reviews, commercial demand and expert evidence.
Bristol
Matt Morris
Director
Specialist retail, commercial leisure and town centre planning advice for public and private sector clients.
London
Rob Pearson
Executive Director
Strategic planning, retail and leisure studies, hotel studies, peer review work and expert witness support.
Manchester
Heather Lindley-Clapp
Director
Retail impact assessments, retail audits, evidence base studies, town centre strategies and place plans.
Plan for places that perform
Need advice on a retail, leisure or town centre planning matter?
Speak to our team about authority-wide studies, town centre strategies, peer reviews, planning applications, impact assessments, sequential assessments, commercial demand advice or expert evidence.
