Four leave Avison Young’s Manchester planning team 

Two principals, a director, and an associate have tendered their resignations in recent weeks. 

Principals Richard Woodford and Richard Barton, director Conor Vallelly, and associate Louisa Fielden have all departed for pastures new. 

Woodford and Vallelly are understood to be setting up their own practices. 

Companies named Conor Vallelly Planning, and Woodford Land & Planning have recently been established on Companies House, listing the individuals as sole directors. 

Between them, the four planners had racked up more than 50 years of service at Avison Young and HOW Planning – previously part of GVA, which AY acquired in 2018. 

A statement from Avison Young on the departures said: “We do not comment on specific circumstances around personnel changes.  

“The existing strength and expansion of our planning, development, and regeneration team remains central to our ambition to be recognised as the people for place, leveraging our public sector relationships, and strong regional heritage to help clients deliver spaces and places that provide real economic, social, and environmental value to communities.”

Principal Neil Lucas is now the most senior member of Avison Young’s Manchester planning team. 

Planners Dan Brown and Rhian Smith were promoted to directors at Avison Young recently. 

The company is advising on several major developments at present including plans from a consortium of developers to deliver 2,000 student beds and 700,000 sq ft of life sciences accommodation to Upper Brook Street in Manchester. 

The departures come a year after senior director Gary Halman left after more than two decades with HOW and Avison Young. 

In 2021, Jon Suckley, another senior member of AY’s Manchester planning team, left to set up Asteer Planning. 

Place North West has contacted Woodford, Vallelly, Barton, and Fielden for comment.