Simon Watkins Email & Phone Number

Todmorden, Gb

Hebden Bridge, England, United Kingdom

York, England, United Kingdom

Saltaire, Bradford

Airton, North Yorkshire

Volunteer warden of the beautiful, historic Airton Quaker Meeting House and Barn - a community space, workshop venue and bunkhouse. My responsibilities here are centred around invitation and hospitality: marketing the Barn as a venue, managing the site and welcoming guests and visitors.

Airton, Yorkshire Dales

Watkins Design Associates Ltd. is a landscape architectural consultancy offering a professional and personable service to individuals, communities, public sector and private organisations. I established the practice in 2014 in Coventry, moving to the Yorkshire Dales in 2016. Since its inception, the practice has developed a diverse portfolio of work in landscape planning, assessment and design, contract administration, community landscape projects, garden design and expert witness, building on my 18 years' experience as a landscape architect.My personal areas of expertise are in productive landscapes including the establishment of allotment gardens, permaculture sites and edible planting within the public realm; the development of landscape based strategies for flood mitigation; ecclesiastical sites; and landscape based site planning - these being underpinned by a technical understanding of ecological principles, horticulture, systems architecture, geology and soils.Recently serving on the Landscape Institute's Biosecurity Working Group, I'm abreast of current risks to landscape resilience from pests and diseases and the implications of such for planning and design. As well as higher education qualifications I hold RHS level 2 certification and a Permaculture Design Certificate.

Rugby

As Senior and then Principal Landscape Architect at Roger Griffiths Associates Ltd., later Parkwood Consultancy Services Ltd., I led key projects and programmes including the multi-award winning Kings Heath Village Square and Brooklands urban extension in Milton Keynes as well as numerous successful public spaces and landscape planning projects in both public and private sectors. I held overall responsibility for the practice's approach to Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment, training staff and developing reference materials drawing on the industry standard guidelines. As a member of the management team I was responsible for financial reporting and the preparation of fee proposals and participated in practice future planning.

Coleshill, Birmingham

In this practice I learned and developed my skills in landscape and visual assessments at various stages from capacity study to full 'LVIA' for Environmental Statements. Participating in infrastructure development programmes from small scale highway modifications to major junction improvements, I carried out landscape and visual impact assessments, co-ordinated teams of environmental specialists and designed public consultation materials.

Birmingham, United Kingdom

Groundwork is a network of trusts delivering community led environmental improvements and environmental policies for business. As a project manager I led delivery of two phases of the Project Wagtail cycle path network in Birmingham's Castle Vale district along with a number of local public realm improvements, school projects and gateway schemes, carrying out consultation, design, project management and contract administration from inception to completion.

Master’S Degree, Food Security Management, Distinction

Taking in all issues concerning food systems, including a historical survey of food policies and what is understood by 'food security'.

Pgdipla, Landscape Architecture

PGDipLA - Postgraduate Diploma in Landscape Architecture

Msc(Eng) Control Systems, Engineering, Distinction

MSc(Eng) Control Systems Engineering

Bsc(Hons), Mathematics, Physics, 1St

BSc(hons) Mathematics with Physics