BAS Consultancy Ltd
Placemaking & high street regeneration consultancy across the UK
// I help councils, developers and communities create thriving town centres and high streets..
High streets are living places. Too often they are written off as “in decline”. But I believe with the right mix of vision, collaboration and practical action, they can once again be at the heart of community life.
I’m Ben Stephenson, an urban practitioner with 25 years’ experience in placemaking, Business Improvement Districts, markets and regeneration. My work is rooted in the idea that towns and cities should work for the people who use them - not just as places to shop, but as places to connect, learn, and belong.
// how can I help?
Placemaking is complex. Success depends on engaging stakeholders, shaping clear visions, and unlocking investment. I work alongside councils, developers, BIDs and community groups to:
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Run meaningful stakeholder engagement and consultation processes.
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Support Business Improvement Districts from first ideas to ballots and renewals.
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Revitalise street markets as anchors of social and economic life.
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Develop place branding and promotion strategies that resonate.
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Deliver policy and strategy around culture, night time economy, place governance and economic development.
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Secure funding and shape regeneration plans that deliver.
Each place has its own challenges and opportunities - my role is to help you navigate both.
Support for Business Improvement Districts
Business Improvement Districts are a key part of the future for towns and cities. BAS has experience developing BIDs from conception to ballot, engaging business communities and local authorities to support your proposals.
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For more info on our support package click here.
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High Street Rental Auctions
BASCo is working with local authorities, BIDs and others to tackle high street vacancy, which blights town centres and accelerates decline. Local authorities need the capacity and expertise to manage this issue, including via the High Street Rental Auctions power. BASCo manages a Linked in Peer Support Group for council officers
For more info on our support package click here.
Placemaking
and place management
High Streets and Town Centres are increasingly assailed by structural economic and cultural forces. BAS Consultancy is heavily involved in the national effort to redesign the UK High Street, using evidence and best practice to advise Local Authorities, LEPs, developers, retailers and communities on where to go next. Business cases, funding applications and planning documents are key specialisms.
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For more info on our support package, click here.
Stakeholder engagement
Development is necessary to keep neighbourhoods vibrant, and all those involved know that early conversations with stakeholders are a key component to success.
Whether you are a council, a developer or a community group, BAS can help develop your thoughts about your place, providing engaging events and feedback sessions to get to the bottom of how things should change.
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For more detail on the support package, click here.
Branding and promotion
Branding and promotion are central to delivering the place vision. It can be easy to get this process wrong. Without proper engagement, those that manage places fail to achieve buy-in to the brand. Worse still, the brand vision fails to reflect the people who live and work in the place.
Talk to us about how we can help position your place to deliver the right experience for visitors, workers and residents alike. We can involve a large number of local people in a conversation about what the place represents, how it might change, what it needs to attract investment, custom and reputation.
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For more detail on the support package, click here.
Markets
Looking to develop your market to meet the demands of the 21st century consumer? BAS advises markets, helping them develop the customer experience, support traders and improve administration and efficiency.
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We will extensively audit your market or high street and present a range of recommendations aimed at helping it take its rightful place at the heart of your community. We can also help procure market contracts and work with local authorities to develop event markets that target the right audiences and reflect the place brand.
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For more info on our support package, click here
Contact Us
Ben Stephenson, BAS Consultancy
Ben was a delight to work with and quickly understood the brief I set him. He needed minimal direction to deliver the job to a very high standard, using his connections and knowledge of the industry to introduce me to exactly the right people.
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With his vast experience within the markets sector Ben was able to provide a valuable perspective to Hawkker in both product development, product marketing and growth strategy. I would not hesitate to call on him for help again."
Zeid Bsaibes, Hawkker
PaddingtonNow BID asked Ben Stephenson to produce a detailed project plan for creating a new vision for the Praed Street district.
We were delighted with his response to the brief. The experience he brought from Waterloo and beyond was invaluable to us, as we built the case for a new vision and laid out the steps towards realising that vision.
Ben tackled the multiple components with clear insight, helping us identify internal and external tasks, together with potential consultants for each stage.
The range of stakeholders involved, including landlords, developers, the local authority and community presented us with challenges on the overall timeline, and Ben was able to get behind this element with a genuinely collaborative mindset.
Ben produced an excellent brief for the retail capacity study, setting us well on the road to creating a new vision for Praed Street.
Kay Buxton, Paddington NOW BID
Ben has been developing a feasibility study for a major city event in Bath. He has covered a lot of ground in a short time, and kept in touch throughout the project. The final report is detailed and accurate and was delivered to the brief.
Ben has been easy to work with and has also given informal advice on a variety of elements of the project. He has extensive experience which he has shared generously.
I am particularly impressed by his natural ability to communicate and influence. Working from a rudimentary list, he has successfully created a group of enthused backers for our project and made contacts for my organisation which I didn't have before.
I would not hesitate to recommend Ben, and am looking forward to working with him in the future.
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Allison Herbert, CEO, Bath BID