Frazer Osment is LDA Design’s new Chair.
Frazer is a landscape architect and urban designer with 28 years’ experience in the industry. As an LDA Design Director, he has led the consultancy’s Development and Regeneration team for six years. He recently established LDA Design’s thriving new studio in Bristol.
Frazer takes up the role of Chair as LDA Design opens up a bold new chapter in its 40-year history with a move to employee ownership.
Frazer specialises in advising on planning and design to achieve enterprising, healthier, well-connected places that meet the needs of people. He is determined to ensure schemes are of a high quality and deliverable.
The UK’s shortage in housing is widely recognised as the single biggest barrier to prosperity and growth today. Frazer advocates an assertive landscape-led approach to planning and development to accelerate the pace of housing delivery and improve the quality, creating places that not only work for people but also better protect the environment.
Frazer helped to secure outline planning permission for Welborne in Fareham, one of the new wave of Government-backed garden communities. He is playing a key role in the urban renaissance of Exeter and is working on the landmark Gravity project, which aims to establish a 635-acre ‘clean growth’ campus in Somerset. Frazer advocates that green infrastructure should be central to planning and has recently been advising DEFRA on the development of a new GI Standard for England to meet a commitment under the 25-year Environment Plan.
The post of Chair is a three-year term. Frazer takes over from LDA Design Director Andrew Harland, who continues to lead some of LDA Design’s most high-profile public realm projects, including Stratford Waterfront in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, as well as other major new developments in east London.
Commenting on his appointment, Frazer said: “I’m delighted to be taking on this role at such a pivotal moment in LDA Design’s history. I would like to thank Andrew who has been inspirational, steering our growth to put us on the path to employee ownership.
“LDA Design has a distinctive ‘one business’ culture that promotes collaboration and innovation, and I see employee ownership as strengthening this further, giving a clear voice to each of our 160 – and counting – staff.
“The climate crisis is clearly the most pressing issue of our times and action on biodiversity loss and global heating is long overdue. There is now growing recognition that climate breakdown and social inequality are interlinked. LDA Design’s landscape-led approach, combined with a strong focus on delivery and making things happen for the benefit of people, means we are uniquely placed to respond to these issues.”
