THE TERRA FIRMA CONSULTANCY - Key Persons
Alison joined terra firma as Office Manager in May 2009. Her experience was gained working in the financial sector for major banks and insurance companies. She branched out into advertising, sales and marketing before combining her knowledge for a major insurance company helping them set up a telemarketing division.
Since moving to Hampshire in 2005, Alison worked in sales and marketing for a Credit Card Manufacturer, before joining terra firma.
Job Titles:
- Dip LA FLI Director and Principal Landscape Architect
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Landscape Architect
Emily joined terra firma in 2020, having undertaken a summer internship with the practice in 2019
Emily studied Landscape Architecture and Design at Leeds Beckett University and completed her BA(Hons) in 2020. She returned to university and completed her Post-Graduate Diploma with distinction in 2023.
Emily received the Arup Cities Alive Award 2023 for her post-graduate work which focused on nature-based design and blue-green infrastructure, specifically the application of flood defences in coastal locations.
Since joining terra firma, Emily has assisted with a wide range of projects, undertaking a variety of tasks from landscape assessment through to detailed design.
Qualifications:
BA (Hons) in Landscape Architecture and Design
Job Titles:
- Ex - Portsmouth City Chief Landscape Architect
Job Titles:
- CMLI Associate and Chartered Landscape Architect
Following an early career in Local Government, Martin joined terra firma in June 2006, becoming an Associate a year later. During his time at terra firma he has been involved in nearly 300 projects in the UK, and abroad (in France, Romania, and in the Middle-East).
Martin's experience extends from masterplanning new towns and large-scale landscape reclamation, to detailing around apartment blocks and school extensions, with work for housing and industrial developers in-between. He regularly authors LVIA's and during his time at terra firma has provided advice on behalf of Local Planning Authorities including the South Downs National Park, and acted as an Expert Witness on behalf of housing developers.
Some of the more memorable projects have included producing landscape strategies for reclaiming despoiled land in the Transylvanian alps following proposed open-cast gold mining, and masterplanning the Al Falah new town outside Abu Dhabi. He has also designed the landscape of 2 Police divisional headquarters and a Police training facility in West Yorkshire, and of several large-scale industrial developments, including the prestigious Origin Park in West London.
Martin has provided iterative landscape design input for several proposed ‘exceptional' dwellings in the countryside (considered in relation to the NPPA paragraph 80(e), (previously para 72 and earlier para 55)). He also oversaw a project to reclaim previously contaminated land at Brookwood Cemetery (a Registered Historic Park and Garden), transforming it into a new Muslim burial grounds along with space for contemplation.
Qualifications:
Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute (2003)
Mikey joined the practice in June of 2023, prior to which he worked for a practice involved with the petrol industry, designing various forms of roadside retail including petrol stations, drive-thru coffee shops and restaurants, and more recently, EV forecourts. As such he has built up a wealth of knowledge regarding vehicle swept paths, parking allowances and traffic flows, as well as specifics regarding petrol station design and fuel infrastructure.
He has experience with projects from initial feasibility studies, through planning and consent to display submissions, all the way through to producing as-built drawings. He has also worked closely with the Texaco brand in the UK, producing drawings for re-branding projects across the UK.
Since joining terra firma Consultancy Mikey has adapted to using KeySCAPE, and in his previous role has a great deal of experience working with AutoCAD and Autotrack; a vehicle tracking software. He also has a working knowledge of Revit, and has worked with Leica Cyclone software dealing with point cloud processing following on-site surveying using laser-scanning equipment.
Job Titles:
- Dip LA FLI Director and Principal Landscape Architect
- Is Director
Robyn is Director at terra firma and has been with the company for 29 years since joining as a university graduate.
She has been Project Landscape Architect for over 400 terra firma projects across all sectors, including award-winning projects on Brighton's seafront for the i360 public realm, at the University of Portsmouth, for the Dennis Sciama Building with adjacent public space - Lion Square; the Cumberland Area Project, a retrofit homezone for Portsmouth City Council (which won a Local Government News Street Design Award).
Robyn has recently led on extensive social housing projects in Hounslow, Brighton and Kensington and also been heavily involved in the company's educational projects, with work on the Greater Brighton Metropolitan College's Pelham Street Campus extension which included a design of a new open space in Central Brighton. Amongst recent projects are The Compass Academy, Southwark, a new build secondary; two developments for BHASVIC, a sixth form college in Hove; two new SEN schools for Hampshire County Council in Farnborough and Basingstoke, a 900-place primary school in Harrow and concept plans for extensive new development at St Swithun's School in Winchester.
She has worked in numerous projects in the South Downs National Park, both advising the Authority themselves on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) such as Rampion 2 and Aquind, but also for developers assisting with the design and coordination of Landscape-Led Design applications.
Until recently she regularly visited the National Air Traffic Control Centre, Prestwick to review ongoing estate management, and has jointly worked on a Strategic Development Framework for Houghton Regis in Central Bedfordshire with planning consultants and urban designers Place-Make to look at infrastructure opportunities for an imminent increase in residential housing from 7000 to 14,000 properties.
Robyn regularly appears as an expert witness at planning appeals, including Cornwall's largest ever Planning Inquiry, representing the Council against the development of a huge ‘Energy from Waste' facility and acts as Expert Witness on behalf of Waverley Borough Council, Eastleigh Borough Council and Chichester District Council for various appeals.
She has written design guidelines for new dwellings in the Chichester Harbour AONB, now adopted as Supplementary Design Guidance by the Local Authorities and has produced EIAs for various controversial exploratory minerals schemes.
She sits on the South Downs National Park Authority's, Test Valley Borough Council's, and the Hampshire Garden Trust's Design Review Panels and has assisted the Landscape Institute in the rewriting of the profession's competency framework for members. She acts as an external examiner for Leeds Beckett University's MALA and Grad Dip. Courses.
Qualifications:
Fellow of the Landscape Institute (2022)
Job Titles:
- Assistant
- Landscape Architect