Feria Urbanism was part of the team that developed the Town Investment Plan (TIP) for Darwen in Lancashire — submitted in January 2021 as part of the town’s bid for up to £25m from the Government’s Towns Fund.

We were responsible for the spatial strategy — a series of plans to demonstrate how  individual site-based projects contribute to a coordinated overall picture, and the public consultation and engagement process. This second strand of work ensured that the project board and the wider project team understood the priorities and aspirations of local people.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced our team to adapt our methodologies and transfer some of our collaborative work on online. We combined real-time online mapping technologies with multi-participant video calls, creating the digital equivalent of sitting around a table with a paper plan and a set of felt tip pens. The results were just as immediate and could be recorded and shared more effectively.

Those that took part were impressed with our approach. One participant said: “Tonight’s meeting felt very positive and hopeful for Darwen and we both felt that you are very much the right team to take this forward for the town”.