Celebrating 15 years of Create Consulting Engineers

As of today (26th February 2024), we have been proudly providing high quality technical services and advice to the construction and property industry for 15 years.

Create Consulting Engineers started out in 2009 with just 4 people and a small handful of projects. Now, we are home to a team of 50 plus engineers, consultants, planners and technicians who have helped forge us into an award-winning independent, multidisciplinary engineering and environmental consultancy with a proven track record of supporting the planning, design and construction of projects the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

“As we look forward to the future and the opportunities that will present themselves, we would like to take this moment to say thank you to all our clients, friends and families who have supported us on our journey to date. ”

Jonathan Cage, Managing Director

Many will say that is it is impossible to cover 15 years of history in a concise way, however at Create we love a challenge…

2009

• Founded on the 26^th February 2009, we began building a new kind of engineering and environmental consultancy, focused on client responsiveness, expert service delivery, high quality planning and technical design.
• Our first office was situated inside Rose Lane Business Centre in Norwich. However, due to strong growth we weren’t there long, as barely three months later we moved to Hungate House on Princes Street.
• The successful relocation in Norwich then paved the way for new offices in London and Ipswich, helping us to grow our area of operations.
• A multidisciplinary team began working on Phase 6 of Flitch Green near the village of Felsted in Essex. It comprised of 1000 new homes and associated infrastructure.
• Claire Seymour joined the business as Practice Manager.

2010

• Our Sustainability team was established in London.
• Mark Allen joins the business as an Associate Director for Transport & Highways.
• The business saw a period of rapid growth, culminating in the trebling of turnover in one year.
• We began working outside our traditional regions, providing technical services and advice to schemes as far away as Devon and Cornwall.

2011

• Create won the EDP New Business Award 2011.
• In Norwich we relocated to a more environmentally friendly office at 15 Princes Street, just a stones throw from Hungate House.
• Our Water & Flood Risk team was established, operating out of our Norwich office.
• Barrie Anderson and Graham Sinclair joined the business in the roles of Technical Director and Graduate Flood Risk Consultant.

2012

• Seeking a new client base in Scotland, the decision is made to open an office in Glasgow.
• We became part of the EDP Future 50, a selection of businesses celebrated for their willingness to test their ideas and take risks in order to deliver innovative new services.
• Our Structures team was established, operating out of our London office.

2013

• Our Air Quality and Acoustics teams were established, operating our of our London office.
• Due to an expanding client base in Essex, we relocated from our office in Ipswich to Braintree.
• Create Property Limited was formed as a sister company to manage the group’s property portfolio.
• We started work on Mayfields New Town, a proposed new form of community town in Mid Sussex that focuses on sustainable living, based on garden city principles.
• Our Water & Flood Risk team were appointed by Natural England to provide technical input and advice into the River Wensum Restoration Strategy.

2014

• Our MEP Building Services team was established, operating out of our Norwich office.
• We began initial planning work on Harford Triangle / Apex Business Park in Norwich. The site will offer new build industrial, warehouse and office buildings in a premier location.
• Construction works started on the new park, sports pitches and pavilion at Flitch Green. We acted as the Resident Engineer.
• Our Civil Engineering team were instructed by David Wilson Homes to design Phase 5 and 6 of a new settlement in Cambourne.

2015

• Colin Buchanan joined the London office as Technical Director and set up our Geo-Environmental team.
• We started work on Broadland Business Park in Norwich for Lothbury Investment Management.
• Prepared an Integrated Transport Strategy for Sevenoaks Town Council.
• Our Civil Engineering team began working on Phase 2 Bicester for Countryside Properties.
• Our Structures team was expanded to include Norwich and Norfolk, as Mark Salway joined the business as a Technical Director.

2016

• An administrative office is opened in Norwich, just across from our main office.
• Work on West Tey begins with L&Q. West Tey in North Essex is the largest new community town scheme we’ve worked on to date.
• An accredited ICE Training Scheme is implemented.
• We started working with Halsbury Homes on a number of schemes in the East of England. We continue to work alongside Halsbury today.
• A multidisciplinary team was appointed to design a new indoor vehicle storage facility for Addison Lee, with capacity for up to 500 Ford Galaxies, workshop areas and a maintenance facility.

2017

• Due to our continued success in Essex and Greater London we took the decision to close the Braintree office and move up the A131 to Chelmsford. The office is located at the MedBIC building, Arise Innovation Hub part of Anglia Ruskin University.
• Jody Blacklock joined in the role of Technical Director (Acoustics). He began to redefine our approach to acoustics.
• Hidden House by Coffey Architects, a project we provided MEP Building Services on won a RIBA Award and was shortlisted for House of the Year – https://www.coffeyresidential.com/hiddenhouse
• Staff in our London office began providing technical services and advice on Southall Waterside Development for FM Conway and Berkeley Homes.
• Our Civil Engineering and Transport & Highways teams were appointed to design a new link road and infrastructure for Brook Farm & Laurel Farm in Norwich, a major new mixed-use development.

2018

• Paul Zanna joined the business as a Technical Director and opened our Milton Keynes office, helping us to deliver our service offering to clients in and around Buckinghamshire.
• Our Transport & Highways team began working with Orsted on Hornsea Three Offshore Wind Farm, a project that could help to meet the average daily energy needs of well over 2 million UK homes.
• A multidisciplinary team started working on Timber Works in Cambridge. It comprises of 118 new council homes and 177 market sale homes, a nursery, central park, open spaces and basement car park. It is Cambridge Investment Partnership’s largest scheme to date and marks the start of a series of projects around Cambridge where we have played a key role in the planning, design and construction stages.
• Prepared technical studies and assessments for planning applications on behalf of Landstock Estates for two proposed developments comprising of 150 homes and 650 homes on land to the North of Wymondham.

2019

• We celebrated a decade of business by hosting a party at Kimberley Hall near Wymondham, Norfolk. The event was attended by staff, clients and industry partners.
• After only one year, our Milton Keynes team need a new home due to a substantial growth in work. They move to Beachampton, where they remain today.
• We began working on the Cavalry Barracks redevelopment for Inland Homes. The scheme will deliver a vibrant community that includes 1,525 high-quality homes, alongside commercial space and over 10 acres of open space.
• Our Acoustics team were appointed by MACE Group to monitor noise levels and protect the health and well-being for some of the 2,500 contractor personnel working on the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
• The business purchases Hardwick House in Norwich, a Grade II-listed building and prestigious local landmark that was constructed in 1866 as a bank, before becoming the city’s main post office and most recently, commercial offices.

2020

• We started providing services for the Whitehill Industrial Estate redevelopment scheme in Glenrothes Scotland, having previously supported the planning application for scheme back in 2012 under a different client. Currently this our largest scheme in Scotland.
• The COVID-19 Pandemic forces the world to adapt, offices to close and staff to work from home. Despite early difficulties, everyone rapidly adapts to the ‘new normal’.
• We started the detailed design for a number of schemes including Whitfield, Dover for Halsbury Homes and Hillberry Fields, Ticehurst for Fernham Homes.
• Matthew Wellington joined the business in the role of Marketing Manager and began to refresh our brand and approach to competitive tendering.
• On 31 December 2020, The Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy granted consent for Hornsea Three.

2021

• Ella May Barnes Building (MEP Building Services) and East Coast House (Structures) win 2021 Norfolk Design and Craftsmanship Awards – https://designandcraftsmanshipawards.org.uk/awards-and-commendations-2021/awards/
• Instructed to provide technical services and advice on Skegness Gateway Project. The proposed two phased Skegness Gateway Project will enable a 31 hectare (91.5 acre) Greenfield site to be opened up for mixed use commercial and leisure development.
• A multidisciplinary team began working on Grange Farm, developing plans for a new market town in South Cambridgeshire.
• Members of our team presented evidence on behalf of East Lindsey District Council on multiple caravan sites at planning appeal.

2022

• We secured Hornsea Lot 3 Onshore Infrastructure for Orsted (Traffic and Transport) and One Horton Heath (Acoustics and Air Quality) for Eastleigh Borough Council via competitive tendering.
• Our Water & Flood Risk team began updating the East Lindsey Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for East Lindsey District Council.
• Iain Buckle joined the business as an Associate Director and established our Utilities team.
• Our Acoustics team passed their assessment to become Members of the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC). They began to offer ANC accredited Pre-Completion Testing.
• Cavalry Barracks for Inland Homes received unanimous resolution to grant planning permission.
• Our MEP Building Services team was expanded to include Chelmsford and Essex, as Lee McKevitt joined the business as a Technical Director.

2023

• The final affordable homes at Timber Works were completed by Cambridge Investment Partnership and our Sustainability team started to carry out BREEAM Post Construction Stage (PCS) Assessments.
• We secured Daleham Gardens for NW3CLT (Sustainability and MEP Building Services) via competitive tender.
• Our Acoustics team won two awards at the ANC Awards and were commended for other projects.
• In October 2023 we launched a new website and adopted shorter email addresses.
• Chris Sargisson joined the business on a part time basis as a Management Consultant. He began to provide us with specialist business insight and practical support that enabled us to build upon our successes, culture and values.
• A new lease was signed for our London office, securing the location for another 5 years.

2024

• Our Norwich team are due to relocate to Hardwick House. Hardwick House will provide an incredible new home for our business in Norfolk. This move will help to facilitate further training opportunities within the business, as well as an increased capacity to support young apprentices and graduates within the industry, helping to build our team and engineer the future.