Paul Ward

Project manager, Walker Riverside

Paul Ward, 31, is project manager of the Walker Riverside scheme in Newcastle, funded in part by housing market renewal pathfinder Bridging Newcastle Gateshead. The scheme aims to deliver a new town centre and up to 2,000 new homes

What has been your most beneficial career experience to date?
Working in both the private and public sectors early in my career has allowed me to fully appreciate both perspectives. This has been vastly beneficial in my current role, which relies on managing multi-disciplinary teams to deliver projects from inception to completion, while engaging with a wide variety of stakeholders.

What's the best advice you've been given?
Never be afraid to ask questions. You need to understand a situation before you can meaningfully add to the (regeneration) process.

What's the best training you've had?
At university I learned the basics involved in regeneration and the many cross-cutting skills that are essential for my kind of role, which often requires me to have a detailed understanding of a variety of disciplines. But I've learned more in the last couple of years delivering projects on the ground alongside a range of professionals than I could have done through any course.

What book would you recommend?
The Community Planning Handbook by Nick Wates is six years old, but many of the techniques in the book are still in their infancy in the UK. Communities are becoming more involved in helping to reshape their neighbourhoods, yet we're seeing a growing trend of consultation fatigue in many regeneration areas. This book provides a useful starting point for professionals who want programmes that capture the public's imagination while delivering tangible results.

What do you wish you'd known when you started out?
Just because someone seems to know what they are talking about, it doesn't necessarily mean they actually do.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1998: Graduates with BSc in geography.

2002: Gains MA in urban and regional planning before joining planning consultancy Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners as a regeneration consultant.

2005: Moves to Newcastle City Council to become a regeneration officer, responsible, among other things, for the Walker Riverside area.

2006: Appointed as project manager of the Walker Riverside development.

Interview by Kate Allen