The Crookbarrow is a semi-natural tumulus whose origins lie in antiquity, located next to Junction 7 of the M5 Motorway. Brock Hill, or Whittington Tump, as the mound is also known, is an ideal place for Horizon Scanning.
Crookbarrow Associates is a new consultancy venture whose aim is to facilitate improvements in the way client organisations “construct the future”, both physically and psychologically, during the spatial planning process.
A central issue for Crookbarrow Associates is the options development process, whether for individual projects or strategic programmes. We are, therefore, interested in statutory procedures such as Environmental Assessment.
We must stress that our consultancy process is based on “Limits to Growth” principles. The earth’s resources are finite, much natural heritage (biodiversity etc) cannot be replaced, and man’s environmental boot-print is growing.
The dangers of conscious planning which under-values the importance of “unconscious process” has been recognised (and usually overlooked) for many years, so we apply process consulting methods to development planning.
A key part of our role involves a better understanding of communications structures, both organisational and in the type of language deployed. Minimising the use of “group-speak” and jargon underpins this work.
The consultancy methods of Crookbarrow Associates have evolved over nearly a quarter century through the broad experience of Principal Janet Mackinnon, and especially during her work in the London Thames Gateway.
We are now particularly interested in helping clients and stakeholders evolve sustainable transport strategies where a history of failed/flawed scheme promotion exists for the reasons described above, as well as other factors.
