PRP arm plans expansion into mixed use schemes and North West

The quantity surveying and project management arm of PRP Architects is planning to move outside the affordable housing sector for the first time. London-based PRP Project Services will also make its debut in the North of England by setting up shop in Manchester.

The new business plan is the brainchild of Philip Murphy, who recently took over as group director of project services following the retirement of Simon Kaplinsky. While Kaplinsky joined the firm from Notting Hill Housing Trust, Murphy’s background is in commercial mixed development.

Before joining PRP in 1997, Murphy worked for multi-disciplinary consultancies Planning Design Development and Conran Roche.

He said: “We are doing schemes with some retail elements, but they tend to be ancillary. We also do private housing as it is often used to fund the affordable portion of a residential development. But we would like to work on a genuine mix of employment, community, residential, retail and leisure. The architecture arm of the business is already recruiting heavily to deliver mixed use schemes.”

Murphy said he planned to place two or three project managers in the Manchester office of the architecture arm, hiring staff locally. Within the past two years, PRP Project Services attempted unsuccessfully to set up an office in Birmingham staffed with PMs normally based in London.

We’d like to work on a mix of employment, community, residential, retail and leisure

Philip Murphy, group director of project services, PRP Project Services

Murphy plans to hire two or three staff a year to his 20-strong project management team. PM contributes £1.5m in annual turnover to the PRP group, which turns over £20m overall. The firm achieved a 10% profit in the year ended October 2005.

The firm is also aiming to get involved with projects at an earlier stage, such as masterplanning. Murphy said PRP’s experience of social housing meant that the earlier they got involved on a scheme, the more they could work on smoothing the way for the project with the local community. This meant planning authorities were more likely to approve schemes.

PRP has spent the past 12 months on a project to masterplan, Marsh Farm Estate, a 3,500-home development in Luton. Murphy hopes to go on to win further roles on the scheme.