Ben Derbyshire
Ben Derbyshire is managing partner of HTA Design, a design-based consultancy to the housing industry, specialising in placemaking, providing community engagement, project management, master planning, urban design, architecture, landscape design, planning, environmental sustainability, graphics and web design. Ben took over as chairman of the Housing Forum in April 2013, and is also a board member for Design for Homes and the New London Sounding Board. He has been appointed to the design review panels of the GLA Custom Build programme and Urban Design London.
OpinionHow the planning system can be improved under Labour
Ministers must be wary of unintended consequences when pushing ahead with planning reforms, writes Ben Derbyshire
OpinionFrom Miesian cool to urban discord: Why the new 1 Undershaft scheme misses the mark
As developers push for more floorspace at 1 Undershaft, the historic St Andrew Undershaft church and St Helen’s Piazza face significant disruption, writes Ben Derbyshire
OpinionWhy I’m objecting to the Sellar development at Liverpool Street Station
The developer has failed to learn the lessons from the successful London Bridge redevelopment and risks destroying a precious piece of the City’s heritage, writes Ben Derbyshire
OpinionLiz Truss could do worse than listening to King Charles
Ben Derbyshire has seen King Charles’ passion for housing design and planning up close. Here he lists the areas on which the new monarch is likely to provide private advice to prime ministers
OpinionWhy I’m supporting Muyiwa Oki to be the next RIBA president
Former president says progressive candidate could “hugely enrich” the institute as nomination deadline looms
OpinionWhat can we expect from the Queen’s Speech?
Ben Derbyshire is optimistic that Gove will propose a range of innovative proposals
FeaturesLet’s open our institute to architects fleeing from eastern Europe
We have an opportunity to stand with our Ukrainian counterparts and to offer collective support, writes Ben Derbyshire
FeaturesThis is not how to level up the country
Gove’s 12-point plan is hardly the Roosevelt New Deal we were promised, writes Ben Derbyshire
FeaturesLiving with Beauty promised much but its delivery is falling dangerously short
The government’s planning reforms are inherently contradictory and risk confusing beauty with popularity, writes Ben Derbyshire
FeaturesOur suburbs are a messy, quirky patchwork. This makes radical thinking all the more important
Turn Nimbys into Yimbys by giving them a stake in the development process, argues Ben Derbyshire
FeaturesI hear you, but RIBA’s reforms are the best way to restore architects’ status
Plans for five-yearly competence tests have sparked an outcry among small practitioners. Former RIBA president Ben Derbyshire tries to win them round
FeaturesBeauty, privacy and cupboards. What do the people really want?
Ben Derbyshire asks how we should approach a nationwide design code
FeaturesLearning from lockdown: Why placemaking should be at the centre of the recovery
Our damaged communities need a positive vision of the future, says Ben Derbyshire
FeaturesCoronavirus: What are the priorities for architects?
Ben Derbyshire has survived three recessions and says the first lesson is to act quickly and decisively
FeaturesThe Social Value Act has thrown architects a lifeline – and we must grasp it
Ben Derbyshire explains how the profession can haul its way back up the foodchain
OpinionHow to make Brexit a success - and protect UK architecture's global dominance
British architectural exports could be worth £54m a year - if the government can strike the right trade deals, says Ben Derbyshire
OpinionCollaboration and research are key to the survival of the profession
Architects must offer clients meaningful evidence - and the RIBA should be drawing it together, says Ben Derbyshire
OpinionEthical professionalism: Taking advantage of diminishing state intervention
As the RIBA begins its hunt for a new chief executive, Ben Derbyshire assesses the future of the profession at a critical point in its history
Opinion'Too academic, sensitive and complex for corporate London'
Ben Derbyshire recalls his friend Richard MacCormac
FeaturesOpinion: HTA's Ben Derbyshire on space standards
Forcing estate agents to publish details of how many square metres a property has would be a far more effective way of improving living conditions than space standards, says Ben Derbyshire, managing director of HTA.