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Pictures from the Last Reunion Thursday 26th June 2008 Puzzle Pub - formerly Harry's Bar Click here

This is the page where those who worked for LDDC (including consultants) can record their details and so keep in touch with former colleagues.

To include your details here, or to update them, contact Stuart Innes (E mail : Click Here) 

See also our Updates page - correspondence from former members of the LDDC's staff (and others)

THE LIST SO FAR..... 

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ABRAHAMS, Danny

Danny spent 9 years in the Accounts Department at LDDC leaving on 30 June 1998 - the Corporation's very last day. He subsequently worked for the International Architectural Practice of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, who designed parts of Canary Wharf and also for the ING Banking Group. He is currently Financial Controller for a property company in Liverpool Street

He was married in June 2001, no children as yet.[January 2008]

E mail: Click Here

ALVIN,  Michelle (formerly "Millie" Mason)

After joining the LDDC in 1990 as a receptionist, Millie moved to the Office Services team eventually securing the role of Deputy Facilities Manager in 1997. She was responsible for a number of office services including cleaning, plants, reception and switchboard. Heavily engaged in the task of closing down the building, she finally left for the last time in June 1998.

After the LDDC Millie moved to the Facilities Department of Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, a German investment bank, based in the City. She now manages the Admin Services Team, providing support to all of the Bank's UK offices and responsible for Business Travel/Ground Transportation, Corporate Credit Cards and Central Stationery.

Now known as Mrs Alvin having finally married Richard in 2002 (yes, yet another LDDC couple made it up the aisle!).

E mail: Click Here

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ANSTEY, David

David joined the LDDC as a planner in 1988. He worked first in the Isle of Dogs Area Team and then in the Royal Docks Area Team where as a development planner he worked on the master plan for the South side of the Royal Victoria Dock. He then worked on social housing both in the Royal Docks and on the the Isle of Dogs. Right at the end he was seconded to the London Borough of Newham to provide close liaison on the winding up of the Corporation.

In November 1997 he left LDDC to become Executive Director of Groundwork Kent Thames-side in Dartford where he stayed until November 2004. David put the Trust back on its feet and helped it secure a major role in the regeneration of Kent Thameside. They are an environmental regeneration charity, part of a national Federation headed by Tony Hawkhead who also worked for the Corporation for a time. The Trust is working with a range of key partners in the private and public sectors in Kent Thames-side which is the next major regeneration area to the east of Docklands. It is interesting to note that Michael Heseltine was responsible both for the Urban Development Corporations and Groundwork.

In November 2004 David became Director of Regeneration at the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority where he is responsible for planning, property and regeneration.

Office address is The Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, Myddelton House, Bulls Cross, Enfield Middlesex, EN2 9HG. Tel: 01992 709873. Web: http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk

Office E mail: Click Here  Home E mail: Click Here[December 2007]

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ARORA, Deepti

Deepti was with LDDC's Finance Team between January 1990 to May 1997. She was a Management Accountant until June 1992 when she was appointed as a Financial Accountant.

Joined the CBI in June 1997 as a Financial Systems Accountant with promotion in March 1998 to Financial Controller. In December 2001 she became Financial Controller at Business Link for London.

Work address: Business Link for London, Centre Point, 103 New Oxford Street, London WC1A 1DU. Tel:020 7395 8164

Home address: 2 Mornington Close, Woodford Green, Essex. IG8 0TT.  Tel: 020 8505 9438

E mail: Click Here

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AUSTERBERRY, Mike

Mike joined LDDC in 1984 to work on a range of development projects, before becoming a member of Reg Ward's Development Team which oversaw the Canary Wharf negotiations with Olympia and York and Government. As a member of the Royal Docks area team he worked on formulating the Royals strategy and the early development schemes. When he left the Corporation in 1997 he was Head of Programme Development. 

After LDDC Mike joined the Strategic Rail Authority to manage a number of the new rail franchise contracts, before that organisation too was abolished!  In 2001 he joined London Underground as Head of PFI Contracts, moving on again in 2005 to become Director of Property at Kent County Council, where he finds the odd scraps of knowledge he acquired at LDDC occasionally quite useful.

Mike still lives in Greenwich with a view of Docklands from his bathroom window, and the three children he found time to have at LDDC in varying stages of departing the nest. mike.austerberry@kent.gov.uk

E mail: Click Here[January 2008]

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ASPDEN, Philip

Philip was a surveyor at LDDC between 1990 and 1997.  Between 1997 and 1999 he was planning and development manager at London City Airport involved in the procurement of improvement works worth £5m.  Later he was with a firm of Chartered Surveyors in the Isle of Dogs and then with the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).  We understand he is now back in the private sector with a firm of surveyors specialising in mortgage valuations.  He still lives on the Isle of Dogs quite close to David Little.[January 2008]

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BAYBARS, Mem

Mem was well known at LDDC as Senior Transport Manager for major projects between 1993 and 1998.

In September 1997 he was seconded to London First on part-time basis by the LDDC. After the the Corporation was wound up in March 1998 he continued there on part-time basis until June 2000.  London First is a campaign and lobby organisation funded by London businesses. Its main remit is to improve London’s competitiveness as a place for inward investment. In this respect transport is considered of great importance and Mem says they have an impressive track record of influencing Government policies and decisions.

Between 2001 and 2003 Mem worked on an assignment for the Department for Transport developing the communications strategy for the initial consultations on the South East and South of England Regional Air Service study, SERAS.  Between 2000 and 2004 he worked on a number of assignments for Transport for London including the road transport side of the Olympic Transport Strategy, as part of the 2012 bid preparation.

Mem joined the Central London Partnership as the Transport Director in 2004 and worked there for a year. Then he was lured back to TfL to work as a Technical Adviser on the planning of the Grand Depart of the Tour de France which took place in London and Kent over the weekend of 6-8 July 2007. It was hailed as a great success for the sport, and London, as a world-class venue for such events.

Mem continues to work as a transport consultant and he has set up his own consultancy, Baybars Consulting. [December 2007]

E mail 1 or E mail 2

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BEATTIE, Kerry

Kerry was with LDDC from June 1982 until May 1988. After spells working as a Committee Clerk and in the Property Team she moved on to the Chief Executive's Office before taking up the role of  Sales and Marketing Team Manager.

After leaving the Corporation Kerry quaified as a solicitor and for some years until 2003 worked for Taylor Wessing specialising in construction and engineering law.  She is now with Schofield Lothian, a multi disciplined management consultancy engaged in construction, engineering and infrastructure - see  http://www.schofields.com/.  Kerry is with S L Consulting. [December 2007]

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BENDON, Gareth

Gareth was the Head of the Corporation's Executive Office from 1990 until the end of March 1998.  He was previously with the Department of the Environment.

Tel: 01424 436934

E mail: Click Here

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BETTY, Tasmin (formerly Tasmin Warran)

Tasmin worked for the LDDC for 7 years between 1990 and 1997 for Public Affairs and Marketing .  She was based at the Visitor Centre where she worked organising guided tours for all categories of delegations including group itineraries, booked venues, speakers, guides, transport, catering and presentations. She has now been married for 7 years and lives in Hertfordshire where she sell books on a part time basis.

E mail: Click Here

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BINKS. Craig

Craig, a specialist consultant in records management, joined the Corporation towards the end of its life to help in the important and difficult task of organising the Corporation's files and other records in preparation for their transfer to successor bodies and in particular to the Commission for the New Towns at Milton Keynes where most of the LDDC's records are now archived.

Since leaving the Corporation in April 1998, Craig has worked abroad in Jakarta,  Indonesia, as a consultant with CONOCO, one of the American oil companies setting up Management and Electronic Data Management Systems.  In 2004 he told us he would be there for at least another two years.

E mail Addresses: Click Here or Here

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BLYTH, Bob and Vicki

Bob, a Fairhurst Partner was seconded to LDDC (1982-1998) in various roles including Chief Engineer 1986 to 1998.  His wife Vicki (nee Furey) was with Docklands News in 1981/82, an LDDC Press Officer between 1986 and 1990 and Head of Media and PR from 1993 to 1998.

Bob is now Project Director with Beca Carter Hollings & Ferner, New Zealand's largest engineering consultancy and still managing to build roads through urban areas. Post LDDC Bob spent two and a half years living and working in Beirut/Damascus and commuting home to New Zealand. He is also one of the few people to have worked in Antarctica!! He is a registered coach and referee with the NZ Rugby Union and President of a Christchurch Rotary Club.

Vicki is Communciations Director for Solid Energy, the Government-owned and largest coal producer in New Zealand (800 staff and contractors) and is still managing protests and crises ... Bob and Vicki's son Sam is now 11 years old, a budding trumpet player and computer expert!

The picture (right) shows Bob and Vicki in in New Zealand in December 2004 with David and Kathy Crompton, who were stalwarts of the Corporation in its early years.

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BOWIE, Duncan

Duncan was Head of Social Housing at LDDC from July 1989 to December 1990.

He moved to the Housing Corporation where he carried out a number of roles including Area Manager for East London and Essex, acting Regional Director for the former London and Home Counties NorthEast region and Investment Director for London. From 1999 to 2002, he was Housing policy officer at the Association of London Government and from 2002 to August 2007 was Strategic Planner (Housing) in the London Plan team at the Greater London Authority, responsible for developing strategic planning guidance for housing in London and advising the Mayor on planning applications for strategic housing schemes.

Since September 2007, Duncan has been Reader in Urban Planning and Regeneration at London Metropolitan University. He now teaches architects and housing and regeneration students as well as undertaking research on planning and strategic housing policy in London.

Having got married a couple of years before joining the LDDC, his children are now 15 and 18. He still lives in Southwark.

Tel: 0207 133 5224, E mail: Click Here [January 2008]

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BROWN, Rosie

Now married to Phil Harrsion - see below.

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BUCKLE, Robin

Robin worked for the Corporation between  Nov 1988 and October 1997.  Until September 1993 he was an Implementation Planner in Wapping, then Wapping and Poplar and finally in the Isle of Dogs and Leamouth. From 1993  onwards he was Leisure Development Officer responsible for the long term use of the water areas including the drawing up of a Water Use Strategy and the management of the Water Development Fund.  Specific projects included the sailing and watersports centres and the strategy for signing the Thames Path.

Robin moved on to be Principal Regeneration Planner with Brent Council. For his last two years there he managed the Design and Regeneration Team and was responsible for the Wembley  Planning Framework and Masterplan.

He joined the London Development Agency in 2004 as Urban Renaissance Design Manager and has been working for Design for London since its inception at the beginning of 2007. 

E mail: Click Here [December 2007]
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CHARIE, Ian

Ian, a planner, joined LDDC in September 1988 working first in the Royal Docks Area Team on the Rosehaugh Stanhope scheme then proposed for the north side of the Royal Albert Dock, the housing scheme at Windsor Park, the LDDC's response to Newham's draft UDP, and (how time moves on!) a report re. London hosting the Olympics, centred on Docklands, in 2000 – as was being considered in 1988! Moving to Thames Quay in 1991 he worked on LDDC disposals in Wapping and the Isle of Dogs. Notable role was the public inquiry for the Hermitage Riverside scheme, which although lost led to an amended scheme now completed in the shadows of Tower Bridge. He stayed until the bitter end - March 1998 - just 6 months short of a full 10 years.

After cutting his consultancy teeth at Barton Willmore he led the London Planning team of BDP (Building Design Partnership) from 1999 until early 2003.  To gain more varied and environmental experience, Ian moved to lead Development Planning work with URS, a global environmental, engineering and infrastructure consultancy, operating worldwide and with 12 UK offices until mid 2005. At that time Ian returned to his Thames Gateway roots and until July 2006 was an Associate Director with Atkins with specific responsibility for urban regeneration in the Thames Gateway. Now he's with his American wife and the family (children 10 and 8 in 2006) in the US. They've bought a house in the small town of Topsfield, 40 minutes north of Boston and in September 2006 we heard he was working with with a Boston based firm who cover architecture, planning and preservation called Goody Clancy. His role is Project Managing a team - with many external sub-consultants - in preparing a redevelopment plan for the main CBD of New Orleans, including the French Quarter and a suburb badly affected by the floods. 

Ian says he hopes any former colleagues passing through will get in touch and meet up for for lobster and a Sam Adams!

When not working, Ian's time is taken up with the family and continuing enjoyment of sport (more from the armchair or touchline these days) and travel.

Contactable by E mail: Click Here

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CONNOLLY, Jackie

Jackie joined the LDDC's Social Facilities Programmes Unit in 1987 as a Secretary/Administrator.  Later she moved to the Royal Docks Area Team and after a number of years there returned to HQ to the unit responsible for liaison with other public agencies.  This merged with the Completion Team in the Chief Executive's Office and Jackie was heavily engaged in completion/winding up issues and team administration until the end.

In April 1998 she took up an appointment with the Chief Executive of the London Borough of Newham moving on secondment in 1999 to Docklands East London to help develop and implement support services to encourage companies to relocate to the Borough and particularly to the Royals.  She is now back with the Council working as a  Business Development Officer in its Physical Regeneration and Development Division promoting Newham residents and companies. After years living in Newham Docklands Jackie moved to Loughton nearly 11 years ago.  [Click for picture]

Tel:  020 8430 6851 (Direct Line) E mail: Click Here [January 2008]

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CRAWFORD, Nigel

Nigel Crawford joined the LDDC at the beginning in 1981. He put in the first IT systems and then became the first Head of Corporate Planning. Subsequently in 1986 he developed a 5-year education and training support programme to raise the ambitions and skills of local residents.

When he left LDDC Nigel spent a number of years building up Urban Development International (UDI) a small independent management consultancy, with low overheads and thus competitive fees. Its focus is economic development and urban regeneration. When last we heard from him in December 2007 Nigel told us that UDI has a new division with multi-disciplinary specialists in web-based personal health care planning tools for those with Long Term Conditions (LTCs). UDI is is partnership with two other companies also working in the NHS.

On urban regeneration UDI now assist those who are passionate about regeneration and are determined to establish a management consultancy practice in this field. Many will have seen and heard about the big, and growing management consultancy opportunities in the public sector and in the regeneration and economic development fields. For such people UDI offers support and backup.

Office Address: 4 Coppice Drive, London, SW15 5BW  Tel/Fax:  020 8780 9651 E mail: Click Here
Web:http://www.urban-development.myzen.co.uk/index.html
[December 2007]

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CROUCH, Sunny

Sunny Crouch, the Corporation's Director of Marketing, is now a Director of Capital & Provident Management Limited, currently overseeing development of the 19 acre site in the Thames Gateway, Peruvian Wharf . Sunny is also a Director of Thurrock Thames Gateway Urban Development Corporation.

In 2004, Tower Hamlets Council gave Sunny a Civic Award for her contribution to business and community involvement in the Borough and, earlier this year, she became the first winner of the SHINE Business Women of the Year award for lifetime achievement in tourism, leisure and hospitality. In 2006 she was awarded an OBE for her contribution to Business Regeneration and tourism.

E mail: Click Here

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DALEY, Primrose

Primrose was the Corporation's Payroll Manager for its last nine years.  She stayed until the bitter end, leaving when the Corporation was finally wound up at the end of June 1998.

She is now the Payroll Manager at Clarins, a French owned company with employees in department stores and airports throughout the UK. The Company has 1800 employees in the UK and her payroll knowledge has at times been stretched to the limit.  But Primrose enjoys the work and she has learned a great deal about the Retail Industry, also the world of Beauty and Perfumery. She now manages a staff of three.

E mail: Click Here[January 2008]

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FAGG, Barry

Barry had worked as a town planner in senior management positions in various local government and development agencies and was recruited in 1985 to join the Royal Docks Team. He presented the LDDC case at the Public Inquiry into the London Brough of Newham's UDP in a frosty contest with the Docklands Forum. It was the endorsement of the LDDC plans which then facilitated the regeneration proposals. He also managed the team on the first East London River Crossing Inquiry, and the Beckton Extension of the DLR before presenting the case for the Docklands Highway. In addition to this infrastructure planning he was involved with masterplanning the Royals and then East India Dock, with the Isle of Dogs Team before leaving a most enjoyable period to join Stanhope Properties in 1989.

Barry continues to work in regeneration and is an associate with the David Taylor Partnership. During 2006 Barry was appointed Interim Head of Planning at the Olympic Development Authority where he set up the Planning Authority which seems to be working smoothly in processing some of the largest and complex planning applications. Barry is now working back in docklands at Surrey Quays with David Taylor on the delivery of the first phase of the British Land Canada Quays joint venture. This has a development opportunity to retrofit the town centre of Rotherhithe Peninsula with a higher density mixed use residential, leisure and retail scheme which BLCQ with their partners the London Borough of Southwark are master developers for. It will finish off what the LDDC started and create a more significant and vibrant area. The agreement between BLCQ and Barratts for the first phase of about a 1,000 residential units was signed in December 2007 and will be onsite in February 2008.

The David Taylor Partnership is also managing the development of the Silvertown Quays site in the Royal Docks.

E mail: Click Here[December 2007]

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FARROW, Chris

Chris Farrow joined the LDDC in 1981 from the London Borough of Newham after he had managed - with Dru Vesty (from Tower Hamlets) - to stall the Corporation's establishment for 54 days in the 1980/81 House of Lords hearings.  Chris learnt much but was run ragged by the late Ted Hollamby, the LDDC's Director of Architecture and Planning, but together with Dru Vesty managed to secure London City Airport .  Chris then learnt much and was run ragged by Reg Ward as the Chief Executive's Assistant, but nevertheless managed to deliver the Docklands Light Railway.  Chris was promoted Director of Surrey Docks from 1985-1990, a happy time for everybody concerned.  Chris was made Director of Operations in 1990, which was not a happy time, and when the Government invited him to save Liverpool, he stepped up to be the Chief Executive of Merseyside Development Corporation until 1998.  On arriving in Liverpool, Chris persuaded Doreen Holtermann out of retirement (for the first time).  Chris then had 8 years out of Urban Regeneration as an Executive Director for the Welsh Development Agency dealing with projects such as Toyota, JCB, Airbus and milking parlours for farmers (in Welsh!).

In 2006, with a week to go before he was to be a Senior Civil Servant with the Welsh Government(!), he took up the post of Chief Executive of Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company.  This has a £4 billion private sector driven programme, off to a flying start by the successful theft (oops! relocation) of much of the BBC from West London.  And he managed to persuade Doreen Holtermann out of retirement for the second time.

E mail: Click Here [January 2008]

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Andy FLETCHER

Andy worked at LDDC for three years from July 1985 until July 1988, first in the Ledger Building on the Isle of Dogs and then at Thames House at the eastern end the Royal Docks. He was an Administrator and also Assistant to Mel Hague, Director of Operations.

In 1988 he moved on to some temporary work for major contractors in Docklands followed by a year in the Tower Hamlets Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood Office and a three year stint as Site Administrator and Deputy Public Relations Officer for the contractor building the Limehouse Link. After that he worked for three yearas as Office Manager on the Jubilee Line Extension Project site in Rotherhithe Street at Durands Wharf building the tunnels between Canada Water and Canary Wharf and this was extended by another few years to help with the building of Canary Wharf Station and the South Colonnade. He then moved to Channel Tunnel Rail Link where he was Community Relations Representative for Contract 220 at Stratford for three years. He is is now Community Relations Coordinator (Construction) at Cross London Rail Links (Crossrail). He is hoping the project will gain the Royal Assent later this July so that they can actually start building the project to link east and west London and he'll be able to retire and "realise my dream of owning a boat to live aboard on the canals of France."

He still very happily married to his wife Ann. They have two daughters now aged 27 and 30. They spend as much time as possible aboard their Snapdragon 890 sailing cruiser, exploring the East Coast and the near Continent. "Gardening and decorating doesn't get much of a look in" he comments "but sailing is just such a wonderful way to relax!!!!"

See also Andy's letter

Office 0203 023 9523, E mail: Click Here Web: www.crossrail.co.uk[July 2008 2008]

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Janice FLEXON (formerly Janice Brown)

Janice worked for the LDDC in the very early stages as a Secretary to Stuart Innes and David Crompton.  When she first arrived there were only a handful of personnel in the Corporation's offices at West India House on the Isle of Dogs.  Janice has lived in another redeveloped area for the past 18 years, namely Telford, and has been an Estate Agent for most of that time. She has been married to Gary, a writer, since 1988

E mail: Click Here

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GAIMSTER, Stephen

'Stephen Gaimster was with LDDC between 1989 and its closure in 1998. As senior development manager he worked on Surrey Quays, Canary Wharf (coming out of administration) and (main claim to fame!) ExCeL exhibition centre.

Since LDDC he worked for Bracknell Forest Borough Council as Head of Regeneration & Property, taking a lead on the regeneration of Bracknell town centre.

In 2003 was appointed as Assistant Director at Medway Council in Kent, responsible for an ever changing portfolio of services including regeneration, urban design & conservation, planning, economic development, transport & housing strategy. He sits on the board of Medway Renaissance Partnership and Kent Architecture Centre.

He still lives near Chelmsford with wife Vivian & son Charles (born 1990).

E mail: Click Here [March 2008]

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GRAINGER, Andrew

Andrew  was a surveyor at LDDC from 1990 to 1998 working at different times as Development Manager (Royal Docks), Estates Manager (Royal Docks) and finally as the Corporation's Head of Land Development and Property Marketing

He is now Head of Property at British Airways  

Work Address: British Airways PLC, Waterside (HBB1), Australasia House, PO Box 365, Harmondsworth, UB7 0GB

Tel:  020 8738 3261, Fax:  020 8738 9328, Mobile:  07789 612430

E mail Addresses: Click Here or Here

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GRANT, Cynthia

Cynthia joined the LDDC as Royal Docks Transport Planner in October 1985 - working with Dru Vestey and the brilliant Royal Docks team, and with Howard Potter as Head of Transport. After spending her first few years at the Corporation on delivery of the DLR's Beckton extension, and the design and delivery of the Royal Docks roads, she was promoted to become Executive Director, Transport for the whole LDDC area. This wonderfully exciting time saw the planning and delivery of the remaining Docklands transport infrastructure, and the opening of the Limehouse link by Margaret Thatcher, with the Minister of Transport for London - Steve Norris. She is particularly proud of delivering the Docklands pedestrian bridges, the Docklands cycle network, and the transport public art - including the Heron Quays traffic light tree.

Since leaving Docklands she has been working as a transport consultant, firstly for Glenda Jackson, when she was Minister for Transport, then for Transport for London, as Director for Bus Priority and Traffic Enforcement, and later for the Chinese developers of Battersea Power Station. She is currently working for London First (with Mem Baybars) on improving the public realm in Central London and developing a jewellery and knitwear business.

She is a Trustee of Trinity Buoy Wharf. [June 2008]

E mail: Click Here

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GROSSMAN, Russell

Russell joined the LDDC in 1986 as Executive Assistant to Mike Wilson, Isle of Dogs Team Director, in the heady days of the Enterprise Zone.  In 1988 he moved to the Highways Implementation Team (originally the Strategic Highways Implementation Team until someone worked out its acronym) as Head of Information and began a close association with the Press Office and the indefatigable Vicky Furey. He was responsible for promoting long term access to Docklands while the rest of the team was doing its best to defy anyone's attempts to get there by ripping up what roads and infrastructure were already there and replacing them with something completely different.  Working closely with characters such as Clive Pennington, Mark Stedman and the legendary Christine Spring (later Christine Carter) he also spent a lot of time with the marketing and inward investment teams persuading companies to move to Docklands. “AMEX was the one that got away”.

After a spell seconded as Marketing Manager to RiverBus, Russell left the LDDC in early 1994 to become PR Manager for the Jubilee Line Extension.  He subsequently moved to Royal Mail as Director, Communications then did a seven year stint at the BBC as Head of Internal Communications, including working with Greg Dyke on the Corporation's “Making It Happen” transformation programme. He is currently in Whitehall where he's Director of Communications for the Department for Business, having done a couple of years previously as Head of Internal and Change Communications at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

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HAGUE, Martin

Martin worked for the Corporation as a Fairhurst's Project Manager starting with the Isle of Dogs Area Team in 1986. In 1988 he joined the Highways Implementation Team working on the Limehouse Link and then, from 1993 until 1997 on various projects including Limehouse Basin, Royal Docks/West India Dock Cranes and the Connaught Tavern refurbishment.

He left LDDC in 1997 and moved to the United States a year later. He is now in St Louis. Until July 2007 was Director of Construction and Facilities Management at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital overseeing the construction of 250,000 square feet of new care-delivery facilities with a value of $140 million. 

In July 2007 he was recruited by Ascension Health, the third-largest hospital operator in the United States, as Senior Director of the Facilities Resource Group. This is a new Headquarters group which oversees all the major construction teams and projects being undertaken across Ascension in 20 states and totalling more than $1 billion each year. The projects are in places as far-afield as Austin, Texas; Tucson, Arizona and Bridgeport, Connecticut so his life entails a great deal of travel!

He does, of course, miss London - "Saint Louis is not like London, suffice to say" - but overall he is very happy and likely to be there for the foreseeable future. If anybody happens to find themselves in the Midwest he says to get in touch "and the Budweiser will be on me - assuming we can't find any decent beer".

E-mail: Click Here

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HARRISON, Phil and Rosie

Phil worked in the transport planning section from 1993 to 1998, doing walking and cycling projects and vetting planning applications, when he wasn't playing boules. Rosie (then Rosis Brown) started in Estates in 1990 in Enterprise House, moved into Finance, then Property Marketing and eventually made it up to the Executive Office in 1997. 

Rosie and Phil married in 2000 and went to live in New Zealand. They had a little girl, Esme, in June 2004 and in 2006 returned to London, living back in Limehouse. 

Since 1998 Phil has been working for Steer Davies Gleave (along with Bob Miller, Greg Hartshorne, and David Pollock) and he's currently 50% seconded to the Olympic Delivery Authority where he's working with Steve Shaw and Barry Fagg.  He also does some work for Howard Sheppard at Canary Wharf and Cynthia Grant at Battersea Power Station. 

Rosie is now a full-time mother and can often be spotted walking the streets of Docklands pushing the buggy. 

E mail Addresses: Click Here (Rosie) and Here (Phil)

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HAWKEY, Nigel

Nigel worked for the Corporation, in the Surrey Docks Area Team, between  198 7 and  1995,   During that time he oversaw major developments including Butlers Wharf, London Bridge City and Greenland Dock. He also helped manage the de-designation of this area, the first to be handed back to local authority control.  

Following dedesignation Nigel joined Thames Water Property Ltd in Reading in 1995, promoting development proposals on redundant landholdings, many in joint venture with Berkeley Homes.

After over two years with Chartwell Land, Nigel then joined Quintain Estates and Development Plc in 2003. As Head of Planning he works with a talented team on a wide range of mixed use projects, including those on land around the new Wembley Stadium and at Greenwich Peninsula.

E mail Addresses: Click Here

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HAYTHORPE, Susan

Susan left the LDDC in March 1991 after 9 years working for the Business Development team with Peter Turlik, Derek Hemingway and Tony Hawkhead. She was based first in the Ledger Building and then in various offices including the Visitors Centre. Susan left the Corporation to join what was then the East London Partnership but is now called East London Business Alliance (ELBA), a charity who's main aim is 'to bring the time, skills, influence and resources of the private sector to help build the capacity of local organisations and regeneration programmes in East London'. Susan is the Office and Finance manager with ELBA whose offices are on the Isle of Dogs!

Tel: 020 7068 6960, Fax: 020 7068 6961 Email: Click Here

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HENNESSEY, Jeff

Jeff spent many years in the LDDC's planning team working especially in the Royal Docks. He is now with English Partnerships in their Thames Gateway team. He has a generic role on planning, infrastructure, design and policy dealing with cross area issues and supporting others in the team as necessary. He is based in Harbour Exchange to where the team moved from Victoria in 2004. He is thus yards from the site of West India House, the LDDC's first office, and yards from Thames Quay where it was based at its demise. Apart from two years in Kent Thameside, Jeff has not moved away from East London. He comments, "I like being back in Docklands - even now there is so much more to be done"

Work Address: English Partnerships ,10th floor, 2 Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange Square, London E14 9GS.
Tel: 020 7531 2461 Fax: 020 7531 2401 E mail Address: Click Here

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HERLITZ, Lewis

Lewis ran the LDDC's IT services for 10 years from March 1986 until March 1996.

When he left the LDDC Lewis decided on a complete career change and for some years now he has been running the Pepys Community Forum in Deptford which aims to enable local people to take control of the services in the area

E mail: Click Here

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HICKS, Gill (formerly Gill Rodman)

Gill started at LDDC in July 1990 in the Personnel Administrator role. In addition she provided PA support to the Head of Personnel and looked after the administration of internal training and development. Between March and June 1998 she supported the Chief Executive and the Board in the winding-up period and was there until the bitter end in June 1998.

She then moved on to Fidelity Investments, the largest independent fund management company in the world. She started as HR Administrator, looking after a team of 2 HR Generalists and 1 Recruiter supporting the Investment Management & Institutional Sales & Marketing departments in the London office. In January 2001 she was promoted to Recruiter for these same business areas and now she manages a team of Coordinators who support the Fund Managers and Research Analysts.

Gill has been a key figure in running the network for former members of the LDDC's staff including the annual Christmas get-together. She was married to her new husband Peter in 2006.

E-mail: Click Here

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HIGGINS, Tracy (formerly Tracy Sains)

Tracy started at the LDDC in the early days working in Finance with Angie Flynn, Mary Butler, Yvonne Brophy, Jackie Ling, Ian Hall and many more whose names she can't remember. She worked on the payroll, petty cash, bank reconciliations and the sales ledger.  Later she moved to Marketing, working in the Visitor's Centre on the Isle of Dogs, dealing with property enquiries.  She remembers particularly the great steak sandwiches they used to make in the cafe upstairs! 

Tracy now works as Business Manager at Winsor Primary School in Beckton where she lives.  "It's great to know" she says "that I was involved, however insignificantly, in the process of it all."  Tracy is married now, to a Deputy Headteacher,  and has two children aged 17 and 16.[December 2007]

E mail: Click Here

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HOLLAND, Pat

Pat worked for the Corporation as a free lance tour guide between 1986 and 1998 conducting groups from around the world - these ranged from parties of children to groups from foreign governments.

Pat continues in business as a tour guide - many of her groups are referred by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.  She is also a local Borough Councillor and heavily involved in local affairs in Newham's Docklands. In 2004/05 she is the Borough's Civic Ambassador.   She is a member of the Board of the Royal Docks Trust (London) and of the King George V Watersports Trust which is planning a new waterskiing centre to operate in the King George V Docks in the Royal Docks.  She also represents Newham Council on London City Airport Consultative Committee.

E mail: Click Here

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HOLMES, David

David worked at the LDDC from April 1990 until March 1998 by which time he was the Corporation's Financial Controller.

After leaving LDDC David  worked briefly with the Islington & Shoreditch Housing Association and then with Whitby Bird & Partners and the Swan Housing Group in Billericay. Since December 2002 he has served as Director of Finance & Corporate Affairs at Havering College. In March 2007 he was appointed to the Board of Swan Housing Group.

01277 821372 (Home) E mail: Click Here[December 2007]

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HOLTERMANN, Doreen

Doreen was an early player in the LDDC's story - she was Secretary to the Corporation's first Chairman, Sir Nigel Broackes.  Later she joined the staff of the LDDC and went on later to the Mersyside Development Corporation where she stayed until it was wound up in 1998.  She then "retired" to the Wirral where she ran courses on working with stained glass. Then in 2006 Chris Farrow - another LDDC veteran - asked her to come out of retirement for three months to help set up the Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company.  Two years later she's still there although soon she'll working only two days a week and maybe a little from home. 

The stained glass business has been on hold and the main focus of activity has been building a narrowboat with partner David.  They bought the hull in March 2007 and have worked every weekend and holiday on it since then.  It's due to be launched in April. "It's been a great learning curve" she says "and we're already talking about the next one (twice as wide) which we'll take down to the South of France". 

Home Tel : 0151 645 2059 E mail: Click Here[January 2008]

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HUSSEIN, Jemal

Jemal joined LDDC in 1989 as a Trainee and worked it the Data Processing team. He left in 1994 and joined a small IT company called L&M who used to support all the Apple Mac's including Docklands News at the LDDC.

He now owns an IT Company in the City with two other partners. He was married in 2005 and has a baby girl who is now one.

Jemal would love to hear from anyone who knew him. Email: Click Here. Website: http://www.themdigital.co.uk/ [June 2008]

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INNES, James

James was one of the LDDC's intrepid band of Quantity Surveyors working on roads, roundabouts, pavements and walkways, not to mention a certain 'traffic light tree'!.  He joined in April 1997 and stayed on past the demise of the Corporation to help the Commission for the New Towns settle some of LDDC's "trailing wires".  He finally left in February 1999. 

Since leaving the Corporation he's been running his own business.  The CV Centre is an employment consultancy specialising in CV writing.  His business contact number is 0800 064 64 84 or E mail: Click Here
Website: http://www.cvcl.co.uk/http://www.cvcl.co.uk/[January 2008]

So if you need a CV................!!

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INNES, Stuart

Seconded by DOE in July 1980 to help the Chief Executive (designate), Reg Ward, establish the Corporation which then didn't have a name or an office or any staff!  Stayed with the Corporation throughout the whole of its operational life working at different times as the Chief Executive's assistant, re-organising the LDDC's administration, social facilities, community development, community services joint planning and then finally in winding it all up in an orderly manner.  Left on early "retirement" in May 1998.

Now a partner, with two ex-LDDC colleagues, in IJP Community Regeneration working mainly with the Royal Docks Trust (London) and London City Airport Consultative Committee.

Home Tel: 01689 843434  Fax:  020 8251 9858  E-mail: Click Here [December 2007]

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JOHNSON, Angela (now Angela Beaton)

Angela worked for the LDDC's Housing/Estates team until 1998 - she was Geoff Timbrell's PA for some time. When she left LDDC she went to to work for the Bexley Training Group (a not for profit training provider) based in Bexleyheath teaching teenagers. As she says she "was bitten by the NVQ bug" as she was trained to be an assessor at LDDC in its final years). After several promotions she now holds the  position of Director of Curriculum, Quality and Innovation to which she was appointed in January 2008. It involves  now managing/inspiring all the vocational delivery areas.  She was remarried in September 2008 to Tony.  Her daughter Holly is now 12 and Joe (born after leaving LDDC) is now 9.

E-mail: Click Here [August 2008]

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JOHNSON, John

Joined LDDC in 1989 as the Community Development Officer for the Royal Docks area, a role he filled until he left the Corporation in March 1998

Now a partner, with two ex-LDDC colleagues, in IJP Community Regeneration working mainly with the Royal Docks Trust (London) and the West Silvertown Village Community Foundation.

E-mail: Click Here[December 2007]

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KNOX, Louisa

Louisa joined the LDDC's Business Information Team, based at Enterprise House, in 1988. Soon the team joined the Marketing and Public Services Division and Louisa took on the role of Marketing Services Co-ordinator, working for Clive Randall. In 1995, along with other marketing colleagues, she became part of the newly formed Lowe Bell Marketing and Events (later re-named Bell Pottinger Marketing and Events). She continued to work on the London Docklands account until 1998.

In January 1999 Louisa moved across to the Bell Pottinger Communications' head office and now works for its holding company, Chime Communications, as a new business researcher and information officer. She lives in Wimbledon.

Work address: Chime Communications plc, 14 Curzon Street, London W1J 5HN
Telephone: 020 7861 8554, E-mail: Click Here

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LAYZELL, Ian

Ian was a Senior Architect in the Isle of Dogs Team for three years until 1988 when he moved to Bristol working as an architect first with Atkins and later with Laing. Later he moved to Cardiff Bay Development Corporation as Design Manager where he found himself alongside former LDDC colleagues David Crompton (working on large engineering projects including the Cardiff Bay Barrage) and Luigi Scalera (see below) who was there as one of the architects. CBDC closed in 2000 and Ianmoved on to the Welsh Assembly Government where he works in the Environment, Sustainability and Housing Department on housing construction policy. He is still very happily married and turned 60 in October 2007. He still sees Luigi Scalera every summer when he brings his olive oil business to the Cardiff Bay Food Festival.

E-mail: Click Here[January 2008]

LEWIS, Joslin

Joslin was a Fairhurst projects manager at LDDC for a number of years. He dealt mostly with social and community projects. He's now a Blue Badge Guide and tours of Docklands are among his specialities - click here for more information.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8440 2900; E-mail: Click Here [July 2008]

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LITTLE, David

David, a senior surveyor, joined LDDC in 1988. He worked first in the Royal Docks Area Team and then for a short time in the Surrey Dock Area Team before he was appointed to the Completion Team in the Chief Executive's Office where he played a key role in bringing LDDC's work to a conclusion in 1998.  

Between 1998 and 2001 David was Chief Executive of the Park Royal Partnership in West London.  He now works from his home on the Isle of Dogs buying and selling books, mostly first editions, on the Internet.  He trades as Mistletoe Books and his current stock can be viewed at www.abebooks.com . [January 2008]

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LIVERMORE, Caroline (formerly Caroline Heath)

Caroline was a telephonist with the LDDC's predecessor the Docklands Development Orgnisation at Blackfriars. She moved over to the LDDC on the Isle of Dogs but left later  in 1981. "I thoroughly enjoyed working with you all," she says, "and remember Bob arriving into the office complaining about the bridge being out yet again! We had lots of fun together - Peter Turlik, Howard Potter, Air Commodore Moore,Brian Buckle, Laurie Beckles, Penny, Alex and Oliver..... to name but a few." She remembers when LDDC had a film crew in the office and Stuart Innes' secretary was away. She was asked to sit in for her and sat there pretending she could type!

Since those days she has gone back to art colleges and graduated at Winchester (part of Southampton University) studying also at Otis School of Art and Design, Los Angeles California (part of the Otis Parsons Group New York). She's had lots of fun, exibiting both here and in the US, winning awards, travelling, teaching, lecturing and  being part of debate/discussion panels.......she's also appeared on television too. She has her batchelor of arts degree in fine art painting and when she was last in touch with us she was making plans to sell her work worldwide across the 'Net.

E-mail: Click Here[January 2008]

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LLOYD, Carol

Carol worked at the Surrey Docks (Quays) office as Office Administrator with Chris Farrow for several years. Later she worked in Transport Planning for three years and left when the LDDC ceased operation in 1998

When last we heard from Carol she was the Senior Receptionist at Gensler (Global Architects, Corporate Interior Designers and Master Planners). Carol told us she had now returned back to her maiden name as she had been divorced for 5 years!  However, she said, " watch this space as I am getting engaged in the Spring to a "toy boy" ... 8 years younger and will also become a stepmother!" She seems now to have left Gensler - does anyone know where she is now?

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LOWMAN, David

David joined LDDC in early 1982 and when he left in 1998 he was the Corporation's Director of Personnel & Administration. He also took the lead in some special interest ecology projects such as East India Dock Basin and the Tern raft project.

The Corporation's closure strategy from the human resource perspective is considered a benchmark project (see  Managing Career Dilemmas, Pemberton et al, Financial Times management briefings). David was also the founder Chair of the Docklands Personnel Initiative which is a special interest club for local business which arranges policy workshops and seminars with keynote speakers.

On leaving LDDC in March 1998 David trained as an executive/management coach and set up his own consultancy providing coaching for executives and working on the due diligence and TUPE issues for the English National Stadium Trust in its successful bid to purchase Wembley Stadium. Following on from this David worked on a short term contract as HR Director for Wembley National Stadium Ltd concentrating specifically on organisational strategy and closure and redundancy management. He completed this contract in December 2000.

Since January 2001 David has set up DXL Consultants specialising in HR consultancy and executive coaching. 

E-mail: Click Here

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LYDERS, Carole

Carole joined the LDDC as a consultant in its very early days in 1981 and stayed until the end.  Previously she was Editor of the The Port newspaper published by the Port of London Authority and at LDDC was concerned with the publication of its newspapers, first Thames Mirror and then Docklands News.  The lead article in the very first edition of Thames Mirror in January 1982 was written by Carole - headlined "Landed - the big one" it concerned the move of the Billingsgate fish market to the Isle of Dogs.

Carole, a keen member of the Board of the Docklands Equestrian Centre, now spends a lot of her time in her native New Zealand.  She can be contacted through the Webmaster

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MANNERING, Peter

Peter worked as a member of the Corporation's Finance Team from 1990 until  December 1997.  Since then he has been  Treasury Manager at Mosaic Homes (formerly the New Islington & Hackney Housing Association). Their offices are close to Liverpool Street Station.

Peter has bought a house in the French village of Thourie, midway between Nantes and Rennes in Brittany. He is slowly renovating the house and the next phase will be to convert the granary loft!   His teenage son, Nigel, is a very keen footballer and has recently qualified as an FA coach. [December 2007]

Office tel: 020 7457 2436

E-mail: Click Here

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MIDDLETON, Lorna (formerly Lorna Howsego)

Lorna joined the LDDC's Finance Department in 1994 and stayed right to the end in June 1998. At that time she moved to Harlow and went to work for Microgen UK Ltd in Welwyn Garden City. ln 2000 she left to have her first child Liam and she now has another son, Alfie, who was born in 2003. She married her husband, Danny, on New Years Eve 2004 and now works as an Admin Manager for a recruitment agency.

E-mail: Click Here

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MILLER, Bob

On leaving the Corporation in 1998 Bob moved to the Docklands Light Railway to set up their Planning team. He was acting Planning Manager up to 2001 during which time he brought the extensions of the railway to London City Airport and Woolwich and Stratford International to reality.

Returning to consultancy, he never really managed to get away from Docklands. He continued to be an advisor to DLR up to 2003, but in the meantime he has been working for the London Development Agency and the Boroughs on Transport Strategies for Barking Dagenham and all points east. In 2004 he joined consultants Steer Davies Gleave, where he works alongside ex-Corporation staff, Peter Armitage, David Pollock, Phil Harrison and Greg Hartshorn. During most of 2007 he was working for Robin Buckle on a Masterplan for Crystal Palace Park .

In 2008 Bob was seconded to the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation as transport advisor, where he is helping the next generation to plan for regeneration (including parts of the Royal Docks for the second time!). He spends much of his time briefing Board member Dru Vesty who heads the Corporation's Transport Task Group.

Bob was married in 2001 to Amanda Morrison, one of the transport consultants seconded into the LDDC. They have a daughter, Evelyn born in July 2007. They live near Reigate in Surrey .

Phone  07795 617 981 E-mail: Click Here

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MILLIE,  the Cat

After making herself at home in the early '80's, Millie patrolled the corridors of the Corporation's offices leaving her mark in a number of ways! After the closure of the LDDC in March 1998, Millie (the Cat) went to live with Millie (the person) to live the rest of her days in pampered luxury.  Sadly, she went to the great dock in the sky at Christmas, 2000.

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MOFFATT, Anna

Anna was Head of the Corporation's Visitor Programme from 1983 until 1991 when she left to form the Women in Docklands Network which is now billed as the fastest growing network for Women in London - for more information visit www.womenindocklands.org.uk. 

Later, in 2002, she set up Tours of London Docklands www.toursoflondondocklands.com and the London Therapists Forum which brings together like-minded people to exchange information, training and referrals and which is already a source of information for the general public - www.londontherapistsforum.com

In May 2003 Anna received a Tower Hamlets Civic Award for her outstanding service to the Borough by improving the quality of life for local people.   Anna is a member of the Management Board of the Island Neighbourhood Project which has five projects including the Docklands Women's Group which is mostly made up of Bengali women, in which Anna takes a particular interest.

In 2008 Anna transferred Tours of London Docklands to Rob Williamson who was also at LDDC [More Information].

Telephone: 020 7987 6573

E-mail: Click Here

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MOSS, John J C

John was a Development Surveyor with the Corporation between 1990 and 1996 working in both the Royal Docks and on the Isle of Dogs. Specifically, John worked on the LDDL/LUL deal for the Jubilee Line extension, did the deal on the Royal Docks Rowing Club and wrote the development brief and managed the legal negotiations on the Excel exhibition centre.

He now has his own company (with colleagues) - Complex Development Projects Ltd - specialising in urban renewal, development and investment. The company is interested in projects across UK with a focus on regeneration, listed buildings and mixed use – he says he guesses they do what it says on the tin!

The company’s biggest success to date is the Coventry Phoenix Initiative, where they partnered Coventry Council’s major city centre renewal, delivering 75,000sqft of new leisure retail and 153 apartments. The Phoenix Initiative was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2004.

Current projects include an environmentally responsible redevelopment of Coventry’s first power station – shades of Wapping Pumping Station – into office suites, live-work lofts and low-energy homes and a new theatre and supporting development in Dunstable.

Married to Margaret with two children - Catherine ('95) & Alex ('97) - somehow John finds time to be politically active as well. Having been Chairman of Walthamstow Conservatives for four years, he has gone on to be the prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the Conservatives in Hackney South & Shoreditch. When not working, politicking or refurbishing the family home, (cobbler’s children and all that), John would like to ski more!

Complex Development Projects Ltd, 89 Turnmill Street, London, EC1M 5QU
Tel: +44 (0)20 7490 5387 , Fax: +44 (0)20 7608 1855 , Web: www.complexdevelopmentprojects.co.uk

E mail Addresses: Click Here or Here [December 2007]

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O'REILLY, Trisha  

Trish worked in the LDDC press office from 1990 until the Corporation closed its doors in 1998. She moved straight into the UK offshore oil and gas industry where she is now Director of Communications at Oil & Gas UK , the sector's representative organisation. 

She is based in London but commutes regularly to Scotland .  She still lives in Blackheath with husband, Michael, and teen-age children.

E-mail: Click Here  [January 2008]

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PARKER, Irene 

Irene was PA to Neil Spence, Assistant Chief Executive (Finance) and Peter Turlik, Director of Strategic Affairs.  She joined LDDC in October 1988 and left in October 1997.

Between October 1997 and December 1998 she was PA to David Dilks, Managing Director of Lowe Bell Marketing & Events

Since June 2002 Irene has worked in the Executive Office of the Local Government Association in Smith Square, SW1.  It is, she says, a bit like LDDC "in its heyday".

In an update received in January 2008 we learned that Irene is about to become grandmother for the first time in April 2008.

E-mail: Click Here  Tel: 020 7664 3276[January 2008]

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PARKER, John

John is a solicitor who as a part time consultant provided the LDDC's Community Legal Service (for local groups in the voluntary sector) between 1987 and March 1998.

He is now a partner, with two ex-LDDC colleagues, in IJP Community Regeneration working mainly with the Royal Docks Trust (London) and the West Silvertown Village Community Foundation. He also provides a company secretarial service for groups in the voluntary sector.

E-mail: Click Here[December 2007]

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POTTER, Howard

Howard, a transport planner,  joined the Corporation in its "shadow" period in 1980 having previously worked with the Docklands Development Organisation (the executive arm of the Docklands Joint Committee ).  He was therefore closely involved in the critical early decisions on the new transport network.  He left 8 years later in December 1988 believing "we had beaten most of the records in the book of transport planning".

He's now very busy as both an independent transport planning consultant and also as a director of Transportation Planning International which is now about 50 strong.  Howard's main work lies in London (again!) and the South-East and he is as regularly in India (masterplanning Hyderabad and Delhi International Airports) and Ireland. He is also working with TfL on the Thames Gateway Bridge and late in 2007 he was appointed the first independent chairman of the Stratford Transport Implementation Group (boroughs, developers, TfL, NCR, ODA etc....) . He is also Chairman of the Green Light Group, an inter-institutional special interest group on road pricing.

Mobile 07768 488990 Private office 0208 948 9599 E-mail: Click Here[December 2007]

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RILEY, Phil

Phil was a member of the Corporation's marketing and Events Team. Towards the end the team became part of Lowe Bell (later Bell Pottinger).  This continued for a about a year until the closure of the Docklands office. Some members of the team then moved on to new pastures and others, including Phil, were integrated into other Bell Pottinger businesses. He worked at their property marketing company AMD in Chelsea until October 2000 when he went freelance on various projects before being head-hunted for Cardington Plc where he's worked on various events in the Royal Parks including The Princes Trust/Capital Radio Party In The Park and the Route of Kings series of concerts. He's now moved on again to the Thames Barrier Park whee he is the Marketing Manager. 

Phil still does some freelance work as Phil Riley International Marketing & Events (PRIME) - so if anyone needs anything organising, promoting, or exhibiting then contact Phil!!   

Tel: 020 7537 7686  Fax: 020 7537 1664  Mobile: 07785 275662. 

E-mail: Click Here

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RIMMER, Peter

Peter worked in the community development/community infrastructure area of the LDDC from 1983-1998

His present job is Community Affairs Manager at News International Limited. He has worked on some of the high profile appeals which appear in the national papers including the Gujarati earthquake and the seige at Beslan. He was also instrumental in creating the the multi million pound 'Books for Schools' initiative. He sits on the Boards of a number of charities both in the UK and overseas, including Romania and Vietnam. He represents News International on the East London Business Alliance and continues to work with a number of organisations in the East London area.

Work Address: News International plc, 1 Virginia Street, London, E98 1EX

E mail Addresses: Click Here or Here

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SAINS, Laraine

Laraine's first taster of the LDDC was in 1987 at Surrey Quays where she worked as a temp for just for a couple of weeks, meeting Peter Swordy amongst others for the first time.  As a result of that booking she was invited to temp for the Area Director of the Wapping & Limehouse team (WALAT) at St Katharine's Way and a one week temporary booking turned into ten years at the Corporation.  She moved to Dockmaster's House in Westferry when Howard Sheppard became Area Director for the Wapping & Isle of Dogs Area Team (WIDAT) and from there to Thames Quay when he became Director of City Design & Planning.

On leaving the LDDC Laraine worked as the PA to the Director of Risk at the Halifax, as it was before it merged with the Bank of Scotland to become HBOS.  In 2003 she took up a post at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) where she currently work as  Executive PA to the Chief Executive.  But not for much longer as she will be retiring at the end of March 2007.

E mail Address: Click Here [February 2008]

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SANDERS, Judi

Judi came to the LDDC in 1993 for a  6 months course in Business Administration.  She stayed on as a Reception Administrator and was with the Corporation until the end of its life in 1998.  She spent some very happy years in Reception and looks forward to every reunion.

In January 1999 Judi took up the post of Facilities Manager at the Docklands Sailing & Watersports Centre and later she took over as Centre Manager. She now now runs the Centre with a full time staff of 7 and a summer team of around 60.

E-mail: Click Here
Telephone (Work): 020 7537 2626 Mobile: 07958 966 686

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SCALERA, Luigi

Luigi was an architect in the LDDC’s Surrey Docks Area Team. Later he found himself in the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation (working with David Crompton and Ian Layzell). With the winding up of the CBDC in 2000 he took his architectural skills to the Southampton University Estates Project Office and then to Parsons Brinkerhoff. More recently he moved to Oxford Brookes University where he works in the Projects Office. He owns an orchard of olive trees in his home town of Colletorto in Italy from which to produce 'Scalera Extravergine' olive oil!. There is more about Colletorto at www.colletorto.co.uk  Our picture (right) was also taken there.

E-mail: Click Here[January 2008]

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SCHABAS, Michael

Michael worked mostly for the Canary Wharf developers as Vice President, Transport 1988-1991 but then worked for the LDDC and surrounding London boroughs as a consultant promoting the East London Line Extensions and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. In 1996 he formed GB Railways which operated the Anglia Railways franchise. He continues to be an independent consultant although mostly working for FirstGroup PLC which bought GB Railways in 2003.

E-mail Click Here 

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SILK, Garry

Well known as a property specialist on the staff of the Corporation in its early days, Garry moved to Australia where he's lived for now 17 years with his family which includes now 4 children.

Previously he was the deputy General Manager and Chief Executive Office at the City West Development Corporation regenerating former run down portside suburbs of Sydney and subsequently its successor the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority which incorporated The Rocks and Darling Harbour amongst other tourist assets. He now runs his own consultancy, Garry Silk & Associates Pty Limited, specialising in Strategic Property Advice and Development Management which works for a host of government departments and private developers.  Currently (June 2007) he's in Abu Dhabi scoping out a huge aluminium smelter project (first stage $US 3bn) plus port, power station to fire it up and a township for about 10,000.

Garry is back in the UK fairly often where he usually meets former LDDC colleagues including Peter Hadley and David Lock and sometimes Mike Hill, his 'errant best man'.  In 2001 he met David Morgan when visiting developers in Birmingham .  On the same trip back he ran into Nigel Tuersley of Earth Life fame.

If any former colleague is passing through Sydney Garry would love to hear from them - he has a 7 bedroom house overlooking the sea…!

E-mail: Click Here

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SHEPPARD, Howard

Howard was Director of City Design and Planning for 6 ½ years between 1991 and 1997. He joined the LDDC in November 1981 from the Greater London Council. Initially he was Senior Architect and Planner for the Wapping and Limehouse areas taking over as Area Director in 1985. In 1989 his role was expanded to include the Isle of Dogs. Between 1989 and 1992 he was also the Isle of Dogs Enterprise Zone Director.

Since 1998 Howard has been Planning Advisor to the Canary Wharf Group and deals with economic, social and transport issues as well as development planning.

Currently Howard is a Member of the Planning & Environment Committee of the British Property Federation and is also a member of the Executive Board of the Tower Hamlets Business Forum and a Board Member of the Docklands Business Club, which is the local Chapter of the London Chamber of Commerce.

E mail Addresses: Click Here or Here

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SORENSEN, Eric

Eric was LDDC's Chief Executive from February 1991 and March 1997.  He was previously a senior officer of the Department of the Environment with wide experience of urban issues and regeneration.

After leaving the Corporation Eric had a spell as Chief Executive of the Millennium Commission and then as Chief Executive of the London Development Partnership.  More recently he was the Director of the Paddington Health Campus Project, a Private Finance Initiative scheme to rebuild the St Mary's and Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals. Early in 2004 he took up the post of Chief Executive of the Thames Gateway London Partnership, a post which he held until the end of June 2008.

He continues as Chairman of the Royal Docks Trust (London) and a member of the St Katherine and Shadwell Trust.

E-mail: Click Here

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SQUIRE, Roger

Roger joined the LDDC in December 1990 as Assistant Chief Executive (Development). He held this post until Feb/March 1997 when he became Joint Chief Executive - a post he held until the dissolution of LDDC in March 1998.

Before moving to LDDC Roger was at MEPC. Joining in 1972 he became the Main Board Member responsible for Property Development and overseas operations in Europe and Australia in 1978.

Currently he is acting as a consultant on Commercial Property Development and Urban Regeneration. He has advised Development Securities plc on a number of their projects including their developments in the Royals Business Park and in Slough.  He is currently working on a 12 acre regeneration scheme on the edge of the Birmingham CBD.

He is a director of Neptune Land Ltd – a development Company working in the South of England

He is also Vice Chair of Island Health, a trustee of Enham (the disability charity) and a member of the Development Committee of Cambridge University and of the Executive Committee of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Finance. He sits on the Construction and Planning Committees of the British Property Federation and represents the Federation on the Board of the Joint Contracts Tribunal (which he chaired for some six years) . He is also a Director of MLL – the private housing development subsidiary of Metropolitan Housing Trust.

Despite all this he still finds time to sail and can be found most summer weekends up some creek in the Solent with or without a paddle but always with a bottle and a good meal on the cabin table. [December 2007]

Address: 47 Glebe Street, London, W4 2BE, Tel: 020-8742-7732.  Mobile: 07884-432-356. Fax: 020-7681-2644 E-mail: Click Here  Web: www.rogersquire.com/

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SWORDY, Peter

Peter joined LDDC in 1986 in Planning and in 1994 joined the Personel Dept as Senior Personnel Officer.  He worked on the successful closing down of the Corporation and left in April 1998 

Peter joined Canary Wharf Group for a year from 1998 and then left, in 1999, to work for Wembley National Stadium Limited as HR Manager. He successfully closed down the old stadium (with David Lowman).  From 2000 to present was responsible for HR Strategy, recruitment, training with a deal of input into  operational planning, licensing, steward planning and tenders, security planning, occupational safety, customer service training and more.  He is now Head of Human Resources and Designated Premises Supervisor for the stadium.  He is also responsible for Corporate Social Responsibility projects at the Stadium includng including the Study Support Centre which assists Brent schoolchildren with literacy and numeracy. He is a Member/Governor of the College of North West London and a Director of the Wembley Charitable Foundation. 

A recent interview can be accessed as follows:  http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/search/article/734771/interview-host-stars/

Peter continues to play in a band and also the odd football match including the last one at the old stadium and the first one at the new one - goalkeeper both time s and won both matches!

E mail Addresses: Click Here [December 2007]

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SYLVESTER, Linda

Linda worked at the LDDC between 1988 and 1998 as Secretary to the Architects, Project Management and the Thames Quay Planning Team and then at English Partnerships as Secretary to the Director in the Compressor House in the Royal Docks

After a year she moved to work with ExCeL Exhibition Centre from its conception to implementation as Office Manager.  It was she says "a wonderful project similar to the LDDC - from building site to multimillion pound Exhibition Centre in no time at all and it was a pleasure to working with people like Iain Shearer and Keith Greetham."  By March 2003 the work of setting-up was done and redundancies were the order of the day.

Since March 2003 Linda has reinvented herself. Using previous qualifications, and retraining at Tony & Guy Academy, she has updated her skills as a hairdresser and set-up her own mobile hairdressing business, working within the community at St Margaret's Hospital, Sherrell House a retirement home and numerous private consultations. She also now works part-time for Epping Forest Primary Care Trust at St Margarets Hospital, Epping as and when extra help is needed in the Primary Care Directorate.

E-mail: Click Here
Home address: 177 Chester Road Loughton Essex IG10 2LJ Tel: 020 8508 6843; Mobile: 07713 741 623

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TURLIK, Peter

Peter joined the LDDC in 1980 in its "shadow" period.  Previously, as an officer of the GLC, he had been heavily engaged in Docklands during the period when the regeneration of the area was the responsibility of the Docklands Joint Committee. In LDDC he held various posts including land acquisitions/vesting in 1980-81 and from 1981-97 covering town-planning, property surveying, employment/business development, EZ, international marketing and corporate planning.  His first post was Director of Industrial Development and by the end he was Director of Strategic Affairs. He wrote two of the LDDC's closing monographs published on this site, "Initiating Urban Change " and "New Jobs and Opportunities"

Peter is now largely retired.  However after he left LDDC he set up his own consultancy - PMT Associates -  specialising in urban planning, management and transport.  He undertakes selective projects.  Currently he is assisting Mitsubishi Research Institute in a comparative study of London Docklands and Tokyo Bay Development.  He now spends much time in La Rochelle, France.

Tel/fax No: 020 7584 3045

E mail Addresses: Click Here (England) or Here (France)

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WARD, Ralph

Ralph was a well known member of the LDDC's Planning Team. He left in 1995 and joined the Department of the Environment's London Development Unit which in 2000 formed the nucleus of the Mayor of London's new London Development Agency. Then in 2002 he joined the Thames Gateway team in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister where he put together much of the Thames Gateway strategy at the time, including the proposal to establish two new UDCs which have subsequently come to pass. He well remembers the strong reaction he received when he first floated the idea - "the image of LDDC is still hard to shake".

Ralph's now working for the Department of Communities and Local Government as the 'Head of Olympics Branch' in the Thames Gateway and Olympics team. His job is to manage our departmental input to the planning and delivery of 2012 Games and legacy. "So I am still knocking about north-east London" he says " and see quite a bit of Eric and others".

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WARD, Reg

Reg was the Corporation's first Chief Executive (1981-87) from whose vision flowed so much of what you see in Docklands today.

Born in the Forest of Dean Reg started his career in the Inland Revenue and later filled posts with a northern firm of architects and Irvine New Town.  Before joining LDDC in the "shadow period" in 1980 he had been Chief Executive first of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and then of the County of Hereford and Worcester. After he left LDDC he spent many years working on major regeneration projects around the world, the most recent being in St Kitts in the West Indies. Reg is now taking life a little easier at his home near his daughter at Broadwell Manor.

In April 2004 Reg and and his wife Betty celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary with a lunchtime party at Stow-in-the Wold attended by many of the LDDC's original staff.

Reg can be contacted through the Webmaster.

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WARR, Geoffrey 

Geoffrey was a free-lance tour guide at the LDDC Visitor Centre from 1991 to 1998. He continues to work as a London registered "Blue Badge Guide" in German and Italian as well as English. London Docklands is still one of his guiding specialities alongside more general conducted tours for groups in and out of London.

Tel: +44 (0)20 8657 5118   Fax: +44 (0)20 8657 8880 Mobile: +44 (0)7711 938 748 E-mail: Click Here

[December 2007]

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WILSON, Simon

Between January 1993 and March 1998 Simon was a member of LDDC's Estate Management Team and then its Completion Strategy Team that handed over LDDC assets to successor bodies, notably in the Royal Docks. Simon left the Corporation to become a full time athlete (rowing) culminating in racing for Great Britain during 1998.

Since leaving the LDDC he has worked on ‘brownfield property development’ in both the public and private sectors (London Transport Property, Nelson Bakewell, SEEDA and Harrison Chartered Surveyors).

Most recently, he was initially employed by SEEDA as a senior development manager but in good old public sector tradition, then pulled the ‘consultant trick’ and worked as a consultant to SEEDA through Harrisons Chartered Surveyors. Projects included, developing approx. 120 residential units p.a. with a JV partner, converting an 80,000 sq.ft listed building into a Learning Resource Centre, a 40,000sq.ft new office building (prelet), a mixed-use scheme comprising 300 flats and 60,000 sq.ft. bars/restaurants and another 80,000 sq.ft. office (again prelet).

Simon is heading for Melbourne in January 2005 to work with a local developer in setting up a new project team and taking forward plans for a ‘small’ by Australian standards, 6,000 acre development site in Victoria!

Has now given up rowing apart from the odd guest appearance and does low key triathlon events ‘for fun’. Will be going to Australia with wife Emma and Archie (4) and Lottie (3).

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WISHART, Greig

Greig was at LDDC for a brief period during 1990 providing AutoCAD support as part of the IT Team. He returned in March 1992 and by mid 1993 was heavily involved in the Corporation’s Geographic Information System (GIS) providing a detailed computerised record of its interests in land and buildings. By the end he was Manager of the Corporate Geographic Information Unit responsible for the definition of land assets to be transferred to LDDC’s successors.

He is still working in the same field.  His company, AGY Consultants Ltd provides land asset management services.  Since 1998 the company’s principle client has been he London Borough of Southwark.  By March 2004 they were a year into the second phase of the job of researching, amalgamating and registering the Council's unregistered lands.

Address: AGY Consultants Ltd, Neville Close, West End, Esher, KT10 8LU
Telephone & Fax:. 01372 468812 E-mail: Click Here

Contact details at London Borough of Southwark: E-mail: Click Here Telephone:  020 7525 5624

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WOODMAN, Chris

Chris joined LDDC as a Personnel Officer in August 1987. He left (as a Senior Personnel Officer) after three years during which time he worked with David Lowman on introducing appraisals, grading processes, confidential counselling services and a range of staff development training courses to the organisation.

In 1995 he moved to Fidelity Investments as HR Director for their investment and institutional businesses including a two year stint in Boston supporting the equity research and trading areas. For two years ending in 2006 he was on assignment as Managing Director of HR for COLT Telecom and a member of the Executive Management Team. He's now Head of Human Resources at Aspen Re, a US listed insurance and reinsurance company

He's remains very keen on football, playing for the Old Southendians and supporting the Hammers.

E-mail: Click Here[January 2008]

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News of Other Colleagues ...............

Peter Armitage works at Steer Davies Gleave along with Bob MIller, David Pollack, Phil Harrison and Greg Hartshorn.

Elaine Bailey now works for the Workspace Group in the Poplar Business Park. Tel: 020 7538 2776, E-mail: Click Here, [June 2008]

Sue Bennett sadly died in February 2002.

Sir Christopher Benson, who was the LDDC's Chairman from 1984 to 1988, is still very busy wi