Civic launches archaeology and heritage consultancy Civic Heritage

Civic, the parent company to civil, structural and transport engineering consultancy Civic Engineers and geotechnical engineering consultancy Civic Earth, has launched a new archaeology and heritage consultancy, Civic Heritage.

The new venture will be headed up by directors Ollie Cook and Katie Fletcher, who were previously based at Salford Archaeology, part of the University of Salford.

Civic Heritage will deliver commercial and community-led archaeological and heritage services in the built environment, with a focus on supporting residential, commercial and mixed-use developments across the UK.

The launch of the new venture is the latest growth milestone for Civic since it was established in 2022. Civic was set up to enable new complementary service offerings and to provide opportunities for growth, with the ultimate aim of achieving greater social and environmental impact so clients can benefit from an increased variety of services and exceptional quality project work.

Civic Heritage follows the launch of a Civic presence in Ireland, as well as the launch of geotechnical and geoenvironmental practice Civic Earth one year ago. Civic Earth has gone from strength-to-strength since, with projects including Oldham Council’s Civic Centre, the Mayfield development in Manchester and Connected Canterbury, as well as other regeneration-led projects across the UK.

The Civic Heritage team will provide a broad range of services - including archaeological, historic environment and environmental impact assessments; historic building surveys, excavations and publications - to developers, constructors, planning consultants, architects, local government and property owners.

With a combined 30 years’ industry experience, Ollie and Katie are growing the team from their network of experienced heritage professionals. They will be based at Civic’s Manchester studio but will also operate across its network of UK studios in Leeds, London, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin.

Ollie Cook, Civic Heritage director, commented: “Understanding the heritage and environmental make-up of our natural and urban landscapes is key to sustainable development and it plays a crucial role in ensuring any changes to the urban fabric reflect what was there before. With our expertise in the evaluation, design and planning process, we’re well positioned to support the industry in creating healthy, climate resilient places, spaces and communities and responding to the Government’s housing delivery ambitions.

“Collaboration is at the heart of positive change, and we’ve worked closely with Julian and the team at Civic Engineers for many years. We’ve been impressed by their fantastic culture and people, and Civic’s vision, values and conscience stand it apart. It’s a great home for us and we look forward to a bright future ahead.”

Stephen O’Malley, CEO at Civic, commented: “Since the beginning, everything we have done is about having a positive impact on the environment and enabling people to lead healthier and happier lives.

“The launch of Civic Heritage is the latest step forward for Civic and aligns with our focus on offering complementary services that respond to the needs of our clients and enable us to work collaboratively to create buildings, places and environments for communities to truly thrive. Through Civic we can take a holistic, interconnected and innovative approach in response to the rapidly changing needs of our communities, towns, cities and planet.

“Ollie and Katie bring with them a wealth of regional knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm, and we’re incredibly privileged to welcome them to the fold and support them as they grow.”