More than 300 colleagues gather to mark six decades of landmark work as employee-owned consultancy looks to next phase of impact and growth

Environmental planning and design consultancy LUC is marking its 60th anniversary, celebrating six decades of work across some of the UK’s most significant landscapes while setting out its ambitions for the next chapter of its impact and growth.

Founded in 1966 with a multidisciplinary and data-led approach to environmental challenges, LUC has grown into a nationwide practice spanning planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology, and geospatial services. It employs more than 300 colleagues across seven UK offices, collaborating with clients from all sectors to tackle complex land-use challenges.

LUC’s early work included supporting the investigation into spoil heap stability following the Aberfan disaster, undertaking the influential Kent Downs AONB Study and contributing to the development of modern approaches to landscape assessment.

It later supported the restoration of the Lost Gardens of Heligan and designed the masterplan around the Eden Project’s biomes, before expanding into projects ranging from major renewable energy infrastructure, including Clyde Wind Farm, to urban regeneration at Glasgow’s Claypits and nationwide Green Belt and Green Infrastructure assessments.

In 2020 LUC became fully owned on behalf of its employees, as a means of protecting the company’s long-term independence and giving its people a greater stake in its future. Investment in the next generation of the business has continued more recently, with LUC announcing 49 promotions across the business in January. A new governance structure has also been introduced to ensure operational excellence and stakeholder transparency.

Rob Booth, Chief Executive at LUC, said:

“Our work has changed enormously since 1966, but the thread running through LUC has remained consistent: bringing together talented people from different disciplines, to partner with our clients in tackling complex challenges affecting nature, people and places.

“Our priority now is to create the conditions to do our best work. That means continuing to invest in our people, our platform and our technology, while giving our teams the space to focus on the areas they are passionate about and where they can make the greatest positive impact.

“Employee ownership is central to that. Our people are not simply part of the business; collectively, they own it and have a role in shaping where it goes next. As we enter our seventh decade, our ambition is to build on 60 years of expertise while creating a stronger platform from which the next generation of LUC will grow.”

The anniversary was marked this month when more than 300 colleagues from all seven LUC offices came together in Harrogate for a two-day company event. The programme included the premiere of a new film charting the organisation’s 60-year story, and focused on strengthening the collaborative connections between LUC’s diverse offices, teams and people.