Practice Profile

Urban Animation works across Scotland, promoting organic and sustainable approaches to development and communities. We aim to animate – bring life – to urban and rural places. We undertake work in all areas of the planning system, including master planning and settlement extensions, planning applications, appeals and inquires, Local Development Plan representations, site appraisals and feasibility studies. We work with clients at all scales from individuals and communities to Councils and large landowners.

Our approach embraces the following principles:

  • local identity is ever more important in a globalised world;
  • good design makes commercial sense;
  • people are at the heart of good planning and urban design;
  • partnership usually achieves more than confrontation;
  • most basic services should be close enough for most people to walk to;
  • development should not exceed environmental capacity.

Our Projects page provides detailed summaries of some of our current and completed work. Ongoing and recent projects include :

  • Master planned settlement extensions at Bowmore, Forres, Inveraray and Braemar
  • community-led feasibility study for a new village heart at Culbokie, Black Isle
  • feasibility study for a community land buyout at Wanlockhead
  • Haddington Town Centre Vision
  • Tomintoul & Glenlivet Regeneration Strategy
  • Planning applications and advocacy for hutting developments across Scotland
  • Care Home project and engagement activity with Wildland Ltd at Kyle of Tongue
  • Planning applications for hutting developments from 1-20 huts
  • planning and listed building consents for refurbishment of Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s architectural masterpiece, the Egyptian Halls, Argyle Street, Glasgow.