Home Appointments & Contracts Nexus Planning selected for social value framework: Great Places’ Innovation Chain North

Nexus Planning selected for social value framework: Great Places’ Innovation Chain North

Nexus Planning has been selected as one of the planning consultants on the Innovation Chain North (ICN) Framework

Nexus Planning is delighted to announce it has been selected as one of the planning consultants on the Innovation Chain North (ICN) Framework, to support on town planning services. Great Places Housing Group has placed social value at the heart of its new £750m Innovation Chain North Framework of Contractors and Consultants, which runs until 2024.

The ICN Framework has been designed not only to support Great Places’ ambitious development programme, but also those of other housing associations across the North. Nexus Planning is one of 83 successful consultants from a total of 183 who applied – selected based on its technical competence, price and commitment to social value.

Peter Tooher, Nexus Executive Director and lead of the Manchester office, says: “We’re thrilled to have been selected for the ICN Framework. We’re looking forward to working with Great Places and the other key housing associations involved in the Framework to deliver much needed affordable housing across the North of England. Great Places Housing Group places social value at the heart of its new Framework, so we are excited to carry out our social value pledges as part of our wider work.”

Social value pledges proposed by all suppliers included apprenticeships, work experience opportunities and volunteering hours. Through a collaborative approach, Great Places will now be seeking these pledges to be applied on every new development.


Helen Spencer, Great Places’ Director of Development, said: “We are delighted to be working with Nexus Planning on our new ICN framework. We are confident they will be able to work with us and the clients of ICN in delivering the sector’s extensive development ambitions in the North. We were delighted to have a huge response from the market and receive high quality proposals and substantial social value pledges for our communities. We are now looking forward to mobilising the framework and working together on new projects with Nexus supporting us with town planning services.”

About Nexus Planning

Nexus Planning is an award-winning, independent consultancy operated and managed by Chartered Town Planners with offices in Manchester, London and Reading. Its highly skilled team of planning and regeneration consultants provides market-leading planning, regeneration and development advice to both the private and public sectors. Established in 2013, Nexus won RTPI Planning Consultancy of the Year 2020 earlier this year.

About the ICN Framework

Led by Great Places Housing Group, the Innovation Chain Framework is designed to provide a route to the supply chain support for to anyone looking to deliver mixed use housing and associated social infrastructure across the North of England. The updated framework is split into four contract categories: projects of more than 35 homes, projects of less than 35 homes, groundworks, and modular schemes.