Nicola trained as an architect and urban designer and spent her early career in community-led regeneration and project management in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Derby. She has been an urban designer for 18 years with the last 16 years at Leicester City Council where she was Urban Design Lead, with a wide scope of work including large residential schemes, major planning applications, design guides and policy. The role involved working at a variety of scales, from city centre strategies for tall development to materials and design details and everything else in between. Recently, Nicola has moved to the council’s Housing Development Team to assist in delivering much needed affordable housing.