Honorary Visiting Industrial Fellow LJMU

BA (Hons), B Arch (Hons)L’pool
Architect Dip LA B’ham MLI

As a founder member, Bill has played a central role in developing the practice from a small local office to its current position as a national inter-disciplinary design partnership. His ideas have provided the creative impetus to the evolution of the practice’s distinctive approach for over 40 years.

His innovative work in urban regeneration has contributed to many pioneering and ground breaking projects, particularly through the development of participatory design and user consultation approaches to developing urban solutions. Based on this philosophy, the Halsall Lloyd Partnership has developed an interdisciplinary structure to deliver a ‘joined up’ approach to design, enabling close partnership working with communities; and public, private and voluntary sector clients.

Early work in the 1970s with Liverpool’s Housing Cooperative movement played a key role in promoting the concept of community empowerment, particularly through enabling participation in design by large numbers of ‘user-clients’. This approach produced many award winning projects including the Weller Streets Housing Co-operative, one of the first ‘new build’ housing co-operatives in the UK.

The internationally known Eldonian Village project became a logical progression of these principles as a multi-faceted, community-led urban revitalization project, which has become a world recognised model.

Bill’s commitment to tackling urban agendas through community planning on a neighbourhood basis has produced consistently successful regeneration initiatives, which have proved their sustainability in practice. He has also designed projects in the Health and Community Resource sectors, which have promoted the HLP’s involvement in these areas of work.

Increasingly, Bill has become involved in major masterplanning projects, leading large scale masterplans of neighbourhoods in Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, South Tyneside, East Lancashire, Oldham and Sefton.  This work has tackled problematic neighbourhoods in inner core areas as well as local authority estates exhibiting a range of complex interrelated issues.

His ‘placemaking’ approach has been to create ‘shared vision’ through consensus building between stakeholders to produce masterplans which have a high degree of ownership, commitment and deliverability.  His masterplans transform neighbourhoods through an in-depth understanding of the local context and developing a strong sense of place.  Working with developers, local authorities and housing associations as well as communities, Bill has been able to lead the design process towards successful and sustainable masterplans.

As a designer, Bill has developed a strategic and evidence based approach, including close attention to detail within a broadly based ‘holistic’ philosophy. 

Bill has co-authored a number of publications such as ‘Building Homes People Want’ and ‘Don’t Forget the Jobs’ and been involved in research projects sponsored by the Housing Corporation (now Homes England) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. He acted as an assessor for many years on behalf of the Community Enterprise Award Scheme, visiting many groups and schemes throughout the UK.

Over the past few years he has been involved in research initiatives in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University on the theme of Therapeutic Environments.  He recently co-authored research findings as a publication ‘Design for Dementia’ – A Guide.

Following publication of this book, Bill has been an invited speaker at conferences in many parts of the UK.  His research work continues through the development of a ‘Design for Dementia’ demonstration project at the Building Research Establishment (BRE), Innovation Park in Watford.

Bill’s involvement and commitment continues to find expression through design of convivial, safe and stimulating living and working environments which are conducive to communal life and create distinctive places with a strong local identity. Through his work he continues to develop the principles of socially and environmentally sustainable design and the spirit of innovation in the design process.