skip to content
We’re excited to welcome Lauren Gavaghan to the team as our newest Development Consultant. Lauren will be helping to bring our projects across the North to life, making sure they hit our gold standard for design, sustainability, and real community impact - all powered by our Footprint® methodology. Find out more about Lauren’s journey so far, what drives her, and what she’s most looking forward to in her new role.
Tell us about your career and background
“I’ve worked in development for over 10 years, starting out in retail and leisure before moving into mixed-use regeneration. It’s this experience that gave me a strong understanding of how people experience a place and I still love finding independent operators to give neighbourhoods their identity and make sure residents (and visitors) enjoy spending time there. It’s a passion I’ve hit the ground running with - I’ve already started placemaking research in Sheffield for our Neepsend project!”
What inspired you to join the team, and what continues to motivate you about igloo?
“Having previously supported igloo on bids for new projects, what always stood out to me is their commitment to delivering on their promises. As projects progress, it is inevitable there will be challenges, but igloo always approaches them with creativity and finds innovative solutions that stay true to the original vision and bring positive impact to their residents and communities.”
Having supporting igloo as a consultant for a couple of years now, which project you’ve supported has been most impactful and why?
“The most impactful must be Neepsend (Sheffield) and Festival Gardens (Liverpool); to have supported igloo in securing these projects and to now have the opportunity to help deliver them is very exciting. Both projects are unique in their own way and have the potential to create distinctive new communities.”
How do you see the housing sector evolving over the next few years? What key challenges or emerging priorities do you think the industry needs to respond to?
“The key challenge, but not a new one, is balancing the pressure to build at pace and viably, whilst still delivering quality in terms of design, placemaking and sustainability. This needs a collaborative approach with our design teams, contractors and development partners to ensure we are all constantly on the look-out for opportunities to be innovative and deliver challenging projects. This is an area where igloo really pushes the boundaries with their projects.”
igloo is guided by its People, Place and Planet ethos. How does your approach to development reflect and support these values in practice?
“I always want to deliver the best schemes possible, so I’m really looking forward to putting igloo’s Footprint® methodology into practice. This is unique to igloo and ensures every project is aligned with their mission. I also share the ethos of building for the long-term – in terms of the planet, the quality of homes and how long people want to live in their community.”
What are you most excited about as you begin your new role?
“I’m really looking forward to working more closely with the igloo team and our partners to bring projects forward together. At Neepsend, we’ll be part of the Sheffield Together partnership, and in Liverpool we’re collaborating with a range of developers - creating an exciting mix of ideas, experience and momentum.
“And of course, I’m very excited to meet all the igloo office dogs!”
Keep up to date with all the latest at igloo by signing up to our newsletter.
Sign Up