Ms Valerie Beirne

About

A graduate of Kingston University, I am a landscape architect with over 20 years of experience working at local, regional, and national levels in the urban regeneration sector.

My work focuses at the meeting point of cities, nature, and communities across the fields of strategic and cultural placemaking, green infrastructure, landscape strategy, urbanism, active travel, healthy streets and economic development.

I specialise in a multi-disciplinary and collaborative approach, crafting place-based visions, programmes and projects that spark interest and imagination, supporting positive environmental, social, and economic outcomes.

In 2022 I founded the creative placemaking consultancy Where Pathways Meet where I currently work on a portfolio of projects encompassing public space design, planting design, teaching and design review. 

Prior to that I worked for the pioneering business improvement district Better Bankside, managing the award-winning Bankside Urban Forest and Low Line regeneration strategies.  Before that I worked for the Thames Landscape Strategy commissioning and managing projects across the historic landscapes of South West London, and have worked nationally for regeneration charity Groundwork UK.

I have presented practice-based papers at national and international conferences including the European Forum for Urban Forestry, Urban Design London, and New London Architecture. Projects I have led on have been featured in Monocle's Urbanist podcast, the BBC and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

I sit on the advisory panel for Greenspace Information for Greater London, and am an RHS London in Bloom judge. 

I am a member of design review panels for London Borough of Havering, Epping Forest, Harlow and Dilston District Councils in Essex, and Thanet District Council in Kent.