Max Askew - Managing Director
Max is a Chartered Landscape Architect with over twenty years' experience in the UK, continental Europe and southern Africa. He has managed a diverse range of challenging design and development projects for public and private sector clients. Skills and experience include landscape design, the creation of new gardens for country houses, urban design, landscape planning, landscape & visual impact appraisals, landscape strategies, conservation management plans, breathing new life into old gardens, detailed hard and soft landscape design and contract administration.
Much of his experience lies in the historic environment: he has worked on the conservation of many nationally important landscapes as well as the design of new and contemporary landscapes within a historic context.
He has an established track record in landscape planning: getting planning approval for challenging projects, often in the context of historic buildings and landscapes, and nationally important designated landscapes (Scheduled Monuments, Listed Building Consent, AONBs, National Parks and World Heritage Sites). He has given evidence at planning inquiries, both for developers and local authorities on landscape, visual and historic landscape matters.
He has prepared several successful funding applications for the restoration of historic parks and gardens (e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund, Higher Level Stewardship).
Max has a keen interest in the role of landscape architecture in sustainable development. In Botswana he worked closely with Environment Watch Botswana (Somarelang Tikologo) to create a new Eco Park on derelict public land in the centre of Gaborone. This community park is a showcase for sustainable urban living and environmental technologies. It includes a recycling facility, Green Shop, community vegetable garden, new play area and drought-tolerant indigenous planting.
Design awards include the New Homes Gardens Awards (2006), Landscape Institute Awards (2007) and Civic Awards (2008). He sits on the Oxfordshire Gardens Trust committee. He was until recently chair of the Landscape Institute's Accreditation Review Group for the University of Gloucestershire's Landscape Architecture degree courses.
Max has a postgraduate degree in Landscape Architecture, also a degree in Greek and Italian. He has lived and worked in Italy, Greece and Botswana as well as the UK.
Email: max@askewnelson.com
Mobile: 07980 881667