Our People
Profiles of our principal staff
Chris Baker-Pearce – Managing Director
Chris has been employed as a Consultant within the Private and Public Development Sector for over 20 years’, providing detailed and strategic infrastructure planning, project management and civil engineering support to Clients on a wide range of commercial and residential development projects. Prior to founding Ardent, Chris was an Associate Director at Buchanan Consulting Engineers where he led the Infrastructure design and planning team in the London office.
Tony Foreman – Director
Tony was an area manager for Waterman Aspen before co-founding Ardent Consulting Engineers. He has over 25 years’ engineering experience in both the public and private sector, working on a wide range and scale of infrastructure projects. These have included major road and rail infrastructure schemes as well as large residential and commercial development projects.
Matthew Last – Director of Transportation
Matthew is a transport planner and traffic engineer with 20 years’ experience in the planning, design and implementation of new transport infrastructure. Over the past 13 years he has specialised in providing advice on the transport aspect of new developments. This includes the preparation of Transport Assessments and Green Travel Plans to support planning applications; analysis of traffic impact; preliminary design of accesses and internal layouts of new developments, including car parking and servicing arrangements; negotiation of Section 106 Agreements; and the preparation and presentation of evidence at Appeal Hearings and Public Inquiries.
Daniel Rapson – Director
Daniel has over 19 years’ experience in property development (including commercial and residential) technical consultancy and local authority. He has a multi-disciplinary background working on a variety of projects from initial concept to delivery on site. Prior to joining Ardent, Daniel ran a regional office of a national consultancy for over 5 years. His specialties include providing advice for pre-planning and due diligence for a broad range of development projects.
Steve Burton – Associate
Steve has in excess of 16 years’ experience working for engineering consultancy practices on a range of projects, primarily focusing on residential, commercial and retail developments. Steve can provide advice relating to infrastructure planning and design matters including pre-purchase site appraisals, flood risk and drainage assessments and the detailed design of both Section 278 and 38 highway works.
Steve Field – Associate
Steven has 15 years’ experience in the planning and design of transport infrastructure, specialising in the past nine years in advising on the transport aspects of planning new developments. Steven can provide advice on transport planning and design matters at the pre-purchase stage; advise on scheme design and access, and parking provision; prepare Transport Assessments/Statements and Green Travel Plans to support planning applications; and negotiate legal agreements with planning and highway authorities.
Matthew Richmond – Acoustic Consultant
Matthew has 11 years’ of engineering consultancy experience and has been involved in acoustics for the last 5 years. An Associate Member of The Institute of Acoustics and holder of their Diploma in Acoustics and Noise Control, Matthew has helped dozens of clients achieve planning permission for residential, commercial and industrial developments. Matthew specialises in environmental noise and in particular providing assessments and advice in relation to the noise requirements of planning permission and associated conditions.
