Ben Stephenson
Ben Stephenson is a placemaking professional with 25 years of experience in strategy, delivery and policymaking.
He is Chief Executive of the Angel Islington BID, Senior Fellow of the Institute of Place Management, Founder of the Bristol Urban Forum and a former High Streets Task Force expert.
Through BAS Consultancy, Ben works nationally, focusing on town and city centre renewal, with specialisms including culture strategy, neighbourhood planning, stakeholder engagement, High Street Rental Auctions and high street vision development.
Ben is a Davidson Prize winner (2024) for his work as part of a team developing a concept for repurposing vacant department stores.
Ben’s specialisms
Ben’s project examples
Burnt Oak – night time study
In summer 2025, Ben worked with the London Borough of Barnet to develop a detailed understanding of the issues that impact the function of Burnt Oak town centre between 6pm to 6am, such as transport, conditions for night workers, town centre offer, safety and inclusion.
The project included extensive stakeholder engagement, workshops, site observation studies and desktop research to feed into a report and recommendations.
Bristol – Music Fund
Ben working for Bristol City Council in spring 2025 to develop an innovative approach to supporting Bristol’s grassroots music sector, using levies on ticket sales to fund training, capital improvements to venues, promotion and events.
The work, delivered alongside economic consultants PRD, included sector engagement, options modelling and workshops.