Bringing the best out of every place
PlaceSense helps organisations make progress on programmes that sit across national policy, local priorities and the everyday experience of people and communities.
PlaceSense is led by me, Andrew Alsbury. I work directly with every client, drawing in trusted associates where their experience strengthens the work.
Together, we help teams turn intention into delivery in a way that feels considered, practical and grounded.
Why this work matters
Across the country, there is genuine ambition to improve the places people live, work and spend time in. This ambition only becomes impact when the people shaping a programme understand one another. National strategies, local priorities, public expectations, and private investment often move at different speeds and with different pressures.
PlaceSense exists to help bring those perspectives together so good ideas become deliverable, believable plans. The work is about building shared understanding, making thoughtful choices, and creating the conditions for steady, confident progress.
I typically support central government teams, local authorities, arm’s-length bodies, delivery partners, and private-sector organisations working closely with the public sector.
The contexts vary, but they share a common thread: a desire to move from intention to something that works in practice for the people and places involved.
How we help
The organisations I work with are often leading important programmes. They want to understand the place in front of them, shape a credible case for action, and keep delivery on track as circumstances evolve. I support them through these three connected areas of work.
Understanding Places
Insight that informs action
Every place has a story. Some of it is visible in data and plans; much of it sits with residents, partners and people who know the area well. We help bring these strands together so decisions are informed, proportionate, and respectful of the place they aim to improve.
Typical work includes:
Reviewing and synthesising existing insight
Speaking with residents, partners and local organisations
Filling evidence gaps where they matter most
Turning insight into practical options for decision-makers
Building the Case
Turning vision into support
A programme gains momentum when people understand not only what it hopes to achieve, but why it makes sense. We help shape clear, confident cases that balance local insight with national expectations, and feel credible to those asked to support or fund them.
Typical work includes:
Developing strategic narratives and options
Strengthening business cases
Supporting funding or investment proposals
Making technical and delivery issues easier to understand
Making it Happen
Delivery that stands up to pressure
Delivery always brings new questions. Priorities shift, evidence changes, and organisations need to adjust to the changes in the world around them. We help teams maintain a steady path, strengthen their decisions, and stay focused on outcomes that matter to local people.
Typical work includes:
Reviewing delivery arrangements and governance
Strengthening assurance and decision-making
Supporting teams through periods of change
Providing steady leadership on sensitive or high-profile programmes
Why PlaceSense
There is no single formula for making places work well. Progress is far more likely when insight, policy, and delivery are connected, and when those involved feel heard and respected.
I’m Andrew Alsbury, founder of PlaceSense. Over the last twenty years I’ve worked across central government, local authorities, and the private sector on programmes where expectations were high and outcomes mattered deeply. I was previously a senior civil servant working at the Department for Education on major programmes and the maintenance of the school estate. I am used to working with ministers, members, senior officials, charity trustees, and with board level executives in the private sector.
As an interim/consultant I have supported national building safety work through sensitive periods, helped mobilise major funds, overseen organisation and capital programme setups, and worked alongside delivery partners trying to bring national intentions to life locally. I have also succesfully led bids for major opportunities in the private sector.
PlaceSense brings that experience to your programme. I lead each engagement personally and involve trusted associates when additional perspectives or capacity are useful. Clients know exactly who they are working with, and they receive senior, thoughtful support from the first conversation to the last.
Selected Experience
Building Safety (MHCLG)
Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, I worked with the Expert Panel and the Industry Response Group to develop clear evidence-based safety guidance to building owners including drafting the Consolidated Advice Note.
I also established the eligbility process for the Building Safety Fund within six weeks of its announcement, to meet government aspirations. This including mobilising technical resource, establishing the data requirements and IT systems for applicants, and gaining sign off to the fund criteria.
I was then involved in delivering through the processes established and made eligibility decisions on over 1300 applications to establish a clear pipeline for the £1bn funding agreed at that time.
National Galleries Scotland
I’ve supported National Galleries Scotland for several years on The Art Works, helping reshape the project into a deliverable form. This has included supporting that reshaping, rewriting the Strategic Outline Case, developing the Outline Business Case and drafting the Full Business Case.
I worked with their senior team and trustees to shift the narrative from a focus on storage and conservation of their collection of Scottish and International art, to a wider story about access to culture across Scotland, the cultural ecosystem in Scotland, and the role of The Art Works in the regeneration of Granton.
The project now has planning permission and is awaiting a final funding decision from the Scottish Government.
Private Sector
I led insights work on markets/sectors and places to help inform business strategy for a major engineering and professional services firm. This included how the approach to the local authority and regeneration offers needed to respond to combined authorities and local government reform. I led work to build cross-business collaboration and offer a more ‘place-based’ approach to clients.
I helped senior teams understand the changing decision landscape and position for programmes effectively within regional structures. I also helped shape the organisation’s programme at UKREiiF, working with partners to curate sessions that reflected the priorities of local government, industry and national bodies.
Let’s talk about your place
If you’re working on something important and want a clearer view of the road ahead, I’m always happy to talk.