Les Sparks is an architect/planner with a specialism in urban design and conservation, and with senior experience in local government. He was Director of Planning and Architecture at Birmingham City Council from 1991 to 1999 and previously Director of Environmental Services at Bath City Council from 1980 to 1991. He worked part-time as a planning inspector from 1999 to 2002.
In 1999 he was appointed as one of the founding Commissioners of CABE, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. He led the Commission’s early work in setting up regional networking, and chaired the Design Review Panel from 2004 until his term as a Commissioner ended in 2006. He was made a CABE Fellow in 2008. He currently chairs the CABE Crossrail Design Review Panel, the West Midlands Regional Design Review Panel (affiliated to CABE), the Nottingham Design Panels and the Urban Regeneration Panel set up by Bath & North East Somerset Council.
He was appointed as a Commissioner of English Heritage in 2001, and was the Regional Commissioner for the East Midlands. He chaired the former Advisory Committee on the Historic Built Environment (HBEAC), and was Deputy Chairman of the English Heritage Advisory Committee (EHAC) from 2004 to 2009. He has been a member since January 2000 of the EH/CABE Urban Panel, and its Chairman from 2003.
Whilst at Bath he was instrumental in establishing the Historic Towns Forum of which he is now an Honorary Life Member. He was appointed to the MOD Historic Buildings Advisory Group in 1994. He chaired the Expert Panel on Historic Buildings & Land for the Heritage Lottery Fund from 1999-2001.
He has been acting as a specialist advisor to the Crown Estates Commissioners and Nottingham City Council since 2001, and formerly to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (from 1999 to 2007). He was a Visiting Professor at the University of West of England, Bristol from 1999 to 2007, where he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Design. He is a patron of the Urban Design Group, and was formerly on the Steering Committee of the Urban Villages Forum. He is a Trustee of Birmingham Conservation Trust and has been a board member of Groundwork Birmingham. He has chaired design competition juries, including those for Old Market Square in Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent Public Realm and Kings Square Gloucester.
He has been a member of many government steering groups and sounding boards. He was a member of the DCMS Steering Group for the Heritage Protection Review, and carried out research and prepared advice for the Householder Development Consents Review undertaken by ODPM/CLG. He is the author of “Constructive Talk”, the Planning Advisory Service’s guidance on pre-application discussions.
He was awarded the OBE in 1997 for his services to Urban Regeneration.