The Townsend Family
Land Owners
Chris and Rebecca Townsend have lived on the Langley Abbey Estate since purchasing the land in 2000. They are both country people and share a great love of The Broads, particularly the abundance of wildlife that also make their home in this historic part of the National Park. Since their purchase they have initiated several environmental schemes that have seen considerable success, although the main activity has been the continuation of arable farming. However, inspired by the success of smaller projects, the resilience of the land, and the bounty of wildlife on their doorstep, the Townsends have now decided to return the Estate to nature and manage it in a way which prioritises biodiversity rather than agricultural yields. Along with their two sons – Tom and Charlie – Chris and Rebecca care passionately about the natural environment and the family is immensely excited by this critical change in the way their land is used.
Henry Parkinson
Project Lead
A Norfolk native and local resident, Henry has an intimate relationship with this part of The Broads – something he and the Townsends share passionately. Henry’s role at LAEP encompasses everything from stakeholder engagement through to the sale of BNG units, and he is responsible for fostering partnerships with private, public and third sector organisations to explore opportunities for public engagement in conservation. Specialising in BNG, Henry provides support to developers across the region to assist them in achieving biodiversity net gain in a way that minimises costs but maximises nature recovery.
A planning lawyer at law firm CMS prior to LAEP, Henry has advised the UK’s largest renewable energy and utilities companies on the most ambitious and cutting edge projects required to meet “net zero”, and acted on significant residential, commercial and mixed-use developments across the country. Having assisted developers navigate the planning system for a number of years, he understands the needs of the sector and the support which LAEP can offer. Henry remains a qualified and practising solicitor in England & Wales overseeing all legal aspects of LAEP, and is a member of the UK Environmental Law Association and the National Infrastructure Planning Association.
Estate Team
Langley Abbey Estate
The Estate Team at Langley Abbey have successfully delivered several environmental schemes during the Townsend family’s ownership, and have an intimate knowledge of the carrs, hedgerows and watercourses which make up their workplace. Estate Manager Steve draws upon 19 years of experience within the Environment Agency specialising in river maintenance, grassland management and arboriculture. Chris, Steve and the team work closely with Chris Cooper to ensure that LAEP’s ambitious plans are delivered on the ground.
Chris Cooper
Independent Ecologist
A professional ecologist and member of CIEEM, Chris’ career began with researching eDNA in agri-environmental applications at Cambridge University. He then joined Natural England with a focus on improving the organisation’s environmental monitoring and reporting approaches, including contributing to the development of BNG monitoring protocols, before later moving to the Environment Agency as a Natural Capital technical lead. Chris has a thorough understanding of the habitats and species of Norfolk and Suffolk, having been responsible for SSSI monitoring across the two counties whilst within Natural England. Chris carries out independent ecology work, specialising in BNG, and works closely with Chris, Steve and Henry to ensure appropriate habitat management and monitoring takes place across the Estate.