What We Do

We create design solutions for all kinds of historic & cultural landscapes, public parks, gardens and their buildings, from feasibility, through design & planning to contract management. We are passionate about working with communities and clients to highlight the value of cultural landscapes, to make them work better for people, nature and heritage. 

About us

SPLA Ltd is a micro practice specialising in design for parks and cultural landscapes. Successful cultural landscape projects require considerable design skills and Sally’s are proven by two R.I.B.A International competition wins, and numerous LI & BALI awards. As Director, Sally is directly involved with all projects ensuring quality and design rigour is maintained throughout. 

Appreciation, design and integration of varied complexities including heritage, access, ecology, play, climate change mitigation & adaptation is essential. Co-design and managing change in a sensitive way is equally important for complex, large projects; as is leading multidisciplinary teams. Sally has produced proposals which have gained well over £75 million of funding in the last 25 years. Most of these are now completed. 

Sally is a trustee of the London Gardens Trust, involving people in their local green heritage, and protecting parks. She is an expert advisor to the NLHF and a Churchill Fellow. She led the parks team for LDA Design until 2016 before setting up SPLA. She previously worked for English Heritage and the National Park Service in the U.S, following an earlier career in horticulture and arboriculture. 

List of Services

  • Brief writing and feasibility studies.

  • New design in Cultural Landscapes, from strategy to bespoke detail.

  • Masterplans and restoration strategies.

  • Project Lead and coordination of other professions.

  • Co-design, design workshops and creative consultation.

  • Detailed design & specifications for tender.

  • Conservation Plans and Restoration Strategies.

  • Management and Maintenance Plans.

  • Historic landscape analysis, survey and setting appraisal.

  • Statements of significance, Design & Access Statements, Heritage Impact Assessments. 

  • Planning submissions.

  • Project implementation and contract administration. 

  • Arboricultural strategies and planting design.

  • Expert advice to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for projects of all sizes.

Get in Touch!

For an informal chat use the contact page, and we’ll usually get back to you within 24hrs. We are happy to chat through any project and discuss any thoughts or queries you may have.

Historic Landscapes, Cultural Heritage & New Design

Parks, Community & Ecosystem renewal

Memorial Landscapes, Cemeteries, Expert Advice

Sally Prothero