Hounslow Place Brand: Tom Bruce and Peter O’Brien on Regeneration

Can a place brand do more than give a place a new identity?

In Episode 36 of Talking Place, host Tanisha Raffiuddin sits down with Tom Bruce, Deputy Leader of the London Borough of Hounslow, and Peter O’Brien, Executive Director of Placemaking and Growth, to explore how Hounslow is using place branding as part of a bigger story about regeneration, investment, partnership and civic pride.

The conversation goes behind the scenes of Hounslow’s place brand, from community engagement to the challenge of bringing together places with distinct identities, including Chiswick, Feltham, Brentford and Hounslow Town Centre. They discuss why the discovery phase was extended, what they learned along the way, and why the brand had to be more than an ‘I love Hounslow’ badge.

They also explore place leadership, inward investment and how the brand connects to regeneration projects including Feltham and the Golden Mile. At its heart is a bigger question: how can a changing place retain its identity while moving confidently into its next chapter?

Topics Covered

Why Hounslow created a place brand and what it wanted it to achieve
Place leadership, collaboration and making difficult decisions
Why community engagement needs to go deeper than consultation
Building civic pride across distinct communities and identities
Using place branding to support regeneration and inward investment
The Golden Mile, Feltham and Hounslow’s vision for the future

About Our Guest

Tom Bruce is Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Assets, Regeneration, and Development at the London Borough of Hounslow, with responsibility spanning regeneration, economic development, planning, council homebuilding and corporate assets. He brings a personal connection to Hounslow, having grown up in the borough.

Peter O’Brien is Executive Director of Placemaking & Growth at Hounslow Council, bringing around two decades of experience working in place.

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