LUC has launched ENGAGE3D, an immersive visualisation tool for community consultation on infrastructure projects, designed to help local people understand how proposed developments could appear in their area.

The system uses game-engine technology to create interactive 3D models of proposed schemes within real-world landscapes, displayed on a touchscreen television at consultation events. Users can move through a site at eye level, switch to a virtual drone view, and compare different layouts and scenarios.

ENGAGE3D can also be tailored for individual projects. Users can explore landmarks and selected viewpoints while switching between seasons, weather conditions, visibility settings and turbine speeds, alongside supporting media and annotations.

Each model draws on several datasets, including LiDAR terrain models, aerial imagery, the National Tree Map and photography, to reflect conditions on the ground. The approach is intended to give communities a clearer view of how planned infrastructure could alter local landscapes.

The launch comes as infrastructure developers face growing pressure to show residents what projects will look like before planning decisions are made. Visual impact is often a central issue in consultations on wind farms and other energy developments, particularly in rural areas.

One of the first organisations to adopt the system is Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, the publicly owned renewable energy developer in Wales, which is using the technology in consultations on a series of new wind farm proposals across the country.

Residents can explore landscapes within an average 10-kilometre radius of each site through the model prepared for the developer. Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru commissioned LUC to apply the system so communities could better understand the visual change that might result if projects proceed to construction and operation.

Rob Booth outlined the thinking behind the product launch.

“At LUC, we believe that the best projects start with listening. Effective consultation builds understanding, strengthens trust, and helps communities feel part of shaping their future,” said Rob Booth, chief executive of LUC.

He added: “This is why we developed ENGAGE3D – an integrated service backed by 60 years of environmental consultancy expertise and robust GIS data. It is a tool that will facilitate meaningful conversations about development proposals and place communities at the heart of decision-making.”

Early use

Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru said the model has already been used at early-stage project introduction events and helped people examine the appearance of proposed turbines from both nearby locations and several kilometres away.

Dr Catrin Ellis-Jones described how the model is being used in those consultations.

“The 3D digital model is an excellent tool for visualising what a project can look like in the local landscape from close up, or from kilometres away. It helps provide context and illustrates how features such as trees and buildings, or topographic effects, can make turbines less apparent from some locations and more obvious from others,” said Dr Catrin Ellis-Jones, head of public involvement at Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru.

Ellis-Jones said the system also allows residents to compare new proposals with existing turbines where relevant and broadens access to technical planning material.

“It allows direct comparison with existing turbines where they exist, which people are often keen to see. It makes the data and designs we draw up easily accessible to a wide range of people, young and old, and in turn helps us gather informed and specific feedback on our proposals.

“It was appreciated by local people and stakeholders who participated in our early-stage project introduction events, and the 3D model will be updated through the iterative and consultative planning process, so people can also see our designs evolve,” she said.

LUC is an environmental consultancy offering planning, impact assessment, landscape design, ecology and geospatial services to public and private sector clients. The employee-owned firm has more than 300 staff across offices in London, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Sheffield, Cardiff and Manchester.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Tes has appointed Ali Nazarboland as Vice President of Engineering as it expands its Tes360 platform for schools and trusts.

Nazarboland joins the education technology group with more than 20 years of engineering leadership experience across financial technology, payments, insurance, the public sector and other regulated industries. He will lead Tes’s engineering function as the company develops its wider technology platform.

His appointment strengthens the senior leadership team as Tes places greater emphasis on Tes360, a connected platform designed to bring together information used by schools and multi-academy trusts. The product is intended to address problems caused by disconnected systems and help staff turn data into action.

Before joining Tes, Nazarboland oversaw global engineering teams of more than 350 engineers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the US and Asia-Pacific. His background includes scaling engineering organisations and modernising legacy technology systems.

Tes360 focus

Tes has been broadening its technology offering across the education sector, with software and services covering timetabling, special educational needs and disabilities provision, behaviour management, staff wellbeing, parents’ evenings, recruitment and professional development. Tes360 sits at the centre of that strategy, linking information across those functions.

The company, which has operated in education for more than a century, has sought to combine software products with editorial and sector insight through Tes Magazine. The latest leadership appointment suggests engineering remains central to that plan as schools and trusts seek clearer oversight across multiple systems.

Rod Williams, Chief Executive Officer at Tes, said: “Ali brings a combination of technical expertise and leadership experience to Tes. As we continue to scale Tes360, it’s vital that we have strong engineering leadership that can combine strategic thinking with deep technical understanding. What stood out about Ali is his passion for education and the opportunity to contribute to work that has a genuine societal impact.”

Sector background

Nazarboland’s career has spanned sectors where large engineering estates and regulation often shape product and infrastructure decisions. That experience is relevant to education technology, where suppliers are under pressure to integrate systems more effectively while giving school leaders access to information spread across administrative, pastoral and teaching functions.

For Tes, the appointment also reflects the operational demands of expanding a platform used by institutions managing large volumes of pupil, staff and school performance data. In that context, engineering leadership can influence how quickly products are updated, how legacy systems are connected and how consistently services run across different markets.

Williams said the appointment formed part of a broader technology investment, with Tes continuing to expand Tes360 and its wider education ecosystem as it seeks to deepen its software relationships with schools and trusts.

Nazarboland said the company’s stage of development and its education focus were key factors in his decision to join. “Tes is entering an important phase in its journey, and the opportunity to be part of that is a major draw for me. Throughout my career I’ve worked across a variety of sectors, but being able to apply technology in a way that has a meaningful impact on education and young people is particularly rewarding. I’m looking forward to working with the team to continue building scalable, high-performing engineering capabilities that support Tes’ ambitions.”

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

The UK Government has set out plans for a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill and new voluntary digital identity initiatives, following King Charles’s outline of forthcoming digital legislation in his parliamentary address.

The legislation is expected to be a central part of the Government’s cyber strategy. The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will sit alongside a push to increase business take-up of a new Cyber Resilience Pledge and continued work on digital identity services such as GOV.UK One Login.

Legal and industry figures said the package underlined a sustained focus on cyber risk across critical infrastructure, public services and private enterprise. They also warned that businesses should prepare for tighter expectations around governance, reporting and cryptography.

Mark Bailey, Partner at International Law Firm Charles Russell Speechlys, said pressing ahead with the Bill aligned with long-standing policy priorities.

“This inclusion is important but perhaps unsurprising, given that the Government has consistently treated the Bill as a key part of its wider cyber policy agenda. It shows that ministers remain focused on strengthening the UK’s cyber resilience, particularly around critical infrastructure, supply chains and the cyber integrity of individual businesses. Businesses should expect more detailed guidance as the Bill progresses, along with greater scrutiny of incident reporting, governance and supply chain security.”

Mike Baxter, President and Chief Technology and Product Officer at digital security firm Entrust, said the reference to digital identity in the King’s address signalled a further phase in the rollout of online identification systems for citizens.

“We can expect to see the development and deployment of new voluntary digital identity initiatives following the King’s comments today. To succeed, these systems must build trust and, crucially, be designed to work for everyone. GOV.UK One Login provides a strong foundation, but the next step is to ensure any scheme is genuinely voluntary, privacy-first and transparently governed. Only by getting these fundamentals right will digital ID make people’s lives meaningfully easier and more secure.”

“It is encouraging to hear the King restate the Government’s commitment to improving the UK’s defences against cybersecurity threats. However, the upcoming Cyber Security and Resilience Bill must go beyond traditional measures to create stronger incentives for post-quantum readiness, including publishing clear cryptographic standards and timelines for compliance.”

Alongside the Bill, the Government is urging organisations to sign a voluntary Cyber Resilience Pledge. The scheme calls for board-level oversight of cyber risk, wider adoption of the Cyber Governance Code of Practise, use of the National Cyber Security Centre’s Cyber Governance Training for directors, registration for the NCSC Early Warning service, and Cyber Essentials certification across supply chains.

Signatories must also encourage similar steps among their suppliers and publish a signed declaration on their websites. Officials see the measure as a way to set clear minimum expectations for organisational resilience and create a more consistent security standard across sectors.

Katharina Sommer, Director of Government Affairs and Analyst Relations at NCC Group, said the pledge was already gaining traction across industries.

“The Cyber Resilience Pledge is one of several strands the UK Government is pursuing to increase business engagement, particularly at senior management level, with cyber resilience. While voluntary, it appears to be attracting cross-sector interest. Organisations are engaging with the pledge to ensure they can meaningfully meet commitments that largely continue the UK Government’s recent guidance on what good looks like: the Cyber Governance Code of Practise to strengthen organisational resilience, uptake of Cyber Essentials across supply chains, and sign-up to the NCSC’s Early Warning Service to improve economy-wide awareness and preparedness as the threat landscape evolves.”

“Becoming a named signatory could become a visible sign that organisations take cyber resilience seriously and, over time, a competitive differentiator as awareness of cyber risk grows. There will always be debate over whether initiatives like this are too prescriptive or too high-level, but if a majority of organisations implement the pledge’s elements, we are likely to make progress in raising the cyber resilience baseline as they mature and develop the capability to take more tailored approaches. What the pledge demonstrates, in any case, is that the UK Government is now setting out very clear expectations for how it wants organisations to approach cyber resilience.”