This week, we mark a significant milestone for Paul Basham Associates, celebrating our 16th anniversary and it is important to take a moment and reflect on the journey from humble beginnings at Paul’s kitchen table, to our first office in Hamble, to what has become a multi-disciplinary consultancy specialising in transport, travel planning, civil and structural engineering services employing over 70 staff. We have never lost sight of our core values; nurturing relationships and delivering the very best service we can.
- Customer – putting clients at the centre of what we do.
- Openness – building trust through clear communication and transparency.
- Results – adding value to deliver practical, effective solutions.
- Excellence – maintaining the highest standards in everything we do.
These values are our guiding principle and continue to shape how we work as a team and with our partners.
Where It All Began
In 2009, Paul Basham established the company with a clear focus: customer first. With over 20 years of experience behind him, his passion was to create a business unparalleled, delivering high quality, practical solutions for our clients. That philosophy remains to this day as our growth has led to supporting all aspects of development, working alongside developers, architects, planners and local authorities. Over the last sixteen years the business has developed a strong reputation in its approach both in terms of delivering technical expertise and forming collaborative partnerships; something Paul and the team are extremely proud of.
How We’ve Grown
Our growth has been built on the relationship with our clients and adapted to meet their needs. What started with Transport Planning has now expanded into:
- Travel Plan Coordination – supporting sustainable travel choices to achieve behaviour change.
- Civil & Structural Engineering – delivering robust, innovative designs.
Our holistic approach is seeing a diversity in the breadth of projects we deal with, successfully taking them from initial concept through all the planning and technical design stages to delivery.
To continue delivering for our clients and ensure we add value, we have expanded our reach. The last sixteen years has seen offices open in Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Cambridgeshire, enabling us to work across the whole of the UK (including Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) as well as Jersey.
Some key milestones included:
- Achieved ISO:9001 accreditation for our Quality Management System in 2012.
- Launched our Graduate Training Programme in 2013.
- Civil Engineering added expertise to the team in 2014.
- Opened offices in Oxfordshire in 2016.
- Opened offices in Cambridgeshire in 2019.
- Added Structural Engineering services in 2021.
Looking Ahead
Reflecting on our journey is as much about the people as it is about the projects. From the friendships built within our team to the long-standing relationships with our clients, we’re proud of the community that has grown and supported Paul Basham Associates.
As we look to the future, we remain committed to achieving excellence across our services, strengthening our partnerships, and adapting to emerging sectors, new policies and opportunities across the industry.
A word from our Managing Director
"I am immensely proud of how far we have come as a business. Resigning in 2009 from my then employer, in the middle of one of the worst recessions on record with a one-year-old daughter, a significant mortgage and no savings might seem irresponsible, but failure was never an option, and I worked 24/7!! Work slowly started coming through the door and one, became two when I was joined by Mark Smith, both working off my kitchen table! A very brave move for Mark too at that time...With a load of ambition and a vision to provide high-quality transport planning services the two of us have grown into a leading and trusted professional multi- disciplinary consultancy, with 70 staff working across four regions. We continue to drive growth by attracting and recruiting the best talent whilst delivering the best service possible to our valued clients.
This milestone is not just about the passage of time, but about the people who have shaped our journey. Our dedicated staff, whose expertise and commitment drive everything we do, and our clients, whose trust, loyalty and collaboration make our work possible. Together, we have achieved so much, and I am excited about our plans for future growth and our pursuit to be the best!
Sixteen years in business is a testament to resilience, innovation, and the power of working together with a shared purpose. As we look ahead, our focus remains the same: delivering excellence, supporting sustainable development, and making a positive impact on the communities we serve.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey so far. In many ways it feels as though we have only just scratched the surface.”
- Paul Basham, Managing Director