The Yorkshire & Humber regional development agency intends to appoint an urban renaissance consultancy team to advise on five pilot community schemes.
Yorkshire Forward issued a tender this week and hopes to appoint between 20-25 consultants by early November. The communities would be in Scarborough, Wakefield, Grimsby, Halifax and Huddersfield.

The consultants will work with Yorkshire Forward's urban renaissance team on masterplans, development frameworks and design strategies.

Alan Simpson, the head of urban renaissance at the agency, said the panel is being set up in response to the urban white paper, published last year. He said: "The primary call is for better urban environments.

"These consultants will come in and help develop the vision for the communities in environmental, economic and social terms."

Simpson added that he felt this was a pioneering project for the regional development agency.

Yorkshire Forward hopes to have a varied team, with applicants from UK, Europe and further afield. The RDA also aims to appoint economists and geographers.

Candidates must submit their applications by 24 August, with a shortlist due by mid-September. Work in the communities should start early next year.

The move comes in the week the CBI called for RDAs to achieve greater delivery.