David Walker

Board Member & Risk and Audit Committee Member

I spent 40 years working in the construction and property development sector. My early career was spent as a Quantity Surveyor and Project Manager for two major consultancies based in the Tees Valley. I worked on a variety of projects including social housing (new build and refurbishment), industrial, office buildings, health, education and retail. Projects during this period included the development of City Academies for the Vardy Foundation, a number of factories for the Nissan supply chain, as well as projects for the voluntary and charity sectors.

In the early 2000s, I moved into urban regeneration and spent eight years with the Urban Regeneration Company in Sunderland, including four years as Chief Executive. During this period, the teams that undertook the masterplanning for the city put in place the groundwork for the projects that are still being delivered in the city today. Main achievements during this period included securing £100m from the Department for Transport to build what is now known as the Northern Spire road bridge, and securing the Vaux site from Tesco following one of the largest planning battles in the UK at the time. The Vaux site will form the basis of the future prosperity of the city for decades to come.

The final stages of my career were spent mainly working for a regeneration builder and affordable housing developer. I worked on a number of projects, including securing a ten-year framework with Herefordshire Council, where I developed a regeneration plan for the County as part of the winning bid.

I retired from full-time employment in early 2021. I was appointed to the Board of North Star in August 2021.

Having been born and brought up in a council house in rural North Yorkshire, I know all about living in a house with single glazing, damp coming through the walls and no central heating. You learn to get dressed very quickly on a cold morning!

My early career was spent refurbishing poor-quality social housing, so I am well aware of the issues and challenges that come with this element of what we do at North Star. Following the decline in social housing numbers over the past 40 years, largely due to the policies of successive governments, I am determined that organisations like North Star should build as many new houses as they possibly can, and make no apologies for trying to push on this front. My view is that an organisation like North Star should not only look after the residents and properties we currently have to the highest standard we can, but that we should also increase the number of houses we have available for future tenants.

In many ways, my rural background has never left me. I was brought up on a Council tenant farm and still maintain links back to the farming community. This instilled a strong work ethic, which has stood me in good stead throughout my career. One of my main hobbies is driving my vintage tractor – a Massey Ferguson 135 – just like the one I learnt to drive on all those years ago. I go on tractor runs in spring and early summer and display it at country shows from time to time.

My other pastime is at the opposite end of the speed spectrum – I am a Formula 1 fan. There is something about pushing the limits of engineering that keeps me attracted to this sport. I’ve managed to go to a couple of Grand Prix in my time, but I’d certainly like to do a few more.

Since retiring, I have taken up opportunities in the voluntary sector in Richmond. I have been involved in the Refugee Support Group, helping to integrate 30 Afghan families living on Catterick Garrison into the community. All the families are here because of the work they did with the UK and US armies whilst they served in Afghanistan. These individuals and their immediate families would have been in grave danger from the Taliban if they had been left in their country. The support has been varied and incredibly rewarding, and has involved building connections to other organisations and helping families as they adjust to life in the UK.

I am also the Director of Richmond Yorkshire Community Interest Company. The organisation is based in Richmond and run by Richmond residents as a not-for-profit social enterprise. It is delivering projects which support economic growth, promote community cohesion and provide a positive experience for our community and visitors. To date, we have run a project called Amazing Neighbours where members of the public could nominate someone for doing good deeds in the community. The winner was rewarded with a £100 shopping voucher. We have also organised the refurbishment of historic railings around the cenotaph, as well as bringing back to life a redundant telephone box to use as an information centre. We recently launched a passport scheme for the Coast to Coast walk, which is now a national trail and has Richmond at its halfway point. The funds raised from this project will be reinvested back into the local community. More projects are in the pipeline. All of the Directors give their time free of charge to support the various initiatives.