Seven Dials Covent Garden is a unique quarter of London whose star-shaped layout remains as constructed in the early 1690s. It was brought back to life largely through the dedication of the Seven Dials Trust, working in partnership with the local authorities and landowners for nearly forty years.

Robert Ayton worked as an urban design and conservation officer with Westminster City Council from 1986 to 2021. He was Head of Design and Conservation in the central area of Westminster for nearly 30 years, dealing with development proposals in the West End, including Mayfair, Soho and East and West Marylebone. In 2021 he joined Donald Insall Associates as a senior historic building advisor.

Working with Westminster’s planning department Robert was responsible for negotiating many large and complex schemes including the Crown Estate’s regeneration of Regent Street and the BBC’s redevelopment of Broadcasting House. He also worked on a number of high profile listed buildings for many years, most notably the Royal Academy of Arts, Burlington House. He has considerable experience of public inquiries, being Westminster’s expert witness at several tall building inquiries and, most recently, the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. He has considerable experience of World Heritage Site issues and was a long-standing member of the Westminster WHS Steering Group.

He is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.