THE chairman of Halcrow, the planning, design and management services giant that has an office in London Road, Worcester, is retiring.

Tony Allum has announced that he is to leave the company at the end of June.Taking his place is Tony Pryor.

Peter Gammie, Halcrow chief executive, said of the change: After so many years with the business - he joined us in 1988 - Mr Allum will be missed by many people. He's played a major part in guiding us to national and international success. He's also been hugely successful in representing not only Halcrow but the British consulting engineering industry as a whole.

He said that Mr Allum's successor, Mr Pryor, has unparalleled experience in the defence industry and is widely recognised in many different sectors as a strong leader with outstanding technical capabilities.

Mr Allum leaves the business after nine years on group board, nearly five of which were as chairman. During this time at Halcrow, he helped to develop new markets outside of the UK.

He has had a substantial role in raising the company's profile and the Halcrow brand is now recognised globally. The company has offices in more than 30 countries.