Planning in the UK and Ireland
With over fifty years' experience in interpreting local and national planning policies, we have deep expertise throughout the entire planning life-cycle. As one of the largest planning consultancies in the UK and Ireland, we work collaboratively with our clients from our network of regional offices to provide workable solutions to complex issues.
Our planning expertise
Making it easy for clients to navigate the planning process, our end-to-end expertise covers:
Development planning - delivering permissions and approvals for projects across all sectors of development.
Strategic planning - placing our client's future projects in the development plan for an area or region to be delivered during the next 10,15 or 20 years.
Our planning expertise is supported by our in-house environmental, transport and heritage specialists to provide a comprehensive planning and environmental consultancy service.
Development planning
- Assessment of prospects of obtaining planning permission; timing and cost.
- Non-Statutory and Statutory pre-application Consultation
- Lawful and Permitted Development
- Planning permissions, Conservation Area Consent and Listed Building Consent
- Development Consent Orders and Developments of National Significance
- Energy and Waste Planning
- Advertisement Consent
- Management of the planning application team
- Retail Impact Assessment
- Environmental Impact Assessments and Statements
- Negotiation of planning conditions and section 106 agreements
- CIL advice
- Discharge of planning conditions, variation of conditions and extensions of time
- Planning Appeals – Written Representations, Hearings and Inquiries
- Instructions to Counsel
- Judicial Review
- Hazardous Substances Consent
- Compensation claims - Certificates of Appropriate Alternative Development
- Compulsory purchase related to “no scheme” development scenarios
Strategic planning
- Development potential appraisal
- Managing technical assessments
- Housing needs assessment
- Housing market intelligence
- Housing land supply assessment
- Housing delivery testing
- Employment land need and supply analysis
- Sustainability Appraisals
- Strategic site promotion
- Strategic site searches
- Viability assessments
- Candidate site submission
- Site promotion brochures
- Local Plan Hearing Statements
- Expert Witness attendance at examinations
- Development plan monitoring
Ask an expert
Changes to the planning system in England
On the 6th August 2020 the Government published the long-awaited White Paper on their proposed "radical" changes to the planning system in England.
Contact your local planning team
Darren Parker
Operational Director - Planning (UK South West and Wales) +44 (0)29 2066 8662 EMAIL
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Katherine Putnam
Associate Director - Planning (UK North) +44 161 786 8550 EMAIL
Karen Jones
Operational Director - Planning (London) +44 (0) 20 7280 3300 EMAIL
Leah Kenny
Director - Planning (Republic of Ireland) +353 (0)1 488 2900 EMAIL
Leading minds
Insights-
Amendments to the 'Use Classes Order' explained
Read articleOn the 1st September 2020 amendments to the planning Use Classes Order will come into effect throughout England. Jonathan Waugh, Associate Director in our London planning team, explains the changes, opportunities, restrictions and unintended consequences this may bring.
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Planning for the future - Standard Method Mk2 – Has the Government finally cracked it?
Read articleAs part of the review of the Government’s standard method we have been presented with a new formula which, on the face of things, looks to be a vast improvement on its older brother from the 2018 Framework. England now actually has a national housing target which could deliver on the aims of 300,000 homes a year – however the success will be very much determined by how issues such as cross-boundary need and the Green Belt are dealt with. The method isn’t without its flaws and, as explored by Cameron Austin-Fell below, there are some refinements which would greatly benefit a fair and balanced plan for growth.
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Planning for a ‘Beautiful and Sustainable’ future
Read articleOn the 6th August 2020, the Government issued its long-awaited White Paper for consultation on its planned future reforms of the planning system; the aim being to streamline and modernise the planning process, bring a new focus to design and sustainability, improve the system of developer contributions to infrastructure and ensure more land is available for development where it is needed. In this article I will concentrate on the third out of five proposals for reform - to bring a new focus on design and sustainability.
Related services
Strategic site promotion
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Masterplanning
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Environmental Impact Assessment
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Archaeology and heritage
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Environmental services
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Urban design
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Landscape architecture
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Architecture
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Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) and Explosive Remnants of War (ERW)
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Project management
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Residential sector
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Property sector
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Transport sector
Find out more »Project experience
Parc Busnes Porth Cymru
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Planning permission secured for a mixed-use development in Lower Howsell, Malvern
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An outline planning application for up to 370 houses on Wonastow Road
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Golden Valley Mill
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Symmetry Park, Swindon
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Irish Scottish Links on Energy Study (ISLES)
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A1 Junctions Phase 2
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Planning and heritage advice for a new building at Kensington Palace
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Langley Park Hotel
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Shard Place
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Renescience Northwich
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Race Bank offshore wind farm
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Moy wind farm
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Heathland Wind Farm
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Greenwich Peninsula
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Fosse Shopping Park
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Ashchurch Factory Outlet Centre
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