Experts in planning for complex large scale projects

Supporting local partners to deliver great places through the town planning system

Areas of Expertise

Planning and delivering large scale growth initiatives, strategic projects and other important sites or regeneration programs is a complex process that requires a unique blend of skills, dedication and a proactive approach.

We provide a personal and dedicated service to meet client requirements and will select the right team to address issues and challenges in a flexible way. Our approach, based upon close collaborative working addresses needs whilst also developing the capability and capacity of the people we work with.

Our team of town planning consultants provide a wide range of planning and delivery services to both public and private sector clients to support them through the process.

town planning consultants

We have a particularly strong understanding and considerable experience of supporting Local Authorities in the planning process, working with Officers, Members and local communities to consider and evolve locally appropriate approaches.

We will operate in a flexible and responsive manner to respond to clients needs and can provide advice and support across a broad range of activity.

What we can provide

Strategy & Project Management Support

  • Critical friend advice. Acting as key critical friend/advisor to clients relating to large scale growth matters, both at area wide and site-specific scales.

  • Project & Programme Management. Expert & focused support to manage and ensure delivery of specific projects/programmes. This includes the provision of direct resources to address skills/resource gaps across both the public & private sectors on large scale / complex projects/sites/management and procurement of consultants on behalf of clients;

  • Brokerage & negotiation. Acting in an impartial capacity to help resolve issues/disagreements between project partners.

  • Stakeholder & community engagement. Delivering, coordinating engagement processes, including preparation of strategies, facilitating/leading consultation/engagement processes, preparing consultation materials (including web based) and drawing together outcomes into report/strategies.

Planning Support

  • Project specific planning strategies. Consideration & advice relating to taking projects through the planning system, from policy, development management and into delivery.

  • Policy development & evidence base services. Support to prepare suitable evidence bases relating to large scale sites coming forward through Local Plan making processes, including advice on site allocations/broad locations, green belt issues, deliverability, viability, infrastructure requirements, trajectories & build rates, etc.

  • Planning application support. Coordination & management of pre-application discussions between applicants and local authorities, including preparation & management of Planning Performance Agreements. This could also include the direct coordination of large-scale applications including preparation of specific documents (such as planning statements, socio economic assessments and other studies). We can also provide quasi case officer type support to manage and coordinate determination of submitted planning applications.

  • Applying appropriate planning tools and mechanisms. Support to utilise new planning tools effectively, such as thinking through the best approaches to aspects such as pre-application engagement and use of Planning Performance Agreements, outline planning, Local Development Orders, etc.

  • Stakeholder & community engagement. Delivering, coordinating engagement processes related to the evolution of specific projects and programmes.

Masterplanning & Placemaking

  • A collaborative approach to placemaking.  Helping clients to realise quality design outcomes for their garden communities and high streets, through exploiting the overlap between design and planning, a genuine commitment to people and consensus building, best practice advice, all supported by our track record of design delivery and funding.

  • Vision, concepts and objectives – working closely with clients and their partners to put together genuinely distinctive vision statements and supporting objectives, and enshrining them in local policies, charters and prospectuses.

  • Urban design frameworks, placemaking studies and masterplans. Preparing comprehensive area-based design frameworks for garden communities, large scale residential led opportunities and high streets.

  • Design codes, guides and charters. Promoting the delivery of concepts and masterplans though the collaborative development of guidance and SPDs in the context of the latest government guidance and planning tools.

  • An inclusive design process. Often collaborating with other designers, including – design review, workshops, ‘critical friend’ support and training.

  • Securing high quality design of place. Overall, promoting a holistic approach to place making, based on the creation of sustainable communities, and ensuring that planning tools are deployed effectively to secure quality outcomes.

Delivery

  • Viability advice. Preparation and brokerage relating to site specific viability assessments, using bespoke tools such as the Garden City/Large Site Model (GCLS).

  • Delivery strategies & advice. Preparation of delivery strategies considering approaches to planning, funding and provision of infrastructure. This includes considerations of approaches to land, funding, governance and delivery models.

  • Growth & infrastructure studies & strategies. Preparation of area wide and site-specific growth and infrastructure strategies.

  • Funding support & bid preparation. Supporting Local Authorities to bid for funding support in response to opportunities, such as preparation of bids for infrastructure funding and capacity support.

  • Delivery models & governance. Advising on potential models and mechansims, for example the potential use of Locally Led Development Corporations.

Why Choose Us

  • Fully responsive to client needs

  • Positive approach working with you to deliver results

  • Trusted and highly respected in the sector

  • Unrivalled knowledge & experience

  • Flexible and adaptable to provide a bespoke service.