Feasibility studies are undertaken in the very early stage of a project, providing the necessary background information to inform your new proposal. They tend to be carried out when a project is large or complex, or where there is some doubt or controversy regarding the proposed development. At this stage, we assess relevant planning policies so that we can help you to pursue schemes which will have a good chance of success. If an environmental impact assessment (EIA) is required, the assessments required for this are best undertaken as part of the feasibility study.

Planning is problem solving. It starts with a vision to improve our communities balanced with a promise to treat our land responsibly. To create careful and thoughtful options for right now as well as for the future, we take into account site conditions, public input, client needs, and project requirements, promoting more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources.

Planning applications have to be decided in line with the relevant local planning authority’s (LPA) development plan. Through the development plan, we support local authorities and councils in identifying the best locations for new homes, businesses and infrastructure while also protecting places of value to communities or wildlife. The plan incorporates the Local Development Framework for the area and any ‘saved policies’ carried over from the LPA’s local plan.

Planning applications have to be decided in line with the relevant Local Planning Authority’s development plan. Our consultant’s involvement can range from taking a planning application all the way through from inception to determination and delivery, or we can provide independent bespoke advice and expertise on single issues to help guide the decision-making process for our clients. We provide a wide range of advice on all matters concerned with planning, development and environmental issues which surround a development project. We provide cost effective advice and ensure that the planning process and the project runs smoothly.

It is our detailed knowledge of the sports sector that gives our clients access to focused and commercially-informed advice to inform their strategy. Our in-depth understanding of the sector helps smooth the way to securing planning approvals for sports stadia, global sports events and major leisure facilities.

Working with sports organisations (including football, rugby and cricket clubs) alongside leisure operators, we help to create a working brief; liaise with architects and engineers on design; coordinate with local authorities and communities; lead the planning process; and secure approvals.

We specialise in masterplanning development sites, fixed tournaments and temporary or ‘overlay’ opportunities.  We consider a masterplan to be an overarching planning document and spatial layout which is used to structure land use and development opportunities, usually either at a strategic scale or a project scale. It could range from articulating a long-term nationally, regionally or locally significant development aspiration over a 10 /15/ 20-year timescale, to an illustrative site specific project plan.

A typical masterplanning process would include a minimum preparation stage, where the brief for the masterplan is developed and the baseline analysis is conducted, through to the design stage moving from strategic land use arrangements to a concept design.

Because it is a legal requirement within the planning process, public consultation on larger development schemes is integral to the whole pre-application process. If handled well, it will contribute to the quality of the outcome for everyone involved. Each stage of the consultation will take place within given timescales and our consultants deliver and maintain a strong working relationship with the relevant local authority planning officials to ensure your projects move throught the process successfully.

Challenging planning decisions via the appeals process can be complex, and our expert team will enable you to make an informed decision by highlighting the potential risks and put together a bespoke appeal strategy tailored precisely to your specific requirements. By guiding you through a comprehensive overview of the most appropriate appeal routes, as well as the likely costs and timeframes involved, we will set out the steps you can take to increase your chances of successfully overturning decisions.

We specialise in providing site appraisals to help identify the development potential of land. Our team has market-leading experience to help provide an accurate picture of whether a site can achieve planning permission, indicating the type and quantity of development that we believe can be secured, how best to achieve this and the likely timescale. The delivery of comprehensive strategies detail not only the site’s planning history, its physical characteristics and environmental constraints but also the planning context in terms of site designations and relevant local, district and national planning policies. They provide detailed and robust conclusions and actionable recommendations to generate best value for the site.

Our planners, working alongside SuDS engineers and landscape architects can deliver retrofit SuDS solutions, or grey to green solutions in town centres, which will enhance the biodiversity and amenity value of the area, making the town centre a much more attractive place to visit and live, with the added benefit of a reduction in potential flooding.