Welcome To The Planning Group Ltd

As fully qualified planners with a wealth of experience under our belts, we are here to help you to negotiate your way through the planning system and offer you an honest and realistic opinion of how best to proceed with your planning or business issue.

After a long search for a Planning Consultant to head up a potentially contentious application which would only be approved in exceptional circumstances we were introduced to The Planning Group almost two years ago by recommendation from our Architect Ewan Dryburgh from EDA of Shrewsbury.

That recommendation clearly was one that we greatly appreciate with the recent planning success achieved.

I cannot recommend highly enough the professional and knowledgeable way that The Planning Group headed up by Martin and his expert team went about this over a two-year period.

Right from the pre application stage through to conclusion the professional sparing with the officers was most impressive, each Council action was met with a better counter action which greatly helped the Planning Committee reach a majority vote in our favour against the officers recommendation for refusal.

We cannot recommend Martin, Dave and Grahame and the whole of The Planning Group team highly enough.

They are very impressive.

John and Jack Gwilliam

I’ve worked with Martin and the team for over 10 years at this point, and can’t say enough about how great they are – The Planning Group Limited go the extra mile to provide an excellent planning application service. We’ve worked together on over 30 retrospective planning applications over the years, during which time 100% have succeeded. Their partnership has been instrumental in not only speeding up our building projects significantly, but ensuring the process is pain free. Thank you to Martin and the team for all of your hard work.

Stuart Rathbone,  BigBox UK.

“I have now worked with The Planning Group on several projects. Each project we have obtained the desired planning approvals and proceeded with the project to completion. These have included two sites requiring change of use, demolition and new build day nurseries. There has always been a clear path set out, making the process seem more manageable in stages. I am looking forward to working with The Planning Group in the near future on our next project. I have no hesitation in recommending them….”

Shane Beauchamp, Director, Woodberry Day Nurseries 

We can represent your interests regarding planning applications or objections, appeals, inquiries and commercial development and provide an all-important buffer between you, the Council and stakeholders.

If you have already built and are required to submit a retrospective application or are subject to enforcement action, we can help take the pressure off. We can also advise if a Council appears to be delaying or acting improperly and intervene as your agent on your behalf.  Our knowledge of Council processes, legal time frames and policy interpretation gives us a distinct advantage.

In our sister role as Development Consultants/Land Promotors, we can advise you on land acquisition, HMO development/expansion, hot food takeaway regulations, leases and legal agreements such as easements and exclusivity agreements.  The UK planning system is subject to regular change that often mirrors current economic and environmental issues – such as change of use to high street shops or expanding permitted development rights and up to date knowledge is a crucial element to planning negotiations.

The impact of planning policies and decisions influence most aspects of our lives, whether it be large developments such as new housing development, retail parks, business parks, industrial estates, schools, leisure facilities or a more modest household extension, outbuilding or change of use.  The National Planning Policy Framework sets out the Government’s directive within which local planning policies are produced and subsequent decisions are made, mainly by the Council, but also on appeal.

Planning is a subjective and emotive matter, whether you are in support of or opposed to a development. Nothing causes more upset – to neighbours or local communities – than a poorly handled planning application.  As a warning, if anybody says they can guarantee that your proposals will be successful, be wary!  However, what we guarantee is that we will endeavour to obtain a successful result by presenting as strong a case as possible in the best possible manner.