Our experience includes strategic land; greenfield and brownfield projects in urban and rural locations; and covers most industrial sectors and detailed aspects of the planning system.

Mixed Use - Specific experience of promoting the allocation in development plans of major mixed use urban expansion areas and advising jointly with multi-discipline teams. This includes influencing the masterplanning process by awareness of strategic planning guidance; research of market demand for specific land uses; and transport and utility infrastructure requirements.

Residential - Major housing land release requires a clearly formulated planning strategy often involving masterplanning and achieving a local plan allocations. We have also managed planning applications for individual housing sites requiring negotiation of density, affordable housing, acoustic, transport and other design criteria. 

Retail/Leisure - Experience covers major shopping investments, retail and leisure park developments and conversion of individual premises. This includes achieving planning consent to extend a major city centre shopping centre, approval to build an out of town leisure park and advice to a Scottish Council responding to cumulative retail impact on its city centre.

Business/Industrial - Advice has included promotion of healthcare and incinerator proposals, a cattle auction mart, detailed aspects of business park development and the supply of employment land.

Environmental - We have advised on specific planning requirements for major mineral extraction (notably the Airfield Farm opencast coal mine proposal in Midlothian), renewable energy projects and waste treatment. This includes Environmental Assessment and working closely with technical experts in related fields.

Heritage - When development proposals affect listed buildings, scheduled monuments, conservation areas, sensitive habitats or protected landscape, special planning justification is required. We advise alongside relevant specialists. Examples include achieving planning consent for a rural centre on a green field site allowing for SSSI and SCA designations, and listed building consent for sensitive conversion or replacement of listed buildings.

Specific planning issues - These include changes of use and certificates of lawfulness; responding to enforcement and compulsory purchase action; and achieving approval of advertisement, listed building and conservation area consent applications.

Details of project experience can be provided on request.