Town planning and consultancy

WSP’s town planning and planning consultancy team provide their clients and partners in both the public and private sector with clear and pragmatic planning advice to support the viability of development and infrastructure.

We’ve been nominated for RTPI Planning Consultancy of the Year for ten years in a row

10 years

Chartered planners across our planning teams (2024)

243

UK offices enable us to support clients across the United Kingdom

36

Town planners play a critical role in ensuring the viability and quality of development, whatever the project: new homes, urban regeneration or social infrastructure like hospitals, schools or universities.

Doug Hann Service Line Director, Planning Consultancy

Doug Hann Service Line Director, Planning Consultancy

What is town planning and how do we help?

Town planners play a critical role in how we organise, design and make decisions about our towns and cities. They help ensure that positive social, economic and environmental outcomes are baked into infrastructure and development; and ensure that development – whether housing, leisure or commercial premises – is viable for private sector developers, local authorities or national agencies promoting them.

As part of a multi-disciplinary offer, we provide town planning advice to a wide-range of private and public sector clients. Our team works at the front-end of development to take projects through all stages of the planning process including feasibility, promotion of plans, application, assessments and appeals. We pride ourselves on having a client-focused approach and working collaboratively.

Working from 36 offices in all four corners of the UK, our work involves acting for developers, land owners, home builders, registered providers, financial institutions, strategic promoters, local authorities, retailers and operators. We can also represent local authorities as well as advising other partners and stakeholders, for example legal firms.

In the past five years we’ve grown our specialist planning expertise, which includes the acquisitions of GL Hearn, Capita Real Estate and Infrastructure Ltd, Wood Environment and Infrastructure (E&I) and Indigo Planning.

WSP led the successful planning application for Eden Project Morecambe | ^{_{Copyright: Grimshaw}}

Providing end-to-end expertise on development from advisory to delivery

Our town planners collaborate closely with our technical and design teams with subject matter experts always close at hand. This means that we can support clients on themes as varied as biodiversity net gain to nutrient neutrality, or sustainable urban drainage through to buildings standards.

With the evolution of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in England, National Planning Framework 4 in Scotland and National Development Framework in Wales, our clients always have access to planning and technical specialists to help them interpret and apply fast-evolving national and local policy and legislation.

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Featured projects

Eden Project Morecambe

Eden Project Morecambe plans to re-imagine Morecambe as a 21^st century seaside resort, with pavilions inspiring wonder and a connection with the natural world. The ambitious project aims to attract millions of visitors and realise economic benefits for the local community.

Luton Town Football Club

WSP has been crucial in guiding the complex schemes for a new football ground for Luton Town Football Club through the planning process. They have given clear, commercially aware advice and found creative solutions to the many issues that have arisen, particularly regarding the retail element of the schemes.

St. John's Hill, Clapham

This scheme involves the regeneration of a 1930s housing estate in Clapham, London, into an exemplary 21st century community. It includes over 500 new homes, over 400sqm of commercial space, a new community hub and 13,600sqm of landscaping and open space with a new central public square.

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Looking for infrastructure planning and consulting?

Our town planners collaborate with our infrastructure planning team, who provide the development consent orders and planning for major infrastructure projects.

With us you can… join our team of town planning professional

Whether you are an early career professional or an experienced chartered planner, we’re looking for people like you to join our team! A role with WSP allows you to work on exciting UK and international projects as well as accessing financial and mentoring support for your development, professional studies and chartership with the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Explore our vacancies