What we do and how we help you get consents
What we do and how we help you get consents - a short overview
We are a partnership of current and former senior politicians — Members of Parliament, a Deputy Mayor of London, Leaders and Deputy Leaders of Councils, Leaders of Opposition Groups and other senior Councillors. We were the people who made decisions about your planning applications.
We use this unrivalled experience and perspective to help you. Between us we have accumulated about 470 years worth of first-hand political experience in the built environment and are ideally placed to open dialogue to gain permissions.
We Do 3 Things:
We open up meaningful dialogue with politicians and the public;
We conduct meaningful consultation that wins over local communities and politicians;
Our “Planning Dyno Rod’ service unblocks planning matters stuck in the system.
Empower YIMBYS
People are more likely to complain than to praise. We build positive relationships in the community so they act as third-party community advocates for the development, creating genuine community champions. One positive, independent local voice can often outweigh a chorus of critics.
Navigation The Planning Committee
The new Government will soon require that planning committee councillors undertake some accredited training but ultimately, they will aim to do the “will of the people’ and you need to ensure that you present your application in such a way that the Councillors believe you when you say it is a good thing for their communities.
Get Ahead Of The Rest
From the New Towns initiative to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, our network of contacts can reach into party, government and council networks to find out what is going on before it hits the headlines.
Planning Dyno Rod
Has the officer not responded in months? All was fine at the pre-app and now a delegated refusal is being threatened. You want to do something, if only someone would talk to you! We know how Local Government operates, how the gears of government move. We can get things going.
Our Unique Approach
With our expert knowledge and understanding of the planning system, Local, Regional and National Government we have an unparalleled service to aid you in every aspect of preparing and gaining planning consent.
Genuine Local Understanding
We draw on our network of contacts to conduct a political and community assessment to fully inform you of the potential community “wins” and to prepare to rebut potential objections.
Positive Messaging
We work with you to shape a compelling message, highlighting what the community genuinely wants. We make sure every penny of your S106 and CiL works for you and that we broadcast the positive benefits from traffic measures to flood mitigation and BNG.
Simplicity
We all remember the EU referendum message- £350 million per week for the NHS on the side of the bus...A clear, memorable message resonates more powerfully than any technically perfect one. Most residents simply want to know how a development will affect them. We craft accessible narratives that foster support and reduce confusion.
Break The News
If you dont break the news and broadcast positive messages about your development, no-one else will. Don't think no-one will notice. More often than not it will be someone determined to stop you. If you set a positive agenda from the start, you stop the rumours and “alternative facts’.
Who Is Your Target Audience
Do you want to try and placate the settled older people whose children have left home and dont want to see any change or do you want to get the younger people with kids? Do you want to get the Councillors on side? Are they Conservative, LibDem, Labour, Green? As seasoned politicians, we know how to reach the whole community.
Educate Your Audience
Planning is a specialist field with councillors and a general public who on the whole simply dont follow every detail. They will often have a negative understanding from what they read in the press. We need to educate the councillors and public from scratch. That is when you start gaining traction.
How Do You Reach Your Target Audience?
Paper newsletters still have their place, but we also use dedicated websites, social media, and interactive online platforms to reach audiences at their convenience. By meeting people where they are—Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, or local newsletters—we gather timely inout and generate meaningful engagement.
Utilising Technology
You need to make tech work for you. Your website needs to be an interactive online platform that sparks conversations with the public in the comfort of their own homes at a time that suits them. You need to make it user friendly and easy to understand. The reality is that you probably have as little as 10 seconds to capture the attention of ordinary people. Increasingly “reels” are what catch the eye and drive traffic to your online platform. Our expert inhouse team is the market leader on this.
But every project is bespoke.
Find out what we can offer to your project by getting in touch.