Planning Consultancy
Expert-Led Planning Services for Complex Developments
Strategic Planning for Complex Projects
At Arthian, our expert Planning Consultancy team deliver strategic, resilient, and outcome-driven planning advice and solutions tailored to complex infrastructure and multidisciplinary developments. Whether you’re advancing a renewable energy project or a large-scale commercial, industrial, leisure, or residential scheme, we offer comprehensive support across the entire project lifecycle — from initial feasibility for both large and small scale projects we can provide a planning strategy through to determination, construction, and successful delivery.
Integrated, Multidisciplinary Planning Expertise
Our Chartered Planners bring wide-ranging experience in securing consents for technically challenging projects across the UK and Ireland. With a multi-disciplinary approach, we lead and coordinate engineering, environmental, and commercial insights to unlock development potential and guide your project through all aspects of the planning process.
Site Finding & Feasibility
We help identify viable development sites aligned with your goals, assessing zoning, access, environmental constraints, sustainability, and policy context. Our feasibility reviews consider planning and environmental risks early in the project lifecycle, offering informed go/no-go decisions that safeguard investment and influence project strategy.
Planning Applications
We manage the full suite of planning applications — such as residential, leisure, renewables, commercial and industrial, as well as nationally significant infrastructure.
Our planners liaise directly with Local Planning Authorities, government agencies, consultees, and community interest groups and key stakeholders to streamline submissions, address issues early, and deliver high-quality, policy-compliant proposals that stand up to scrutiny.
Planning Reports & Documentation
We produce robust and persuasive planning documents including:
- Planning Statements
- Design & Access Statements
- Pre-Application Consultation Reports and Statements of Community Involvement
- Sequential & Exception Tests
- Statement of Community Involvement
- Sustainability Statements
- Green & Grey Belt Assessments
All documents are carefully coordinated with inputs from environmental and technical specialists, architects and engineers to ensure regulatory compliance and demonstrate the merits of the proposal.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
Our Planning Consultancy specialists provide full coordination and management of the EIA process for Schedule 1 and 2 projects. We assess environmental risks early, lead the screening and scoping process, and prepare comprehensive Environmental Statements that support informed decision-making and sustainable project design.
Development Plan Representations
We represent clients during Local Plan consultations, ensuring clients’ interests are considered in spatial strategies and policy frameworks. With decades of experience, we deliver clear, evidence-based representations that influence emerging policy and promote future development potential.
Community Consultation (Online & In-Person)
We design and deliver tailored public consultation strategies to build support and address community concerns. Online engagement includes interactive platforms, webinars, surveys and feedback portals, while an in-person consultation includes public exhibitions, stakeholder interviews and site visits.
Our planners ensure feedback is captured and considered as part of the emerging design.
Planning for Renewable Energy Projects
At Arthian, we provide expert planning consultancy for renewable energy developments, helping clients navigate complex regulations and secure planning consent for projects that support a sustainable future. From solar farms to battery energy storage systems (BESS), our team ensures compliance, efficiency, and success at every stage.
Our Renewable Planning Services:
- Solar Farm Planning: site selection, feasibility studies, and planning applications for solar energy projects, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA).
- Wind Farm Planning: comprehensive planning support for onshore wind developments, addressing environmental, technical, and community considerations.
- Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): expert guidance on planning applications for energy storage infrastructure, including site feasibility and regulatory compliance.
- Environmental Impact Assessments: full EIA coordination for renewable projects to meet statutory requirements and minimize environmental risks.
Planning for Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are essential to a flexible, low‑carbon energy system, and Arthian provides specialist planning consultancy to help clients secure consents for stand‑alone and co‑located storage projects across the UK and Ireland. Our team delivers strategic, technically robust support from early site feasibility through to planning applications, EIA, design mitigation and stakeholder engagement — ensuring every BESS scheme is well‑justified, policy‑aligned and resilient to evolving regulatory, environmental and community expectations. Our services include:
- Site feasibility — Policy, grid, access, land use, flood risk and environmental constraints.
- Planning strategy — Consenting route, information needs and authority expectations.
- Planning applications — Full coordination for stand‑alone or co‑located BESS.
- Technical inputs — Noise, air quality, ecology, hydrology, transport and landscape.
- EIA support — Screening, scoping and cumulative impact management.
- Design & mitigation — Layout, access, fencing, landscaping and impact reduction.
- Planning documentation — Planning statements, technical reports and ES coordination.
- Stakeholder engagement — Consultation, issue resolution and community statements.
- Renewables expertise — Integrated experience across solar, wind and storage.
Planning for Solar Farms
Solar farms play a critical role in delivering affordable, low‑carbon energy, and Arthian provides specialist planning consultancy to help clients secure consents for ground‑mounted solar developments across the UK and Ireland. We support projects from early feasibility through to full planning applications, environmental assessment, design mitigation and stakeholder engagement — ensuring every scheme is policy‑aligned, technically robust and sensitively integrated into its landscape and community context.
Our services include:
- Site feasibility — Policy, grid, access, land use, landscape sensitivity and environmental constraints.
- Planning strategy — Consenting route, information requirements and authority expectations.
- Planning applications — Full coordination for solar‑only or co‑located solar + BESS schemes.
- Technical inputs — Glint & glare, ecology, hydrology, transport, heritage and landscape.
- EIA support — Screening, scoping and cumulative impact management.
- Design & mitigation — Layout, access, fencing, landscaping and visual impact reduction.
- Planning documentation — Planning statements, technical reports and Environmental Statements.
- Stakeholder engagement — Consultation, issue resolution and community statements.
- Renewables expertise — Deep experience across solar, wind and storage.
Planning for Wind Farms
Onshore wind remains one of the most efficient and scalable sources of renewable energy, and Arthian provides specialist planning consultancy to help clients navigate the complex consenting landscape for single turbines through to large‑scale wind farms. We support projects from early feasibility and constraints analysis through to planning applications, EIA, design mitigation and stakeholder engagement — ensuring every scheme is policy‑aligned, technically robust and sensitively integrated into its landscape, community and environmental context.
Services include:
- Site feasibility — Wind resource, policy, access, grid, landscape sensitivity and environmental constraints.
- Planning strategy — Consenting route, information requirements and authority expectations.
- Planning applications — Full coordination for single turbines or multi‑turbine wind farms.
- Technical inputs — Noise, shadow flicker, ecology, hydrology, transport, aviation and landscape.
- EIA support — Screening, scoping and cumulative impact management.
- Design & mitigation — Turbine layout, access, cabling, landscaping and visual impact reduction.
- Planning documentation — Planning statements, technical reports and Environmental Statements.
- Stakeholder engagement — Consultation, issue resolution and community statements.
- Renewables expertise — Integrated experience across wind, solar and storage.
Our Understanding
Deep understanding of planning, infrastructure, and environmental interfaces.
Our Experience
National experience with regional insight and regulatory familiarity.
Integration
Fully integrated with geotechnical, hydrological, and ecological disciplines.
Results Driven
Commitment to technical rigour, clear communication, and long-term outcomes.
Our Latest Projects
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a planning consultancy do?
A planning consultancy provides expert advice and support to help developers, businesses, and landowners secure planning permission for projects. This includes feasibility studies, planning applications, and compliance with local and national regulations.
How long does the planning process take?
Timelines vary depending on project complexity and local authority requirements. We work proactively to minimize delays and keep your project on track.
Why do I need planning consultancy for my project?
Planning regulations can be complex and vary by location. A consultancy ensures your application meets all requirements, reducing delays and increasing the likelihood of approval.
Do you handle both commercial and residential projects?
Yes, we provide planning consultancy for a wide range of developments, including commercial, residential, mixed-use, and infrastructure projects.
Can you help with renewable energy planning?
Absolutely. We specialise in planning for solar farms, wind farms, and battery energy storage systems (BESS), including Environmental Impact Assessments.
What is a feasibility study in planning?
A feasibility study assesses whether a site is suitable for development, considering factors like planning policy, environmental constraints, and infrastructure availability.
Get in Touch
We’d love to hear from you – whether you have a question, a project in mind, want to explore job opportunities, or just want to say hello.