Where we work
Town Planning
Our Town Planning specialists quickly become part of your team, providing the right support, exactly when and where you need it. Whether you need cover for vacancies, extra capability for major projects or flexible resource to manage peaks in workload, we provide experienced RTPI-qualified planners for as long as you need them. Our support helps strengthen service resilience, maintain statutory performance and keep projects moving in a sector facing long-term skills shortages and increasing regulatory complexity.
Our experts integrate naturally with your team from day one, bringing dependable technical expertise, continuity and confidence across your planning function. We work alongside your team to help maintain momentum, manage demand and meet statutory commitments with confidence. Our planners provide consistent productivity and technical quality from day-one across Development Management, Planning Policy and specialist planning functions.
Our planners are employed and supported by us, that means we handle employment administration, ongoing development and day-to-day support behind the scenes. You’ll get high-quality planning expertise embedded fast, with less pressure on your team.
We’re committed to sustainable development, ensuring a positive impact for generations to come and our people are here to help you deliver well-designed places that work for local communities.
What we do
Development Management
- Validation, registration and statutory publicity
- Pre-application advice and casework management
- Planning appeals and expert witness support
- PPAs, enforcement and senior DM leadership
Planning Policy
- Local Plan preparation, review and consultation
- Supplementary Plans, IDPs and neighbourhood planning
- Evidence-based documents, topic papers and engagement
- Examination in Public support and senior policy leadership
Specialist Planning
- Minerals and Waste
- Conservation and Heritage
- Section 106 and development contributions
Consultancy
- Planning application submissions
- Policy reviews, site appraisals and evidence analysis
- Stakeholder engagement
- Land promotion, local plan strategy and appeals
Our secondment model
You get the right person for the job, and we handle the rest. This gives you:
Continuity and flexibility
Get the right skills in place quickly, then scale support up or down as your needs change, without a long recruitment process or lengthy onboarding.
Rapid response and project support
Our experts are used to working within council systems, governance and political environments, as well as fast-paced private-sector teams, so they’ll settle in quickly and support delivery from the start.
Technical quality backed by CPD
Every planner is backed by a dedicated Waterman Aspen manager and supported through structured CPD, mentoring and senior assurance, helping maintain consistent quality throughout the secondment.
Cost certainty
Whether you need support for a few weeks, months or longer, there are no long-term commitments, and our pricing is transparent and framework-benchmarked.
Assured governance and compliant mobilisation
Clear quality assurance, service levels and escalation routes support consistent performance, while multiple public sector procurement routes enable fast, compliant mobilisation.
Who we work with
We support public and private sector organisations, including County Councils, District, Borough and City Councils, Unitary and Combined Authorities, and private sector planning consultancies.
Training & development
Our Town Planners are members of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) or are working towards chartered status through structured professional development. Backed by ongoing CPD, mentoring and support, they bring current, high-quality planning expertise from day one. Our commitment to continuous professional development helps ensure clients receive technically current, reform-ready planning support aligned to national and local policy expectations.
Key contact
Jonny Pennick is a Chartered Town Planner with over 20 years’ experience across the public and private sectors. He works closely with clients and our Town Planning team to provide practical support, technical leadership and confidence in delivery.
Project examples
Here’s a snapshot of just a few of the projects our people are involved in.
District Integrated Transport Strategies
Our colleagues took the lead on writing District Integrated Transport Strategies for all of the District/Borough Councils in Staffordshire to support their Local Plans.
The strategies will align with the Local Transport Plan which is currently being prepared in Staffordshire and will aim to support the priorities outlined in the district/borough local plans. The strategies will become a key document in helping to secure funding for projects and developer contributions for transport infrastructure.
Each of the strategies are prepared working closely with key stakeholders and local planning authorities before they are finalised.
Section 106 and Local Plan consultations
Whilst at Warwickshire County Council, our secondee took the lead on reviewing the existing S106 Planning Obligations policies and providing recommendations as to whether they are fit for purpose.
Another key part of the role was to respond to key consultations on behalf of the council from neighbouring planning authorities. This work included providing comments on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Planning applications.
The Engineer Exchange: Planning for Happier & Healthier UK Cities
Watch the latest episode of The Engineer Exchange, where we’re joined by Anna Rose, Eva Neale and Vince Mandeir. They share their expertise on Planning and Transport across projects in the UK. How do Planners manage access to blue and green infrastructure? What does accessibility really mean, and which UK cities are ahead of the game?
Management team
Our leadership team drive the development of our business and propel us towards the future. Click here to meet our managers.
Careers
We are looking for talented individuals who want a career that is both challenging and fulfils their ambitions. From those just starting their careers, to senior professionals, from a broad range of engineering and construction backgrounds.
Click here to register your CV and to find out more.
Our clients & partners
