What DPP Planning does

DPP Planning is an independent UK planning consultancy headquartered in Cardiff, operating a network of five staffed offices in Cardiff, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle upon Tyne. Founded in 2012 and operating as a private limited company, the firm delivers planning solutions across England and Wales for property developers, local authorities and public sector bodies (including NHS trusts), housing associations, and institutional investors such as Legal & General Investment Management and English Cities Fund. Its service offering is organised around six modules: appraisals and feasibility studies, planning applications, community and political engagement, land and policy promotion, planning appeals and judicial reviews, and project management, applied across twelve sector specialisms ranging from urban living and student accommodation to healthcare, energy, industrial employment and affordable housing.

The firm generates revenue entirely through professional services fees on a project basis, with pricing not publicly disclosed and varying by project scope, complexity and client requirements. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales, leveraging repeat engagements with major institutional clients, national award submissions (RTPI and regional property press), and a case-study-driven website. Notable mandates include the £400m Aykley Heads business park for Durham County Council, the Salford Central Masterplan for English Cities Fund (17 of 23 plots secured), Oatly's first UK factory in Peterborough, the Howdens Joinery industrial expansion creating 350 jobs, and a 703-bed student accommodation scheme for Cassidy Group in Nottingham. The firm has no disclosed technology platform, AI capabilities, or digital product layer; its competitive position rests on planning expertise, multi-office geographic coverage, and a 35-50 person professional headcount that includes a Director bench recruited in part from WSP.

DPP holds ISO 9001 and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications and is leadership-stable under CEO Gareth Hooper, with internal succession demonstrated by the February 2025 promotion of Kayleigh Dixon (a 2012 joiner) to Director and multiple Senior/Principal Planner promotions. The company is independent and privately held with no disclosed external investment, parent company or funding rounds.

Name

DPP Planning

Legal name

DPP Planning

Website

https://dppukltd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DPP Planning is an independent UK planning consultancy operating from five offices in Cardiff, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle, delivering planning applications, appeals, feasibility and engagement services to property developers, local authorities, NHS bodies, housing associations and institutional investors across England and Wales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Urban Planning Consultancy

NAICS

All Other Business Support Services (561499)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Planning consultancy services
• Urban planning advice
• Development planning applications
• Planning appeals support
• Real estate development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Planning Consultancy Services: Professional planning consultancy fees for services including planning applications, appeals, feasibility studies, community engagement, and project management for development projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DPP Planning is an independent national planning consultancy delivering end-to-end planning services across the UK from five offices. The core offering comprises six service modules — appraisals and feasibility studies, planning applications, community and political engagement, land and policy promotion, planning appeals and judicial reviews, and project management — applied across twelve sector specialisms including residential, employment, health, education, energy, and affordable housing.

Product overview

DPP Planning is an independent national urban planning consultancy offering a unified service across English and Welsh planning legislation. The core offering consists of six integrated service modules: Appraisals and Feasibility Studies (planning audits and development strategies), Planning Applications (submission and negotiation with LPAs), Community and Political Engagement (consultation programmes), Land & Policy Promotion (securing favourable policies), Planning Appeals and Judicial Reviews (navigating refusals), and Project Management (end-to-end coordination). These services are delivered across twelve sector specialisms: Urban Living, Schools, Traditional Residential, Higher Education, Student Accommodation, Sports & Leisure, Employment – Offices, Energy, Employment – Industrial, Health, Retail & Town Centres, and Affordable Housing. The company operates from five offices (Cardiff, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle) providing national reach with local knowledge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Appraisals and Feasibility Studies Planning audits and development/disposal strategies to assess planning prospects for property purchasing or development, provided to clients evaluating sites.
• Planning Applications End-to-end planning application management including promotion through Local Planning Authority negotiation and preparation of required information to secure approval, for developers and public sector clients.
• Community and Political Engagement Strategies and programmes for community, stakeholder and political engagement throughout the planning process, supporting projects requiring consultation and buy-in.
• Land and Policy Promotion Securing favourable local authority policies and allocations to support proposed developments, for landowners and developers seeking policy outcomes.
• Planning Appeals and Judicial Reviews Navigation of the appeals process and judicial review applications when planning applications are refused, for clients needing to overturn planning decisions.
• Project Management Professional project management and coordination from start to finish, keeping projects on track and clients informed, for development project owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fourth consecutive year winning 'Best Project' at RTPI North East Awards
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Turley: UK-focused independent planning, design and economics consultancy. Most direct comparable to DPP — similar sector breadth (residential, commercial, healthcare, energy), similar client base of developers, L&G-class institutions, and public sector, and similar national office network. Direct head-to-head competitor for the same enterprise planning mandates.
• Lichfields: Independent UK planning, development economics and urban design consultancy. Closely comparable offering to DPP — planning applications, appeals, local plan promotion, and EIA — serving developers, housebuilders, retailers, public sector and energy clients across multiple UK regional offices.
• Quod Planning: Independent UK planning, development economics and project management consultancy. Closely comparable operating model to DPP — independent, multi-office, focused on planning applications, strategic land promotion, EIA and planning appeals for major developers and housebuilders.

Broad incumbents

• WSP UK Planning: Global multi-discipline professional services firm with a substantial UK planning and development advisory practice. Competes with DPP for the same developer and public-sector mandates but typically bundles planning with engineering, environmental and transport services. DPP's two senior Directors (David Smith, Helen Marks) were hired from WSP, illustrating direct talent and competitive overlap.
• AECOM UK Planning: Global infrastructure consultancy with a UK town planning practice serving developers, local authorities and institutional investors. Competes with DPP on large regeneration and infrastructure-linked planning mandates but as part of a much broader design, engineering and project management offering.
• Arup Planning & Urban Design: Global design, engineering and planning consultancy with a UK planning practice. Competes for major regeneration and masterplanning mandates (similar to Salford Central, Riverside Sunderland type projects) but typically as a multi-discipline lead rather than a pure planning specialist.
• Savills UK Planning: International real estate advisor with an in-house UK planning consultancy division. Overlaps with DPP on residential, commercial and regeneration planning mandates, particularly for institutional clients like Legal & General where Savills also operates, but typically sold as part of a wider investment / valuation / agency package.
• CBRE UK Planning: Global real estate services firm with a UK planning and development advisory team. Direct overlap with DPP on commercial, office, retail and regeneration planning work, especially where CBRE is also retained as agent or valuer on the same schemes.
• Stantec UK Planning (formerly Barton Willmore): International design and engineering consultancy with a UK planning practice following its acquisition of Barton Willmore, the well-known independent planning firm. Closely comparable heritage (independent planning specialist absorbed into a broader group) and competes head-to-head for major residential, regeneration and strategic land mandates.
• JLL UK Planning & Development: Global real estate services firm with a UK planning and development advisory practice. Overlaps with DPP on commercial, mixed-use and regeneration planning mandates, particularly for institutional investor clients, but typically delivered alongside JLL's wider capital markets, agency and project management services.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DPPplanning

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DPP Planning