What Gravis Planning does

Gravis Planning is a privately held, independently owned planning consultancy and strategic communications firm established in 2003 and headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The firm operates from four offices — Belfast, Dublin (opened 2018), London, and Edinburgh — and serves clients across the UK and Ireland with integrated planning and communications services for built development projects. Its client base spans over 600 organizations across private, public, and third sectors, including enterprise clients such as Diageo, Coca-Cola, AXA, KPMG, An Post, Bank of Ireland, Babcock, and JCDecaux, alongside government bodies (Translink, Northern Ireland Health Group) and energy companies (SSE Thermal, SONI, ESB/Parkwind, EP UK Investments).

The company delivers two core service lines. Planning Consultancy encompasses planning applications, environmental impact assessments, development plan advice, planning appeals, expert witness services, masterplanning, enforcement, site search and feasibility studies, and retail impact assessments. Strategic Communications covers communications strategy, media relations, stakeholder and community consultation, event management, political engagement, social media and online consultation, publications and multi-media, community benefit/social value assessment, and political monitoring. The firm positions the integration of these two practices as its principal differentiator, allowing project teams to combine regulatory planning expertise with public affairs and stakeholder engagement capabilities. Technical capabilities include in-house production of shadow flicker reports and photomontages for wind turbine planning applications.

Gravis Planning operates a sales-led, professional services business model. Engagements are scoped and priced per project on a quote-based basis rather than through published rate cards or subscription pricing, with revenue generated through professional consultancy fees across both service lines. Delivery is handled by office-based teams engaging directly with developers, government agencies, utilities, and corporate clients. The firm reports advising on over 5,000 projects supporting more than £12 billion of project value across the UK and Ireland, with over 25 years of industry experience cited as a market leadership credential. Leadership is held by two Group Managing Directors — Richard Bowman (Planning) and David Kerr (Strategic Communications, formerly Director of Communications at the UUP and Special Adviser in the Office of the First Minister) — who oversee the day-to-day running and strategic direction of the business alongside a director-level bench covering finance and regional planning operations.

Name

Gravis Planning

Legal name

Gravis Planning Limited

Website

https://gravisplanning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gravis Planning is an independently owned planning consultancy and strategic communications firm with offices in Belfast, Dublin, London, and Edinburgh, serving developers, government bodies, energy companies, and enterprises across the UK and Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Holywood

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Planning Consultancy Services: Professional consultancy fees for planning applications, Environmental Impact Assessments, planning appeals, expert witness services, development plan advice, site search and feasibility studies
2. Strategic Communications Services: Fees for communications strategy, media relations, stakeholder consultation, political engagement, and community consultation services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gravis Planning is an integrated planning consultancy and strategic communications firm operating across the UK and Ireland. The company provides planning consultancy services — including planning applications, environmental impact assessments, planning appeals, expert witness work, masterplanning, and site feasibility studies — alongside strategic communications services such as stakeholder consultation, media relations, political engagement, and community consultation. Both service lines are delivered to private, public and third-sector clients across housing, retail, energy, transport, healthcare, education and infrastructure projects.

Product overview

Gravis Planning is a planning consultancy and strategic communications firm offering integrated services across all sectors of built development in the UK and Ireland. The company provides two core service lines: Planning Consultancy (including planning applications, environmental impact assessments, planning appeals, expert witness services, and masterplanning) and Strategic Communications (including stakeholder consultation, media relations, political engagement, and event management). These services are delivered through an integrated approach where the Planning and Strategic Communications teams work together to achieve successful outcomes for clients across housing, retail, commercial, industrial, energy, healthcare, education, leisure, and infrastructure sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Consultancy Services Advice across all aspects of the planning process for developers, retailers, landowners and public bodies, managing applications for large development projects as well as small applications for one-off clients.
• Planning Applications Management and submission of planning applications for development projects of varying scales, from large infrastructure schemes to smaller applications.
• Environmental Impact Assessment Comprehensive environmental assessments required for development proposals, supporting planning applications and public inquiries.
• Development Plan Advice Expert guidance on local development plans, policy frameworks and compliance for developers and public bodies.
• Site Search, Feasibility & Appraisal Studies Site identification, feasibility analysis and appraisal services for development opportunities, helping clients evaluate land and projects.
• Planning Appeals Representation and advocacy services for clients navigating planning appeal proceedings and public inquiries.
• Expert Witness Professional expert witness services for public inquiries, hearings and planning appeals.
• Masterplanning Comprehensive masterplanning services for large-scale development projects, integrating land use, infrastructure and design considerations.
• Strategic Communications Services Stakeholder engagement and public relations services for development projects, often supporting the Planning team but also delivered on a standalone basis.
• Communications Strategy Development of strategic communications frameworks for development projects, including messaging, positioning and stakeholder mapping.
• Stakeholder & Community Consultation Community and stakeholder engagement consultation, including statutory and non-statutory consultation for development proposals.
• Media Relations Media engagement and public relations management for development projects and infrastructure schemes.
• Political Engagement Engagement with political representatives, councillors and government bodies to support development proposals.
• Community Benefit & Social Value Assessment and maximisation of community benefits and social value for development projects, supporting planning applications and stakeholder engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 projects completed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers32 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Coogan & Co ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural firm partnered on hotel development projects including Centre House Hotel Belfast and Hilton Templepatrick
• GRAHAM ConstructionminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction company partnered on public-private sector projects including Tor Bank School and Lagan College Belfast
• Todd ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural partnership on Queen's University Belfast Riddel Hall Expansion project
• Isherwood & Ellis LLP ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural partnership on Fort Hill Schools project in Lisburn
• Hall Black Douglas ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural partnership on St Patrick's Barracks social housing development in Ballymena
• The Paul Hogarth CompanyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture and planning firm partnered on Hope Street and Posnett Street Development Plans community consultation project

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Montagu Evans: Independent UK planning and development consultancy advising on residential, retail, commercial and mixed-use development; most similar in mid-market positioning and multi-sector generalist model.
• Turley: UK-based town planning consultancy with similar integrated planning and stakeholder engagement offering, operating across housing, retail, energy, and infrastructure — directly comparable service mix and client profile to Gravis.
• Lichfields: Independent UK planning consultancy with deep sector coverage across retail, residential, energy and infrastructure; comparable scale and integrated planning-plus-advisory model to Gravis.

Broad incumbents

• Brunswick Group: Global strategic communications and public affairs firm with strong UK/Ireland presence; competitor on the strategic communications side of Gravis's integrated offering, particularly for political engagement and stakeholder consultation.
• WSP (Planning Consultancy): Global professional services consultancy with UK/Ireland planning and environmental advisory capabilities; competes on infrastructure, energy, and large development mandates where Gravis also operates.
• CBRE (UK Planning): Global real estate services firm with a planning and development advisory team serving investors, developers, and occupiers on UK planning matters; overlaps with Gravis on larger mixed-use and infrastructure mandates.
• Stantec (Barton Willmore legacy): Global design and consulting firm that acquired Barton Willmore, a major UK planning consultancy historically focused on residential and mixed-use development; competes for similar public and private sector planning mandates across the UK.
• Avison Young: Global commercial real estate services firm with a dedicated UK planning advisory practice; broader portfolio but overlapping on planning applications, EIA, and development advisory across UK and Ireland.
• Arup (Planning & Advisory): Global engineering and advisory firm with UK planning, environmental impact assessment, and stakeholder engagement services; directly comparable on EIA and infrastructure planning work.
• Savills (UK Planning): Global real estate advisor with planning consultancy services across residential, commercial, and rural sectors; competes for similar enterprise developer mandates as Gravis but within a much broader real estate platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GravisPlanning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Gravis Planning