What DP9 does

DP9 is an independent specialist town planning consultancy headquartered in London at 100 Pall Mall, with a second office in Cambridge serving the Greater Cambridge area. Founded in 2004 by nine industry professionals, the firm focuses exclusively on town planning as a sole specialism, serving large-scale commercial developers, investors, and occupiers undertaking complex developments in London and the South East of England. Its stated delivery base is an average of around 650 live projects at any one time, covering approximately 50 million square feet of mixed-use development.

The company's core services span planning appraisals and feasibility strategy, coordination and submission of planning applications, expert planning witness representation at public inquiries and hearings, community infrastructure levy (CIL) advisory, and large-scale estate regeneration and masterplanning. DP9 also actively engages in influencing national planning policy and legislation on behalf of clients. Named clients include Battersea Power Station Development Company (BPSDC), Tenacity Group, CC Land, Quadrant Estates, Ashby Capital, Taylor Wimpey, Watermans Art Centre, Masterworks Development Corporation, and McLaren Construction on landmark schemes such as Battersea Power Station, 2-8 Rutland Gate, 30 South Colonnade and 127 Kensington High Street.

The business model is a B2B professional services consultancy with fees set out in engagement letters and hourly rates reviewed annually, structured around multi-year engagements delivered through direct client relationships and referrals. DP9 operates with 80 or more dedicated planners (including founding Directors, Senior Directors and Associates), with more than 500 years of combined Director-level experience. The firm is privately held, has received no external funding, and relies on reputation-based marketing, a professional website, LinkedIn presence, industry awards (e.g., Best Commercial Mixed-Use Future Project 2017 for Battersea Power Station), and client referrals as its primary go-to-market channels.

Name

DP9

Legal name

DP9 Ltd

Website

https://dp9.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

DP9 is an independent specialist town planning consultancy founded in 2004, serving large-scale commercial developers, investors, and institutions on complex developments in London, the South East, and Cambridge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Planning Consultancy Services

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Infrastructure-Adjacent Real Estate Advisory (BPAJANAL)

Keywords

• Town planning consultancy
• Planning applications
• Expert witness services
• Community infrastructure levy
• Estate regeneration masterplanning

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Planning Consultancy Services: Professional services fees charged on hourly rates and time-based billing for town planning advisory, planning applications, appeals, and expert witness services. Fees are set out in Engagement Letters with clients. Hourly rates are reviewed annually.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DP9 is an independent specialist town planning consultancy providing expert advice to developers, landowners, investors, and occupiers on the planning prospects, strategy, and approvals for complex development schemes in London and the South East. Core services include Planning Appraisals, Planning Co-ordination and Applications, Appeals and Expert Witness representation at public inquiries, Influencing Policy submissions, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) advice, and Estate Regeneration and Masterplanning, delivered by a team of over 80 dedicated Chartered Town Planners.

Product overview

DP9 is an independent specialist town planning consultancy offering a comprehensive suite of planning services. The core service portfolio includes Planning Appraisals, Planning Co-ordination and Applications, Appeals (Expert Witness), and Influencing Policy services. The company also offers specialized services in Community Infrastructure Levy and Estate Regeneration and Masterplanning. Additionally, DP9 has recently launched 'Cambridge Focus,' extending its expertise to Cambridge with services covering strategic planning advice, development management, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable solutions. These services work together to provide end-to-end planning consultancy from project inception through to completion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Appraisals Provides clients with an assessment of the planning prospects for a development and advises on the optimum planning strategy to take proposals forward; targeted at developers and landowners considering complex schemes.
• Planning Co-ordination and Applications Coordinates, prepares and submits outline, full and reserved matters applications across a wide range of developments. Also submits Certificates of Lawfulness, discharge conditions, and material and non-material amendments to applications.
• Appeals and Expert Witness Acts as expert planning witness at public inquiries and hearings, having acted on some of the largest and most high-profile public inquiries in London on behalf of developers and landowners.
• Influencing Policy Engages with and submits representations on behalf of clients to development plans and policy guidance, actively participating in shaping policy, guidance and legislation at a national level on behalf of developer and institutional clients.
• Community Infrastructure Levy Specialist team providing advice on the formation of CIL strategies, advice notes on phasing and social housing relief, detailed calculation of CIL liability estimates, and liaison with collecting authorities on behalf of developer clients.
• Estate Regeneration and Masterplanning Delivers large estate regeneration and masterplanning projects with expertise in consensus building, working closely with local planning authorities and partners to deliver transformative projects for developers, public bodies and landowners.
• DP9 Cambridge Focus Extension of DP9's planning consultancy expertise to the Cambridge market, offering strategic planning advice, development management, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable planning solutions for developments across the Greater Cambridge area.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average of 650 live projects at any one time covering 50 million sq ft of mixed-use development
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Future FrontierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDP9 is an official partner of Future Frontiers, an award-winning education charity supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Each year, 15 DP9 volunteers mentor secondary school students, helping them identify their skills and explore future career options.
• PedElleminorOthersDP9 sponsors PedElle, an annual multi-day cycle event for women in the property industry. Three DP9ers rode 450km in three days across Poland, with nearly 2,000m of climbing. The event raises money for Club Peloton, the real estate cycling community transforming young lives.
• Local Village NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDP9 participates in Local Village Network's 'Amplify Me' programme, a six-week course where staff mentor year 10-12 students. Mentors help students prepare for higher education or work by developing CV writing, interview skills, and soft skills during in-school sessions facilitated by the LVN team.
• Club PelotonminorOthersClub Peloton is the real estate cycling community that PedElle raises money for, transforming young lives through charitable initiatives supported by the property industry.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Boyer: Town planning consultancy serving residential and commercial developers across London and the South East. Boyer offers an overlapping service portfolio — planning appraisals, applications, appeals — and competes for similar mid-to-large developer clients.
• Turley: UK specialist planning, design, and economics consultancy with a national office network and a comparable focus on complex planning applications, appeals, and regeneration. Turley is the most directly comparable independent planning specialist to DP9 in scale and service mix.
• Quod: London-headquartered planning, development economics, and viability consultancy. Quod is a direct competitor on complex London planning applications, viability assessments, and CIL-related advisory work for major institutional clients.
• Lichfields: Independent town planning, regeneration, and development consultancy with a strong London and South East presence. Lichfields competes directly with DP9 on major planning applications, masterplanning, and policy advisory for large developers and public sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Gerald Eve: UK real estate consultancy with a planning and development advisory practice that overlaps with DP9's London-focused planning work. Serves many of the same institutional, public sector, and developer clients across the capital.
• JLL (Planning Consultancy): Global real estate services firm with a UK planning advisory capability servicing large institutional and corporate clients. JLL's scale and cross-discipline offering make it a frequent competitor on complex London and South East schemes where DP9 is also engaged.
• Stantec (UK Planning): International design and engineering consultancy with a UK planning practice serving residential, commercial, and infrastructure clients. Stantec competes on large-scale, multi-disciplinary planning and regeneration mandates in London and other UK cities.
• Montagu Evans: Multidisciplinary real estate consultancy with a planning team that competes with DP9 on London commercial and mixed-use schemes. Offers broader services (valuation, investment, lease advisory) and competes for the same institutional developer mandates.
• CBRE (Planning Consultancy): Global real estate advisor with a UK planning and development consultancy team. CBRE competes for complex London planning instructions as part of broader capital markets, advisory, and project management mandates for major investors and developers.
• Savills (Planning Division): Global real estate services firm with a UK planning division covering applications, appeals, and strategic land promotion. As a multidisciplinary incumbent, Savills can bundle planning with agency, valuation, and capital markets services, competing for wallet share.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dp9limited-planning-consultants

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 DP9