Name

Define

Legal name

Define Planning and Design Limited

Website

https://wearedefine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Planning and Design Consultancy

NAICS

Landscape Architectural Services (54132), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate Development & Feasibility Advisory (Highest-and-Best-Use, Entitlements Support) (BPAJANAC)

Keywords

• Planning consultancy services
• Urban design consultancy
• Landscape architecture services
• Masterplanning services
• Expert witness planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Planning & Design Services: Define generates revenue through fee-based professional services engagements, including masterplanning, planning applications, landscape architecture, urban design, architecture, and expert witness services. Projects are typically scoped as fixed-fee commissions or time-based consultancy for developers, landowners, local authorities, and institutional clients across the UK.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Define is a professional consultancy that delivers integrated planning, urban design, landscape architecture, masterplanning, architecture, and audit/expert witness services. Engagements are scoped as fixed-fee or time-based commissions for landowners, housebuilders, commercial developers, master developers, educational institutions, and local authorities across the UK, with projects ranging from strategic site promotion through Local Plan processes to detailed design and construction documentation.

Product overview

Define Planning & Design is a professional consultancy offering integrated planning, design, and landscape architecture services. The firm operates as a single-service consultancy rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their core service portfolio consists of six interconnected disciplines: Masterplanning, Landscape Architecture, Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, and Audits and Expert Witness. These services are delivered collaboratively across residential, commercial, education, and public realm projects throughout the UK, with teams of planners, urban designers, architects, and landscape architects working together on projects ranging from small-scale developments to large strategic new communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Masterplanning Strategic site masterplanning services that shape large-scale residential, commercial, and mixed-use developments, establishing development frameworks and design principles for landowners, developers, and local authorities across the UK.
• Landscape Architecture Landscape architecture services encompassing conceptual design, green infrastructure strategies, landscape and visual impact assessments (LVIA), and detailed construction documentation for developers, educational institutions, and public sector clients across the UK.
• Planning Planning consultancy services including site promotion through the Local Plan process, planning applications, appeals, and development management advice for landowners, developers, and local authorities across the UK.
• Urban Design Urban design services covering site appraisals, design codes, design and access statements, and townscape character assessments for developers, educational institutions, and local planning authorities.
• Architecture Architectural services for education, health, and residential developments including campus masterplanning and building design for developers, educational institutions, and public sector clients across the UK.
• Audits and Expert Witness Independent planning and landscape audits, and expert witness services for public inquiries, planning appeals, and hearings across the UK.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,100+ new homes at Penkridge North including first school, Community Hub, Riverside Park and active travel links
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Barton Willmore (now part of Stantec): Long-established UK planning and design consultancy now operating within Stantec. Direct competitor on strategic land promotion, new community masterplanning, and housebuilder planning mandates across England.
• Lichfields: Independent UK planning, economics and design consultancy serving housebuilders, retailers, and public sector clients. Directly comparable in terms of planning-led service model and housebuilder client base.
• Quod: London-based planning and development consultancy serving housebuilders, investors and public sector clients. Directly comparable for planning, viability and development economics services delivered alongside design input.
• Turley: UK planning, design and economics consultancy with a comparable integrated offering across planning, urban design, landscape, and heritage. Closest direct competitor in scale and service mix to Define in the UK housebuilder and master developer market.
• JTP (John Thompson & Partners): London-based practice combining architecture, masterplanning and placemaking across residential and new community projects. Comparable integrated planning-to-architecture offering with a similar UK housebuilder focus.
• LDA Design: UK landscape architecture, urban design and masterplanning consultancy (now part of Stantec). Closest peer on landscape architecture-led masterplanning and new community commissions.
• Pegasus Group: Multi-disciplinary UK consultancy covering planning, design, environment and engineering. Direct competitor for integrated planning and design commissions across residential, commercial and public sector clients.
• Iceni Projects: UK consultancy offering planning, economics, design and heritage services with a comparable housebuilder and public sector client base. Highly relevant as a similarly sized, multi-disciplinary competitor.

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services firm with a UK planning, landscape and urban design practice. Competes for large-scale masterplanning, infrastructure and new community commissions via a substantially larger multidisciplinary platform.
• Savills (Planning Division): Global real estate advisor with a UK planning and development division serving housebuilders, landowners and investors. Broader incumbent that competes for similar mandates but with a much larger footprint and balance sheet.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Define