Alpha Planning Ltd.

What Alpha Planning Ltd. does

Alpha Planning Ltd. is a London-based private limited planning consultancy founded in 2012, operating with a team of six practitioners. The firm delivers planning advisory services to UK clients across five core verticals: aviation, education, ecclesiastical, commercial, and housing. Its client base includes Heathrow, London City Airport, Bristol Airport, Bournemouth Airport, Biggin Hill Airport, Francis Holland School, ICMP, and Lambeth College, indicating a focus on institutional and infrastructure-grade engagements rather than residential or consumer volume work.

The firm's service offering centres on planning applications, appeals, and strategic planning advice, with senior practitioners (founder David Gurtler, with over 40 years of experience, alongside Graeme Marjason-Dore and Zara Seelig, each with 10+ years tenure) acting as the principal delivery asset. Revenue is generated through project-based professional fees tied to planning submissions and advisory retainers, with no disclosed subscription, product, or platform component. The firm has received RIBA recognition (2017 and 2021 awards), reinforcing its positioning on design-led planning outcomes. Notably, the firm has expanded into public-sector co-representation through a partnership with the London Borough of Newham on the London City Airport appeal.

Alpha Planning has no disclosed external funding, no investor base, and no proprietary technology platform. Growth, to date, appears to have been organic and reputation-led, anchored by retention on marquee schemes such as Heathrow's third runway project. The business model is therefore a high-touch, expert-driven consultancy in which partner-level expertise is the binding constraint on scale rather than technology or capital.

Name

Alpha Planning Ltd.

Legal name

Alpha Planning Ltd.

Website

https://alphaplanning.ltd.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Alpha Planning Ltd. is a London-based six-person planning consultancy founded in 2012, serving UK institutional clients across aviation, education, ecclesiastical, commercial, and housing sectors through senior-practitioner advisory engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Planning Consultancy Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Urban Planning & Master Planning (BPAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Planning consultancy services
• Aviation planning
• Residential planning
• Ecclesiastical planning
• Education planning

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Planning Consultancy Services: Professional planning consultancy fees for advising clients on planning applications, appeals, listed building consent, conservation areas, green belt matters, and development planning. Services include preparing reports, coordinating environmental impact assessments, and presenting evidence at public inquiries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Alpha Planning Ltd. is a UK planning consultancy that prepares and submits planning applications on behalf of institutional clients and represents them at public inquiries. The firm specializes in aviation, housing, education, ecclesiastical, and commercial planning matters, and also coordinates Environmental Impact Assessments where required by the planning process.

Product overview

Alpha Planning Ltd. is a planning consultancy firm offering professional planning services across six main sectors: Aviation Planning (35 years experience in airport expansion), Housing Planning (residential and green belt developments), Education Planning (schools, colleges, and training facilities), Ecclesiastical Planning (award-winning services for churches and religious buildings), and Commercial Planning (offices, retail, and mixed-use). The company provides end-to-end planning consultancy from initial assessment through planning applications, public inquiries, and compliance, with particular expertise in conservation areas, listed buildings, heritage assets, and green belt developments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aviation Planning Consultancy

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully appealed against Bristol Airport expansion refusal - appeal allowed with 6,350 car parking spaces in green belt approved
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• London Borough of NewhamcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAlpha Planning was appointed by the London Borough of Newham to provide specialist aviation planning input, coordinating the Council's team from Planning, Environmental Health, Legal and other services for a three week public inquiry regarding London City Airport appeal.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Bidwells: UK property and planning consultancy active in residential, commercial, education and rural development sectors. Comparable to Alpha Planning in mixed-sector planning expertise and project-based consultancy model.
• Pegasus Group: UK planning, design and environmental consultancy with offices nationwide. Comparable to Alpha Planning across planning, EIA, heritage and development sectors serving residential, commercial and infrastructure clients.
• Montagu Evans: UK property consultancy with a substantial planning and development team covering residential, commercial, mixed-use and heritage work. Comparable to Alpha Planning in professional services model, London focus and breadth of development planning mandates.
• Lichfields: UK planning, economics and development advisory firm with extensive aviation, residential, retail and infrastructure planning work. Closely comparable to Alpha Planning in vertical mix (aviation, housing, commercial) and reliance on complex planning applications and appeals.
• Turley: One of the UK's largest dedicated planning, design and environmental consultancies with a strong aviation, infrastructure and development planning practice. Directly comparable to Alpha Planning in service offering, target clients (airports, developers, public sector) and UK planning/appeal expertise.
• Carter Jonas: UK property consultancy with established planning and development team covering residential, commercial, rural and heritage projects. Comparable to Alpha Planning in professional services model and cross-sector planning work.
• DP9: London-based planning consultancy specialising in major development projects, public inquiries and complex urban planning work. Directly comparable to Alpha Planning in service offering, London focus and expertise representing clients at appeal and inquiry.

Broad incumbents

• JLL (Planning): Global real estate services firm with a UK planning consultancy practice serving commercial, residential and infrastructure clients. Overlaps with Alpha Planning's commercial and aviation planning work but as part of a much broader capital markets and advisory platform.
• Avison Young (Planning): Global real estate advisory with a UK planning team covering commercial, residential and mixed-use development. Comparable to Alpha Planning in core planning services but operates at significantly larger scale and global footprint.
• Savills (Planning Division): Global real estate advisor with a substantial UK planning division covering residential, commercial, aviation and infrastructure projects. Overlaps with Alpha Planning across service lines but operates at much larger scale as part of a wider property services platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alpha-planning-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Alpha Planning Ltd.