The Compulsory Purchase Association

What The Compulsory Purchase Association does

The Compulsory Purchase Association (CPA) is a UK not-for-profit professional membership organisation incorporated in 2002 as a private limited company by guarantee (registration number 10493489), with its registered office in Reading, England. It operates as the recognised cross-disciplinary body for practitioners engaged in compulsory purchase (CPO) and compensation work, serving both sides of the process — acquiring authorities (local authorities, statutory undertakers, government agencies) and claimants — across six professional disciplines: chartered surveyors, lawyers, barristers, forensic accountants, planners, and land referencers. The organisation's stated mission is to promote best and effective practice in the delivery of land for infrastructure, housing, and regeneration, while advocating for clear, fair, and effective compulsory purchase legislation.

CPA's product set is organised around a tiered membership model (Honorary, Full Member at £85 + VAT, Corporate at £65 + VAT for up to five public-sector seats, Retired at £37.50 + VAT, plus free Student, CPA Future, and Honorary tiers), supplemented by paid events (National Conference at £300-£310 + VAT; on-demand modules £50-£115; the Upskilling 13-module Professional Development Programme at £1,375 for 35 hours of CPD), a recruitment advertising service at £325 + VAT per posting, and a portfolio of practice documents, reform papers, and the 2025 Mental Health Report. Regional committees (Scotland, Wales, plus other UK regions and a "Rest of World" branch) and subgroup communities (CPA Future, Women in CPO) provide localised engagement. Governance is exercised by an elected Management Board with a rotating Chair (currently Daisy Noble for 2025/2026).

Revenue derives primarily from annual membership subscriptions, event fees, training programme tuition, and recruitment advertising. The organisation is supported administratively by CPT (its data processor and administrator) and engages strategically with the Law Commission, MHCLG, RICS, and the Law Society on standards-setting and law reform. With 6 staff and over 700 members, CPA is a lean, member-funded entity whose competitive position rests on its unique multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder composition.

Name

The Compulsory Purchase Association

Legal name

The Compulsory Purchase Association

Website

https://compulsorypurchaseassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Compulsory Purchase Association is a UK not-for-profit professional membership body serving 700+ chartered surveyors, lawyers, barristers, accountants, planners, and land referencers involved in compulsory purchase and compensation work, funded through tiered subscriptions, events, CPD programmes, and recruitment advertising.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDADACAF

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies

Education/Education Administration, Accreditation & Policy/Accreditation Bodies (Institutional & Programmatic)

SECONDARYBPAIAEAE

Public Procurement & Contracting

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Public Finance, Treasury & Procurement

Keywords

• Compulsory purchase association
• Professional membership organisation
• Land compensation practice
• CPO professional development
• Compulsory acquisition guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from individual professionals, students, corporate organizations, and retired members. Revenue is generated through tiered subscription pricing.
2. Event Revenue: Revenue from paid events including the National Conference, on-demand events, reform lectures, and professional development programmes. Event pricing varies by format and duration.
3. Job Advertising: Firms advertising job opportunities on the CPA website and through email distribution to members pay a fee of £325 + VAT per posting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Compulsory Purchase Association (CPA) is a not-for-profit UK membership organisation that promotes best and effective practice in the delivery of land for infrastructure, housing and regeneration through compulsory purchase powers. It serves a multi-disciplinary community of 700+ professionals (chartered surveyors, lawyers, barristers, forensic accountants, planners, land referencers) representing both acquiring authorities and claimants, offering tiered membership, CPD-accredited events and conferences, a 13-module professional development programme, practice standards (including the Land Compensation Claims Protocol), reform policy papers, and a recruitment advertising service.

Product overview

The Compulsory Purchase Association (CPA) is a not-for-profit membership organization that operates as a platform-plus-services model, offering multiple interconnected products and services to compulsory purchase practitioners. The core offering includes multi-tier membership (Honorary, Full, Student, Corporate, Retired, and CPA Future) providing access to a member directory, networking, and industry resources. Professional development is delivered through the 13-module Upskilling Professional Development Programme and annual National Conference, complemented by an On Demand Events library. The association publishes practice standards including the Land Compensation Claims Protocol and MHCLG guidance, and produces reform papers addressing legislative changes. Additional services include the CPA Recruitment Service for job advertising and the CPA Mental Health Report 2025 addressing practitioner wellbeing. Regional committees (CPA Scotland, CPA Wales) and the CPA Future subgroup provide localized and career-stage-specific offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CPA Future: A subgroup within the full CPA membership aimed at members with less than 10 years professional experience in CPO work. Provides dedicated events, networking, and career development for new practitioners.
• CPA Management Board
• CPA Scotland Committee
• CPA Wales Committee

Products and services

• CPA Membership
• Upskilling: The Compulsory Purchase Professional Development Programme
• CPA National Conference

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CPT (CPA Administrator)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCPT acts as the CPA's Administrator and data processor under GDPR. CPT collects member information, maintains the membership database, and processes event registrations. The company shares the same registered office address (4a Woodside Business Park, Reading) and handles day-to-day administration of the association.
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRICS and CPA work together on professional standards for CPO practitioners. CPA was instrumental in developing the RICS Professional Statement for surveyors advising in respect of compulsory purchase and statutory compensation. RICS provides a compulsory purchase helpline and consumer guidance for those affected by CPO.
• Law SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaw Society provides accreditation for planning specialists through its Planning Panel and Find a Solicitor search facility. CPA directs members of the public seeking legal advice on CPO matters to the Law Society's services.
• Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)coreOthersMHCLG is the government department responsible for CPO guidance. CPA engages with MHCLG on CPO reform, responds to consultations, and promotes the department's guidance documents through its website. The relationship involves policy advocacy and consultation responses.
• Law CommissioncoreOthersCPA engages with the Law Commission on compulsory purchase law reform. The CPA responded to the Law Commission's December 2024 consultation on CPO reforms and participates in law reform discussions as a professional reference point.
• Scottish GovernmentminorOthersCPA Scotland Committee engages with Scottish Government on CPO matters specific to Scotland. References Scottish CPO Circular 6/2011 and Scottish Law Commission discussion papers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Law Society of England and Wales: The professional membership body for solicitors — covers the lawyers and barristers who form a major CPA member segment. CPA's partnership with the Law Society (Planning Panel, Find a Solicitor referrals) and shared focus on property/professional standards makes it a directly comparable membership association.
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS): UK-based global professional membership body for chartered surveyors — CPA's largest member discipline. CPA co-developed RICS's Professional Statement for compulsory purchase and statutory compensation, making RICS the most directly comparable membership association by structure and audience.
• Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI): UK professional body for planners with a similar not-for-profit, membership-funded model offering CPD, regional branches and policy advocacy. RTPI planners are also a primary CPA member segment, making it a direct comparator in both audience and operating model.
• Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx): Not-for-profit UK professional membership body for legal practitioners with annual subscriptions, CPD programmes and qualification pathways. Operates a similar subscription + CPD revenue model and serves a portion of the legal professionals active in CPO compensation work.

Broad incumbents

• The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB): Larger UK chartered body covering construction and built-environment professionals with overlapping audiences (surveyors, project managers) on infrastructure and regeneration projects. Comparable in CPD-and-membership structure but much broader in scope than CPA's compulsory purchase niche.
• Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE): Membership body for senior local authority officers, representing many of the acquiring authorities that exercise compulsory purchase powers. Overlaps with CPA on the public-sector side of CPO rather than the practitioner side, but engages on the same policy and reform agenda.
• Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW): Major UK chartered body for accountants, including forensic accountants in CPA's membership. While far broader than CPA, its membership, CPD and standards-setting model is structurally analogous, and ICAEW engagement signals overlap on the financial/valuation side of CPO compensation.

Others

• Town Legal LLP: UK law firm specialising in CPO and compensation work — both a member of CPA and a frequent speaker at CPA conferences. Comparable as a CPO specialist in the same professional community that CPA serves, though structured as a commercial law firm rather than a membership body.

Regional players

• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Scotland: Scotland-facing arm of RICS, chaired regionally with CPD and member services for Scottish chartered surveyors. Functions as the direct regional counterpart to CPA Scotland in overlapping CPO professional matters.
• The Law Society of Scotland: Professional membership body for Scottish solicitors. CPA's Scotland Committee engages with Scottish Government on CPO reform specific to Scotland (e.g., CPO Circular 6/2011), giving strong functional overlap on member discipline and CPD in a different jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cpa_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-compulsory-purchase-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Compulsory Purchase Association