The Compulsory Purchase Association
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersReading, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
The Compulsory Purchase Association firmographics
Firmographics- 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
The Compulsory Purchase Association industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Association Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Public Procurement & Contracting (BPAIAEAE)
Keywords
Where The Compulsory Purchase Association is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reading
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Compulsory Purchase Association business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from individual professionals, students, corporate organizations, and retired members. Revenue is generated through tiered subscription pricing.
- 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.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Full Member - Individual professional membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Student - Education membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate - Public sector organisations |
| Subscription | Annual | Retired - Retired from active practice |
| Subscription | Annual | CPA Future - Less experienced members |
| Subscription | Annual | Honorary - Board awarded |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Job Advertisement - Recruitment service |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Upskilling CPO Professional Development Programme - 13 modules |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | On-demand events - Individual module access |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | National Conference 2025 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | National Conference 2024 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Compulsory Purchase Association product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use The Compulsory Purchase Association
Customer profileSegments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Compulsory Purchase Association technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Compulsory Purchase Association partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CPT (CPA Administrator)coreCPT 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)coreRICS 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 SocietyminorLaw 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)coreMHCLG 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 CommissioncoreCPA 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 GovernmentminorCPA 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
The Compulsory Purchase Association competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
The Compulsory Purchase Association social profiles
Digital presenceThe Compulsory Purchase Association financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Compulsory Purchase Association leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
The Compulsory Purchase Association funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Compulsory Purchase Association M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Compulsory Purchase Association
What does The Compulsory Purchase Association do?
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.
Is The Compulsory Purchase Association a public or private company?
The Compulsory Purchase Association is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was The Compulsory Purchase Association founded?
The Compulsory Purchase Association was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Compulsory Purchase Association based?
The Compulsory Purchase Association is headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Compulsory Purchase Association make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are event Revenue and job Advertising.
Who are The Compulsory Purchase Association's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Law Society of England and Wales, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) and Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx). Broad incumbents are The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) and Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW). Town Legal LLP is listed as an others. Regional players are Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Scotland and The Law Society of Scotland.
Does The Compulsory Purchase Association have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Compulsory Purchase Association.
What industry is The Compulsory Purchase Association in?
The Compulsory Purchase Association's product category is Professional Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADACAF, Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies, with a secondary code of BPAIAEAE, Public Procurement & Contracting.