ECE Planning

What ECE Planning does

ECE Planning is a UK Chartered Town Planning practice operating as a subsidiary within the ECE Group, headquartered in Worthing, West Sussex. Founded in 2011 and employing approximately 9 staff, the firm delivers professional town planning consultancy for residential, mixed-use, commercial, education, hotels and hospitality, and sport and leisure developments across the United Kingdom. Its service suite covers Development and Site Appraisals, Appeals, Inquiries and Expert Witness testimony, Viability Assessment, Strategic Land Promotion, Public Consultation and Engagement, and end-to-end Planning Applications support.

The core technology is human professional expertise rather than a software platform: planning, architecture, and urban design skills delivered through integrated consulting engagements. A strategic partnership with sister company ECE Architecture provides in-house architectural capability, enabling joined-up planning and design thinking from earliest project stages. Recent project outputs include the 141-home Bayside redevelopment at Worthing Aquarena (recognised by RTPI and RIBA for design quality), the Faircharm mixed-use scheme in Lewisham's creative quarter for Workspace and L&Q, and a hybrid planning permission for Chichester College Group's Brighton campus.

ECE Planning generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements with developers, landowners, and organisations seeking planning permission. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to individual project scope and complexity rather than publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, supported by thought leadership through an Insights Hub, an active LinkedIn presence, and public consultation events. The firm is privately held, with no external institutional investors, no funding rounds, no public listing, and no disclosed acquisition activity.

Name

ECE Planning

Legal name

ECE Planning

Website

https://eceplanning.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ECE Planning is a UK Chartered Town Planning practice within the ECE Group, providing development appraisals, planning applications, appeals, viability assessments, and public consultation services to developers, landowners, and institutions across housing, mixed-use, commercial, education, and leisure sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sussex

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. Professional Planning Consultancy Services: ECE Planning generates revenue through providing professional town planning services including development appraisals, planning applications, appeals and expert witness testimony, viability assessments, strategic land promotion, and public consultation services. Revenue is earned through project-based consulting engagements with developers, landowners, and organisations seeking planning permission for development projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ECE Planning is a Chartered Town Planning practice delivering professional town planning consultancy services in the UK. Its core services include Development & Site Appraisals, Appeals/Inquiries & Expert Witness representation, Viability assessment, Strategic Land Promotion, Public Consultation & Engagement, and Planning Applications, with in-house architectural input supplied via its sister company ECE Architecture.

Product overview

ECE Planning is a Chartered Town Planning practice offering professional planning consultancy services rather than a software product platform. The company provides a unified suite of town planning services including Development & Site Appraisals, Appeals & Expert Witness, Viability Assessment, Strategic Land Promotion, Public Consultation & Engagement, and Planning Applications. Services are delivered through a partnership with sister company ECE Architecture, which provides in-house architectural services for joined-up planning and design thinking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Development & Site Appraisals Expert assessment of development opportunities and site potential for developers, landowners, and organisations undertaking UK development projects, combining planning, architecture, and urban design skills to identify practical and innovative solutions and to surface the risks and opportunities of the planning system at an early stage.
• Appeals, Inquiries & Expert Witness Preparation of robust written representations and presentation of compelling arguments at Hearings and Inquiries for clients pursuing appeals against planning refusals or seeking expert witness input on planning matters in the UK.
• Viability Strategic advice on deliverability and viability assessment for prospective developments, identifying constraints and opportunities to shape achievable proposals that add value and withstand scrutiny for developers and landowners.
• Strategic Land Promotion Site promotion during Local and Neighbourhood Plan preparation, helping landowners and developers enhance the potential of their sites and achieve optimal results through the plan-making process in the UK.
• Public Consultation & Engagement Organisation and delivery of public consultation events, both online and in-person, to engage communities and decision-makers and support planning applications for developers and other clients across the UK.
• Planning Applications Professional and personal service guiding clients through the complexities of the UK Planning System, from project inception through to determination and completion, including support in handling legislative challenges and adapting to new regulations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 141-home redevelopment delivered at Bayside, Worthing Aquarena site with RTPI and RIBA recognition for design quality
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• ECE ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECE Architecture serves as ECE Planning's sister company and key strategic partner, providing in-house architectural services. This partnership enables joined-up thinking from the earliest project stages, bringing planning and design into seamless dialogue. The close partnership helps shape places with purpose, character, and clarity through integrated multidisciplinary project delivery.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Boyer: UK town planning consultancy providing planning application, appeal, and strategic land services across residential and mixed-use developments. Closely comparable boutique-style planning practice with a similar client base.
• DLP Planning: UK town planning consultancy delivering planning applications, appeals, and strategic land promotion across housing, employment, and mixed-use sectors. Directly comparable in service mix and client segments.
• Turley: One of the UK's largest dedicated town planning consultancies, offering planning applications, appeals, viability, and strategic land advice to developers, landowners, and institutions. Directly comparable in services, client base, and professional credentials (RTPI).
• Lichfields: UK town planning, development, and economics consultancy with deep experience across residential, mixed-use, retail, and infrastructure. Directly comparable as a chartered planning practice serving similar developers and public sector clients.

Broad incumbents

• Bidwells: UK property consultancy with planning, development, and rural land expertise, particularly strong across the Oxford-Cambridge arc and East of England. Comparable planning services for residential and mixed-use developers, but with a broader rural and commercial real estate portfolio.
• Carter Jonas: UK property consultancy with planning, development, and rural land teams across the country. Comparable in serving developers and landowners on planning and viability, but with a wider full-service property platform.
• Avison Young (UK Planning): Global commercial real estate services firm with a UK planning and development consultancy. Comparable in offering planning, viability, and strategic land advice to developers, but operates within a much broader CRE platform.
• Savills (UK Planning): Global real estate services firm with a substantial UK planning and development consultancy division. Comparable in serving developers and landowners on planning applications, viability, and strategic land, but operates within a much broader real estate platform.
• Knight Frank (UK Planning & Development): Global real estate consultancy with a UK planning and development team covering strategic land, planning applications, and viability. Comparable in client type and advisory scope, but embedded in a broader commercial real estate firm.
• JLL (UK Planning & Development): Global real estate services firm with UK planning, development, and land advisory capabilities. Comparable in advising on planning strategy and viability, but part of a much wider capital markets and real estate platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ece-planning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 ECE Planning