Marrons

What Marrons does

Marrons is a UK multi-disciplinary planning and development consultancy operating as a trading name of Shakespeare Martineau LLP within the Ampa Group of legal and professional service brands. The firm delivers an integrated portfolio of nine service lines, Planning, Masterplanning and Urban Design, Heritage, Architecture, Socio-economics, Transport Planning, Landscape Planning and Design, Environmental Impact Assessments, and Graphic Design and Digital Communications, across ten sectors including Residential, Strategic Land, Energy and Infrastructure, Commercial/Industrial/Logistics, Town Centre, Retail, Leisure and Tourism, Care and Later Living, Community/Education/Healthcare, and Agricultural and Rural. Its client base spans national and regional housebuilders, SME and commercial developers, agricultural landowners and land promoters, local authorities, registered providers and housing associations, property investors, and rural businesses.

Revenue is generated through project-based professional services fees, with engagement scoped and priced per project rather than via subscription or retainer. Distribution is delivered through a 14-office UK network anchored at Birmingham (No. 1 Colmore Square) and spanning Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Lincoln, London (The Shard), Manchester, Milton Keynes, Nottingham, Sheffield, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Tunbridge Wells. Client acquisition combines content marketing (proprietary research reports such as Housing 2040 and the Grey Belt analysis), webinars, LinkedIn campaigns, earned media, and direct relationship-led sales targeting enterprise and public sector buyers. Marrons differentiates through talent density, with senior planners, directors, and partners recruited from tier-one UK consultancies including Barton Willmore (now Stantec), Lichfields, and Iceni Projects, and through proprietary data-led research that supports evidence-based planning cases (notably an 80% success rate on major residential grey belt appeals and 1,600+ new homes permitted on grey belt land in under nine months).

For FY2024/25 the firm reported turnover of £9.6 million, a 45% year-on-year increase, alongside expansion into new offices and service lines, ten internal promotions including four new partner elevations, and B Corporation certification through the Ampa Group parent.

Name

Marrons

Legal name

Shakespeare Martineau LLP

Website

https://marrons.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Marrons is a UK multi-disciplinary planning and development consultancy providing planning, masterplanning, urban design, heritage, architecture, transport, landscape, and socio-economic advisory services to developers, landowners, local authorities, investors, and housing associations through a 14-office national network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Planning and Development Consultancy Services: Professional services fees for planning consultancy, masterplanning, urban design, heritage, architecture, landscape planning, transport planning, socio-economics, and environmental impact assessments. Revenue derived from project-based engagements with developers, landowners, local authorities, and businesses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marrons is a multi-disciplinary planning, architecture, urban design, heritage and economic development consultancy. It delivers professional advisory services to support development projects across the UK, working with developers, landowners, investors, and local authorities. Its work spans the full lifecycle of development projects, from initial planning strategy through to heritage and economic analysis.

Product overview

Marrons is a multi-disciplinary planning, design, and development consultancy offering a unified service portfolio of nine integrated service lines (Planning, Masterplanning and Urban Design, Heritage, Architecture, Socio-economics, Transport Planning, Landscape Planning and Design, EIA, and Graphic Design & Digital Communications) that work together across ten sectors. The consultancy also produces proprietary research reports including the Housing 2040 series and Grey Belt policy reports. As a business brand of Shakespeare Martineau LLP, it is part of the Ampa Group of legal and professional services brands. Revenue for 2024/25 was £9.6m with 45% year-on-year growth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Planning Consultancy

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% success rate for major residential grey belt appeals
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Mayo Wynne BaxtercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarrons has partnered with Sussex and Kent-based law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter to provide end-to-end planning and legal services for vineyard and winery clients. The collaboration combines Marrons' planning expertise with Mayo Wynne Baxter's legal services including corporate, contract, employment, land/property matters, divorce, estate planning and personal wealth arrangements. Both are part of Ampa Group.
• Land, Planning and Development Federation (LPDF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarrons partnered with LPDF to conduct landmark analysis of grey belt policy implementation. The study examined all planning appeals referencing grey belt between December 2024 and August 2025, finding that 80% of major residential grey belt appeals were approved.
• Blocwork LLP (Network Rail/Bloc Group Joint Venture)flagshipImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBlocwork LLP is a joint venture between Network Rail and the Bloc Group. Marrons led the planning process for The Barnum, a 348-home build-to-rent development in Nottingham's Southside, revitalizing a derelict gateway site beside the railway station.
• Ampa GroupflagshipOthersMarrons is a business name of Shakespeare Martineau LLP and part of Ampa Group, a leading group of legal and professional service brands. Ampa Group comprises Shakespeare Martineau LLP, Shakespeare Martineau Scotland LLP, Cyber Security Strategies Limited, Coadax LLP, and associated entities including Mayo Wynne Baxter, Lime Solicitors, and Corclaim.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Avison Young: Global real estate advisory with UK planning and development consultancy capabilities. Competes for similar developer and investor clients; Avneesh Bains started his career at Avison Young before joining Marrons competitor DLP Planning.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services firm with UK planning consultancy capabilities. Competes for commercial, mixed-use and residential development planning, particularly for institutional investor clients.
• Savills: Global real estate services firm with planning and development consultancy divisions in the UK. Competes for high-value strategic land promotion and residential development planning mandates.
• Stantec (formerly Barton Willmore): Global design and engineering consultancy that acquired Barton Willmore, one of the UK's largest planning consultancies. Competes directly with Marrons on strategic land and large-scale masterplanning; Simon Wise joined Marrons from Barton Willmore highlighting direct talent competition.

Direct peers

• Turley: UK planning, design and development consultancy with similar multi-disciplinary service offering across planning, urban design, heritage and economics. Direct competitor for residential, commercial and public sector planning mandates.
• Quod: UK planning, economics and development consultancy with services across planning, socio-economics, and strategic land. Comparable in size and focus on residential and mixed-use development planning.
• Lichfields: UK planning, economics and design consultancy with comparable service lines (planning, heritage, economics, urban design) and overlapping client base of developers, housebuilders, and public sector. Most directly comparable UK peer to Marrons.
• DLP Planning: UK planning consultancy with planning, urban design, and EIA services. Competes for residential and strategic land planning mandates; direct talent competition evidenced by Avneesh Bains moving from DLP to Marrons.
• Iceni Projects: UK planning and development consultancy with services across planning, heritage, economics, urban design and landscape. Lucy Nicholson recently joined Marrons from Iceni Projects, evidencing direct talent overlap and head-to-head competition.
• Montagu Evans: UK real estate advisory and planning consultancy with comparable services across planning, development, and heritage. Peer competitor for developer and landowner clients in London and major UK cities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marrons-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 Marrons