Retail Need & Capacity Studies
Supporting local plans and evidence base preparation.
Retail & Leisure
We help local authorities, developers and investors understand how places perform, evolve and thrive.
Retail, Leisure & Town Centre Specialists
Specialist planning advice that combines national retail, leisure and town centre experience with detailed local evidence.
We help local authorities, developers and investors make robust decisions about centres, demand, impact and investment.
Our team has worked with over 150 local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, as well as some of the UK’s largest developers.
We provide retail, leisure and town centre planning advice on authority-wide studies, peer reviews, capacity and impact assessments, sequential site searches, GIS (Geographic Information System), smart data and expert evidence.
Our Services
Town Centre Strategies
Creating actionable visions and investment frameworks.
Retail Impact Assessments
Planning application and appeal support.
Sequential Assessments
Supporting site selection and policy compliance.
Leisure & Visitor Economy Studies
Assessing tourism, hospitality and leisure markets.
Commercial Demand Assessments
Supporting regeneration and mixed-use development.
Expert Witness Services
Providing independent expert evidence for planning appeals, public inquiries, hearings and examinations.
Experience across the UK and Ireland
150+
Local authorities advised
UK + Ireland
Project coverage
The Retail & Leisure team
We would be pleased to discuss how our Retail & Leisure team can support your project.
We advise on authority-wide studies, retail impact, sequential assessments, town centre strategies, peer reviews, commercial demand and expert evidence.
Strategic planning, retail and leisure studies, hotel studies, peer review audit work, retail impact assessment and expert witness support.
London Office
Rob Pearson
Executive Director
BSc (Hons) DipTP MRTPI
Bristol Office
Matt Morris
Director
BSc (Hons) DipTP MRTPI FRSA
Manchester Office
Heather Lindley-Clapp
Director
BA (Hons) MPlan MRTPI
Retail & Leisure Projects
A selection of retail, leisure and town centre project experience.
Retail, leisure and hotel evidence to inform long-term Local Plan growth.
Client
Milton Keynes City Council
Location
Milton Keynes
Retail, leisure and town centre planning input for a major London regeneration scheme.
Client
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Location
Earl’s Court, London
Retail and town centre evidence for the new Local Development Plan.
Client
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Location
Neath Port Talbot, South Wales
Retail and leisure evidence, household surveys and town centre health checks.
Client
Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council
Location
Northern Ireland
Authority-wide retail and leisure study examining challenges for high streets and opportunities for revitalisation and reimagining.
Client
Manchester City Council
Location
Manchester
High Street
Positives
Helping reshape how high streets are understood, discussed and supported.
Founding supporter
A UK and Ireland initiative dedicated to reshaping the narrative around high streets.
We are a proud partner of HighStreetPositives, a UK and Ireland initiative bringing together insights, stories and evidence from across the high street ecosystem, including businesses, councils, landlords, planners, charities and community groups.
The social enterprise focuses on more vibrant and resilient high streets that better serve their communities, including tackling loneliness, supporting wellbeing and strengthening everyday community connection.
Through events, webinars, research and shared learning, the partnership helps connect different parts of the sector and surface what is working on the ground.
The aim
Moving beyond decline-only thinking towards practical, collaborative action to strengthen high streets.