ELG Planning offer a full range of planning consultancy services and have specialist experience in retail and planning and development for both public and private sector clients. We have prepared numerous retail and leisure assessments on behalf of developers and retailers in support of proposed developments.

ELG Planning have also undertaken a number of Town Centre & Retail Studies on behalf of Local Planning Authorities to underpin the evidence base for emerging Development Plans. We also regularly undertake reviews of individual planning applications for retail and leisure developments on behalf of Local Planning Authorities to assist the decision making process.

We provide specialist consultancy services for the retail and leisure sectors in the following areas:

• Retail Needs Assessments;
• Market Town Appraisals;
• Sequential Site Assessments;
• Retail Impact Assessments & Reviews;
• Town Centre Strategies;
• Town Centre Surveys & Health Checks;
• Analysis of Shopping Patterns;
• Preparation of Planning Applications & Appeals;
• Leisure Studies & Commercial Leisure Assessments;
• Expert Witness for Planning Inquiries

ELG Planning have particular experience in the roadside retail sector having delivered planning permission for numerous convenience stores and drive thru’ units throughout the UK and, more recently, have managing planning application submissions for EV charging hubs throughout the country.  We have also provided support to developers on a number of schemes for major foodstore and non-food retail schemes, with notable examples including a recently opened M&S Food and Home Bargains development in East Sussex; a retail and leisure development in Blyth; a mixed use scheme incorporating a foodstore and petrol filling station in Easingwold; a major mixed use retail and leisure scheme in Bishop Auckland and Lidl foodstores in Goldthorpe, Leeds and Hull.

We also continue to provide retail policy support to Local Authority clients, including the preparation of the East Riding Town Centre & Retail Study, the Eden District Retail Study, the Barnsley Town Centre Study and the North Lincolnshire Retail & Leisure Study, which provided a robust, policy compliant retail evidence base for now adopted Local Plans and ELG Planning therefore have a proven track record of delivering NPPF compliant retail evidence base documents to support the plan-making process.

Commercial

ELG is also involved with providing strategic advice and the securing of planning permission for commercial development, including hybrid industrial units that provide flexible spaces for small to medium enterprises (SMEs), advising existing commercial operators on their land interests and engagement with the planning system, and preparing planning applications and their supporting justification for more bespoke uses that develop at a pace that the planning system is not always able to keep up with.