Envision has been involved in a number of areas of planning work including development control advice; planning appeals; strategy reviews; consultation exercises; conservation area appraisals; environmental studies and councillor training. Key clients include Sedgemoor District Council; Irish Planning Service; Corby Borough Council; Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority; Craven District Council and the North West Regional Assembly.

Examples of the type and scope of work undertaken are illustrated below:

Keith Reed had a term contract to process major planning applications for Sedgemoor. This operated for some 6 years covering some 50 applications and during some of that time also involved Keith Keeley. The contract was used to deal with the most significant and controversial applications, including pre-application discussions, screening and scoping opinions for Environmental Statements, organisation of consultation, development team meetings, negotiation with applicants, committee reports, presentation to committee, negotiation of section 106 agreements, as well as appeal and call-in inquiries. The most significant applications have been:

Kate Bailey, with David Williams and Sarah Rycroft, carried out conservation area character appraisals, including a review of boundaries, for the towns of Sedbergh and Dent in Cumbria. As part of the commission, YDNPA asked Envision to organise and run a series of public consultation events including an “open day” in each location, “walkabouts” and informal meetings. Conservation area management plans were developed with the assistance of the two Parish Councils, local stakeholders, business people and residents.

The final reports were intended to be the subject of extensive public consultation by the National Park Authority in 2010, prior to their adoption by the Authority.

Keith Reed has been contracted since 2002 to report on major planning appeals in the Republic of Ireland, dealt with by written representations. In some cases he was supported by Keith Keeley. Following a site visit and a full analysis of the site and its surroundings and of the national, regional and local planning policy context, reports are made to the Board on a de novo basis. Most of the appeals were for residential developments of between 30 and 100 houses and/ or apartments, usually in the Greater Dublin area; but there have also been appeals in relation to office, retail, leisure and minerals developments and in various locations around Ireland, including Cork, Galway, Athlone and other market towns. The most significant developments considered include:

Since 2001 Kate Bailey has been the “in-house” planning consultant to a national developer of listed buildings, the PJ Livesey Group. Working with the company architects and other specialist consultants, including Sarah Rycroft, an Associate of Envision, Kate has advised the client on master-planning proposals, planning applications, listed building consent applications, planning appeals, design and access statements and environmental impact statements for restoration, conversion and redevelopment schemes throughout the UK.

Examples of successful schemes for significant listed buildings include: