Town planning consultancy

A trusted and well regarded professional with over 30 years consultancy and local government planning experience, Andy Blaxland has extensive consenting and plan preparation experience. 

Blaxland Planning was started in May 2025 following Andy's departure from Adams Hendry Consulting Ltd, where he worked for over 20 years including 17 years as Company Director. 

Andy is a Chartered Town Planner, member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the National Infrastructure Planning Association.

Key Experience

Through Blaxland Planning, Andy Blaxland provides high quality advice and planning services to public and private sector clients across the UK.

With a specialism within infrastructure consenting, particularly water, wastewater and energy projects, Andy has developed and led the implementation of planning consent strategies for DCOs and planning permissions for complex major infrastructure schemes within London and south-east England, including negotiating post consent changes and the discharge of conditions and requirements through project implementation. Andy’s consent strategy, project management, negotiation and mediation skills have secured the successful completion of projects working with clients, teams of multi-disciplinary consultants and internal and external project teams. 

Andy has extensive plan preparation experience, previously leading a local authority planning team preparing Local Plans, development briefs and transport strategies. As a consultant, he has been seconded into local authority teams and prepared evidence studies to support plan preparation. Working with water companies and other consultants, Andy has provided consenting advice on option appraisals and led the preparation of technical water resources management plan and regional plan documents, and co-ordinated consultation response analysis and reporting. 

Andy is an experienced expert witness, co-ordinating and presenting evidence at Inquiries and Examinations on local plans, DCOs, planning applications, and abstraction licence inquiry. He also leads and contributes to large-scale public meetings, exhibitions and consultation events. 

Sectors

  • Nationally significant infrastructure projects - consents and implementation
  • Infrastructure planning, including water resources, wastewater and energy
  • Commercial and agricultural development
  • Residential and housing land supply
  • Wetland and conservation schemes
  • Pipelines and other linear developments
  • Water Resources Management Plans and Regional Plans
  • Local Authority development management support, including appeals
  • Local Authority development plan support, including examinations
  • Public and private sector client planning advice and support

Capabilities and Skills

  • Section 35 applications and Development Consent Orders 
  • Planning applications and other consent applications 
  • Permitted development rights and certificates of lawfulness
  • Environmental Impact Assessment 
  • Advice on consenting strategies 
  • Project management, collaborative and cross disciplinary working
  • Negotiation, mediation and stakeholder engagement 
  • Inquiry evidence and expert witness
  • Consent risk management
  • Implementation stage change management

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