Boyer celebrates 25 years

Date: 23/07/2010 11:55:48

Boyer Planning Ltd, one of the UK's top specialist planning consultancies, has just celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Founded in July 1985 by David Lander, the company delivers a comprehensive range of planning and development-related services to both public and private sector clients. Starting out in the profession in 1969, David Lander had worked in local government for the previous 16 years before opening Boyer's first office in Berkshire.

"During the early 1980s there was a significant surge in private sector housing activity," says Lander, Boyer's Managing Director. "This was leading to greater planning challenges and was probably the single greatest contributor to the growth in demand for private sector planners at that time. It was really the birth of planning consultancy as we now know it."

The company expanded rapidly, with chartered town planners Ray Ricks joining in 1988 and Nick Groves in 1989 (now both Directors). Boyer became a limited company in 1990, operating from offices in South East England and East Anglia.

"There have of course been significant legislative and policy changes in planning over the last 20 years, compounded by shifts in public attitudes to development " he continues. "The early 1990s was a challenging time because of the recession but important changes (such as the 1990 Act's requirement to produce district-wide Local Plans) generated a significant amount of work and the company survived the recession successfully."

Boyer expanded its presence into South Wales with the opening of the Cardiff office in 1998, now led by Owen Jones who joined the company in 2001, becoming an Associate Director in 2007 and a Director in 2010.

Bought by the Romans Group in 2006, Boyer merged with Romans' other planning consultancy Lennon Planning at the end of 2009.

"The merger was a natural progression," says Lander. "It brought together two companies with complementary skills, and created a stronger planning consultancy business with enhanced resources. It also brought in new Director Andy Williams, formerly of Lennon, who now heads up our Twickenham office, with Ray Ricks leading our Colchester team and Nick Groves leading the team in Wokingham."

So what's the secret of Boyer's success and what does the future hold? Lander points to the strengths of Boyer's regional teams.

"We can offer clients in depth local knowledge and expertise in a wide range of specialist areas, from housing and strategic development to education, healthcare and renewable energy projects," he says. "There are certainly challenges ahead – not least since the abolition of the strategic planning framework in England by the coalition government. A good understanding of local needs will be crucial – as will dialogue and negotiation between all sectors. Boyer Planning, with extensive contacts in local authorities across the England and Wales, is well-placed to steer clients through the planning system's increasing complexity."