Firstplan 2025 Wrapped
As 2025 winds down, we take a review of the key projects and clients who have made this year a successful and busy one for the Firstplan team. Our year has been marked by significant planning achievements across retail, logistics, hospitality, residential, education and community sectors. From nationally significant infrastructure to sensitive heritage assets, our work has continued to support growth, regeneration and placemaking across the UK. We extend our thanks to our clients, both old and new, for their instructions over the last year.
Our team has continued to grow this year in response to a busy workload, and we have welcomed Aurora Kenshole, Gemma Jenkinson, Rosa Perry, Alfie Spurr, and James Tarpy. We have also promoted a number of team members, Jeannie Banks, Jack Clemance, James Emblin, Josh Hindle, Gerard Manley, Abid Mirza, Rosa Perry, and Charlie Wan – we extend our congratulations to them.
Firstplan have continued to volunteer for various causes and charities, and in May took part in the Litter Survey and Clean Up of the Thames foreshore, celebrating World Bee Day. Joining forces with our longstanding client N Family Club and other local businesses, the day was spent logging and collecting litter along the Southbank. Firstplan also hosted again this year a MacMillan Coffee morning in September to help raise vital funds for this worthy cause.
We were also delighted to be nominated for two prestigious industry awards this year. Our project at Derriford Commercial Centre in Plymouth, for which Firstplan provided planning support for the creation of a new district centre to serve residents in the north Plymouth area, won a ‘commendation’ in the RTPI South West awards for ‘Best Project’ and was nominated for a national RTPI award for ‘Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy’. We are also delighted to have been shortlisted for ‘Education Adviser of the Year’ in the Education Property Awards, which takes place in February 2026.
RETAIL & TOWN CENTRES
Firstplan continues to advise on Waitrose’s convenience-format roll-out, with new stores opening in Bristol, Southwick, and Wandsworth, alongside its wider refurbishment and enhancement programme. We have also recently secured planning permission for a new neighbourhood-format store at Chelmer Village Retail Park, Chelmsford and have supported Waitrose with planning support for a number of applications to support the enhancement of their On Demand Grocery offer.
We continue to advise RM Williams with their new store opening programme in the UK, including securing the necessary planning, listed building and advertisement consents in Bath and on Jermyn Street, London. We also continue to advise Smyths Toys on due diligence and planning strategy to support the new store programme with new sites opening at Biggleswade, Coventry, Darlington, Southampton, and York in 2025.
Firstplan also secured planning permission for the reconfiguration and refurbishment of the former Nuffield building to provide a new and enhanced leisure and restaurant offer at Crawley Leisure Park. We also continue to support our public sector clients in providing advice on retail and town centre needs and strategy.
Crawley leisure park – Image Credit: McDonald Architects
LEISURE, RESTAURANTS & RAPID DELIVERY
Our leisure, restaurants and rapid delivery sector has remained extremely busy during 2025. We continue to work with Popeyes and Burger King, and for the latter have secured planning permission for a number of new sites and conversions as part of continued expansion plans, including in Bishop Auckland, Leyland, Rhyl, Ryde (Isle of Wight) and Tamworth. We have also successfully amended the opening hours at stores in Aberdeen, Bognor Regis, Egham, Hempstead, Leeds, and Southampton to secure late-night trade and 24-hour drive-thru trade.
Burger King, Strand, London
We also continue to work with a number of longstanding clients, Everyman Cinema, Fatto O Mano, Farmer Jay, Five Guys, Nando’s, Oseyo, Pho and Wingstop who continue to expand their offering. Firstplan has also supported Dishoom with their expansion plans through planning applications on heritage sites across the UK. London’s first, and flagship, Permit Room in Portobello opened earlier this year, and we look forward to the opening of another Permit Room in Liverpool, as well as Dishoom Leeds, next year. Firstplan continue to work with Big Mamma Group on the roll out of restaurants across England. This has included the group’s new restaurants Barbarella, Canary Wharf, and Circo Popolare Manchester.
Circo Popolare, Manchester — Illustration Credit: Big Mamma Group/Studio Kiki
Overall, we have worked on a vast number of new restaurant openings in 2025 across town centre and retail park locations, including restaurants, drive-thrus and hot food takeaways across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Firstplan have been advising on planning strategy for the rollout of sites on behalf of Market Place, including at St Paul’s and most recently a flagship new site at Leicester Square, and secured consent for the use of Troubadour Brent Cross Studios as a flexible event space supporting a range of entertainment uses. Firstplan also obtained permission for a change of use from Use Class E to a performance theatre space which will be the home of Sisters Grimm, a leading musical and dance theatrical production company.
Market Place, St Paul’s, London — Image credit: FNSHD Architecture & Design
Firstplan have also secured planning permission for Lapland UK’s second site at Capesthorne Hall in Cheshire. Together with our excellent team of consultants, we’ve worked closely with Officers at Cheshire East Council and submitted a sensitive and robust planning application, along with a comprehensive case for Very Special Circumstances. The Lapland UK experience in Cheshire will be transformative for the local economy with each year bringing an anticipated 1,200 seasonal jobs, 170,000 visitors, £2.5m visitor spend and £19.5m supplier spend, to the benefit of the region. We secured a 10-year permission, which will also generate revenue for the long-term upkeep and ongoing renovation of the Grade II* hall and grounds.
Lapland UK’s second site in Manchester – Image Credit: LaplandUK
EMPLOYMENT, LOGISTICS & INFRASTRUCTURE
Firstplan have continued to support Amazon and Costco on a number of sites in 2025. It is very exciting that both occupiers have had major successes this year, with Amazon opening its new warehouse in Hull, delivering c.187,000m2 of B8 floorspace, and Costco securing consent for a new c. 13,000m2 membership warehouse in Gloucester. Firstplan have been heavily involved in the planning of these projects and is pleased to see these schemes progress, creating in excess of 2,000 jobs when complete.
Firstplan continued to support CNG Fuels in delivering low-carbon infrastructure nationwide. We have secured planning permission for a new site in Warrington, set within the Green Belt. We secured it through a successful appeal, proving that sustainable infrastructure can be delivered in sensitive locations while respecting local policy and character. In Swindon, we secured a new site within a designated National Landscape, approved by the Planning Committee. This station will serve as a key link for HGV operators transitioning to biomethane.
Elsewhere, we provided planning support on behalf of CAMRO for the lawful implementation of a 65,000 sqm data centre in Sutton, East Cambridgeshire, and secured planning permission for the redevelopment of an outdated and inefficient industrial site at Eskdale Industrial Estate in Uxbridge to provide two new modern flexible Class E(g)(iii), B2 and B8 industrial units, which will enhance the function and appearance of this Strategic Industrial Location. We also secured a fit-out consent for Tradestars to support studio space provision at their new Southwark facility.
Eskdale Industrial Estate – Image Credit: RGP Architects
Firstplan continues to provide planning support for numerous national gas transporters, including National Grid, Wales & West Utilities, and SGN. This includes key infrastructure rationalisation strategies, demolition of gasholders and buildings, large scale remediation and engineering proposals and local plan representations to promote multiple sites across the UK.
Firstplan has acted on behalf of a range of clients in the rail freight sector. In February 2025, Firstplan secured planning permission for Express Concrete for a rail-served concrete batching plant in Plumstead, Greenwich. Acting for Network Rail in support of the operation of an aggregates railhead in Brandon, Suffolk, Firstplan successfully progressed an appeal dealing with lorry management requirements. More recently, Firstplan appeared at the Croydon Local Plan EIP, acting for Day Group, supporting the continued safeguarding of a strategically important minerals railhead.
In terms of water borne freight, over the summer Firstplan appeared at a four-week public inquiry for the called-in application for Northfleet Harbourside mixed-use redevelopment at Gravesham, Kent. Firstplan acted for the Port of London Authority (who were a Rule 6 Party) objecting to the scheme on minerals wharf safeguarding grounds and specifically the loss of the safeguarded Robins Wharf.
In the minerals and waste sector Firstplan secured planning permission for Cappagh Group in March 2025 for an extension of the operation of a quarry and an associated aggregate recycling facility in Addlestone, Surrey.
HOTEL & LEISURE
Firstplan have continued to provide planning consultancy support for The Vinyl Factory, in respect of extensive proposals at the Grade II* listed Oakley Court Hotel, Windsor. Firstplan secured a number of consents for an outdoor swimming pool in the walled garden, alongside numerous padel and pickleball courts and extensive landscaping. Further permissions allowed for extensive improvement works to the main hotel building and numerous curtilage listed structures located within the hotel grounds.
Firstplan also secured planning consent from Enfield Council for a high-end, recreational building within a residential plot, comprising a gym, sauna and entertainment areas, at 267 Pagitt’s Grove. Through an innovative design approach, an abundance of landscaping and careful coordination with the Council’s planning officers, it was possible to overcome the loss of garden space to deliver this unique building.
RESIDENTIAL & MIXED USE
Planning permission was obtained from the London Borough of Merton Council for a high-quality mixed-use development in Wimbledon Town Centre. This project will deliver nine new homes and an attractive commercial unit on the ground floor. The nine apartments will provide an excellent standard of accommodation with front and rear terraces, a communal garden, and a residents’ communal lounge/space. The commercial unit benefits from an open Class E use and presents a significant improvement on the current retail space at the site.
Wimbledon Broadway – Image Credit: Seedoe London Limited and the Kimen Group
Working with Levcan (developer) and Office S&M (Architects), Firstplan secured a series of consents to refurbish a prominent Victorian building in Sydenham, providing a new and improved ground floor commercial unit and 7 no. residential dwellings through Class MA Prior Approval and full planning permissions.
Sydenham Road, Sydenham – Image Credit: Office S&M architects
Firstplan is currently instructed by Mitheridge Capital and Halcyon Development Partners at their 8 storey, 337-room Co-Living development in Hackney Wick to secure consent to revise the design, as well as to enable the demolition and construction stages, through agreeing technical details with Hackney Council. We also obtained consent for the use of 43 Waverley Gardens, Barking as a Class C2 ‘live-in care facility for children and young people with complex needs’.
Elsewhere, Firstplan obtained consent for two detached houses in Uttlesford, the site was outside of a settlement boundary, but we were able to evidence that there would be no harm to the countryside, and the benefits of providing new dwellings in the absence of a five-year housing land supply should carry significant weight. We began pre-application discussions in April and were pleased to achieve full planning permission before the target date in September, thanks to cooperative working with the planning officers. We have also obtained consent for a new house in the green belt in Surrey on the site of a former garden centre, and for urban infill plots, including a two-storey extension to a listed building, which provides a new house in Clapham.
We further secured planning permission for a comprehensive office refurbishment scheme in Richmond, including a variety of infill extensions and the activation of roof areas to create highly desirable roof terraces.
Hackney Wick – Image Credit – MORRIS+COMPANY and AXSON CGI
COMMUNITY & EDUCATION
We have developed a collaborative and successful approach with our clients in the education sector, advising on over 60 sites in the last 12 months, and we have a strong and encouraging pipeline of new sites for 2026/2027. We continue to work with key operators in the sector, including continued expansion with Harkalm Group, Kinderzimmer UK, Melrose Education, and N Family Club. Some of the highlights in 2025 include the N Family Club sites in Barnet and East Dulwich, a new build nursery complex on behalf of Harkalm in Aylesbury, Kingsbrook, and new SEND schools in Blackheath and Eastleigh.
Firstplan continues to advise Buckinghamshire New University, in 2025, this has included the disposal strategy for Missenden Abbey, which is a Grade II listed Hotel dating back to the 12th century. The site is subject to a number of other sensitive heritage designations. Advice was provided on the development potential as a result of the Green Belt / Grey Belt changes proposed under the new Framework. Firstplan also secured planning permission for a new educational facility designed to teach pupils life skills for independent residential living at Castledon School, Wickford. Firstplan have also been working with V22 who provide affordable artists’ studios, we have assisted with their new site in Catford Town Centre as well as advising on their existing portfolio.
N Family Club, East Dulwich – Image Credit: N Family Club
As always, we extend our thanks to our clients, and the consultants, specialists, and architects that we work with for a successful year and look forward to another busy year in 2026.