Planning specialist opens Manchester office with aim to boost recruitment
North West planning consultancy, PWA Planning, has opened an office in Manchester after seeing sustained growth in its client base, both in the region and nationally.
The firm has opened an office in the Eastgate building in Castle Street, Castlefield. It will be led by PWA co-founder and director, Paul Walton, and planning director, Dan Hughes, together with three new recruits – associate Andrew Corrin, senior planner Michael Coburn and planner Lauren Taylor.
Andrew and Lauren both join PWA Planning from the Manchester office of agricultural and environmental consultancy, ADAS, while Michael joins the firm from the planning team at Cheshire East Council. Further recruitment is planned in Manchester in the coming months.
The firm also has an office in Preston.
Paul Walton said: “While our projects take us all over the UK, we’ve been working with an increasing number of clients across the Manchester city region.
“Opening an office in the city seemed like a natural next step and will allow us to do more work in Manchester, with both private and public sector organisations.”
He added: “We wanted to get the right people to lead the office and we’re thrilled to have been able to recruit a strong Manchester-based team with a broad mix of experience to support our clients in the region. We look forward to growing the office further in the months ahead.”
PWA has expanded significantly in recent years thanks to its specialisms in residential, energy, and commercial and industrial planning.
Clients include EG Group, Grenergy, Harmony Energy, Legal & General, Onward Homes, Parkwood Leisure, Root Power, Sandbrook Capital and Story Homes.
In 2024, PWA Planning was acquired by NFU Commercial Holdings, the commercial services division of the National Farmers Union, opening up new sector growth opportunities for the practice.
