Infrastructure planning and consulting

Delivering transformative infrastructure is critical to short-term recovery and long-term growth across the United Kingdom. Effective planning ensures we get the decisions about development right and deliver meaningful outcomes for the economy, environment and communities. Our team of experts are ready to help develop, negotiate and deliver your consenting needs.

OUR TEAM OF INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING AND CONSENTING SPECIALISTS IS ONE OF THE LARGEST IN THE UK

450+

WSP HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN NSIP PROJECTS SINCE 2008

65+

Planning transformative infrastructure

We have one of the largest teams of infrastructure planners and environmental professionals in the UK, enabling us to respond flexibly to the demands of the pre-application, application and statutory process stages of applications. Through careful programme and resource management, and with offices throughout the UK, we can respond quickly to the most challenging programme.

Our infrastructure planning and consenting experts work across all key infrastructure sectors in the United Kingdom. Explore the graphic below to explore these sectors.

Our services

Whether in water or transport, energy or local government, our planning and consenting specialists work with a network of industry partners and WSP’s community of over 70,000 specialists, providing a one-stop-shop of expertise from land services, environmental management, and technical environmental specialists.

Our expertise ranges from delivering consents across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. This includes Development Consent Orders (DCO) for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP), Developments of National Significance (DNS); through to planning permissions, Section 36 Consents and Transport and Works Act for critical local infrastructure.

Beyond our work for infrastructure promoters, we have also worked to support the Planning Inspectorate and statutory consultees – including local authorities - to engage with infrastructure and development planning. Explore our different planning and consenting services on the icons below

Key Services

We offer an integrated consents strategic advisory and delivery management service as well as specialist infrastructure planning and consenting services.

Delivering consents for nationally significant infrastructure

The process for securing consent for nationally significant infrastructure is complex, with options for design and delivery, associated development, and provisions for planning, land acquisition and other environmental consents requiring careful consideration.

WSP has advised clients on over 65 NSIPs since the assent of the Planning Act in 2008 and our planners advise on the benefits of different consenting routes, appraisal of options, and recommend the best planning strategy for each project. We also support consents across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland under:

Town and Country Planning Act 1990
The Planning Act 2008
Developments of National Significance (Wales)
Transport and Works Act 1992
Hybrid Bills
Section 36 Electricity Act 1989 (Scotland)
Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997
The Planning and Development Act 2000 (Republic of Ireland)
Town and Regional Planning Act (Republic of Ireland)

Featured Projects

Herring Bridge: opening a new chapter for Great Yarmouth

Using a flexible consenting strategy, we helped Norfolk County Council secure a Development Consent Order for this double-leaf bascule bridge in Great Yarmouth.

HyNet North West hydrogen and CO₂ pipelines

Planning and designing infrastructure for a pioneering clean growth project that will put the UK at the forefront of net-zero innovation.

Stranoch Wind Farm EIA Planning

Stranoch Wind Farm is a 84MW capacity onshore wind farm developed by EDF Renewables located in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.

Cory Energy

WSP is providing environmental assessment, infrastructure planning and pre-FEED engineering advice to Cory Environmental Holdings Ltd. (Cory) in their development of a proposed carbon capture project situated in Belvedere in East London.