Aviation plays an important role in providing mobility both within the UK and to international markets. With a focus on sustainability, authorities now require stronger cases for development in aviation. There is increased focus on planning and consenting to help clients get the decisions about development right. Whether airport re-openings, upgrades or expansions, we’ve worked on many of the UK’s most significant aviation projects in the past two decades.

The UK is facing the largest overhaul of the electricity grid in generations. With the acceleration of renewables and nuclear power generation to boost long-term energy independence, security and prosperity in the UK, the electricity grid requires significant upgrades and expansion. Our planning and consenting teams are working with infrastructure owners and promoters to move projects through planning to enable growth towards a net zero economy.

Carbon, Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and hydrogen investment continues to be a key part of global decarbonisation and will form a key element of the UK’s commitment to deliver a net zero economy by 2050. Our planning and consenting team are working closely with clients, securing consents to deliver CCUS and hydrogen projects to accelerate decarbonisation efforts.

Regional and local authorities have a growing capability to develop infrastructure. This includes nationally significant infrastructure projects (NSIP) promoted by authorities themselves or with development partners. Our planning and consenting teams work closely with local authorities to provide expertise and capacity to help them build a strong case for development that helps them deliver their vision for infrastructure that unlocks investment and growth in their local areas.

Nuclear power is a vital part of the clean energy mix needed to keep the UK on the path to net zero and build a secure energy future. Supporting the UK Government’s vision for a revitalised nuclear industry, our planning and consenting specialists across the UK are drawing on WSP’s global expertise to deliver consenting projects across the nuclear lifecycle – including nuclear new build, decommissioning and geological disposal.

The UK’s growth in offshore wind is recognised as a success story globally. WSP is investing in and growing our team of planning and consenting specialists specialising in wind to enable us to work with landowners, developers, and local and national governments to help them capitalise on exponential growth in clean wind energy in local and export markets.

As the UK diversifies its energy mix there is an increased expectation that onshore renewables like solar and onshore wind will grow. With the planning and environmental legislation system evolving quickly to accommodate a desire for more clean energy, our planning and consenting teams are working with both mature energy developers and ambitious local authorities who want to deliver resilient and clean electricity.

Whether delivering renewal programmes, upgrading local and national routes, or new railways like High Speed Two or East West Rail; the UK continues to see rail as a crucial enabler of growth in the economy as well as central to plans for a net zero economy. Our planning and consenting specialists have experience of working on programmes at all scales; with an agile national and mobile team able to work with clients to help a client take a project from inception through to construction and beyond.

Investment in a resilient road and highways network, whether renewal or new build, remains an important part of the UK’s infrastructure strategy. Whether delivering upgrades to the strategic road network, working on transformative local road schemes or helping unlock a revolution in active travel infrastructure; WSP’s planning and consenting teams have been market leaders working with national and local agencies to progress highways through the planning process.

The water sector ensures provision of fresh drinking water, management of wastewater as well as the management of risks like marine and river flooding. We have a strong track record of working with national environment agencies, investors and utilities and with local authorities to deliver capital and renewal programmes including marine and river flood alleviation schemes, linear infrastructure networks and major programmes like new reservoirs and urban wastewater projects.