About JR Planning

Home / About JR Planning

Why JR Planning?

JR Planning aims to be the leading planning consultancy in Yorkshire and Derbyshire focussing on medium and small sized development projects.

We deliver bespoke planning services driven by outstanding expert knowledge, a passion for high quality design and a determination to succeed.

We have an excellent track record of success and client satisfaction across a full range of planning projects with a particular expertise on Green Belt sites, residential developments, and medium sized commercial projects.

We are staffed by individuals with extensive experience in the public and private sectors, outstanding commitment to client satisfaction and excellent interpersonal skills. Our team are empowered to use their individual knowledge to act independently to secure success for our clients.

We continually expand and update our professional knowledge. This competitive advantage ensures we remain successful and regularly results in our clients using us for repeat work and recommending us to others.

Our principles

Everything we do is driven by 3 fundamental principles:

Sincerity – We will always provide frank, realistic advice to ensure our clients are fully informed on the planning potential of their land as early as possible. We will never give our clients false hope and will only accept instructions where we believe we can add value.

Knowledge – We will continually maintain and expand our professional knowledge to provide us with a clear competitive advantage. This requires our full team to carry out regular and detailed reviews of planning case law, relevant appeal decisions and policy changes.

Success – We will continue to demonstrate outstanding levels of success at all stages of the planning process. Approximately 90% of the sites we are involved with obtain planning permission and this figure has remained at this level for the past 3 years.

We carry out work throughout Yorkshire, Derbyshire and beyond. Our skills are transferable to planning proposals across the UK.

Client promise

We guarantee to provide timely, frank and realistic advice from the outset. Our professional approach and extensive knowledge mean we can accurately identify the planning potential of your site and we will not accept instructions where we do not believe we can add value.

The combination of our expertise and hard work will serve to significantly improve your chances of securing a successful outcome as demonstrated by our long-standing 90% success rate.

We will respond to all enquiries in a timely fashion and will work diligently on your behalf and keep you informed at all stages of the planning process.

Excellent

JR Planning Consultants

5.0

Based on 30 reviews

See all reviews

review us on

Ahmed Ibrahim

JR Planning are professional, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. I have used their services twice, and both times they delivered successful outcomes for our planning permission applications.

John Butler

James and his team did an excellent job in obtaining planning permission for a small self-build. The proposal was not without its challenges but James navigated through all of these. There was a specific BNG issue which arose and James used his broader knowledge and experience to get the outcome we were seeking. Highly recommended.

Response from the owner: Thanks, John - all the hard work paid off and we are delighted you can now get cracking on site!

Rob Balmforth

Danny Heath

James and team have worked diligently throughout our very complex planning application with a successful outcome. They have been there at all times to answer all the weird and wonderful questions that get brought to the table throughout the application process. Thank you, will use again.

Response from the owner: Thanks, Daniel - glad we could help with this and that you are now free to get on with developing the site!!

Elliott Stringer

We have dealt with JR Planning Consultants for quite some time now and cannot fault their service from start to finish.From the initial site visits, to gaining the approval of planning for our sites, there has always been full transparency from the company.Cannot recommend them enough.

Response from the owner: Thanks, Elliott - really glad we have been able to help you and look forward to working with you again in the future...good luck with the builds!

David Brown

A Massive Thank you to James and Tom at JR Planning, the Application for 2 houses was a very tricky due to a neighbouring listed building, the council were being very very difficult. The application was spot on and it was passed after a fight and some very cleaver tactics. I cannot recommend James and Tom enough, very very professional and they know there stuff.

Response from the owner: Thanks so much for the review, David - delighted to be of assistance and to get your permission across the line!

Manish Nakra

James has been highly professional throughout my whole applicationNo hesitation in recommending James and his services for any planning requirements. Very professional yet easy to deal with.He is very calm person.I can’t recommend James highly enough. Absolutely delighted with the advice and professionalism.He is also friendly and a pleasure to work with. Very knowledgeable, great communicator and competitively priced.

Ash saiyed

great service from James, was recommended by my architect knowledgeable and knows exactly what his doing. If your struggling with your LPA contact James and he will give you his professional opinion and get it over the line! thanks again

Linda Rawlinson

It took a long time to get planning permission but James was very patient and persevered on our behalf, I would recommend his services highly.

Edward Dillingham

James is brilliant.Used twice now and both times we have been successful at getting planning in the greenbeltWorth every penny! Highly recommended and I know we will be using him again in the future!

Kate Scothorne

I can’t recommend James highly enough. He has a very calm demeanour which is perfect for enduring the many trials and tribulations of the planning process and a wealth of experience which was crucial for knowing when we could stand our ground to get our design accepted. I feel like he’s achieved the impossible for me and the results are going to be life changing.

Adam Turner

Absolutely delighted with the advice and professionalism from James at JR Planning.Having been told by the planning department we would not get the required permissions to extend our bungalow in the conversation area, we contacted James who was able to review advise and put a solid case forward to the planners who ultimatley granted us the permissions we required to build our dream home.Would thoroughly recomend.

wantsum777

We have worked with James on many projects over the past few years and can thoroughly recommend his company for any projects that require a planning consultant.

Mike Riley

We contacted James at pretty short notice with our planning application situation and James advised us on our next steps.....which shortly after was granted approval! Great professional service, thanks

Tony Staszewsky

Very professional planning consultant.I would highly recomend James for any planning issues

Richard Moore

Having already been granted planning permission and building a 100% extension on our property on green belt some years ago, we believed there was no way we would gain permission to extend our home further to suit our needs and reluctantly believed we would need to move. Through discussions with James and his expert advise, he has managed to obtain us permission to build a double garage and orangery, therefore allowing us to stay in the home we love. No hesitation in recommending James and his services for any planning requirements. Very professional yet easy to deal with.

Raymond Dobson

JR Planning recently achieved planning permission for us to knock down of an old workshop and replace with a small dwelling. Having spoke to 2 other planners in Sheffield before hand, their responses were "not to bother" and "notoriously difficult". About to give up, we then spoke to James who said they were reasonably optimistic that planning could be achieved although there are no guarantees. We took the gamble and achieved permission 15 weeks after sending in the application to Sheffield Council. The advice received throughout was very exacting and professional.My advice would be, if you have a tricky application leave it to someone who is highly qualified in their field to help you achieve the best result.

Rosemary Thomson

James is professional and easy to deal with and presented a well considered and ultimately successful planning appeal on our behalf.Thankyou James.

dave Standring

I had JR Planning recommended to me by another of their clients and James has been highly professional throughout my whole application, which was not straight forward. However, James’s communication is excellent which I feel is very important when going through a long planning process and he saw it through to completion and Full Planning Consent.

Ricky Makkar

Very impressed with the help James provided. I was having a problem with the local council and James was able to create an excellent result. Very knowledgeable, great communicator and competitively priced, I would have huge pleasure in recommending him.

Simon Ward

James was very professional & helpful throughout the application, his knowledge & experience were invaluable in securing a positive outcome. He is also friendly and a pleasure to work with, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending his services.

Julie Goodhew

I could not be more delighted with the service we received from JR Planning Consultants; professional, with good advice when needed, very experienced, patient and with great attention to the detail required throughout the entire planning process. James communicated well with us along the way. Excellent!

John Newton

I was recommended James by a friend and architect who strongly advised me not to take on my planning application in a greenbelt area without speaking to JR Planning first.James and his close network of consultants guided me through the whole process and wrote some terrific reports and documentation to support my application. I simply would not have been granted permission for my change of use application in a greenbelt area if it wasn’t for James and his highly knowledgeable and detailed approach.

Claire Helliwell

We have successfully been through the planning process with James. He was recommended to us by our architect due to his experience and expertise. At times the process was not easy with it taking many unforeseen turns however James remained consistent throughout. He was professional in his manner, open and honest never giving any false hope and worked with commitment. He demonstrated excellent communication skills responding to emails promptly and listened to what we were saying. James respected our opinion but was able to appropriately challenge that if he felt we were making unwise decisions. We never felt alone and James did his best to take the pressure off us. We would highly recommend James to anyone thinking of going through this process.

Anu Vedi

It is easy for us to say thank you to you James, for your gentle way of explaining; and the persistence and professionalism with which you dealt so efficiently with all issues and impediments.The conviction of your beliefs allayed our fears from the very start. Your statement of facts was based on intimate knowledge of legislation, hence undeniable. It is always difficult for an Applicant to stay calm, but knowing that someone as knowledgeable and professional as you is at the helm is a blessing. You definitely have our Blessings and hopefully in the future you can do the same for others.

Tony Catchpole

I received an excellent service when I consulted regarding a planning application which had received multiple objections. James wrote a letter supporting the application and remained very helpful in steering me through to a successful granting of planning permission.

Mrinal Madina

Great service and would happily recommend JRJames Roberts helped us on a case that took over 5 years without good progress. With James's help it was resolved swiftly and to complete satisfaction. James is easy to work with, understands the issues and communicates with all parties well.

Mike Leigh

As specialist conservation Architects we often undertake projects with complex planning and listed building consent issues. We have utilised JR Planning Consultants a number of times and their planning expertise has proved invaluable to the successful outcome of the project. Their work is concise, swiftly produced and well informed and has always been well received by the local planning authorities. We would therefore happily recommend their services.

Ryan Barker

JR Planning Consultants provided a professional and efficient service at a price that compared favorably. James was very responsive to any queries I had in regards to the application. James' friendly manner and attention to detail made a potentially stressful process a positive experience. I would highly recommend their services.

Jonathan Clarke

As an architects practice we often need to work with planning consultants on larger scale projects with complex planning requirements.We have worked with JR planning Consultants on a number of projects now and find then to be knowledgeable, pragmatic and above all effective at what they do with a 100% success rate on projects we have involved them in we can highly recommend their services and look forward to working with them on numerous projects in the future.

James Roberts

Planning Director

Oversees all of our projects and works closely with our clients and team. James holds an MSc (Merit) in Urban Planning and a BA (Hons) in Urban Studies and Planning from the University of Sheffield James benefits from extensive planning experience in both the public and private sectors.

Joanne Roberts

Commercial Director

Focusses on the development of the business and is responsible for the financial and marketing side of our work.

Tom Shiels

Principal Planner

Oversees all of our projects and works closely with our clients and team. Tom holds an MSc (Merit) in Urban Planning and has over 15 years of experience dealing with the full range of planning proposals.