Office to resi boom fuels consultancy expansion

West End planning consultancy City Planning is recruiting two more planners to help it keep up with its workload, including the rise in office-resi conversions. 

The firm, located in Pall Mall, was set up in 2009 by director Charles Rose, working with property developers and investors on residential and commercial schemes in the capital.

He told Planning that a combination of the improved London economy and government policy had led to an increase in business.

He said: “We are almost having to turn away business because of the demand and we need a lot more staff.

“The government has done a lot to promote residential development in London which is fuelling a lot of that.

“We are getting a lot of work on jobs involving the conversion of offices to residential schemes. Very often these involve not just the conversion of the space but the addition of extra floors, which require extra work.”

The firm currently employs one senior and one assistant planner, with another member of staff joining next month. Rose said he would look to employ one or two more new staff in the current recruitment round. 

“When the recession hit a lot of people were put off from doing planning.

"Now all companies are looking for staff. The message I would send to students is there is a massive opportunity to get into planning and progress quickly in their careers.”

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Image of London skyline by David Holt, Flickr