Chartered Town Planners (MRTPI) and Architectural Designers with local planning authority experience — specialising in retrospective applications, enforcement responses and regularising unauthorised development across the UK.
Planning rules are complex, and most people who carry out works without consent were unaware that permission was required. Receiving an enforcement letter, or finding that work has been carried out without the necessary consent, is a difficult position to be in. We chose to specialise in retrospective planning because we understand that concern, and because we believe every homeowner and small business owner in that position deserves the same quality of professional representation that larger developers take for granted.
By focusing exclusively on retrospective cases, we put all of our knowledge, experience and effort into one thing: building the most persuasive planning arguments we can for people who need consent for works that already exist. We research the policies more thoroughly, we draft the statements more carefully, and we engage with case officers more effectively — because this is all we do, every day.
Our founder spent years inside local planning authorities before moving into private practice. That experience means we understand how case officers assess applications, what evidence they require, and where the risks of refusal lie. Today we act for homeowners, landlords, small developers and rural businesses across the UK. Every case is handled personally by a Chartered Town Planner from start to finish.
RPE works on retrospective planning applications across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Every application is researched, written and submitted by a Chartered Town Planner who has read your case in full.
What makes us different is the time we have spent inside local planning authorities. Before moving into private practice, our planners worked as case officers in council planning departments. We have written delegated reports. We have stood at planning committee. We have negotiated with applicants and refused applications that did not accord with policy. That experience shows what makes a retrospective application succeed, and where such applications commonly fail.
That experience translates directly into your application. We present the proposal in the terms against which the council must assess it, anticipate the objections an officer is likely to raise, and address them in the planning statement before they become a reason for refusal.
The drawings are prepared in-house by experienced Architectural Designers — rather than outsourced to a third-party drawing service. Our planning and design teams work side by side on every case: the planner sets out what the application has to prove, and the designer draws it so that the evidence is visible on the page. That communication across the two teams keeps the drawings and the planning statement consistent with one another, which is a common source of difficulty where an application is questioned, delayed or refused.
We work with the same specialist research tools used by national planning consultancies — Compass, Planning Resource and LandTech — to identify comparable approvals, recent appeal decisions and case law that strengthens your case. Where a similar application has been approved nearby, we cite it. Where an inspector has decided a relevant point on appeal, we use it.
And because we work UK-wide, we are not tied to a single set of policies. Whether your case is in front of a London borough, a Welsh county council, a Scottish authority or a rural English district, we research the relevant Local Plan, the National Planning Policy Framework (or its devolved equivalent), and any supplementary guidance — before we begin drafting.
Plain English, always. We don't hide behind planning jargon. Every report we send our clients is written so a non-planner can read it, understand it, and feel in control of their own case.
Retrospective planning is difficult enough without an open-ended bill at the end of it. RPE works on a fixed-fee basis with two simple tiers, both quoted in writing before any work begins.
If we do not consider your case approvable, we will tell you at the free assessment stage, before you incur any cost. We would rather decline the work than take on a case with no reasonable prospect of a satisfactory outcome.
Fees include drawings, planning statement, application form, submission and ongoing agent support to decision. Council application fees are passed through at cost.
RPE is led by Chartered Members of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI). Chartered status is not a marketing label — it is a regulated professional designation, awarded only to planners who have completed a recognised planning degree, demonstrated several years of professional experience, and passed a rigorous assessment of professional competence.
It also carries enforceable obligations. As Chartered planners, we are bound by the RTPI Code of Professional Conduct — the same set of rules that governs the largest planning consultancies in the country. We owe duties of integrity, competence, independence and honesty to every client we work with.
For you, as a client, that matters in three concrete ways:
When you contact RPE, you speak directly to a Chartered Town Planner. There is no account manager or intermediary between you and the person who will actually handle your case. The planner you speak to on day one is the same planner who researches your site, writes your planning statement, prepares your drawings, submits your application and manages it through to the decision.
Every application we submit is written from scratch, after a personal review of your site, the planning history and the relevant policy framework. We do not use templates with the address swapped out, and we do not run high volumes of generic cases. Each planning statement says something specific about your specific case — because that is what case officers need to see before they can grant consent.
We keep our caseload deliberately manageable so that every client gets the time and attention their case deserves. That means you can call us with a question and get an answer the same day, not a week later from someone who has never read your file.
A complete retrospective planning service from a Chartered Town Planner. Below is exactly what we produce, research and submit on your behalf for your fixed fee — and the work we do once your application is in front of the council.
Every drawing your council needs to validate and determine your application — produced in-house as part of your fixed fee, to council submission standards.
A professional, policy-led document that argues for approval on the planning grounds councils are required to take into account. Researched and written by a Chartered Town Planner.
We research the cases and decisions that strengthen your application — the same research sources used by national planning consultancies. All included as standard.
Some applications need more than drawings and a planning statement. We tell you up front what your case requires, and we coordinate the third-party reports that have to come from specialists.
We complete every form, attach every document, and submit your application directly to the council via the Planning Portal, so that you do not need to navigate the process yourself.
Submission is the start, not the end. We act as your registered planning agent throughout determination, dealing with the council on your behalf right up to the decision notice.
At no cost, a Chartered Town Planner reviews your case and gives you a considered view on whether it is likely to be approved. If we do not think the application can succeed, we will say so.
Your case is handled by the same Chartered Town Planner from start to finish. You'll always know who you're speaking to, and your messages are answered the same working day.
We're regulated by the same professional rules as the largest planning consultancies in the country. Independent, evidence-led, and accountable.
Your case stays between you and your planner. We don't publish identifying details, and any case studies we write are anonymised so the property cannot be traced.
From instruction to a complete, ready-to-submit application package. This matters where an enforcement deadline applies.
Our planning statements are professional documents the council needs to see — but everything we send you is written so a non-planner can read it, understand it, and feel in control of their own case.
Free assessment, no obligation, and a considered view from a Chartered Town Planner.