Rapleys expands its planning division

Rapleys has expanded its planning team by welcoming CSJ, a long-established planning practice based in Bristol to the business, alongside other strategic hires.

Planning is one of four key service areas of the property consultancy: the others being Building Consultancy, Commercial and Residential divisions.

The CSJ team, of seven qualified planners, join the national team of 36 expert planners operating across the UK. They bring with them a strong track record in the residential, education and mixed use  sectors and a range of clients based both in the south west and nationally.

In addition to CSJ joining, Rapleys has hired Alex Rogerson from JLL. He joins as a Partner, specialising in industrial and other commercial uses, as well as providing general planning advice, and is based in the West End office.

Mike Orr, founder of CSJ and equity partner at Rapleys, said: “The team and I are delighted to be part of Rapleys. We see it as a very progressive firm with clear and ambitious plans for the future. They share our culture and values around people and client care and I look forward to helping the partnership realise its aims in both the planning and other business divisions, particularly in the south west, from our Bristol base. I have no doubt that together we have a very bright future.”

Alex Rogerson, partner at Rapleys, added: “The Rapleys team are incredibly inclusive and I already feel established within the business. Rapleys is well known and hugely respected for its planning practice and commitment to excellent client service. It’s a very exciting time and I am keen to contribute to the delivery of the partnership’s growth plans.”

Robert Clarke, senior partner, concluded: “Planning is one of our core strategic focus areas. As a practice we will always seek to invest in growing the areas that we can genuinely offer best in class advice. These new experts are incredibly strong additions to the business, underpinning our strong track record and depth of expertise across the UK. By bringing in such high calibre experts, we are demonstrating our commitment to extending the reach and profile of the planning team at Rapleys, which will benefit both our existing client base, and new relationships, while also adding value to other parts of the business thanks to our collaborative culture.”

Earlier this year, James Owens joined the business as an equity partner in the Planning team from JLL, bringing with him 30 years of experience across a number of sectors and a strong track record in numerous high-profile cases.