Our expertise

Planning communications

Our expertise in the ‘politics of planning’ enables us to bring clarity to what can often be a complex process. Whether it be under the TCPA or NSIP planning regimes, our teams advise on thousands of planning applications and development projects across the UK. Each project is unique, requiring detailed stakeholder knowledge and an acute understanding of local political and community perceptions and concerns.

Planning is political.
We help to bring the community along with you and mitigate risk.

We help you engage with key stakeholders and deliver effective, targeted communications strategies. Our expertise in digital communications enables you to reach more people and is a highly effective way of empowering communications with stakeholders in a community.

Our built environment experts understand the political process and how community politics impact planning decisions. We have a proven track record of delivering success in planning in every part of the UK. Our experts in public affairs, PR and social media strategy create tailored communications strategies that mitigate risk and ensure successful planning outcomes.

national infrastructure planning

The delivery of the UK’s infrastructure is a complex process involving numerous planning systems, from Transport & Works Act orders to Development Consent Orders (DCOs), consents from the Local Planning Authority to Hybrid Bills.

At BECG, we advise our clients on which options are open to them and carry out a full risk analysis. By developing consultation and engagement strategies that examine any change to the consenting route, we can de-risk the planning process. This work often forms part of our support at any Outline Business Case (OBC) stage.

To achieve this, BECG brings its experience of planning procedures together with meticulous research and creativity to generate successful strategies that promote and drive advocacy while also complying with any consultation requirements.

strategic land promotion

Strategic land promotion is a core part of our work. As well as understanding the local political and community dynamic, we also understand the process, the planning mechanics and the fact that each site needs a bespoke approach.

Strategic land promotion means engagement over a matter of years, not months, so it’s important to have a long-term plan in place. Our trusted experts employ an entirely separate skillset and mindset to the communications and engagement around immediate planning applications.

We offer this expertise amongst multiple consultants across our offices, including those with extensive experience of supporting strategic land promotions of all scales and natures and those who have been involved in Local and Neighbourhood Plans from within local authorities and DLUHC.

Our in-house digital, video, design and PR experts complement our political and community engagement specialists to provide us with a fully stocked toolbox to deliver all the initiatives that bring value to a strategic promotion, including use of social media.

Site acquisition & due diligence

Our clients rightly invest in thorough due diligence prior to acquiring their development sites, which increasingly means analysing the political factors that may present risk or opportunity to a site coming forward.

Bids for sites can be strengthened through this political knowledge, whilst a through and intelligent engagement strategy is a critical part of a broader submission.

Our services at pre-acquisition stage range from providing a high-level overview of the overarching political considerations, to a more granular analysis of the site alongside engagement to inform our conclusions.

We have the knowledge and experience to know how the process works from every side. Consultants from across our offices deliver pre-acquisition work for a huge variety of projects and for clients of all natures. Bolstering their extensive experience of advising private and public sector clients, our consultants also deliver insight from their time as councillors, local authority officers, DLUHC civil servants, planning consultants and more.

In bringing BECG onto a formal bid team, we will also deliver expert copywriting for the engagement strategy.

Whilst politics is one factor among many, it can often be vital to a site’s progression. BECG can help establish this from the outset, and significantly minimise risk.

Supporter mobilisation and campaigning

Trust BECG to promote and protect your reputation. We will position your business so you achieve commercial success.

Our team has built valuable relationships across the political and media worlds. This helps our clients to shape and influence national, regional and local policy debate. Combined with our sector specialist knowledge of the built environment, we devise thought leadership campaigns and create engaging content to ensure key messages are heard and understood by decision makers, customers, and wider stakeholders.

Political & stakeholder advocacy

The design and construction of all new buildings and public and private spaces has a huge impact on our communities. BECG plays a key role in building trust and understanding between the developers, investors, and local political and community stakeholders.

We understand that projects in the built environment are often contentious. We promote effective and meaningful engagement with the community to minimise risk and achieve a successful outcome in a cost-effective way.

Community Engagement

Our expertise in the ‘politics of planning’ enables us to bring clarity to what can often be a complex process. Whether it be under the TCPA or NSIP planning regimes, our teams have advised on thousands of planning applications and development projects across the UK. Each project is unique, requiring detailed stakeholder knowledge, and an acute understanding of local political and community perceptions and concerns.

We help you engage with key stakeholders and deliver effective, targeted communications strategies. Our expertise in digital communications can enable you to reach more people and can be a highly effective way of empowering communications with a community. We have developed a suite of digital communication tools – Built to Engage – that target the right audience and engage with them in a way that motivates their feedback.

At the heart of our business model is our understanding of the political process and how local community politics impacts on planning decisions. We have a track record in delivering success in planning in every part of the UK and by being able to offer expertise in public affairs, PR and social media strategies, we create tailored communications strategies which mitigate risk and ensure successful planning outcomes.

Construction Communications

We offer a tailored approach to delivering communications strategies to ensure good relations with communities and key local stakeholders throughout the construction process.

Our detailed knowledge and awareness of what matters most to communities has enabled us to develop a suite of digital communication tools – Built to Engage – that target the right audience and engage them in a way that motivates their feedback.

We deploy immediate campaigns, often to tight deadlines, to help ensure time sensitive communications. From disruptions caused by highways closures, through to demolition, we offer timely and considered communications which minimise reputational risk and ensure commercial timescales are met.

By informing and engaging with communities, you create both lasting relationships with neighbours and stakeholders and opportunities for positive post-build content.

Social value

Your project’s social value has never been more vital. Government, local authorities and the wider public sector place an ever-growing importance on delivering a social value legacy for every development project. With projects across the built environment having a significant long and short-term impact on people’s lives, understanding and investing in social impact is key to achieving reputational and commercial benefits, reducing risk, and developing good relationships with key stakeholders.

At BECG we help you unlock opportunities to create social value that align with your specific aims and objectives through our range of services, which cover all sections of the built environment.