About Me
Andrew Ransome MRTPI
I’m a Chartered Town Planner with more than 20 years’ experience. In that time I have worked for local planning authorities, national consultancies and smaller independent practices.
In September 2026 I set up Andrew Ransome Town Planning Ltd. It gives landowners, developers, homeowners and businesses direct access to that experience, without layers of account management in between.
When you instruct me, I handle your project myself, from the first conversation about a site through to a decision or appeal.
Seeing Planning From Both Sides
I started my career at Chelmsford Borough Council. I then worked in the strategic planning teams at Thurrock, Southend-on-Sea and Maldon. In those roles I drafted Local Plan policies and prepared housing land and employment evidence. I assessed strategic housing sites, including allocations of over 3,000 homes at Maldon, and supported Councils at examination.
That background still shapes how I work. I understand how planning officers read a submission and how policies are meant to be applied.
I also know where there is genuine room for judgement.
Much of my private practice work has involved finding that room and making a clear, evidence-led case for using it.
The Work I Do
Residential development. My residential experience runs from single infill plots and replacement dwellings to village extensions, urban regeneration schemes and large multi-phase urban extensions.
At RPS, I worked on planning and evidence gathering for strategic allocations, and on design frameworks for national housebuilders.
At Plainview Planning, I secured permission for schemes ranging from backland plots and self-build homes to greenfield sites of around 100 dwellings. One example is the appeal I won for 17 new homes on a brownfield town centre site in Whitstable, presented at a hearing.
More recently, at A&DP, I have managed reserved matters, condition discharges and s73 amendments across several parcels of large urban extensions.
Green Belt and constrained sites. A recurring theme in my career has been securing permission where policy is restrictive.
That includes the Green Belt, Conservation Areas, listed building settings and land outside settlement boundaries.
Examples include 14 houses in Thurrock’s Green Belt next to a Grade II* listed building, and more recently Permission in Principle for four dwellings on grey belt land. You can see more on my Green Belt approvals page.
Planning appeals. I have prepared and managed appeals by hearing and written representations, often where a scheme conflicted with adopted policy but other considerations weighed strongly in its favour.
Appeal work was central to my work at Plainview Planning and A&DP. That included new dwellings in Bexhill-on-Sea, Chelmsford, Basildon, East Suffolk amongst others, householder approvals in Harrow, Lambeth, Thanet and Maldon, amongst others. Other wins include a 50-bed hotel in Windsor. More are on my planning appeal wins page.
Lawful development and permitted development. I regularly advise on Certificates of Lawfulness, prior approval and permitted development rights. In practice, this usually means building a detailed evidence case that leaves the Council little room to refuse. At Plainview, I secured a Certificate of Lawfulness for three flats in Hackney, after an earlier refusal. I also obtained prior approval for two dwellings in rural Dover under what was then a new permitted development right. More recent work includes a garage conversion in Fareham.
Commercial, leisure and rural projects. My commercial experience began at RPS in London. There I acted for an international supermarket retailer and national warehouse, trade-counter and self-storage operators, and prepared retail impact assessments. I also worked on feasibility for the relocation of a Premiership football club and on major gas infrastructure in South Essex.
At Plainview, I went on to work on hotels, medical and leisure uses, pub conversions and barn conversions.
Recent projects at A&DP include a new marina building near Stodmarsh, a entertainment venue in rural Essex and a home hairdressing studio in Mid Sussex.
Planning policy. I continue to prepare Local Plan representations and promote land through the plan-making process, for both residential and employment sites.
I first did this work at RPS, on behalf of housebuilders and commercial property portfolios across London and the South East. I continued this at both Plainview and A&DP, securing favourable site allocations. It also builds directly on my years drafting policy inside local authorities.
Before Andrew Ransome Town Planning
Before setting up this practice, I was Planning Director at A&DP Ltd from 2019, leading major residential, commercial and leisure projects across Essex, London and the South East. Before that, I spent six years as Planning Manager at Plainview Planning and began my consultancy career at RPS in London. Alongside my local authority roles, I also ran my own consultancy, Ransome and Company.
You can browse projects from across my career on the Latest and Planning Approvals pages.
Talk to Me About Your Project
You might be weighing up a site, preparing an application or dealing with a refusal. Whichever it is, getting the strategy right early makes a real difference.
Get in touch for an initial conversation about what is realistically achievable and the best route to get there. You can also read more about the services I provide.
Get in Touch
Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
Tel: 020 7096 8045
London Office:
60 Tottenham Court Road
Fitzrovia
London
W1T 2EW
© 2026 Andrew Ransome Town Planning Ltd. All rights reserved.
Content on this website is provided for general information and educational purposes only and does not constitute formal planning, professional, or legal advice. Planning policies, legislation, and guidance are subject to change. Site-specific assessment by a qualified consultant is recommended before making development decisions.
Projects highlighted across this website represent professional work undertaken by Andrew Ransome throughout his career.