North East planning specialist Hedley Planning has welcomed three new starters to its growing team, as the business continues to expand its commercial footprint and strengthen its service offering across the region.
Sophie Harrison joins the firm’s Hexham office as a graduate town planner, having recently completed her degree at Newcastle University. She will work across a range of planning projects as the company continues to invest in client services and secure new business.
She is joined by graduates Lizzie Brown and Jessica Mackie, who join Hedley Planning as planners to complete year-out placements at the firm’s Hexham and Newcastle offices respectively. Both bring valuable experience gained from previous roles with North East planning consultancies, giving them a strong grounding in the planning application process and an early understanding of how planning decisions are reached.
All three will support the senior team in preparing planning applications and planning statements for the company’s growing portfolio of clients across the UK’s residential and commercial sectors.
The appointments come at a pivotal time for Hedley Planning, following its recent move to larger premises at Tanners Burn House on Burn Lane in Hexham. The relocation has doubled the firm’s office capacity, positioning it to meet rising operational demand while maintaining high standards of client service.
The business has seen substantial growth on the back of national planning reforms, robust activity across the region’s housing and property sector, a strong pipeline of major regeneration projects, and an increasing focus on sustainability and quality in new-build developments.
Managing director Sean Hedley said: “The decision to invest in new talent reflects strong and sustained demand for planning services from leading housebuilders, commercial property developers and the renewable energy sector, and forms part of a wider strategy to build a sustainable pipeline of skilled planners for the future.
“Our business is only as strong as our people, and we recognise the importance of securing the future pipeline of talent to ensure we have a sustainable business and deliver first-class client services. We are proud of the local talent such as Sophie, Lizzie and Jessica that we are attracting to the business, as we strive to deliver excellence and grow our footprint across the region.”