Published annually by Planning Resource, the report surveys the state of the industry and ranks firms by fee income. This year’s data shows a significant period of expansion for LUC, with our planning fee income rising to £13.9 million over the 2024/25 financial year.

The report attributes much of this growth to our increasing involvement in large-scale infrastructure work. Sarah Young, Executive Director of Planning at LUC, noted that the practice is now securing "sizeable" contracts worth millions of pounds, marking a shift from the smaller contracts that were previously more typical.

Specifically, the report highlights that renewable energy and electricity grid reinforcement projects have been key drivers for fee growth. Consequently, LUC now ranks as the 4th highest earner in the UK for Energy infrastructure, generating over £6 million in this sector alone.

Beyond infrastructure, the 2025 report underscores our continued strength in strategic planning and environmental work. LUC ranked 2nd in the UK for District-wide plans and 3rd for Environmental Enhancement projects, where our income doubled over the last year.

We also retained a top-tier position in public sector work, ranking 3rd nationally with £5.8 million in fee income from government and local authority clients. Over the past year, we have supported more than 50 local authorities with green belt studies following revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework.

• Neighbourhood plans: 4th
• Leisure: 4th
• Water: 5th
• Heritage conservation: 6th

This year’s results reflect the hard work of our teams across the UK and our ability to adapt to a changing planning landscape.

Please note that the full Planning Consultancy Market Report 2025 is available to subscribers on the Planning Resource website.