
DHA have market leading experience in creating new communities. This is evident in the scale and success of the projects worked on across the country.
As well as securing planning permission for many large residential led schemes, DHA are also promoting a number of new garden communities. These tend to include all areas of the business but especially the planning, transport, EIA, flood risk, drainage, land, viability and infrastructure teams.
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Place making and infrastructure are key elements of this work alongside the community engagement and effective stakeholder liaison.
DHA can offer a strong team to support all development elements of creating new communities.
Case studies in this sector
A new business park, offering much-needed employment opportunities at Pease Pottage, near Crawley in Mid Sussex, has been granted permission for Pease Pottage Ltd to redevelop a draft allocated site.
A near total Eclipse of the Park
New homes and community facilities for Sutton Valence.
Bellway Homes granted permission to develop 220 new homes
A Planning Inspector has allowed an appeal for 700 homes and awarded full costs to the applicant after concluding a site was "unquestionably a highly sustainable location" with relatively few harms.
Working on behalf of New Granville LLP, DHA Planning prepared a successful appeal against the refusal of planning permission for an estate regeneration project at the Granville Road Estate, Barnet.
People who work in this area
Alex has worked at DHA for over 15 years and became Managing Director in 2016. As well as the day to day running of the business, Alex remains passionate about planning and development and enjoys getting out and about meeting clients and discussing the various options how DHA can maximise the value of their land.
Alice is a Planner at DHA and has worked on a variety of different projects during her time at DHA.
Cameron joined DHA in January 2024 as a graduate planner whilst completing his Masters in Town and Country Planning at London South Bank University.
Carleigh, Associate Director, leads the DHA Design team.
Chris is a Director at DHA running one of our residential teams, he is particularly passionate about creating new communities and ensuring developments meet the needs of the local demographic.
Danielle is an Associate Director and leads our Viability team as well as running a large caseload of planning projects.
Before establishing David Hicken Associates in 1986, David had ten years' experience in Local Government, including posts with a District Council, a Metropolitan Borough Council, Maidstone Borough Council and finally as Chief Planning Officer with Harlow District Council in Essex.
Emily joined DHA in 2014, having previously been employed at Kent County Council in planning policy and highway roles and having gained a number of years' experience in architectural employment.
Hannah joined DHA's Gatwick team as an Associate Director in 2024 from Iceni in London.
Holly is a Senior Transport Planner in our London team.
Jack originally joined DHA Planning in 2021 after graduating from UCL with an MSc in Spatial Planning and is working towards becoming a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He started out by working with Jonathan Buckwell and Mark Bewsey in the Gatwick Office assisting on applications and providing advice to a range of clients with land and development interests in Sussex and Surrey.
John joined DHA in 2001 having gained experience with a Chartered Surveying Practice in Central London and then having spent some 12 years in Local Government. His Local Government experience involved a City Council, Borough Council and working as a Development Control Manager at a Unitary Council. He has a BA (hons) degree in Town and Country Planning and an MBA, and has been a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute since 1988.
Lucy joined DHA in 2021 and has nearly 20 years of experience providing planning advice and support on major projects throughout Kent and the south east.
Mark is a Planning Director within the DHA's Gatwick office and regularly leads the promotion of major schemes through the planning system.
Paddy is a Chartered Surveyor and Registered Valuer with over 15 years’ experience carrying out Valuations, Development Appraisals and Viability.
Heading up DHA's London office, Patrick advises on a range of high profile residential, mixed use and office developments across London and the South of England. Patrick has experience working on large-scale strategic regeneration projects, residential-led mixed use developments and complex development control matters.
Rebecca joined DHA in 2014. Rebecca has a BCs hons degree in Geography, a Masters Degree in Town Planning and is also a full member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Sectors you may be interested in
DHA have a long track record of work within the leisure sector, having secured consent for projects including ice rinks, football stadia and training complexes, sport pavilions, equestrian training centres and countless leisure centres. Each project comes with its own unique set of circumstances and design needs and DHA are adept at responding to these, working collaboratively with the design team to identify and mitigate any planning risks whilst promoting the many benefits such projects deliver.
DHA's experience in mixed use schemes is wide and varied in both scheme types and location.
DHA are a leading practice in the residential sector, working with individuals on their dream houses through to thousands of new homes in Garden Settlements.
With an ever-increasing need for specialist accommodation for older people, DHA have expertise across the field to assist in the delivery of retirement and care-related schemes.
Services we work in
At DHA, we strive to make the process of obtaining planning permission as clear and honest as possible.
DHA's Transport and Infrastructure Team specialise in creating robust and cost-effective transport planning solutions to optimise development projects of all sizes.
DHA's Design team combines a wide range of design skills to offer the high level of experience and knowledge necessary to deliver viable, well designed, imaginative schemes which satisfy the needs of the client as well as the community.
Site promotion is vital to identify land for future developments and to meet the needs of future generations.
We are a specialist team who provide advice on development viability, the impact of affordable housing as well as other planning policy contributions which might be payable by landowners, housebuilders, developers and registered providers.
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