Our office is based in Coggeshall in Essex. We advise on some of the most challenging and innovative projects in the UK. Projects are undertaken from inception to delivery across a wide spectrum of professional services for clients.

The practice is an independent planning and development consultancy. Our clients include landowners, investors, international and national companies, Government Departments and other public bodies.

We believe that working with our clients in close partnership delivers valuable and practical solutions for their projects.

We are fully committed to our clients' needs. We bring integrity, professionalism and a partnership approach to all our instructions.

We often take on different roles dependent upon the particular circumstances of the project:

• lead planning consultants
• environmental co-ordinators
• specialists within multi-disciplinary teams
• expert witnesses

For occupiers, property issues are inextricably linked to business needs. Whether a business is expanding or rationalising its operations, property is an essential component of such consideration. Our approach is to assist in the property approach by ensuring that any property or land ./assets work best for the organisation with through efficient operational use or simply maximising the value of surplus ./assets.

Working often as the client's lead planning consultant and working with property agents and other specialists we can construct strategies that deliver value or business efficiency by ensuring that town planning requirements deliver client needs in the overall project. Our approach is to ensure that any property and land ./assets perform best for the organisation through efficient operational use or simply maximising the value of surplus ./assets.

Our approach to investment is to ensure that the client has available the detailed technical knowledge of town planning to ensure returns are maximised from property and land ./assets. Often this means working property portfolios to ensure each and every property offers the best return.

Changes of use, planning applications, certificates of lawfulness are examples of important town planning processes essential to underpinning value. We advise a number of funds on their property portfolios.

The cyclic nature of the property market has often resulted in significant impacts on the development industry. This coupled with governmental policy initiatives on environment, planning, transportation and economics is directing developers and local authorities toward a sustainable future. Our approach is to work with developers at every step in the process whether for commercial or residential projects to maximise the potential of sites and seek to negotiate the best planning permission and planning obligations.

Our input to planning obligations is to negotiate the details of relevant mitigation measures which are fairly and reasonably related to the proposed development. In some cases such obligations required by local planning authorities are not appropriate. We assist Councils with the drafting of conditions to ensure planning permission can be properly and satisfactorily implemented.

Collins and Coward act for a number of private clients. Our advice covers the whole spectrum of planning consultancy from dwellings in the green belt to alterations to listed buildings often with works amounting to several million pounds. Our role is to provide practical and technical solutions for their projects and assist in engaging other specialists as required.

Often landowners wish to see their land developed and we can assist by devising and executing strategies from inception to realisation that maximise the prospects of success.

Public Sector organisations are required to increase efficiency and reduce costs in a context of greater demands on their services. Efficiency requirements in the sector are driving organisations. The need to release surplus land to meet other policy objectives such as housing supply requires the public sector to further scrutinise their property portfolios. We advise on how to release such land and maximise its potential through either planning permissions or allocations in the Development Plan system.

Many organisations such as local authorities are being proactive in trying to stimulate their local economies. In some cases local regeneration companies have been established to work alongside investors and developers to regenerate towns in decline.

We can assist by producing market-driven technical solutions that maximise the potential but meet the objectives of local communities.

We act as planning consultants and expert witnesses in planning projects to support appropriate development for public sector organisations. This covers both asset realisation in the disposal of land and property or operational development to meet business objectives.