A4: Introducing ATLAS

This website has been created and is maintained by the Advisory Team for Large Applications (ATLAS).

ATLAS provides an independent advisory service to Local Planning Authorities that are experiencing the pressures of increased development activity. It currently operates nationally. The team is sponsored by the Department of Communities & Local Government (CLG) and hosted by  the Homes & Communities Agency.

Members of the ATLAS team are based in offices in Milton Keynes, Birmingham, Ashford, Bristol, Leeds and Warrington. The majority are experienced town planners who have been advising and assisting Local Planning Authorities across a wide variety of projects all of which contain a significant number of residential units. The team has rapidly expanded  to offer guidance and assistance across a wide range of planning and technical development issues.

ATLAS only engages where requested by the local authority on a case by case basis, at any stage of the development process. Generally the team become involved in large scale or complex residential development projects which have some form of emerging or established planning status. Given the importance and extent of work required pre-application, the team is often involved well in advance of any formal planning application.

ATLAS provides an advisory service to help enable and assist others to deliver on their objectives.This advice has no formal statutory status, with final decision making being retained by the respective stakeholders. The advice we provide is based upon our background knowledge, experience from project work and other good practice together with the specific circumstances of each individual case. Whilst the team work primarily on behalf of the Local Planning Authority, our advice reflects what the team feel is reasonable and good practice, and as such may be supportive of the position of any stakeholder involved in the process. It is important to stress that ATLAS provides independent (and where necessary confidential) advice.

The ATLAS team has expanded considerably over the last few years, bringing in a range of new specialisms including transport & engineering, social infrastructure planning & delivery, Environmental Impact Assessment, S106 negotiations, urban design and masterplanning.

For the latest news from the ATLAS team please click here.