British Airways (BA) has been one of Lichfield Planning’s major clients since our inception in 1992. This flowed from the success of Dalia Lichfield, while still at NLP, in obtaining planning permission for BA’s main business centre at Waterside near Heathrow.

We are currently operating as a Framework Consultant to BA, advising on Town & Country Planning matters as those affect the the company’s strategic deliberations, and acting on BA’s behalf for all their planning applications. Our work includes:

• Monitoring of changes in National, Regional and Local Planning policies and the submission of observations on BA’s behalf;
• Maintaining contacts and consulting local authorities on BA’s behalf
• Providing Planning Risk Assessment and Management for all BA’s new projects and collaborating with BA’s project managers in progressing projects;
• Undertaking the preparation of planning applications and briefing other expert consultants as necessary regarding planning applications for changes within the airports and for development on BA’s properties outside the airports;
• Participating in discussions over strategic changes to BA’s bases at Heathrow and Gatwick

Examples of our facilitation of specific planning applications include:

• Design of BA maintenance base at Gatwick airport – Contribution to the Gatwick Masterplan, visual impact analysis, Environmental Statement coordination
• Changes to Hangars in BA maintenance base at Heathrow - coordination of all Planning related issues; Planning application and discharge of conditions;
• Community Learning Centre – planning applications and discussion of future expansion of BA’s facility serving local schools and communities
• Expansion and change of use of several office and ‘B8 use class’ buildings outside the airports.