Mark Alexander Planning provides specialist retail, leisure and town centre planning advice for developers, landowners, operators, local authorities and professional teams. Our work focuses on the planning issues that often arise where proposals involve retail, commercial leisure, food and beverage, hotel, mixed-use or other main town centre uses.

The retail and leisure sectors continue to evolve, with changing consumer behaviour, new formats, vacancy pressures, regeneration priorities and increasing scrutiny of out-of-centre development. Planning applications in these sectors often need to demonstrate that proposals are appropriately located, respond to relevant national and local policy, and will not have unacceptable impacts on existing centres.

MAP provides clear, proportionate and commercially focused advice to help clients navigate these requirements. We prepare and review sequential test assessments, retail impact assessments, need and capacity studies, town centre audits, frontage surveys and wider retail planning evidence. Our advice is tailored to the scale of the proposal, the policy context and the commercial realities of each project.

We assist clients from the early stages of site appraisal through to planning submission, helping to identify risks, shape planning strategy and prepare robust evidence. We also support local authorities and private clients by reviewing submitted retail and leisure information, identifying weaknesses in evidence, and advising on whether proposals comply with relevant planning policy.

Whether the project involves a new convenience store, drive-thru restaurant, hotel, gym, leisure use, town centre redevelopment or mixed-use scheme, MAP provides specialist input designed to support informed planning decisions and positive development outcomes.

How can we help?

Our role is to provide focused, practical and robust retail planning advice. We help clients understand whether a proposal is likely to require a sequential test, impact assessment, need assessment, frontage survey or wider town centre evidence. Where required, we prepare proportionate reports that address the relevant planning policy tests and provide a clear basis for decision-making.

MAP’s approach is commercially aware, policy-led and evidence-based. We understand that clients often need advice that is both technically robust and delivered within realistic project timescales. Our reports are prepared to assist planning applications, appeals, site appraisals, pre-application discussions, local authority reviews and development strategies.

Sectors we advise on

MAP advises on a wide range of retail, leisure and town centre uses, including convenience retail, comparison retail, food and beverage uses, drive-thru restaurants, gyms, hotels, commercial leisure, mixed-use schemes and town centre redevelopment projects. We also advise on proposals involving the loss, change or reconfiguration of retail floorspace, as well as applications that require consideration of town centre policy, frontage policies or the sequential approach.

Our National Reach

MAPlanning Project Locations Map

MAPlanning provides specialist town planning advice across the UK, from small-scale local projects to complex mixed-use and regeneration schemes. Our growing portfolio spans across both urban and rural locations in England and Wales.

Click below to explore our work in more detail and view case studies of recent planning successes.

View Our Projects

Our Clients

MAPlanning has supported a diverse range of clients, from national retailers and developers to local authorities, architects, and landowners, delivering commercially grounded planning advice across the UK.

Client 1 Client 2 Client 3 Client 4 Client 4 Client 8 Client 8 Client 6 Client 7 Client 8 Client 7 Client 8 Client 5
Client 1 Client 2 Client 3 Client 4 Client 4 Client 8 Client 8 Client 6 Client 7 Client 8 Client 7 Client 8 Client 5

What Our Clients Say

"Can I repeat my thanks for your expertise and speed in the preparation of your report. My only downside is that our paths have not crossed before. I act for a number of clients where your kind of remit has always been dealt with in house but not to the standard and speed evidenced by you. I have added you to our consultants panel and will not hesitate to use you again." - Managing Director, Planning Consultancy

"Omg you have just made my day 💙 thank you for you great appeal put together thank you so much; and I will be recommending you to anyone that will need your assistance 👌👌🤝" - Homeowner, succesfull householder Appeal, Cardiff

"You have been very concice and reasurring whilest getting on the key issues" - Planning Advice to Developer (Norfolk)

“The final version of the Addendum, there was nothing I could usefully add to what is really a very good piece of work: it makes the very most of a difficult situation, is concise and compelling reading, and is, I think, the best that can be done. Thus, unless you would like me to write an Opinion to confirm their approach is correct, I do not think there is anything I can sensibly add.“ - Solicitor regarding a scheme for four dwellings (Rother)