Chelgate’s Executive Chairman, Terence Fane-Saunders, has again been listed as one of the 13 ‘Top Flight’ Reputation Managers in the annual Spear’s 500. Spear’s Magazine is often described as the ‘house magazine’ for the High-Net-Worth Community, with the Spears 500 providing “the indispensable guide to the top private client advisers, wealth managers, lawyers, and service providers for High-Net-Worth individuals.” The Spear’s article says: “Terence Fane-Saunders is regarded as one of the recognised global leaders of the public relations profession. A specialist in transnational communications and public relations, he has managed a wealth of global and international programmes for governments, […]

    Chelgate Local, a specialist division of Chelgate Ltd, helped obtain consent for two projects during February 2025: A 480-home Redrow Eastern project west of Billericay in Essex was approved by Basildon Council, and a 45-home Bellway Thames Gateway project in Chipping Ongar was approved by Epping Forest Council. London Road, Billericay Redrow Homes Eastern secured consent for its project on land north of London Road, Billericay, at Basildon Borough Council Planning Committee in February 2025. This is a project that the Chelgate Local team have worked on for almost a decade, through six changes of administration, three draft […]

  Chelgate Local, a specialist division of Chelgate Ltd, is proud to announce the expansion of its team, with three new staff members joining the ranks. The newly appointed team members come from a diverse range of backgrounds, bringing expertise in planning, media relations, public affairs and politics, complementing Chelgate’s existing strengths. Mark Walker, Account Manager Mark has had an extensive career working within local, Westminster and European politics, public affairs, town planning and the news media. He studied for an MSc in Town Planning at the University of Brighton during the Covid-19 pandemic subsequently working as a planning officer […]

Reputation Management firm Chelgate have announced the restart of their podcast, ‘Opinion Battlegrounds’. The first two new episodes which focus on Crisis and Acute Issues Management, feature Chelgate Executive Chairman, Terence Fane-Saunders and Senior Advisor, Jonathan Ray. Recognised as one of the most distinguished leaders of the international public relations profession and a specialist in Reputation Protection and Issues Management, Terence Fane-Saunders has provided assistance to numerous high-profile clients around the world, including governments, business leaders, multinational organisations and distinguished individuals. Jonathan Ray also brings with him a wealth of high-level communications expertise spanning education, science, the environment and global […]

  Local plans and housing policies are failing to provide homes for older people and the most vulnerable, writes Michael Hardware.   The article was published in Placemaking Resource. No one would argue with the fact that there is a housing crisis in the UK, caused by decades of not building enough new homes. Although the government is trying hard to address this, are our housing policies really working? Are we providing all the housing our communities need through local plans and housing policies? The overheated housing market, with ever-growing property prices, certainly impacts heavily on younger people – the […]

Consultation to remain a key part of the planning process   The Times today is reporting that the Government has changed its approach to reforming the planning system.   The aim was to replace the existing planning process with a zonal system and mandatory housing targets. This would shift planning consent to the local plan stage with no need for applications to then come to planning committees. This would remove the opportunity for input from residents, reduce the role of local councillors in determining planning applications, and reduce consultation overall. The plans did provoke significant feedback from grass roots Conservatives […]

  Today saw the publication of two important transport strategies. The EU Commission presented their Fit for ’55 Package, and the UK Govt published their long-awaited Transport Decarbonisation Package.   These strategies will overhaul the energy and transport regulatory environments in the EU and UK. Below you can find links to both these publications and our initial headline takeaways.   EU Commission Fit for ’55 takeaways   CBAM One of the most ambitious parts of the Fit for 55 proposal is the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The Commission hopes this will prevent ‘carbon leakage’, where companies based in the […]

    Chelgate Public Affairs has published the following briefing on news that No 10 sharpens no-deal rhetoric after gloomy European Council Summit conclusions on Brexit   In a video statement given by the Prime Minister on post-Brexit trade deal talks, Boris Johnson said that the UK is prepared to walk away from the negotiations unless there is a “fundamental change” in the European Union’s approach. If the European Union is not willing to offer the UK a Canada-style free trade agreement with zero tariffs and zero quotas, Boris Johnson said that the UK is prepared to “embrace the alternative” […]

  Our Chelgate Local team has today published an article on plans by No 10 and MHCLG to bring root and branch reform of local government   It would seem that plans by No 10 and MHCLG to bring root and branch reform of local government have quietly fallen into the very very long grass. Following a robust reaction from many councils and districts Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) used the COVID-19 announcements by the PM on Monday to quietly publish a ministerial position statement. This was then also covered in a letter to councillors – which […]

The following article written by Michael Hardware has been published in Placemaking Resource, part of Planning magazine. The article can be viewed on this link (registration required).     By Michael Hardware, Chelgate’s director of planning and property. He is also a serving county and district councillor. Several counties have seen the emergence of developer groups in recent years. These should not be confused with developer forums which tend to focus on individual plan areas. Developer groups cover a county, appealing to housebuilders, developers and their consultants which operate there. They also work in partnership with Local Enterprise Partnerships, county […]