Planning Consultancy Wins Major Contracts

A Belfast-based planning consultancy has won a series of major contracts and expanded its workforce as it marks its first anniversary in business.

Clyde Shanks, which has grown its staff to five inside 12 months, has just won a range of major new residential and commercial contracts, including preparing Northern Ireland's largest biogas anaerobic digestion (AD) plant for planning - a £30million, megawatt facility at Lisahally Port.

The company has also just assisted Gaelectric to secure planning permission for its £36m wind farm proposals at Smulgedon, near Dungiven, and Monnaboy, near Eglinton, and is working on a wide range of other projects in the renewable energy, waste, leisure, liquor licensing, commercial, and residential sectors.


Founder and managing director, Clyde Shanks, says that the company is experiencing significant growth.

"Our renewable energy work in particular is growing, we're advising commercial wind farm developers, volume single turbine developers, and single turbine applicants. In total we're advising on over 150MW of wind energy infrastructure, enough to power over 100,000 homes.

"Waste-related work is also an expanding area, and we are active on a number of challenging projects across Northern Ireland.

"We're involved in a range of other significant projects, including advising the RUAS on their move to the Maze/Long Kesh site and negotiating permission for the new show grounds to facilitate the Balmoral Show in May 2013."