About Optimis Consulting Consulting company in Bedford, United Kingdom
Optimis Consulting is an award winning Planning and Development Consultancy. We are involved in a range of projects providing core consultancy services together with specialist planning skills. We are experts in public consultation and engagement, viabili
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We aim to provide a range of planning and development services to those people with an interest in property to enable them to optimise the value and use of their property interests through imaginative planned and commercially prudent strategy.
We aim to pass on our technical and commercial knowledge of planning and development so that people with an interest in property may achieve their own success.
We aim to be professionally and socially respected; and be a company that grows so that everyone who works for or interacts with the Optimis is proud of their association and is inspired by it.
We aim to always be mindful when structuring our services and fees of our clients need to manage their funds and maximise their assets.
Justin is a Chartered Town Planner having qualified as a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute in April 1995 following graduation with an honours degree in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Dundee. In 1998 Justin joined Laing Homes to oversee the acquisition and promotion of strategic land for residential development across south-east England. He worked for Laing Taylor Woodrow Barratt Homes and Shanly Homes up to Land Director level and acquired land for over 3500 homes over 28 sites in an 8 year period before setting up Optimis in 2009.
Justin has acted in a professional capacity in both the private and public sectors for over 24 years and has been trained by English Heritage to become a Conservation Area Officer for the London Borough of Brent Planning Service in 1996. Justin is an Affiliate Member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation since 2009.
Justin is a highly respected member of the Royal Town Planning Institute and recently was recognised at the national RTPI Planning Awards. He is the Winner of the RTPI Planning Consultant of the Year Award 2011 having shown an exemplary approach to engaging with the planning process and is winner of the Small Planning Consultancy at the Royal Town Planning Institutes (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2017. Justin has been invited to provide expert planning advice on local radio and has written for the New Statesman and the Parliamentary Review. Justin is currently a member of the Institute of Directors.
Justin is an expert in planning strategy community engagement viability assessments and s106 negotiations and oversees the work of the Land and Planning Departments.
Outside of work Justin is a FA qualified football coach and invests his time in coaching youth football and competes in triathlon events when time allows.
Sarah graduated from the University of the West of England in 2008 with a Bachelor of Laws. Sarah joined Optimis as a trainee Town Planner in 2013 and has built up a strong reputation for achieving success for householders by working closely with clients and planning officers. Sarah is in the final year of a Masters in Rural and Urban Planning at the University of the West of England.
Sarah specialises in community engagement Development Certificates Class Q Prior Notification in addition to more general householder applications.
Outside of work Sarah spends time with her young family enjoys socialising with her friends and is an accomplished musician.
Fiona studied with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and brings over 14 years of marketing experience. Prior to joining Optimis Fiona was Marketing Manager for one of the regional offices of a leading global professional services company.
Since joining Optimis in 2014 Fiona has focussed on marketing and business development. Fiona was responsible for introducing and continues to run our highly successful Developer Group meetings which provide networking events for developers with short presentations on planning related matters pertinent to their work. Fiona acts as our point of contact for corporate social responsibility enquiries and has been instrumental in developing our CSR strategy and organising our involvement in fundraising and sponsorship of local events and local and national charities.
Outside of work Fiona enjoys socialising traveling cooking belongs to a book club and when time allows goes to the gym!
Jenni joined Optimis in 2015 having previously worked as a Project Director in the Arts and Heritage sector. She currently oversees the running of the companies which comprise Optimis Group in particular their financial management and strategic vision.
Jenni remains a keen proponent of the arts and has recently been appointed as a Trustee of Bedford Creative Arts. In her spare time Jenni likes to spend time with her young family.
Natasha graduated from Aberystwyth University with a Batchelor of Geography. Since joining Optimis in 2017 as part of our graduate training programme Natasha has graduated from The University of Birmingham with a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning. Her dissertation examined Power Court in Luton and investigated whether the proposed development will be Sustainable Urban Regeneration and Stadium-Led Regeneration.
Natasha specialises in medium and large scale residential developments alongside commercial applications for local businesses.
Outside of work Natasha is a qualified swimming instructor and an avid football supporter.
Bethany is currently studying for A-levels in Business Studies and Graphic Design and aspires to be an interior designer within the house building sector. She works for Optimis part time assisting in the day to day running of the office and supporting the team and business in a varied capacity.
Outside of work Bethany enjoys socialising with her friends and is interested in interior design.
Robbie is a Chartered Town Planner having qualified as a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. He studied Geography at Loughborough University before completing a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Birmingham. His dissertation examined the impact the Community Infrastructure Levy has had on financing sport and recreation facilities in Oxfordshire.
Robbie has a keen understanding of Planning Obligations and specialises in preparing Viability Assessments and advising on the Community Infrastructure Levy with a demonstrated record of reducing clients financial obligations.
Outside work Robbie is an avid sportsman playing Rugby for Bedford Athletic RFC. Robbie used to enjoy cycling however following a two wheeled trip from Lands End to John OGroats with two friends the thought of getting back in the saddle chafes him.
Charlotte is a chartered town planner she qualified from Oxford Brooks University with a MA in Spatial Planning and decided to further her passion in Urban Design with a diploma from London Westminster. She has spent most her career working within strategic land and has a keen insight into successful land opportunities especially within the residential and care sectors.
Trying to find the perfect balance within her life and the office she is also a Vinyasa yoga teacher.
Lauren joined Optimis in 2019 as part of our graduate training programme. She is based in our Land and Development team working on the acquisition and disposal of strategic land. She aids the team in disposing of land on behalf of landowners and acquiring sites on behalf of developers.
Upon graduating from Loughborough University in 2016 with a degree in Geography with Economics Lauren embarked on an adventure as serial seasonaire – spending three winters living and working in the Northern French Alps.
Outside of work Lauren unsurprisingly has a passion for snow sports and when the summer arrives she can often be found splashing around in the Southwest on her surfboard.
James is a Licentiate member of the Royal Town Planning Institution currently working towards becoming a Chartered Town Planner. He studied Geography at the University of Leicester before achieving a Distinction in MSc Spatial Planning at University College London. His dissertation explored the relationship between stadium-led regeneration and small business communities in Tottenham North London. He joined Optimis as part of the graduate training programme in September 2019 and is particularly interested in sport-led regeneration.
James is currently based in our Land and Development team working on the acquisition and disposal of strategic land. Having previously assisted in our planning department he uses his keen eye and knowledge to identify suitable sites for developers.
Outside of work James is an avid supporter of Watford FC. He also enjoys going to festivals and visiting breweries in London.
Duncan has been a town planner for over 15 years. Having spent the first 18 months of his career as Local Authority officer he has subsequently worked for several national planning and property consultancies primarily in London and the home counties.
He has extensive experience of advising developers managing project teams and negotiating with Local Authorities on a variety of different projects and land uses. He has advised an extensive range of clients including retailers leisure operators fund managers and house builders.
Outside of work Duncan likes to keep active including a habit of running a half marathon at least once a year – a pastime he is not wholly convinced is healthy!
Gary has joined Optimis after a long and distinguished career working over 20 years with Connells predominantly in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. His role is to look for potential land sites from strategic to sites with planning consent and assisting land owners in selling these sites to developers.
A keen sportsman he is an avid football fan and enjoys playing golf.
The greatest achievement that we aim for is the satisfaction of our customers and the gratitude for helping our clients negotiate the planning process.
We are happy to announce that we have reached the finals of the SME National Business Awards 2019 for Business of the Year – under 50 employees.
We are delighted to been highly commended by the judges for the RTPI Learning Partner Award which recognises excellence in learning and development for planners by employers who have been accredited as RTPI Learning Partners.
We are proud to announce that we have reached the finals in two categories of the SME National Business Awards in the Community Business of the Year and Employer of the Year category.
Optimis was named Small Planning Consultancy of the Year at the United Kingdom and Irelands most reputable planning awards.
Optimis was delighted to have won a further two awards. Runner up for Community Business of the Year and Phillippa Martin-Moran won runner up for Employee of the Year.
2013 was a successful year for Optimis winning Best new Business for Bedfordshire Award. Optimis also enjoyed being finalist in a number of other categories.
Optimis is very proud to have been awarded the prestigious UK Planning Consultant of the Year Award for 2011 as judged by our professional body the Royal Town Planning Institute.
We are delighted that our commitment to training and development has been recognised and we have become an RTPI Learning Partner. To find out more click here.
Optimis is proud to have won the RTPI Learning Partner of the Year Award. The award recognises excellence in learning and development for planners by employers who have been accredited as RTPI Learning Partners.
’I have personally found Justin Wickersham to be polite professional and reasonable. Likewise the other staff who I have had dealings with at Optimis have consistently behaved in a similar manner. They respond to requests for further information promptly and track the progress of applications closely to ensure that they can diligently address matters as they arise. On the whole I believe Optimis to be a well-run knowledgeable and professional organisation who balance the needs of their clients with that of ensuring that the common good is not undermined.’
’I have worked with Optimis on a variety of residential schemes in the Greater London and Kent area. On all occasions Optimis has managed the planning process in a timely and professional manner. Their way of presenting and arguing the planning case is extremely robust and communication on all projects gas been outstanding and this has allowed us to maximise the opportunity to develop the sites.’
’We work with Optimis closely on a regular basis; they are the first consultancy we approach with any planning issues and they are always able to assist in an efficient and effective manner. The entire team is approachable hugely knowledgeable and always professional. Their experience in all aspects of planning is second to none and we regularly recommend them to clients particularly those who require a high level of consultant management. Often they are very complex projects and require multi-disciplinary and exemplary project management skills; Optimis execute this offering seamlessly and we are grateful to have them in our arsenal’
Optimis bring a positive and enthusiastic approach to project management. We have worked with them on a wide range of projects that bring challenges involving environmental constraints including arboriculture ecology and landscape and visual sensitivity. Optimis are inclusive and reflective in their approach working with team specialists to identify the key constraints and how to balance protecting and incorporating valuable features while ensuring site proposals they both are viable and innovative’.
We provide time and professional advice in various ways to assist local communities in preventing or supporting development and give voluntary advice to parish councils on their Neighbourhood Plan.
We assist local schools in encouraging students to join the profession and we were pleased to undertake a series of lessons for Year 7 pupils at Lincroft School in Oakley presenting Town and Country Planning to aid the understanding of settlement expansion a core subject in the children#39;s syllabus.
We therefore not only invest money but considerable amounts of time into the community because our expertise can provide considerable assistance to local people.
The team at Optimis volunteered for the day and joined the River Thame Conservation Trust in its battle against the aggressive non-native plants which are driving out native species with disastrous consequences for the countryside. Read more »
I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank Optimis who have always been helpful in reaching out to our community. I am positive that together we will be able to enhance the quality of our local area when our regeneration plans are completed.
Optimis is a small business but one that recognises the importance of working with the community by helping local talent develop amp; flourish.
For the past 5 years we have provided sporting equipment for the Oakley Saturday Football Club an organisation that provides structured football coaching for over 80 children between 5 and 10 years old as well as for the Bedford Academy of Football.
Optimis is proud to support Bedford Blues Rugby Club and sponsors player Dean Adamson and Bedford Blues Community whose aim is to support grassroots development. Read more…
Optimis is delighted to be sponsoring The Eagle Gallery Castle Road Bedford. The gallery was set up in 2005 by local artists. Today it is still run by artists and currently exhibits and sells the works of 45 local artists… Read more
Planning excellence is achieved by knowledge not only in planning, but also in the technical and financial understanding of development. We have a team with considerable development experience.
