WWA Wins RTPI South East Small Planning Consultancy of the Year 2026
We are delighted to announce that WWA has been named winner of the RTPI Small Planning Consultancy of the Year 2026. The award was presented at the RTPI South East Awards for Planning Excellence.
After being shortlisted for four consecutive years, it was “fourth time lucky” for our planning team. This is our third planning award in ten months, recognising the quality of our work across the profession.
WWA’s planning team works as an integral part of our wider multi-disciplinary practice, collaborating closely with our in-house architects and urban designers. This combines planning expertise with a strong understanding of design and the built environment, helping unlock challenging sites through planning-led design.
Our award submission demonstrated the breadth of the team’s work over the past year and, importantly, the people, collaboration and professional judgement that achieved these outcomes.
A key example was Bulmer House, located within the South Downs National Park, where the redevelopment of a vacant former care home will deliver 56 apartments as a 100% affordable extra care scheme. Following the refusal of the original application on design grounds, our planners developed a further planning strategy involving both a resubmission and an appeal.
The planning team led an internal design charrette with WWA’s architects and urban designers. The team also worked extensively with the South Downs National Park Authority, Petersfield Town Council and other stakeholders. Through this collaboration, the revised landscape-led application was approved unanimously by the Planning Committee, while the original scheme was also allowed at appeal. The project demonstrates the team’s resilience, collaboration and professional judgement in navigating a complex and politically sensitive planning context.
Our submission also highlighted the team’s approach to innovation and problem-solving. On a challenging site in Leicestershire with a long planning history, multiple refusals and significant technical and policy constraints, the team coordinated multi-disciplinary technical inputs and led sustained negotiations with planning officers over two and a half years. This resulted in outline planning permission for approximately 35,000 sq ft of flexible light industrial space on unallocated land.
Community engagement, inclusive planning and climate action were also central to the submission. At the Chiltern View Garden Centre Ice Rink, more than 1,100 public representations demonstrated strong community support. At Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions, a nine-week consultation offered multiple ways for veterans to participate and directly informed the Housing Association’s strategy for the site. At Torrington, our work with Kingston Churches Housing Association is helping to deliver 100% affordable retirement housing designed to Passive House standards.
Together, these projects demonstrate how our planning team combines technical expertise, collaboration, stakeholder engagement and creative problem-solving to deliver sustainable, inclusive and community-focused outcomes.
Reflecting on the achievement, Ifti Maniar, Planning Director at WWA, said:
“What an incredible night. Fourth time lucky! I just wanted to thank everyone who helped us achieve three planning awards in the last 10 months. We have an amazing team, both architectural and planning, that keeps punching above its weight. It is great to see our work recognised by the Institute, our peers and the judging panels, not just through one award. Onward and upward.”
Winning the RTPI South East Small Planning Consultancy of the Year 2026 is a proud milestone for WWA. It recognises the people behind our projects. It reflects the expertise and commitment of our planning team, the contribution of colleagues across the wider practice, and the continued trust of our clients and collaborators.
Following four consecutive years as a finalist, we are incredibly proud to bring the award home.
RTPI Judges’ Comments
Read the official judges’ comments about WWA’s submission for the RTPI South East Small Planning Consultancy of the Year 2026 award, RTPI Judge’s comments.
