Newsletter

Get ready for an exciting update from Third Revolution Projects! Our latest edition is packed with success stories, company news, and a look at the bright future ahead.

We have had several significant project successes, including solar, BESS, infrastructure and housing developments, such as Bengrove 15MW solar farm securing power for 5,700 homes on behalf of Sonnedix Bengrove Ltd in Tewkesbury, planning approval granted for 200MW Battery Energy Storage Scheme (BESS) in Midlands Green Belt, an appeal success for a 60-bed care home that will provide specialist elderly care, including for those with dementia in Crowthorne, Berkshire for Crowthorne Care Ltd, and planning permission for one of the fourteen National Developments identified in the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) in Scotland for an Active Travel development in the Leven Programme area, Fife for the Green Action Trust.

In terms of thought pieces this Newsletter includes articles on elder living and data centres based on our project experiences. We will also be providing RTPI Training in March 2025 on how to identify suitable areas for renewable energy. Planners can sign up for the training here.

In terms of Company news, we are excited with our merger with Stefano Smith Planning towards the end of last year! This merger marks an exciting new chapter for TRP with the opening of a new office in Edinburgh consolidating and extending our capability and presence in the Scottish market.

We’re also thrilled to announce that Andrew Dowell has been promoted to Associate Director and Josh Rogers is now a Planner! Their hard work and contributions over the past year have been invaluable, and we can’t wait to see them thrive in their new roles as part of our ambitious growth plans.

Congratulations also to Petra Elo for achieving Chartered Planner status with the RTPI! Passing her APC on the first try is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to her dedication, expertise, and talent. Well done, Petra!

Stay tuned for more updates this spring, and as always, we’re here to help with your planning and sustainability projects.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Let’s shape the future together!

Rob Shaw, Managing Director  

Headlines

Over the past 40 years, the number of people aged 65 and over in the UK has increased by 52%. This rapid growth is expected to continue, with the Centre for Ageing Better projecting a further 30% increase over the next four decades. As trend continues, demand for specialist housing which is purpose-built to accommodate the needs of an aging population will increase substantially. This is reflected in the Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government and Department for Work and Pensions joint research paper on Supported Housing, published at the beginning of the month. The report identifies an unmet need of 388,600 supported housing units for the elderly, and projects that by 2040, up to 963,000 additional units will be required.

The planning system has begun to recognise the need to increase the supply of later living accommodation to meet projected growth. In 2019, the Planning Practice Guidance was amended to emphasise that the need for housing for older people is critical. Paragraph 63 of the National Planning Policy Framework now requires Councils to assess the housing needs of specialist groups when establishing their overall housing needs.

We at Third Revolution Projects are committed to working with our clients, stakeholders and local authorities to bring forward development proposals that will ensure that the needs of older people – who are some of the country’s most vulnerable individuals – are being met, and that there is a strong pipeline of high-quality, well-designed accommodation being brought forward.

We work closely with our clients to advise on the different types of specialist elderly housing, and the benefits and risks associated with each from a planning perspective. These include retirement living homes, which are purpose built C3 homes specially designed to meet the needs of older people, but which do not provide any on-site assistance.

We also have extensive experience working on care home developments, which fall under the C2 (residential institutions) use class, providing on-site nursing and specialist care. Care homes are typically not required to deliver any affordable housing as part of the development proposals but must meet certain design and care provision criteria. Our experience also includes working on extra-care housing developments, which are specially adapted conventional C3 self-contained units, designed to allow older people to live independently, but with some support services provided on-site.

Our successful appeal at Crowthorne, Wokingham Borough on behalf of Crowthorne Care Home Limited for a 60-bed specialist care home is Third Revolution Projects’ most recent success in the sector. The appeal has been allowed following a hearing in July. The care home will provide accommodation for the elderly, including dementia care, with the ability to meet all care needs on site. The 60 bedrooms are all single occupancy with individual wet rooms. The home is also designed to assist in creating dementia friendly environments for people living with dementia and other forms of memory impairment. The proposed care facility allows individual residents to receive varying degrees of support and care from an on-site care team that will be present 24-hours a day.

Renewable energy is increasingly featured in planning applications for local planning authorities (LPAs). Policies at all levels support the development of solar, wind, and battery storage, emphasizing their role in achieving Net Zero, creating jobs, and supporting housing and economic growth.

Renewable energy, along with technologies like electric vehicles, additive manufacturing, and artificial intelligence (AI), is growing exponentially and will have broad and transformative impacts on places, landscapes and the economy. While Net Zero is a commendable goal in itself, renewable energy will deliver much more and should be central to spatial and economic growth strategies. Identifying suitable areas for renewable energy is becoming essential for facilitating other forms of development.

Currently, when planners, elected members, and communities question the location of a proposal, applicants typically cite secured grid connections, willing landowners, and acceptable planning and environmental impacts.

This situation reflects what technology author Azeem Azhar calls the "exponential gap" – the disconnect between rapid technological adoption and slower institutional responses, including spatial planning.

Three interrelated themes highlight the importance of spatial planning:

1. Exponential Growth: The cost of renewables, especially solar and battery storage, has plummeted (Image 1), leading to larger and more numerous projects that have far exceed industry expectations globally (Image 2).

2. Housing Ambitions: LPAs and property developers realise that housing goals, including the formally declared ‘national housing emergency’ in Scotland by Scottish Government, are unattainable without secure and affordable grid connections.

3. Economic Sectors: Growth in priority economic sectors, like AI-driven data centres, depends on access to low-cost power.

Strategic and local plan-making are crucial but not sufficient. Energy developers, and increasingly residential and commercial developers, will go where grid access is available. The newly formed National Energy System Operator is preparing a spatial plan for energy infrastructure. It's imperative that new strategic and local plans engage with this to ensure renewable energy projects are optimally located, drive economic growth, and support positive spatial outcomes.

At Third Revolution, we embrace change. As planning specialists, we understand technological, societal, and economic transformations to proactively help our clients plan for the future. We have delivered gigawatts of renewable energy schemes, housing, commercial mixed-use, and strategic land projects at all scales, and provided policy and spatial advice to public sector clients. This positions us uniquely to navigate the exponential age.

In March 2025, Third Revolution will run training sessions for the Royal Town Planning Institute. These sessions will help public sector planners:

• Recognise the importance of considering exponential change in renewable energy in plan-making.

• Identify suitable areas for renewable energy in the context of spatial, economic, and housing growth strategies.

• Collaborate to ensure these strategies are deliverable alongside grid expansion.

As the backbone of the digital economy, data centres are revolutionising how businesses and societies operate. From AI innovations to cloud services, the demand for scalable, high-performance data centres is surging. According to recent research, data centre power demand is set to grow by 160% by 2030. But alongside this explosive growth, the sector faces significant challenges—energy supply constraints, ESG scrutiny, and the complexities of spatial planning. 

At TRP, we’re working with clients to tackle these challenges head-on, turning obstacles into opportunities for long-term sustainability and strategic growth. Here’s a closer look at the key trends shaping the sector and how we’re helping our clients stay ahead: 

AI: The driving force behind data centre demand 

Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries—and driving the need for advanced, AI-ready data centres. The market foresees AI as a primary driver of data centre demand, particularly for machine learning and natural language processing. This growth brings with it new challenges, including managing power constraints and identifying optimal locations for new facilities. 

At TRP, we’re supporting businesses by identifying key sites for data centre development, prioritising locations that align with future energy infrastructure and connectivity needs. 

Powering the future: Strategies for energy constraints 

With energy consumption already a top concern, the anticipated surge in data centre demand raises critical questions: How can we mitigate power constraints? How do we ensure sustainability while scaling operations? 

The answer lies in innovative solutions, including:

• Energy-efficient technologies, like advanced cooling systems and smart power management. 

• Strategic partnerships with energy providers to enhance grid reliability. 

• Integrated projects that combine renewable energy generation with high-energy users like AI campuses and gigafactories. 

By focusing on energy optimisation, businesses can future-proof their operations while reducing costs and environmental impact.  

The sustainability question: ESG scrutiny intensifies 

Sustainability is no longer optional—it’s a business imperative. The market expects heightened Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) scrutiny within the next two years, driven by regulatory pressures and investor expectations. This means data centre operators must adopt renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency, and repurpose waste heat to meet evolving ESG standards and embarking on a transformative journey towards holistic data centre sustainability and decarbonisation. 

TRP is already working on projects that address these demands, such as mixed-use energy hubs that link energy generation and infrastructure to data centres to vertical farms, homes, and businesses. 

The big picture: Redefining growth and geographies 

The next phase of digital infrastructure growth will reshape our economic and spatial landscapes. With the rise of additive manufacturing, AI, and protectionist trade policies, economic growth will increasingly cluster around areas with abundant, affordable renewable energy. 

For energy-intensive industries like data centres, location decisions will hinge on energy availability—not just computational power. TRP is helping clients identify these strategic locations and integrate their data centre projects with renewable energy and infrastructure planning. 

What’s next? Partnering for progress 

The future of data centres is about more than scaling up; it’s about building smarter, greener, and more integrated systems that serve both business needs and broader societal goals. At TRP, we’re helping our clients develop methodologies that link data centres with sustainable energy generation, spatial planning, and economic development opportunities. 

As AI continues to drive investment, we’re at the forefront of helping businesses navigate this evolving landscape. From designing 100MW+ energy connections to supporting ESG compliance, we’re delivering innovative solutions that position our clients for long-term success. 

Ready to plan for the future? Let’s connect and explore how we can turn today’s challenges into tomorrow’s growth opportunities. 

The Third Revolution team secured planning consent in September 2024 following an appeal hearing in July. Although the proposal was recommended for approval by officers at Wokingham Borough Council, the recommendation was overturned by Councillors at committee.

The site is in an edge of centre location – outside of existing development limits but within an existing residential curtilage. There was a locational conflict with some of the development plan policies.

Paragraph 11 (d) of the National Planning Policy Framework currently applies in the Borough due to the Council’s poor housing land supply position – and the Inspector accepted our evidence about the ongoing decline in the Council’s five year housing land supply situation. The Inspector carefully weighed up the benefits and any adverse impacts of the proposal in her decision.

Economic benefits including a contribution to jobs and employment skills were given significant weight. The Inspector confirmed that the development would be visually attractive and well designed and sympathetic to the prevailing architectural character.

The Inspector agreed with our team’s evidence on the extent of the need for the proposal, which will be operated by Barchester Healthcare and provide a high standard of care.

We are delighted to announce the merger of Third Revolution Projects and Edinburgh based Stefano Smith Planning, renowned for a strong collaborative working culture and passionate about sustainable planning and development.

This merger which took place on the 4th November 2024 marks the beginning of an exceptional partnership that will combine the strengths of both organisations and add impetus to their purpose of accelerating the transition to a sustainable world through delivering creative solutions to society's biggest challenges. The merger brings together a wealth of experience and complementary expertise, positioning us to provide an even greater range of services and solutions to our valued clients.

Why this merger? The decision to merge reflects our shared vision to better serve our clients by:

Expanding our service offerings: by integrating Stefano Smith Planning's strategic planning, residential, energy, infrastructure, industrial, regeneration and leisure services, with Third Revolution Projects’ market leading expertise in the renewable energy and residential sectors, and their innovative Future-Thinking strategy work, they will help clients navigate the increasingly complex policy and regulatory landscape and deliver comprehensive solutions from concept to completion.

Enhancing innovation and expertise: our combined team will have a broader range of skills, knowledge, and experience, which will allow us to push the boundaries of creativity and excellence in every project. Through the combination of TRP and SSP’s talented technical and advisory teams, we have the right partnership to support our clients to accelerate meeting their ambition.

Increasing geographic reach: with projects all across the UK, and now offices in London and Scotland, the merger will bring a stronger presence in key markets, providing more accessible and efficient services to our clients.

A new era of excellence Managing Director Robert Shaw says:

Planning Director Stefano Smith says:

What this means for our clients 

For our existing clients, it is business as usual—but better, with added expertise, resource and geographic reach. You will continue to work with the teams you know and trust, while benefiting from expanded resources, enhanced capabilities, and innovative solutions. Our joint expertise and passion give us the edge when it comes to securing planning consents, deliverable strategies and making our clients' ambitions a reality, enabling us to remain at the forefront of innovative and future-thinking projects. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition with no disruption to ongoing projects. In fact, we expect this merger to provide even greater value, efficiency, and a more holistic approach to navigating the complexities and challenges of planning and development in a ‘future-thinking’ way.   

We are thrilled to announce the promotion of two of our team!

Andrew Dowell MRTPI becomes Associate Director and Josh Rogers becomes Planner.

These promotions reflect the great contribution that Andrew and Josh have made to the business over the last 12 months and the key role that they will play in the future as part of the company's growth. All at Third Revolution Projects look forward to their continued success.