Bio for use in publicity material for events
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Please see below for more on Planning Geek itself as opposed to Ian Walmsley
Ian Walmsley is an experienced entrepreneur who loves Planning, Property, Drones, Travel and is very much a family man. But what makes him tick?
Referred to as a ‘Walking Encyclopaedia’ by a mentor he developed a passion for planning in 2015 having got fed up with inaccurate information on some websites as to what was possible with property or land that he was looking to develop. He is a mentor, trainer, commercial drone pilot, travel geek – oh and he loves planning!
In 2017 he set up the site ‘Planning Geek‘ as a way to inform others as to the possibilities of using permitted development rights on both domestic and commercial property. This has now grown to cover many other aspects of planning, giving plenty of ‘wow’ moments. To the best of our knowledge, It is now the largest planning website in the UK, apart from the national planning portal (which is a private company now)
The site now attracts over 100,000 unique visitors per month and continues to grow. Planning Geek now undertakes planning across the UK as a highly successful, rapidly growing, planning consultancy.
He now speaks around the UK at property meets, mentorship groups and private companies as a planning geek. His talks are always entertaining and laughter is certainly not banned! You really do not want to miss out on his golden nuggets as one statement might make you a lot of money in the year ahead!
Ian’s knowledge is second to none – in fact a chartered town planner said ‘Ian knows more about planning than most planning authorities!’.
But he is so much more than just a Planning Geek
These days Ian mentors others and training people in both planning and development of their opportunities. He regularly hosts zoom sessions to help others but is equally at home running longer courses and educating from the stage. These people are based as far away as Australia and the USA giving an international demand.
He has previously been involved in several large projects of his own including new build, commercial conversions, site regeneration, new flats, new houses and much more. He really does walk the walk, and not just talk the talk.
Not content with being a Planning Geek he is also a commercial drone pilot – this he uses to relax and switch off whilst flying at 400 feet, but also uses his drones to photograph and video his clients sites – that is when the British weather allows! His other passion in live is travel and is therefore finally also known as the Travel Geek. From this platform he has advised thousands of people in how to travel better for less. He enjoys flying up front and paying thousands less than others in the same cabin!
Finally, Ian is a family man, with a wife, Sheryl, and two grown-up children. He leads a full and varied life and enjoys helping others in whatever way he can.
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About Planning Geek
Planning Geek as a consultancy was officially formed in 2022 although the roots go back to 2017 when then website was first launched.
It is now one of the fastest growing planning consultancies in the UK.
Ian Walmsley, as the founder, has built a very experienced team around him, which currently consists of 16 people and is well placed to cover any type of planning application in any location within the country.
This team consists of a highways engineer, multiple planning consultants, former enforcement officer, architectural designers, ecology, heritage and more…. Third party companies also support Planning Geek in every other aspect as required.
The team is growing all the time and each member is hand picked by Ian to ensure that the quality is there for all clients.
As well as building the team, Ian is also building relationships with various local authorities to improve the planning application process in the UK. Something that will reduce the workload of the employees of the authorities and introduce a smoother and cheaper solution for all applicants of Planning Geek in time.
A saying of Ian’s is Right People, at the Right Price, at the Right Time – with a very high success rate for applications, Planning Geek is proud to offer a decent service at a decent price and is slowly educating people that in the long run it is far cheaper to engage a planning consultant to undertake planning work. From the bitter experience of clients, cheaper is not always better if a planning expert is not involved. After all would you go to a podiatrist if you have a head injury?!
Planning Geek can be reached via https://PlanningGeek.com
Page Updated: 13th December 2024