Chester-based professional services business Knights is seeing double in its planning team, following two new hires.
With more than 23 years’ combined experience Matthew Wedderburn and Alice Weston will act as senior associate and planner, respectively – to support the growing demand for planning applications, appeals and consultancy in the North West.
“Chester is an area that’s flourishing,” said Matthew, who has held senior positions within local authorities and within private development companies.
“With so many businesses expanding and the demand for housing growing across Chester and into Wales and Cheshire, there is real need for expert planning services in the region.”
In their new roles at Knights, Matthew and Alice will be preparing residential and commercial planning applications as well as guiding clients through the appeals process.
Alice Weston, a recently chartered planner said: “I was attracted to Knights because of the varied case load and clear vision for growth that the company has. By growing the legal offer to include other services we’re able to give clients a more complete service.”
Knights is currently the fastest-growing professional services firm in the UK – having made more than 200 hires this year alone, bringing its team to over 375 professionals. As the first business to receive private equity backing in the UK, Knights is able to offer more than just legal services, including planning, real estate, education and franchising.
Sally Wightman, office leader at the Chester office said: “Knights already has a fantastic reputation for planning services across the UK. This is a really exciting time for Chester – there are a lot of key business players in the area and we see this as the perfect opportunity to grow our team to meet the needs of our thriving customers.
“Matthew has extensive experience from both sides of the fence – his local authority experience means he understands what it takes to get an application through to approval and his private sector knowledge means he has a great insight into problems clients might face. Alice is a rising star in the sector and we are thrilled to have her on board. Knights is passionate about offering team members the opportunity to grow and develop and we hope both will have long, successful careers with us.”
Knights is a UK top-70 law firm with more than 375 professionals and a £40 million turnover. The firm has offices in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Cheltenham, Chester, Hale, Derby, Oxford and Colchester.
