Ashley
Collins is a Partner specialising in Planning

Ashley is a Partner in the Commercial Planning team who has particular expertise in life sciences, data centres and industrial & logistics, where he advises corporate clients, funds, property companies and occupiers.  Ashley consistently delivers results for clients ranging from large scale mixed-use regeneration schemes, involving the co-ordination of a multi-disciplinary project team, to strategic asset management enhancements.

He is one of the leading data centre planning specialists in the industry and has advised on a total of c.1,000 MW of IT-load across the country, through detailed applications, outline schemes, Change of Use and Local Development Orders. Notable schemes include CloudHQ’s premier location in Didcot, the UK’s largest data centre in Iver and a co-location proposal in Basildon.

Ashley has been the principal advisor to Imperial College London on their North Campus at White City since 2014, advising on multifaceted planning strategies to carve out individual plots within the Masterplan in order to deliver new buildings to respond to Imperial’s requirements and the changing nature of research and development. New buildings not originally permitted within the Masterplan have included the 240,000 sqft Molecular Sciences Research Hub, 190,000 sqft RIBA Award Winning Michael Uren Biomedical and Engineering Research Hub and the 90,000 sqft School of Public Health. Recently gained approval for Imperial’s new 200-bedroom Purpose Built Student Accommodation scheme.

Notable projects include advising Firoka Group on Phase 1 of their redevelopment of their leisure park for a new life science district in South Oxford, advising Procter and Gamble on the expansion of their London Plant, delivery of Jaguar Land Rover’s landmark showroom at Staples Corner.

Key skills

• Life sciences, data centre and industrial/logistics
• A trusted advisor within the commercial sector of real estate, with a good technical knowledge of clients’ needs to deliver market facing planning permissions
• Providing strategic planning advice to developers, investors and landowners to unlock development opportunities and maximise value
• Cultivating and nurturing client trust and relationships based on demonstrated expertise on complex planning projects

Clients

• Greystoke Land
• CloudHQ
• Imperial College London
• Procter and Gamble
• ABDRN
• Brompton