Thomas Ashworth is a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI) with 15 years of experience navigating the UK planning system for property developers and investors. He specialises in assessing development potential, securing planning permissions, and identifying value-add opportunities through change of use or extension rights. Currently, he advises on projects ranging from single HMO conversions to large-scale regeneration schemes.
Thomas Ashworth is a Chartered Town Planner and Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (MRTPI), bringing 15 years of specialist expertise in property development and planning strategy to his advisory work. He graduated with a Master's degree in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Sheffield, one of the UK's leading planning schools, before beginning his career in local authority planning departments where he gained invaluable insight into how applications are assessed and determined. Thomas subsequently transitioned to the private sector, working for national housebuilders and specialist planning consultancies advising on residential, commercial, and mixed-use development projects across England. His technical expertise encompasses the National Planning Policy Framework, Use Classes Order, General Permitted Development Order, and the complex web of local plan policies that govern what can be built where. He has particular expertise in identifying hidden development potential that sellers overlook, including roof extension rights, Class MA conversions from commercial to residential, and subdivision opportunities in larger properties. Thomas understands the practical realities of securing planning permission, from effective pre-application engagement strategies to navigating the appeals process when initial applications are refused. He writes to help investors conduct proper planning due diligence before acquisition, avoiding costly mistakes where properties are purchased based on assumed development rights that prove illusory. His guidance reflects current planning policy directions, including changes to environmental assessment requirements and emerging local authority attitudes toward housing density.