Understanding the natural environment is a critical first step for any international development project. However, obtaining a detailed picture of large, remote areas in global markets has traditionally been a drain on both time and resources.
By leveraging innovative satellite remote sensing data, Blackhall & Powis provides comprehensive environmental studies that significantly reduces risk, time, and costs for our clients worldwide.
Director-led Geospatial Analysis
Led by our Director of Research, David Cooper, and our specialist Land Information and GIS team, we utilise high-resolution satellite imagery to provide actionable insights. Our remote sensing capabilities are designed to inform:
- Baseline Habitat and Species Mapping: Identifying what exists on the ground before a project begins.
- Long-term Habitat Monitoring: Tracking environmental changes over months or years.
- Restoration Opportunities: Identifying key areas for ecological recovery and biodiversity offsets.
Why Choose Remote Sensing Over Traditional Surveys?
Traditional “on-the-ground” surveys are essential but often time-consuming and logistically challenging when applied to vast or inaccessible regions. Our data is updated every few days, capturing repeat imagery to build a robust, “live” picture of the landscape.
While this high-res data can be integrated with ground-truth information, it dramatically reduces the need for physical surveys over long periods, allowing for faster decision-making without sacrificing accuracy.
Proven Global Experience
Our team has a proven track record of supporting species monitoring in some of the most challenging environments in the Middle East and Africa.
Most recently, David Cooper collaborated with the Centre for Middle Eastern Plants in the Arabian Peninsula. Through this partnership, he integrated satellite remote sensing data, GIS datasets and ground survey data to create a machine learning model and resulting map output of habitats over an area the size of Wales. This has provided a crucial baseline assessment for future conservation work within the region. Our expertise allows us to support clients across a variety of sectors, with capabilities including:
- Environmental & Habitat Modelling
- Carbon Credit Market & Sequestration Analysis
- Natural Disaster & Risk Monitoring
- Predictive Species Modelling
Partner With B&P for Your Next Project
Whether you are navigating the complexities of the carbon market or need a baseline environmental assessment for a remote site, B&P provides the clarity you need to move forward with confidence.
Ready to streamline your environmental strategy?
To learn more about our remote sensing capabilities or to discuss a specific project, contact David.
Scotland’s infrastructure pipeline is growing, and so is the complexity of delivering it. From major roads and utilities to large-scale energy projects, principal contractors and developers need specialist support teams who understand the unique challenges of working on live, high-profile sites.
B&P has been building that expertise on some of Scotland’s most demanding construction projects. Here’s how.
Supporting a Major Scottish Road Infrastructure Project
One of Scotland’s best-known trunk roads has long been one of the most challenging to maintain. Persistent landslips on steep terrain above the carriageway prompted a major long-term engineering solution: the design and construction of a debris flow shelter to protect the road from falling rocks and material.
It’s exactly the kind of complex, multi-contractor infrastructure project where specialist support services make the difference between a smooth delivery and a costly one.
The Challenge
The project combined some of the most demanding conditions a construction team can face: steep, unstable terrain; a live road requiring continuous public access; multiple contractors working simultaneously on site; and a wide range of stakeholders to manage, from transport authorities to local communities.
Effective stakeholder engagement, meticulous site records, and a consistent on-site presence throughout the construction programme were all essential.
How B&P Delivered
B&P was brought in to provide Public Liaison Officer (PLO) support and records of conditions services during the ground investigation phase, which involved hundreds of boreholes drilled across the site.
Our team was on site throughout the full construction period, November 2024 to September 2025, with responsibility for:
- Producing detailed records of conditions before and after works at each location
- Accurately recording site conditions across a large number of individual borehole locations
- Maintaining a consistent on-site presence to support contractors and protect all parties
- Deploying our Land Information team’s mobile application to capture field observations reliably in a remote location
B&P Project Lead, Iain Wright, said:
"It was a very challenging project overall. Our team gained valuable experience of working on a major roads project with multiple complexities, particularly around safety on a live site and co-ordinating with several other companies working simultaneously. While we weren't the face of the project, we are proud to have been part of such a high-profile piece of infrastructure and are keen to support more projects like this."
Our Construction Support Services
This project is one of a growing number where B&P has provided embedded, full-time construction support, and it reflects the breadth of our expanding Construction service.
We offer principal contractors and developers a multi-skilled team capable of supporting all phases of an infrastructure project, from early planning through to construction completion. Our construction support services include:
- Public Liaison Officer (PLO) support: on-site stakeholder communication and community engagement throughout the construction programme
- Records of conditions surveys: detailed pre-and post-work surveys to protect contractors and clients
- Land agreements, planning and consents
- Stakeholder engagement across complex, multi-party projects
- Environmental expertise: including legislation compliance, crop identification, soil, drainage and fencing
- Contractual obligations, management plans and designs
- Drone surveys
B&P Director of Construction Donald Proctor said:
"We have grown the team and service so that we can offer full support from early-stage planning right through to construction completion. We have been and continue to be involved in some of the UK's biggest renewables projects, including Seagreen and Norfolk Boreas, and we are keen to support developers and principal contractors across a wide range of large-scale energy and infrastructure construction projects."
Work With B&P on Your Next Project
If you are a principal contractor or developer looking for specialist construction support services in Scotland or the wider UK, we’d welcome the conversation.
Get in touch with Donald Proctor – donald.proctor@blackhallpowis.com
France’s renewable energy sector is at a critical juncture. Having missed its 2020 renewable energy targets, the French government has responded with an ambitious new energy roadmap, the PPE3, confirmed as recently as February 2026 and setting firm targets through to 2050. Offshore wind and solar PV sit at the heart of that plan, with France targeting 48 GW of solar PV capacity and 31 GW of onshore wind by 2030, followed by 15 GW of offshore wind by 2035 (S&P Global). With a significant amount of ground to cover in a short space of time, the opportunity for UK and international developers and partners to get involved has never been more compelling.
Local Knowledge of the French Renewable Energy Market
To support clients looking to move into this market, B&P has brought on board consultant Cédric Gerbier, building on our growing International Business Development team. Cédric is the co-founder and former CEO of Locogen France and an active member of the Global Scot business network, with over 20 years of experience in renewable energy across France and the UK. But beyond the credentials, what Cédric brings is something that’s genuinely hard to find: a deep understanding of how the French market works, how to build the right relationships from day one, and how to turn that knowledge into real opportunities for incoming developers.
Perfect Timing to Support Key Targets
This February, France confirmed its support for offshore wind and solar PV development with the release of its energy strategy plan to the 2050 horizon. France initiated its energy transition over two decades ago and is currently significantly behind target, but seems committed to accelerating and making up for the accumulated delay, making this an ideal opportunity for B&P to implement its market entry plan.
At B&P, we have already demonstrated our capacity to adapt our proven business model and approaches to successfully deliver projects for our clients across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. We fully understand the nature of the commitment required and the challenges associated with opening this new, highly competitive and mature market, often characterised by its administrative red tape and sluggishness. However, we strongly believe that our UK-style approach to development, our successful track record liaising with fisheries and developers, and our extremely powerful GIS capability makes us ideally positioned to add value to the already existing local supply chains. We are extremely excited to meet the local players, demonstrate our know-how and can-do attitude, and build a strong long term presence in a new, neighbouring friendly country.
How B&P Can Support Your Entry into the French Energy Market
We are already active in France, working with a major solar developer to source new opportunities, and we recently completed a project exploring market entry across multiple global markets and continents. If you are looking to do the same, here is how we can help:
- Geospatial analysis and land referencing: Identifying and assessing viable sites across France with precision, using our industry-leading GIS capability
- Stakeholder liaison and management: Building the local relationships that are essential for getting projects off the ground in the French market
- Land acquisition: Navigating the complexities of French land and securing the right agreements in the right locations
- Marine and offshore liaison: Specialist support for developers looking to capitalise on France’s growing offshore wind pipeline
Ready to Explore the French Renewable Energy Market?
France’s energy transition is gathering pace, and the window for developers and partners to establish a strong position in the market is open right now. If you are a UK or international developer looking to take advantage of the opportunities on offer, we would love to have that conversation with you.
Reach out to Cédric directly and let’s talk about what’s possible:
There are huge opportunities for energy projects across the globe, but it can be daunting for developers to step into new markets in continents they haven’t worked in before.
That’s where we come in.
B&P’s Geospatial and International Development team provides a guiding hand with expert knowledge, in-depth research and innovative tools to help our clients understand and identify market-entry opportunities around the world.
We recently completed a six-month project exploring market entry in multiple global markets across several continents. This provided our client with an interdisciplinary study covering market research, legal processes, land tenure systems and land ownership, including both private and government-owned sites, on each continent.
It’s a huge amount of information for developers to delve into, with geospatial analysis as well as detailed research required, sometimes in areas where open-source data isn’t readily available. We do that deep dive for our clients, pulling together all the relevant information into a detailed but digestible package that highlights both challenges and opportunities.
Our global market entry service
Our service includes:
- Geospatial analysis to identify opportunities, from the country level to the cadastral.
- Heat mapping and geovisualisation, taking into account client-specific constraints/requirements.
- Land referencing and research, including legal and land tenure systems and land pricing information.
- Environmental assessments, including irrigation and wind speed levels for different types of technology.
- Review with clients to discuss suitable sites.
- Contact mapping of local partners and landowners with significant land interests.
- Establishing teams for on-the-ground engagement and land assembly.
The strength of this approach is our ability to offer both a wide lens look at large-scale areas of opportunity as well as zooming in to the localised details to mitigate risk and provide confidence for clients to take the next steps.
If you are looking to explore opportunities for global market entry but don’t know where to start, B&P can help. Contact our Director of International Development, Pete Gettinby, pete.gettinby@blackhallpowis.com
Celebrating Generosity and Collaboration this International Women’s Day.
Supporting each other is a huge part of our culture at B&P, whether that’s among the broad mix of brilliant people we have on our team, or with stakeholders and clients.
So, while we’re not big on taking part in awareness days for the sake of it, the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day, ‘Give to Gain’, focusing on generosity and collaboration, struck a chord.
We have an amazing team of women at B&P, working in a traditionally male-dominated sector, and each has a story to tell about the women (and men) who have supported and championed them along the way.
So, we thought we’d share some of them.
Jade Struthers MRICS, Senior Land Manager:
“As I started my career in surveying at B&P, it never occurred to me that it was traditionally a male-dominated profession. From my first day, I was surrounded by capable and knowledgeable women in senior leadership roles who gave up their time (and patience) to help me find my feet in a new career. This experience inspired me to ensure I do my best to give the same support to fellow women in the business and the wider industry – sometimes it is the allyship and shared experiences of another woman that really makes you feel like ‘you’ve got this’.
“I would especially like to shout out Kirsten Grant, who consistently supports and encourages me out of my comfort zone. She pushes me to believe in myself, be confident, and speak up, even when it feels uncomfortable. Everyone should have a Kirsten, and I hope I can be one for anyone who needs it. Also, a shout out to all the women who blazed the trail and paved the way for us to be where we are now – I feel so proud when I find myself on an all-woman client call discussing land strategy and making decisions for multi-million-pound projects. It’s very cool.”
Natalie Reilly, Associate Director – Land Referencing Lead England and Wales:
“I want to talk about my mum, for her continued support throughout and for showing great work ethic and commitment. My mum showed me that it is important to enjoy and be passionate about your work, and this has meant I chose a career based on my own interests.
“And the women I currently work with at B&P, who have welcomed me into the team and allowed me to progress over the past year. Whilst developing in a new role and different environment, my line manager, Saffron Sergison, has provided continuous support and kindness that has encouraged me to aspire further. Being a mum to a 3-year-old keeps me very busy, so having a supportive team at work is important.”
Cat MacLachlan – Director:
“Firstly, my thanks go to Chris Taylor. Despite my inability to stop talking during my interview, she gave me my first Wayleave officer job. She’s still the only person I know who can walk a construction site in a dress as if it’s PPE. She had more grit and courage than most of the men we worked with.
“My second appreciation is for the team and the landowners I worked with while pregnant. I had the most god-awful pregnancy, and so many people told me there was no way a pregnant woman could work on a construction site. If the team ever felt that way, they never let it show. Their support and top-quality banter carried me through one of the toughest periods of my life. They will never know how much I needed that, or how much strength their backing gave me.
“And lastly, my mum. She was one of only two women in her land economy course, told she wouldn’t get surveying roles because she was a woman – and later, because she was a wife and a mum. She pushed through barriers so that I don’t have to face the same ones now. Mum, thank you.”
Gill Froud, Divisional Director:
“A woman who had a huge influence on my career was Julie Clark at Savills. Julie was on the board and had worked her way up through the business, and I always aspired to be like her. She was hardworking and incredibly capable, but what stood out most was the way she gave me the confidence to grow.
“At a time when the industry was still very male-dominated, having someone like Julie to look up to made a real difference. She showed me that you could be strong, credible and successful without changing who you are, and her support gave me the belief to back myself and keep progressing.”
Ellen Grant, Associate Director – Networks
“Shout out to Jane and Isobel, the silent backbone of their teams. They bring order and structure, but just as importantly, kindness, compassion and empathy to everyone they meet. They are the rocks that ground us when projects start to spin out of control – calm, steady and solutions-focused when it matters most.
“They create a workplace where everyone feels welcome and supported, building a genuine sense of psychological safety. Because of them, people feel able to speak up, ask for help and do their best work.
“They have helped me personally more than they know. Their steady support, and their soft words of encouragement (and occasional well-timed reprimand) have reminded me time and again that a team is only as strong as the people within it and the way it’s led. That real performance doesn’t come from pressure alone; it grows from human connection, something far too easily overlooked in the modern world.”
Kirsten Grant – Director and Head of Offshore Renewables
“I began my career as a rural surveyor at a time when few women held senior positions within the industry. There was only one woman on the senior management team, but her presence demonstrated that progression was possible in what had historically been a male-dominated field. That visibility was pivotal for me in the early stages of my career. She was also a very talented professional who, in addition to her day job, raised a family and ran her family farm with her husband.
“As a young professional, I was living in Edinburgh and through netball, I found an exceptional group of women I formed lasting friendships with. This group included professionals from a variety of industries. They became, and continue to be, a significant source of inspiration as I watched them build their own careers and navigate their own paths. Being part of a group of like-minded, ambitious women was incredibly empowering, and their support encouraged me to pursue opportunities I might otherwise have considered out of reach.”
B&P started with four friends supporting each other to do something a bit different. “Give to Gain” isn’t just about individual mentorship; it’s about the culture the team is building together. By showing up for each other and sharing our expertise, we don’t just become a better place to work; we become a more effective partner for our clients. We’re proud of the team leading our business today.
Here’s to the mentors, the allies, and the next generation of trailblazers.
Not content with our expansion into England and Wales, Blackhall and Powis is growing its operations internationally too.
It’s an exciting time with the business developing in a number of areas, but the appointment of a Director of International Development and a Director of Research, along with the establishment of our new office in the UAE, marks a big step in our strategic mission to support the energy and infrastructure both at home and abroad.
Coming on board to head up our international operations is the highly experienced and well-connected Pete Gettinby, formerly of RSK.
Pete’s extensive experience in the green energy and infrastructure sector, combined with his detailed knowledge of the overseas market, will be a huge asset to our business and our clients.
Having worked for the last few years in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, Pete brings with him a wealth of established contracts and potential projects. Already based in Dubai, over the last 12 months he’s helped identify over £350million of potential projects in the region.
Pete is joined by David Cooper as Director of Research. David has an extensive geospatial and interdisciplinary background, having completed his PhD in geosciences from the University of Edinburgh and teaching on their master’s programme in Geographical Information Science. David has published research utilising environmental modelling across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, drone surveying within Eurasia, and zoological analysis within the UK.
David has worked with Blackhall & Powis for a number of years, implementing bespoke GIS models for the renewable energy sector and leading international interdisciplinary research projects for our clients.
Cementing our overseas presence is a progressive step from the international projects we already completed or have underway in Iraq, the USA, Africa and Malaysia.
We’ll be offering all of our core services to international clients and projects with a particular focus on geospatial services and marine and offshore infrastructure support. We have identified a need for the creation of spatial data in difficult to access, hazardous, and data-deficient environments, and are therefore offering satellite remote sensing integration into our geospatial workflows.
In addition to growing our own operations overseas, we’ll be offering external consultancy services to support international development for other businesses in the energy and infrastructure sectors.
This will make use of the excellent network Pete has already established. In particular, strong links to the Energy Industries Council and Scottish Development International, both of which provide great support to our industry.
Pete said: “This is the right progressive step to take the offering and experience of B&P further afield and to use our expertise and contacts to help other companies who are looking for these services in this booming region. I’m excited to grow B&P internationally and to help other businesses in our sector grow.”
B&P’s growth across England and Wales continues with an expert new service to support the delivery of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).
We’re enhancing our already deeply skilled team with the expertise of a new team with a wealth of experience leading Development Consent Orders (DCOs) on major projects in England and Wales.
In the last six months, we have recruited a team of key individuals and well-known industry faces, bringing decades of experience in energy and infrastructure projects to boost our resources and skills to support projects across England and Wales. Two of those who have joined the team include Gill Froud and Jake Laws. Recruitment will continue over the coming months, with further highly experienced team members also coming on board.
This has significantly strengthened our team in England and Wales with a range of expertise in this area, including land officers, land referencers, surveyors and planning experts. The team’s experience and extensive knowledge of the DCO process and delivering infrastructure programmes are a huge asset to the business and our clients.
“DCOs are a complex and intensive process, so teamwork is absolutely crucial. You need the right people and set of skills to all work together each step of the way. It’s ultimately about people and trust. We have an excellent team of experts to offer clients this new service to support a wide range of energy infrastructure projects across England and Wales.”
Gill Froud, Divisional Director
This enhanced service to support NSIPs builds on our already strong skill set in land assembly, land referencing and industry-leading GIS systems. We offer our clients a complete service, including:
- Land strategy
- Land referencing and assembly
- Innovative GIS software
- Stakeholder engagement and negotiations
- Surveying
- Planning guidance
- Programme management
B&P’s innovative approach and vibrant culture have people and relationships at its heart. Our personal and honest approach to engagement with clients and stakeholders builds trust and confidence to support successful project delivery. We pride ourselves on the breadth of skills and mix of backgrounds our team offers, ensuring we can build bespoke teams of the right people for each project.
We have significantly grown our presence in England and Wales over the past 12 months, with a new head office in Manchester, plus offices in Salisbury and Bury St Edmunds, adding to our existing offices in Tunbridge Wells, York and Norfolk.
If you would like to find out more about how B&P can support you on a major infrastructure project we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch via info@blackhallpowis.com
As a consultancy involved in delivering essential networks infrastructure, we are supporting a significant number of projects in sensitive parts of the UK. This often means working near designated sites and protected species. Working in these areas doesn’t necessarily mean a binary choice between stopping activity or accepting ecological harm. With the right expertise, planning and on‑the‑ground vigilance, critical infrastructure and renewable energy projects can proceed whilst still ensuring protection of sensitive habitats and species. A great example of this is the work we’ve been carrying out as part of SSEN Distribution’s strategic upgrade of its network in the west of Mull.
About the project
As part of construction phase environmental support our Lead Ecologist, Jenny Diack, has led the ECoW team supervising helicopter pole delivery movements for a new overhead line near Bunessan on Mull – a project which SSEN Distribution has designed to ensure resilience and continuity of supply for customers in the west of Mull. The works are in close proximity to the Cnuic agus Cladach Mhuile SPA and known territories of Schedule 1A species golden eagle, hen harrier and white‑tailed eagle. In sections of the route, movement of equipment by helicopter was required to access remote areas of the site and difficult terrain, accelerating project timelines and reducing costs. This method of transport also reduced ground disturbance and potential impacts on sensitive habitats.
“With the right expertise, planning and on‑the‑ground vigilance, critical infrastructure and renewable energy projects can proceed whilst still ensuring protection of sensitive habitats and species.”
Jenny Diack, Lead Ecologist
our role
Working closely with SSEN Distribution’s principal contractor Aureos, and with field support from EP Ecology ecologists, we avoided a blanket cessation of works during the bird nesting season, adopted a proportionate, risk‑based strategy to ensure the project could be delivered on time whilst minimising the risk to sensitive bird species within the area. This involved:
- Protected Species Risk Assessments prepared in liaison with NatureScot.
- Pre‑works walkovers by ECoW personnel to confirm absence of active nests within agreed disturbance buffers.
- Active monitoring during helicopter operations, with real‑time communication between the ecologist, contractor and aircrew to avoid disturbance when birds were present.
These measures enabled SSEN’s essential network upgrade to progress while maintaining compliance with protected species legislation and minimising disturbance to priority species and habitats.
How we can support you
Our Planning and Development team have been providing ecology support on a variety of projects this year from EcIA, BNG Assessments and Biodiversity Enhancement Plans for BESS and Solar developments to ECoW. If you have any questions or need support on planning‑stage ecology or construction‑phase supervision contact:
Jenny Diack — Lead Ecologist: jenny.diack@blackhallpowis.com
James Wheater — Director, Planning and Development: james.wheater@blackhallpowis.com
Blackhall & Powis are proud of our strong relationship with the fishing industry.
Led by our Director of Marine/Fisheries, Tommy Finn, we’re able to bring real industry knowledge and connections to our clients and guide them on how to effectively work with the fishing sector.
As part of this, we’re part of the Fishing Liaison with Offshore Wind and Wet Renewables Group (FLOWW), which has just recently published updated best practice guidance for liaison between Fisheries and Offshore Renewables Developers.
The guidance covers current and future Offshore Renewable Energy sectors across the United Kingdom (UK), including:
- offshore wind (with a focus on fixed offshore wind farms)
- wave and tidal stream (i.e. excluding tidal barrage projects);
- test and demonstration projects;
- and Offshore Renewable Energy-related infrastructure (i.e., subsea cables and protection methods, moorings, substations, and grid connections).
Being one of around 40 organisations with an interest in offshore renewables and the fishing industry that make up the group, our role has been to use our valuable industry knowledge and experience to influence the new guidance.
It’s been a long time coming, having last been reviewed in 2015, and while it may not be perfect, it’s an important step to have up-to-date guidance now in place and to see this reviewed on a more frequent basis in future.
We will watch with interest over the coming months how the guidance is received and used. And we will continue to play a role in continuing to shape future relationships, and to support our clients to work in partnership successfully with the fishing industry.
Find out more about our Marine Services
We’ve marked another major milestone in our ongoing expansion in England and Wales with the opening of our new B&P office in Manchester.
A few weeks in, our team are settling in nicely and getting to know the lie of the land…literally.
With our market-leading team already delivering on major projects and plenty of new opportunities on the horizon in the North West and Wales, our Manchester office is perfectly placed.
And with GB Energy opening its head office in the city earlier this year, we’re in a great position to support the UK Government’s green energy mission.
Opportunities
Key projects we already have underway include the Peak Cluster Project, working with a consortium of industry leaders to deliver this major carbon capture project from the Peak District to Ellesmere Port, and the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) from Huddersfield to Marsden with Network Rail.
We have a small team permanently based in Manchester, led by Natalie Reilly, who joined B&P this year from Jacobs, bringing over ten years of industry experience. We plan to grow the onsite team over the next six months.
The office is also a great base for our specialists from across the wider business to work from, in particular our innovative Land Referencing team led by Saffron Sergison, Associate Director, who has overseen the growth of this team of experts from a group of 1 to 10 in just over two years.
Saffron said: “There are lots of exciting opportunities in the North West and Manchester is so well connected that having an office there allows us to deploy easily and get out on sites at short notice.
“There are lots of like-minded organisations in the Land Referencing space based here too, so it is great for networking opportunities, client meetings and building strategic partnerships which we’re very keen to do.
“It’s also just a great, vibrant place offering a fun, social element which is an important part of the B&P culture.”
Key services
Our Manchester team offers full Land Assembly, Planning and Land Information services, with extensive experience in renewables projects.
We’re also exploring opportunities in urban regeneration and looking to develop partnerships with land and property consultants in the area.
We’re always open to a chat, so if you have a project or opportunity in these areas you’d like to discuss, get in touch.
Contact Saffron at saffron.sergison@blackhallpowis.com or Natalie at natalie.reilly@blackhallpowis.com