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
Over the course of this year, B&P has expanded our work to explore and deliver more and more international projects. As a key area of growth for us, this week we’re heading to one of the biggest international conferences for the energy industry, ADIPEC.
ADIPEC is an annual conference and exhibition in Abu Dhabi bringing together over 200,000 energy professionals and thought leaders from around the world.
It’s a chance to make connections and hear about innovative solutions and technologies.
For us at B&P it’s an opportunity to meet new and existing contacts face to face and share what we can and are doing in our work both in the UK and internationally.
Representing the team will be Phil Mellor, Director of Land Information and GIS, and Tommy Finn, Director of our Marine and Fisheries Services.
Phil and Tommy will be using this opportunity to talk about projects they have completed or have underway in Iraq, USA and Malaysia using our excellent geospatial services, and innovative and internationally proven approach to Marine/Fisheries stakeholder engagement, and vessel procurement/management.
The Middle East is a key area for B&P with more exciting news which we’ll be sharing soon.
We’re excited and hugely grateful to be teaming up with Energy Industry Council (EIC) and Scottish Development International (SDI) who have been great champions of our and other Scottish/UK energy businesses in the area.
If you’re going to be at ADIPEC please say hello to our guys. And if you can’t make it but are curious to see what opportunities we can offer in the Middle East, don’t worry we’ll be sharing more very soon. Watch this space!
At Blackhall and Powis we’re extremely proud of our Scottish roots and the impact we’ve made in the energy and renewables sector in Scotland, but our sights have always been firmly set on the bigger picture. With our rapid business growth in recent years, our strategic goal of expansion into the sector in England and Wales is already well on its way and will be cemented further over the coming months.
Super charging our operations in England and Wales, we now have B&P offices in York, Bury St Edmunds and Tunbridge Wells, with our newest office opening in Manchester in a matter of weeks. Not forgetting our Agricultural Liaison Team firmly embedded on the ground in the Norfolk Offshore Wind Project.
Next up and completing our network of teams across the UK will be a new office in the South West of England, which we aim to have open before the end of the current financial year.
The expansion of our operations across the UK is a natural progression from the major projects we’re already supporting in England, including Norfolk and the Morven offshore wind project, and reflects the increasing number of opportunities emerging for B&P. Most recently we’ve joined the UK Power Networks Framework and have a few other exciting projects and collaborations still to be revealed.
As our business has grown from a team of just two when we began in 2017 to a team of over 100 and counting this year, our services and expertise have grown exponentially too. Our commitment to bringing in the very best talent, experience and innovation transfers into the excellent quality of services we offer our clients.
We now have the capability, resources and infrastructure to successfully deliver all of our core services and functions – from onshore and offshore renewables to land referencing and GIS, Networks, Marine and Fisheries – across the whole of the UK and beyond. We’re excited to share this new chapter with you!
Get in touch for a chat to find out more Info@blackhallpowis.com
Rick Campbell, Director of Director of Development Services
For a change, we elected not to have a stand at the SR Onshore Conference, so our team got to enjoy the event a little more from the shop floor. The conference was excellent with useful insights from formal speakers and informal catch ups, as well as the chance to discuss business opportunities and meet colleagues old and new.
I’d intended to provide reflections on the conference after the first day but unfortunately the increasingly traditional, joint B&P-Gael Energy drinks (as pictured) got in the way.
Five big takeaways
So, my five big takeaways from the overall event are:
1. A project reshuffle is on the cards
My favourite subject at the moment – the fallout of the grid queue reform will impact portfolios everywhere. It’s important to be alive to this and keep options open as the winners emerge.
2. TNUoS cost increases – an unwelcome burden.
The industry broadly welcomed the Government’s rejection of Zonal Pricing, a clear example of industry speaking and Government listening which should be applauded. However, rejection of one system does not mean approval of another. TNUoS has undermined the business case for projects which otherwise would have gone ahead for a generation. Making it worse doesn’t help anyone. More work is needed here.
3. Repowering is the talk of town
We’ve known this was coming for a while, but repowering sites (together with its close sisters: decommissioning and redeployment) were the main topics of conversation at the event. Lots of practical and positive ideas being discussed. As ever, communication and collaboration will be key to delivering this important work.
4. England and Wales are just getting warmed up
The hotly anticipated establishment of development pipeline in England and Wales is well underway. Again, industry-wide challenges are present, not least making sure regulators are familiar with onshore wind challenges, and ensuring developers understand (and are not overly scared by) DCO processes. (As anyone who I’ve already bored on the subject will attest, I’m a big believer that the DCO process is an excellent consent pathway and should not be as off-putting as it appears to be).
5. As an industry, we need to get moving
Political headwinds against renewables will only be changed by one thing – demonstrable investment in jobs and infrastructure. 2025 has been a necessary step change for the industry, but now is the time to get on and start delivering.
All in all, a really successful event. The enthusiasm and keenness to invest was palpable. Lots of opportunities and a sense that things are moving in the right direction.
Want to keep the conversation going? Get in touch for a chat Info@blackhallpowis.com
Find out more about the services we offer to support onshore renewables.
At Blackhall and Powis we’re not known to shy away from a challenge, or a bit of fun. It’s also important to us that we give back to our sector when we can so the RSABI charity, who provide valuable practical, financial and emotional support to the agricultural industry across Scotland, is close to our hearts.
We were delighted to take part in this year’s Great Scone Palace challenge held in the grounds of Scone Palace, Perth. Starting with a lovely welcome party held at Perth Racecourse the night before which included a celebrity racetrack run, auction and raffle, before the main event kicked off the next day.
We were among 17 teams entered into the event which consisted of four challenges:
- The Great Bale Obstacle Course – rolling a straw bale 100metres across a field then moving onto a variety of stacked bale heights to jump/clamber over and crawling on all fours beneath a net.
- The Palace Pathfinders Quest – solving riddles, decoding puzzles and following a trail of hidden clues all within the gardens and maze of the palace
- Tractor Pull – basically a tug of war against a tractor, but thankfully the tractor doesn’t pull back.
- Laser Clay Challenge – using laser shotguns to hit the clay as quickly and accurately as possible to build up points.
The challenges encouraged teamwork, determination, thought and agility. The weather changed in the afternoon with some heavy downpours but to all the team’s credit everyone soldiered on, and it gradually eased. Despite being a man short, our team overcame the odds to pull off a victory against some tough competition. It should be noted that we were able to rely on a friendly competitor to fill in for the clay challenge and a willing member of RSABI to help with the tractor pull. Collaboration at its finest!
The day was rounded off by an evening black tie ball within Scone Palace where we enjoyed a meal in the Long Gallery, the longest room in any private Scottish home. The celebrations continued with the team venturing out into Perth city centre until the small hours. Thankfully dancing was not part of the event challenges as we would have definitely finished in last place!
The trophy now sits proudly in our head office in Glasgow, and we’re already looking forward to defending our title next year.
As the UK accelerates its shift toward renewable energy, the role of land referencing has never been more critical. From wind farms and solar arrays to grid infrastructure and battery storage, every energy project begins with one foundational question: who owns the land?
Land referencing provides the answer – with precision, transparency, and legal certainty. It’s the quiet force behind Development Consent Orders (DCOs), Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs), and infrastructure planning. And in the energy sector, where timelines are tight and stakeholder engagement is essential, it’s the difference between momentum and delay.
How Far We’ve Come
Land referencing has evolved dramatically in recent years. What was once a paper-heavy, manually intensive process is now a sophisticated blend of legal insight, stakeholder engagement, and digital mapping. Today’s referencing teams operate at the intersection of GIS, planning law, and data management—delivering real-time insights that shape infrastructure strategy from day one.
Modern referencing doesn’t just identify landowners—it enables early access for surveys, supports risk mitigation, and ensures that stakeholders are consulted with clarity and care. It’s become a strategic function, not just a technical one.
At Blackhall & Powis, we’ve embraced this evolution. Our team has supported over 150 renewable energy projects across the UK, working with leading developers including Ørsted, Vattenfall, Statkraft, SSE, and Scottish Power. From land assembly and stakeholder engagement to mapping and planning support, we offer a one-stop-shop for infrastructure delivery—tailored to the unique demands of the energy transition.
Looking Ahead: SoLR Land With Certainty Conference
We’re proud to sponsor the upcoming SoLR Land With Certainty Conference, taking place on 18th September 2025 in London. Hosted by the Society of Land Referencers (SoLR), this event brings together professionals from across the UK to explore best practices, emerging technologies, and the evolving role of land referencing in national infrastructure.
The programme promises updates on ethical standards and GIS innovation to the future of referencing in energy and transport. We are looking forward to meeting peers, sharing insights, and shape the future of our industry.
Our team is looking forward to attending, learning, and contributing to the conversation. As the energy transition gathers pace, we believe land referencing must be recognised not just as a technical function—but as a strategic enabler of change.
See you in London.
Find out more about our innovative Land Referencing services.