01

Collaboration:
A Cornerstone of Cogeo
Dave Anderson, Director at Cogeo
Collaboration is at the core of how Cogeo operates, not just as a planning and environmental consultancy, but as a partner that helps take your project from concept to consent. In this article, we explore how Cogeo’s client-centric approach drives momentum and unlocks development opportunities by aligning planning with real-world delivery. We also hear some of our team’s thoughts on what collaboration means and why it matters.

Every project begins by understanding your vision. Our role in development is to take a site from concept to construction-ready, achieved through a comprehensive understanding of each location and its technology, aligning with your objectives, anticipating challenges, and bringing the right expertise together as a collective.
We work hand-in-hand with clients, installers, and specialists to ensure planning supports and accelerates your project, rather than holding it back. Most of our clients know what they want to achieve; our job is to help them get there efficiently, starting by understanding the bigger picture: what success looks like, what they want to build, and how quickly they want to do it. From there, we shape a plan that mitigates risk, assembles the right team, and keeps momentum through to consent, and build.
Our collaborative approach is all about creating certainty, reducing delays, and giving you confidence at every phase. It’s about turning a good idea into a consented project.
Discover what some of our team members think about collaboration
“Efficiency is about reducing the attrition in a project. By thoroughly understanding a site from the outset, we design projects that stand up to scrutiny and avoid post-consent reassessment.
Our early involvement means fewer barriers and a smoother approval process. Early intervention from the Cogeo team allows us to design mitigation that reduces delays in gaining consent and allows our clients certainty when construction begins.”
“I’m often the link between what’s happening on the ground and what needs to go into a planning application. That includes working with DNOs on grid connections, conducting drone and topographic surveys, and feeding accurate information back to our planning team. Clients benefit from our integrated divisions and expertise, ultimately avoiding surprises and mitigating risks and delays.”
“Noise is a non-negotiable in planning terms. We support numerous renewable energy projects, each with varying degrees of acoustic impact and mitigation. Providing certainty around noise impact is crucial to allow designs to incorporate effective mitigation measures. Experience, knowledge, and a few small changes early on can often save months of site delays.”
“From the beginning, I work with the team to identify and address areas to help achieve planning consent, and how to do it without adding unnecessary cost or delay. Continually, we liaise with installers to make sure everything is delivered correctly on site. It’s about keeping things efficient and compliant, not creating more work.”
Why Collaboration Matters
When you’re investing time and money into a project, you need a team that’s pulling in the same direction.
At Cogeo, collaboration means bringing together technical, planning and operational thinking early, ensuring projects run more smoothly, addressing risks sooner, and helping clients move to the construction phase with confidence and speed.
Our approach, processes, and client collaboration are what make us a trusted partner, enabling us to get things done successfully.