Planning and development consultancy Montagu Evans has appointed Ashley Collins as a Partner in its 100-strong Planning team.

With over 15 years of commercial planning experience, most recently specialising in the data centre, industrial and logistics and life sciences markets, Collins joins the partnership following almost a decade at JLL, where he was a director in its Planning team. 

At Montagu Evans, he will continue to focus on the commercial sector, providing strategic planning advice to developers, investors and landowners on the potential of sites in terms of new development opportunities and the repurposing of existing assets.  

Craig Blatchford, Head of Planning at Montagu Evans, said: “Ashley is an accomplished commercial planner across the full spectrum of employment and retail sectors and one of the leading data centre planning specialists around. His collaborative nature fits well with Montagu Evans’ ethos, where we work closely with our advisory and transactional colleagues to ensure a strategic approach to overcome our clients’ planning and development challenges. We are very pleased to welcome him as the first of several new Planning team members of 2024, building upon our significant investment throughout 2023.”

Ashley Collins added: “Montagu Evans places planning and development at the heart of its business and continues to grow and invest in its people and the services it provides. This, alongside its range of complementary planning specialisms, including heritage, townscape, viability and sustainability, was one of the key reasons for me joining the partnership. I’m looking forward to the new role.” 

Collins is a member of the RTPI.