Founded by Sarah Smith in 2023, BackLand has built its reputation on personal service. We pride ourselves on being both highly professional and genuinely approachable, ensuring clients receive the best outcomes.
Our Story
With more than 30 years as a qualified MRTPI and 28 years coordinating Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), Sarah Smith built a highly successful corporate career before founding BackLand to offer a more personal, client-focused approach to planning consultancy.
Her extensive experience across local government and corporate consultancy makes her exceptionally well placed to advise on everything from small residential schemes to major commercial developments for nationally recognised housebuilders.
During her five years at North West Leicestershire District Council, Sarah gained deep insight into local plan production, development policy, and regeneration. She was then headhunted by Land & Estate Agency firm, Andrew Granger, where she advised on planning and development, promoted land through the local plan process, and managed planning applications across residential and commercial sectors.
Joining Development Planning & Design Services (DPDS) in Swindon as a senior planner, she was quickly promoted to Associate Director. Her work spanned numerous sectors—residential, retail, commercial, education, agricultural, and leisure—supporting major housebuilders, developers, and individual clients.
Sarah became a partner of Rapleys LLP in 2015, working out of their London, Bristol and Birmingham offices. She was lead planning consultant on numerous large-scale schemes including work for The Crown Estate, British Sugar, Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Redrow, PHL Ltd, and Gallagher Developments, amongst many others.
Alongside running BackLand, Sarah continues to provide consultancy support to Rapleys to see long-term projects through. Her services remain in high demand, and she has quickly built an impressive portfolio that includes planning applications for individuals and small builders, commercial operators, change-of-use proposals for land and buildings, listed building advice, and wide-ranging development consultancy.
How We Work
We take time to understand our clients, whether large or small, applying the most relevant experience to each project to achieve the best outcome possible.
Defining individual goals
Our consultancy is never packaged or prescriptive. We shape our approach around each project, giving clients the flexibility and responsiveness they value.
director involvement
We guarantee hands on Director-level involvement on every project. Whatever the scale, each client receives the same careful, personal attention.
Always Approachable
While our work centres on individual projects, we prioritise long-term relationships—staying friendly, approachable, and cutting through planning jargon whenever needed.
How We Add Value
A good consultancy takes time to understand its clients, whether large or small, and applies their most relevant experience to each project to achieve the best outcomes.
adapting to scale
Our service adapts seamlessly to projects of all sizes—from individual residential proposals to large commercial housing developments.
broad experience
With experience spanning both private clients and commercial sectors, we bring a deep, well-rounded understanding of the planning process.
Commercial Understanding
Our detailed, hands-on client involvement gives us real insight into the commercial pressures shaping today’s development market.
Why Trust Us
Sarah is known for going above and beyond—providing clear advice, exceptional service, and consistently securing positive outcomes for her clients. Her meticulous attention to detail and strong technical expertise underpin everything she does.
With a career spanning more than three decades, the breadth of her experience makes her uniquely well-qualified to advise on projects of every scale and type.
Honest advice sits at the heart of her practice. If a scheme is unlikely to gain support or secure planning permission, she will say so. She refuses to pursue proposals with little or no chance of success, safeguarding her clients’ time and resources. This integrity has helped her build long-standing, trusted relationships.
BackLand has an excellent track record of achieving planning permission through constructive negotiation, avoiding the need for appeal. In a complex regulatory landscape, experience, honesty, integrity, and attention to detail are essential—and BackLand delivers on all of them.
- We are well placed to advise on developments of all sizes and complexities.
- We help to streamline planning processes to avoid costly delays.
- We stay up-to-date with all current regulations and policy developments.
- Comprehensive experience covering multiple development types.
