Mike Derbyshire

His track record demonstrates how he has overcome our clients’ biggest planning challenges with a blend of strategic and political instinct and forensic knowledge of the planning system. Mike breeds confidence and spots an opportunity quicker than most but more importantly, Bidwells’ most senior planner loves his work.

As an expert witness, Mike’s most at home arguing his case at a planning committee, in the media or at the High Court. He helped turn 26 planning reasons for the refusal of Brookgate’s 1.6m sq ft CB1 scheme at Cambridge train station into an award-winning commercial success, which is now home to three out of four of the world’s trillion dollar corporations. 

In 2009, the SoS dismissed a called-in appeal on the former Dunsfold Aerodrome stating it was in an inherently unsustainable location. Nine years later, and with Mike at the helm, the owner secured an allocation for 2,600 homes and approval for a parallel application for 1,800 homes and 250,000 sq m of commercial floorspace after a call-in Inquiry.

Channel 4 even once made a documentary about a one-of-a-kind planning case that Mike won for his client in the High Court after she painted the facade of her Kensington home in bright red and white stripes.