Axford Heritage Planning was set up by Alison Davidson following a long career within Local Government Planning, Environment and Heritage services.

The practice offers an affordable and wide ranging building conservation and design advisory service to the private, public and third sectors. Our aim is to respond to the growing need for focussed, efficient and friendly guidance by offering an experienced insight into the demands of the planning process focussing particularly on heritage and conservation issues.

We recognise that local government requirements and the planning system are increasingly demanding a greater degree of “front loading” of information relating to planning and listed building applications submitted by homeowners, businesses and institutions. Axford Heritage Planning offers a wide range of expertise to guide clients through the minefield of rules and requirements when pursuing the necessary consents.

Axford Heritage Planning is an approachable client orientated practice drawing on detailed expertise covering historic building conservation, urban design, landscape and historic parks and gardens, research and advocacy. It can also access expertise from other skilled and experienced consultants covering other disciplines such as Archaeology, landscape design, planning and ecology.

We also offer local authorities a “locum” service for conservation officer expertise where short term gaps in staffing a busy conservation office can be filled with confidence by an experienced ex-conservation officer with 29 years local government experience.

Alison Davidson set up Axford Heritage Planning following a 29 year career within Local government where she developed a conscientious but friendly approach towards managing change in the historic environment, being ready to innovate, draw on a wide range of past experiences and articulate difficult concepts and laws to her clients whether they be professional personnel or home owners with little knowledge of the planning system.

With an initial background in Landscape management and horticulture, Alison qualified in Historic Building Conservation in 2000 which complemented many years of working within a busy planning and conservation service. She has since led a number of teams dealing with a wide range of environmental and heritage based services.

sensitively combining a modern way of life into our old and beloved traditional buildings