Member Article

Caulmert to support TGI Fridays’ Expansion Plans

North Wales-based planning specialist Caulmert is on course to help restaurant chain TGI Fridays expansion plans

Over the last 12 months, Caulmert provided planning advice on developments at 14 separate sites for TGI Fridays, including restaurants in Newport, Liverpool, Manchester and Brighton.

Caulmert also secured planning permission and advertisement consent for TGI Fridays’ flagship Leicester Square restaurant in the West End of London. The challenging project included meeting stringent conservation and planning regulations within the Westminster conservation area.

Over the next four years, the Bangor and St Asaph-based firm will provide planning consultancy on new sites located across the UK.

It will also advise on planning matters relating to renovations on a number of its existing restaurants, including improved signage at the TGI Fridays in historic Covent Garden in the centre of the capital.

Associate planner Clive Cunio, who has supplied planning support to TGI Fridays for more than a decade, said: “By their very nature, development proposals like these are often relatively bright and eye catching.

“Sensitive locations, such as listed buildings or in areas with conservation restrictions, require extensive negotiations with the local planning authority to ensure a proposal meets their standards.

“It’s overcoming these challenges and finding a compromise suitable for all parties which makes the work we do with TGI Fridays so rewarding.”

Services include planning advice on applications for premises’ change of use, signage consent, applications for outdoor seating and street trading licenses. Caulmert will draw on its expertise of planning matters relating to listed buildings.

Andy Lister, senior development manager for TGI Fridays, said: “Clive is a significant part of the team that’s working towards our ongoing expansion and development goals, and his ability to negotiate persuasively with local authorities is crucial to each project’s success.

“We’ve worked with him for over five years, and really value his expertise in planning matters. His understanding of our brand values and signage requirements is invaluable to our growth plans.”

Founded in 2009, Caulmert is on track to meet an ambitious 15-year growth plan that would see it employ 250 people by 2024. Its expertise in a variety of planning, environmental and engineering disciplines is supported by its use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to a level 2 standard in many of its projects.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .