James Firth

Jen is a qualified Chartered Town Planner with over 14 years experience. Jen has a wide range of experience having worked as a consultant in both London and the Eastern region, as well as working for a national housebuilder. These varied roles allow Jen to adapt quickly and provide sound and well-rounded planning advice to her clients.

Jen’s experience includes major strategic project work from promotion to delivery; advising on planning strategy; planning applications; regularising planning positions; and rural diversification projects.

Away from the office Jen enjoys interior design and creative projects, coffee and fitness challenges. Jen has a young family and enjoys spending as much time as she can with them, usually on a dog walk around the farm.

Jess is a Senior Planner with nine years of experience previously working at a central London planning consultancy. During this time, she has undertaken a wide range of projects, including employment and residential developments. Jess is a chartered Town Planner, having completed an undergraduate degree in Law from the University of Leeds and a Masters in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Sheffield.

In her free time, Jess enjoys spending time with her family, doing craft projects and going to the theatre.

Following a move to London early in her working life, Denise has spent more than half her career working for property consultancies as a PA and Team support and has worked previously with most of the Ceres Planning team. Her free time is spent mainly with her husband and daughter.  A relatively new interest is upcyclying furniture, although there never seems to be enough hours in the day.  She does however find enough hours to watch other people on social media upcycling furniture!!

Jessie is an Associate within the Land Consultancy team and specialises in a range of consultancy matters including estate management, valuation advice and landlord and tenant matters. She obtained her degree from Harper Adams University in Rural Enterprise and Land Management, after which she worked at a national property firm in Chelmsford for three years. Jessie qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 2023 and is working towards achieving her Central Association of Agricultural Valuers fellowship.

Outside of work, Jessie enjoys being outdoors and is always planning her next road trip. She is an avid runner and enjoys hiking, netball and horse riding.

Kathryn is a Graduate Surveyor in the Land Consultancy team with two years of previous experience working in a national property firm. Kathryn graduated from the University of Birmingham with a Law Degree in 2021 and has since completed a Masters Degree in Rural Estate and Land Management from Harper Adams University. She is working towards becoming a fully chartered member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. Kathryn works on a variety of projects with a particular focus on estate management and landlord and tenant matters

Karen has spent the majority of her working life in customer facing, PA or admin support roles.  She thrives on organisation and providing exceptional support.  She is pro active and always ready to lend a hand.

Outside of work, she mostly enjoys spending time with her family – husband, three children and Bob the dog and socialising with friends.  She is an avid runner and gym goer, and regularly visits the beautiful Lake District exploring and ticking off the Wainrights!  She also enjoys travels and holidaying with her family and friends.

Sam is an Associate Partner within the Planning Team. He has over 20 years’ of experience in planning, including in both the public sector and, for the last 10 years, private consultancy. Sam was formerly lead officer in the successful preparation of a local authorities’ suite of Development Plan documents. He has considerable experience in a range of planning areas, with particular specialisms including strategic site promotion; progressing sites through the plan-making process to allocation in the Local Plan; providing evidence on housing land supply; participating in Local Plan examinations; and giving evidence in S78 appeals. Sam also has extensive experience with Green Belt matters, including demonstrating very special circumstances to securing planning consent for development in the Green Belt on appeal. He is a chartered Town Planner, member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. Outside of work, Sam has a passion for football, both playing (with a highlight being winning the RTPI East of England 2024 tournament Fair Play Moment award!), as well as watching his beloved Notts County when he gets the chance. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two young daughters.

Having undertaken work experience at Ceres Property, Dan is now a Graduate Planner, assisting with an array of planning projects differing in scale, complexity and use. Dan graduated from the University of Sheffield with a MPlan Urban Studies and Planning degree, and is now working towards becoming a fully chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. In his spare time, Dan enjoys both playing and watching football, as well as planning his next opportunity to travel with his partner.

Jack has over seven years' experience working as a Town Planner in East Anglia. For the majority of Jack's career, he has provided consultancy to the private sector. Jack has a diverse workstream, including major/minor residential, educational and transport schemes. His varied client base includes house builders,  landowners, contractors, local authorities, promoters and care operators. Jack has successfully helped clients secure consent on a range of complicated planning applications. He has supported promotion of strategic land as part of various local plans. He is a Chartered Town Planner and a Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). Outside of work Jack enjoys playing tennis, running and gardening.

Izzy is a Graduate Planner with almost two years of previous experience working for a planning consultancy team in a national property firm. Izzy graduated from the University of Nottingham with a BA (Hons) Geography degree in 2022. She is now working towards her Chartered Town Planner Masters Degree Apprenticeship and becoming a fully chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute. Over the past couple of years, Izzy has developed her expertise and been involved in various projects, ranging from town regeneration to smaller scale change of use applications. Outside of work Izzy enjoys various hobbies, including running and hockey. She ran the Cambridge half marathon the past two years and looks forward to the next race, where she is aiming for a PB!

Laura has worked as a planning consultant in Essex since 2014. She is a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), and became a chartered town planner in 2017. Her experience is wide-ranging having worked for a variety of clients including landowners, developers, promoters and local authorities. She has particular expertise in development management projects.

Laura has a proven ability to manage projects through the planning process to achieve consents. She enjoys working closely with project teams to navigate challenges in the interests of a successful outcome for clients. The types of projects she has worked on include Green Belt development, brownfield redevelopment, rural diversification, Local Plan promotion, the delivery of large housing allocations, householder applications and planning appeals.

Away from work, Laura enjoys nothing more than getting outside with her husband, young son and lively spaniel, visiting friends and family across the country, and exploring (and sampling the culinary delights of) the UK and Europe when life allows!

Olivia obtained a Natural Sciences degree from Durham University before gaining her wealth of experience in marketing and PR, across sectors including property, agriculture, FMCG and retail. She has worked for big brands like Ocado, professional family businesses like City & Country, new consultancies like Ceres Rural and Ceres Property, and farm businesses like Foxes Farm Produce.

Olivia works tirelessly to drive organisations forward in changing and challenging landscapes. She ensures marketing opportunities are maximised and risk is minimised – continuously striving to deliver growth, whilst remaining true to a brand's identity and core values.

Olivia has a passion for data analysis and the power it arms us with; facilitating objective decision making and delivering the best commercial outcomes. She enjoys balancing this numeric side with creativity – seeing the two different elements come together to inform and produce impactful and measurable campaigns.

Outside of work, Olivia is kept busy and entertained by her two young children who love being outside on the farm. When they’re asleep, her Instagram feed of interior design inspo for an upcoming project is a go to, and let’s not forget her background noise requirement in the form of Test Match Special.

Boris specialises in identifying and advising on development and planning opportunities throughout Essex and the southeast. With expertise spanning the entire development process, he provides guidance on a wide range of scenarios to unlock both strategic and short-term prospects for landowners. His experience includes projects ranging from modest farmyards to extensive greenfield urban extensions, encompassing both residential and commercial developments.

Born and bred in rural Essex, Boris graduated from Reading University in 2013 with a degree in Real Estate and became a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2016.

In his free time, Boris enjoys country pursuits, snowsports, and has a keen interest (or growing obsession) in World War II history.

Matt is an Associate in the Development team, bringing experience in brokering immediate and strategic land deals across the Eastern Region, as well as offering development consultancy advice. He also has a background working for a national housebuilder, where he gained experience in immediate land acquisition, development management and larger strategic projects.

Matt studied Real Estate at the University of Reading, began his career in 2017, and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 2019. He took a year off to travel in Central and South America before joining Ceres in 2024.

Outside of work, Matt is an avid sportsman, enjoying football, golf, and racket sports.

Peter specialises in farms and estates brokerage, helping clients predominantly in the eastern region, but working across the UK. Peter joined Ceres Property having been a Director of a large farm business in West Norfolk.

Peter completed a degree in Agricultural Business Management at the University of Reading in 2014, and gained an MSc in Rural Estate Management in 2017. Peter then started his surveying career in Chelmsford, Essex.

Following completing his MRICS and CAAV qualifications in 2019, Peter undertook the Worshipful Company of Farmers “Challenge for Rural Leadership” course in 2022.  He is also a member of the Institute of Agricultural Business Management and sits on the Norfolk GWCT Committee.

Peter lives on his family farm in Norfolk. He is a keen sportsman, playing lots of tennis, squash and football – albeit his proudest sporting moments were winning the plate at the Surveyors Rugby Sevens tournament and winning an “Ultra White Collar” Boxing Match.

David is a Partner in the planning team. He has over 18 years' experience working as a town planner in East Anglia. For the majority of David's career, he has provided expert consultancy to the private sector.

David has a diverse workstream, covering major residential, educational and transport schemes, as well as minerals and waste projects. His varied client base includes housebuilders,  landowners, contractors, local authorities, promoters and care operators.

David has successfully helped clients secure consent on a range of complicated planning applications. He has led promotion of strategic land as part of various local plans, and acted as an expert witness at planning appeals.

Prior to joining Ceres Property David headed the Eastern Region for a national consultancy. He is a chartered town planner and a member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Outside of work David enjoys spending time with his family and playing tennis.

Oliver is a chartered rural surveyor who has been operating from Essex since 2021. He specialises in compulsory purchase and compensation work, having acted for farmers and property owners on a wide range of national infrastructure schemes across the Country, including The Lower Thames Crossing, A12 Widening and HS2. He is also a specialist in renewable energy development, having acted for both landowners and developers across England and Wales. He provides estate management services for clients, managing their estates/property and providing advice on all matters that arise. Outside of work, Oliver helps out on the home farm and enjoys the occasional Ski trip.

Katie is the first point of contact for our clients and is enjoying the challenge of organising the Chelmsford office.

Katie loves spending time with her family and two young boys, who keep her busy most of the time.

She has a keen interest in classic car shows, skiing, paddle boarding.

Kelly has spent the last 7 years working for a Pharmaceutical company as PA/Office Manager and administrative support.

In her spare time Kelly loves spending time with her family (including two teenagers, two dogs and one husband!)

Much of her time is taken up with her sons’ football, rugby and cricket sporting fixtures and providing an on-call taxi service.

Adam is an Associate Partner in the planning team with over 25 years planning experience in both the public and private sector. He joined Ceres Property in September 2023 having spent the previous eight years based in Cambridge, providing professional consultancy advice to a range of landowners, developers, promoters, estates, trusts and public sector clients.

Having originally worked in local government, Adam has a comprehensive understanding of planning law and process, and a strong appreciation of the political aspects of the planning system, which allows him to work effectively with planning officers and statutory consultees to deliver the best outcomes for his clients.

He has a track record of working on an extensive range and scale of projects, from the promotion of a new garden village, down to single dwellings. His recent experience includes working on major residential developments, rural diversification projects, commercial schemes, school developments, renewable projects, as well as heritage schemes.

His spare time is mainly spent relaxing with his family and two dogs. He enjoys gardening and likes to swim to keep fit.

Michael has over 40 years' experience specialising in the purchase, sale and valuation of farms, estates and rural property, as well as providing strategic advice to rural clients.  His work takes him all over the UK. His career started in London before moving to live in East Anglia some 25 years ago. His clients include Private Individuals, Trusts, Charities and Companies.

He is a Trustee of the Royal Agricultural Society of England and The Childwick Trust, as well as a number of family trusts.

Michael lives in Suffolk and his spare time is spent playing golf, tennis and sailing on the River Stour as well as trying to keep up with his 5 children and 3 grandchildren.

Anna is an Associate within the Development team. She has experience in the brokerage of immediate and strategic development land across the Eastern Region, ranging from 4 to 1000 units, as well as providing development consultancy advice.

Anna studied Geography at the University of Hull, before completing a Masters degree in International Real Estate and Planning at University College London. She qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 2021 and joined Ceres Property in 2023, having worked in a development consultancy team in a national property firm for four years.

Away from work, Anna loves to get outdoors as much as possible. In particular, she enjoys hiking, and she is currently trying to improve her golf handicap. Travel plans are never far from her thoughts, with the next trip always on the horizon!

Susan has spent the bulk of her career in Land Management looking after the teams and clients, before she worked as a secretary in the banking sector.

Susan loves spending time with family and friends and taking plenty of walkies with her furry friend.  She enjoys having friends round and cooking a meal or just watching a movie.  She enjoys going to the theatre.  She is a bit of a homebody and enjoys her home and garden.

Michael has been a chartered rural surveyor for over 15 years, cutting his teeth in Scotland and honing his commercial approach to land agency in Essex since 2009.  

He specialises in providing minerals and waste advice to landowners and operators through all stages of the quarrying life cycle – from concept and options, through to restoration and aftercare.  As a qualified land agent, Michael understands the wider impact of quarrying and waste opportunities for landowners’ properties and can provide tailored advice to their wider rural business strategies.

He currently manages and provides advise on over 35 million tonnes of existing and potential mineral reserve in East Anglia, and provides expert witness opinion on mineral values for court proceedings.  Michael is also exploring the concept of energy from quarrying during and post works, as well as looking at diversified restored uses to add further value to a quarry operation.  

Michael's home time is spent trying to keep up with his busy family life and all the football, rugby, dancing and music commitments that comes with four high school aged children!

Lucy joined Ceres Property as a graduate surveyor, having graduated from the University of Reading with a degree in Real Estate in 2023. She is working towards her RICS and CAAV qualifications and looks to apply her knowledge and gain experience in a variety of areas to find her specialism. 

Outside of the office Lucy is a keen sportswomen, playing both golf and hockey. She also enjoys helping out on her family farm on the Cambridge/Hertfordshire boarder as well as spending time with her friends and family on the weekends. 

Sam has spent her entire career working for property consultancies, looking after both the teams and clients. She is incredibly personable and always happy to help. 

She has extensive experience managing teams and coordinating day-to-day office management. Sam specialises in providing support within development and planning services.

When not at work, Sam can be found spending time with her family and husband, as well her two, completely adored French Bulldogs!

Joe has built up a strong reputation within the development land markets, across the eastern region, having orchestrated the sale of a number of high profile residential and mixed use schemes. He acts as a trusted advisor for a range of clients, including private landowners, house builders, housing associations, local authorities and institutions.

Whilst Joe primarily focuses on brokerage activities, he has extensive experience with strategic land, advising private landowners and institutions on how best to bring land forward in the short, medium or long term, with or without a development partner. 

Aside from brokerage and strategic land, Joe offers a range of consultancy services to assist clients with every step of the process, from inception through to sale. He is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Outside work, Joe is a keen sportsman, either competing in golf tournaments, playing 5aside football, at the local tennis club or running.

James is a Partner of Ceres Property, leading Planning work and supporting clients on a varied range of planning and development projects. He has extensive experience in planning consultancy, having worked in the field since 2013 advising a range of clients. He has been Head of Planning at two national planning consultancies in Essex previously, as well as having roles at local authorities, covering development management and planning policy.

James manages residential, commercial and mixed-use developments on a range of sites, including regeneration, brownfield sites and greenfield urban extensions. The sectors of his work have included: residential and affordable housing, commercial (offices, retail, industrial, logistics), public sector, student housing, hotels, retirement, educations, infrastructure, minerals, and farm diversification and tourism.

James specialises in developing planning strategy with clients and working to achieve planning permission on challenging sites.

James is a chartered town planner and member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Outside of work James spends time with his wife and two children, with interests including motorsports and cycling.

Rory is an Associate Partner within the planning team. Rory has considerable experience advising public and private sector clients in London and across East Anglia. Rory has led multi-disciplinary teams, securing strategic allocation through Local Plan promotion, as well securing consents for residential, commercial, and mixed-use schemes of varying scales and complexities.   

Rory advises on a range of projects on behalf of landowners, developers and house builders, helping clients to navigate the complex planning system in an expert manner, with a strong skillset in project management and negotiation. 

Rory is a chartered town planner and member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

Outside of work, Rory enjoys cooking in the kitchen, or a good BBQ with friends and family. He has a keen interest in tennis and dance music.

Iain advises clients on the identification and the options for taking forward development opportunities, from the very early stages of project inception and planning strategy through to exit options when planning has been secured.

He has experience acting for a range of private, corporate and institutional landowners providing development consultancy and brokerage advice and now acts as a trusted advisor providing high level strategic advice for private landowners and corporate clients. 

His workload deals with an increasingly complex and changing planning and development process, requiring the ability to think proactively and manage a series of different stakeholders, with problem solving and brokering solutions often the key to unlocking the development potential of land. 

Iain’s spare time is spent with his family, on DIY projects and increasingly as an on-call taxi service for his two sons.

Paul has 40 years of experience as a Land Agent specialising as a Development Surveyor for the past 25 years. His key focus is on strategic land, particularly working with owners of greenfields in interesting locations. He helps bring forward residential and commercial development schemes through options and promotion agreements and works directly with planning consultants.

He is an experienced end of option valuer and broker of development land, principally operating in the eastern region.

Paul is a Chartered Surveyor and Fellow of the Association of Agricultural Valuers.

His spare time is spent with his wife, playing cricket, hiking, shooting, skiing and generally not sitting still.

John has over 23 years of experience providing planning consultancy advice to a range of landowners and the wider development sector. He specialises in strategic consultancy to individual landowners and developers who need upfront professional planning advice. 

John is a qualified Town Planner and Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). John acts for a wide variety of clients including landowners, estates, trusts, charities, corporate bodies, investors, land promoters, developers and house builders.

He has worked on a series of garden village schemes, significant urban extensions, commercial business parks, as well as a range of rural diversification proposals for traditional landowners.

Spare time is family orientated with his wife and daughter. Most of the early morning swims are dedicated to his daughter's ambitions of making the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Kathryn specialises in estate management and professional consultancy from landlord and tenant matters to valuation advice. Kathryn provides advice to clients with a range of rural assets, from bare land to commercial units and large mixed portfolios. As well as day-to-day estate management, Kathryn provides technical advice and strategic insight to clients in order to add value, improve the environment, or future proof their property.

From a farming background in Essex, Kathryn obtained her degree in Rural Land Management at the Royal Agricultural University. Following her degree, she passed the APC in 2018 and became a Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers in 2019. Outside of work, Kathryn helps with the running of the family farm and often spends weekends tackling DIY jobs that should probably be left to a professional.

Christopher is an agricultural consultant providing discrete, independent business and strategic advice to farmers and landowners.

He has 40 years of experience with Strutt & Parker in eastern England. Initially managing farms in hand, then setting up Contract Farming arrangements and joint ventures. Recently he has been advising farmers and landowners on matters of compensation due from A14 and A428 infrastructure projects.

He is a qualified chartered surveyor, registered agricultural valuer, and has a degree in Agricultural Economics and a diploma in farm management from Seale Hayne college.

Christopher retains an interest in Devon with his smallholding in Dartmoor National Park and enjoys swimming and sailing in Cornwall.

Peter is a qualified Chartered Surveyor, RICS Registered Valuer and RICS Registered Expert Witness. He is a specialist in energy development since 2015 having acted for landowners with over 1GW of schemes over England and has over 3GW of schemes in the pipeline. A number of these schemes are national infrastructure schemes requiring compulsory purchase powers. He has been involved in a number of different types of developments including solar, battery, gas and EV charging.

Peter also specialises in compulsory purchase and compensation having acted for businesses, farmers and property owners on a wide range of national infrastructure schemes including recently The Lower Thames Crossing, A12 Widening and South Lincs Reservoir.

Peter is a keen hockey player although he is currently out of action due to injury. These days the most exercise he gets is walking his wire haired dachshund puppy.

Shaun specialises in financial management, operational systems and their
digital transformation. He has held a variety of senior posts across finance, IT, project management, and in accountancy practices. His projects include the complete re-engineering of a client accounting department, and moving a business entirely to the cloud.

Shaun is a Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from Cranfield University School of Management. He was a previous Chair of the Property IT Directors’ Forum.

He enjoys history, politics and economics.

Jason specialises in the management of farms, the formation of contract farming and joint venture agreements. He further advises on compulsory purchase schemes and landlord and tenant matters.

Jason is a qualified Chartered Surveyor, RICS Registered Valuer and agricultural valuer. He graduated from Harper Adams with a degree in Rural Enterprise and Land Management.

Jason is a Parish Councillor, Trustee and sits on the steering committee of the Norfolk Young Farmers association.

Jason is a keen follower of national hunt racing and enjoys spending time driving his Ford 7810 tractor particularly during harvest helping friends.