Who are Arcus Consultancy Services? - Find out about our Planning Environmental Engineering services in York Glasgow Edinburgh

About Us

Arcus is a planning, environmental and engineering consultancy.

Our experienced team offers Planning, Ecology, Engineering, Noise & Air Quality, GIS & Visualisation, Hydrology, Cultural Heritage & Archaeology, Traffic and Transport, Landscape Architecture services from offices in the United Kingdom (York and Glasgow) and South Africa (Cape Town).

As an independent consultancy, we have an objective perspective on what matters:

Technical Excellence

Specialist teams with innovative solutions tailored to each project.
Expert advice to meet statutory requirements, optimise returns and deliver best practice.

Integrated Services

Relationships that continue to deliver for the whole life cycle of a project.
Multi-disciplinary teams that communicate to provide consistent, joined-up solutions.

Commercial Awareness

Technically sound projects delivered efficiently and with minimum client risk.
Pragmatic approaches to each development’s challenges.

Meet the Team

Greg Shillabeer
Director
Dr. Della Lansley
Technical Director (Environment)
Dr. Paul Phillips
Technical Director
Clare Walters
Technical Director (Planning)

Greg Shillabeer

Director

Greg Shillabeer has 20 years of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and development experience, both as a consultant and in a developer role with Scottish Power. Prior to establishing Arcus, Greg headed up the Renewable Energy Section of a multi-national consultancy organisation with responsibility for the strategic direction of the UK Renewable Energy business. Greg has a broad EIA background covering the renewable energy sector which includes wind farms, hydro schemes and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants as well as experience in other industry sectors including waste, minerals, and transport.

Greg established Arcus in January 2006 and has developed the business into a mature and well respected planning, environmental and engineering consultancy. By applying his project management, technical assessment and public inquiry experience, Greg helps the Arcus team to work in a manner which consistently applies a quality and bespoke approach to projects. As the company Director, Greg maintains an up-to-date knowledge of the markets in which we work to ensure the team provides the best service and advice to our clients. Greg also takes a strong role in the management and support of the team, motivating team members to provide the services required and setting an example for high levels of client care and quality deliverables.

Dr. Della Lansley

Technical Director (Environment)

Della Lansley is Technical Director based in the Glasgow office, with overall responsibility for the Environment Team across Arcus.

She is an experienced EIA practitioner with over 10 years’ experience working on wind energy, hydropower, grid connection, mixed use and motorway projects. Core aspects of her work are project delivery, EIA advice and coordination, hydrology and air quality assessment. Della has an MSc in Applied Meteorology from Reading University and completed her PhD at Leeds University looking at dispersion and management of traffic pollutants before moving into consultancy.

In recent years, Della has acted as Project Director and actively project managed EIAs for renewable energy sites at scales ranging from 5 MW to > 50 MW with consented projects in both England and Scotland. In addition to managing technical input and the design process, Della is experienced in stakeholder and public consultation. On the technical side, Della provides review input into hydrology and air quality assessment and has undertaken air quality assessments for a number of mixed-use and retail development EIAs.

As Environment Team Leader, Della is responsible for ensuring delivery of the noise, cultural heritage and landscape technical services, working closely with people in these teams to ensure appropriate, timely and accurate advice and output is provided to Arcus’ clients.

Dr. Paul Phillips

Technical Director

Paul has responsibility for ensuring the high quality of output on which Arcus’ reputation is based. Paul is Arcus’ EIA service leader, coordinating and developing a team of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultants and managing Arcus EIA project portfolio. He has played an integral role in developing and shaping numerous wind farm applications over the last 6 years, including some of the largest onshore wind farm applications in the UK. Paul is currently acting in a project developer role on a major energy development project in Scotland for an overseas client and acting as project director on EIA projects.

Paul has more than 15 years’ environmental management experience, including work in EIA, Environmental Permitting, due diligence, auditing, and strategic environmental assessment of natural resource management. He is an IEMA Registered EIA Practitioner.

He has a thorough knowledge of the renewable energy sector, gained as an EIA project director and project manager, having worked on over 50 onshore wind farm projects across the UK, and with increasing involvement with offshore wind.

In addition, Paul has considerable former and ongoing experience in other sectors, including thermal power stations, chemical works and refineries, multi-use masterplan developments and road developments.

Clare Walters

Technical Director (Planning)

Based in our York office, Clare is a Technical Director and leads the planning team on projects throughout the UK and the Republic of Ireland. A Planner with over 20 years’ experience, she has developed a reputation for solving complex planning issues and has achieved planning permission for a wide range of developments across the property sector including residential developments, leisure and mixed use schemes as well as consent for over 200 MW of renewables projects which are now operational.

Previously, Clare worked as a Private Sector Planning Consultant with GVA Grimley and GL Hearn, specialising in planning and property development. She also has 10 years’ experience as a Development Director, managing the planning and development of a portfolio of renewables projects from inception through to construction.

She is a Member of the RICS Planning and Development Division and a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).

Testimonials

Mike Corker

Director, Bolsterstone Wind Power

We have worked with other Environmental Consultants, but prefer the clear unambiguous way in which the Environmental Statement is prepared by Arcus as this makes a difficult subject easier to read by those not involved in the industry. The prices which Arcus offer are on a par with the industry and the service is first rate.

Cameron Smith

Offshore Development Director, Mainstream Renewables

The team were consistently impressed with Arcus’ attention to detail, quality, performance and price. Arcus has the right mix of experienced professionals and competent junior staff, all who were committed to achieving our high expectations. I would also note that the management team were quick to respond when issues arose with projects, and the relationship between my team and Arcus’ staff remained strong.

David Hardy

Solicitor, Eversheds

I consider the Arcus EIA chapters to be of a very high standard overall. The Arcus documents are coming across at the top end of the range of what I see so well done. I have very few comments to make. Certainly, in terms of passing the test for whether these chapters satisfy the EIA Regulations, I have no hesitation in saying they do.

Paul Kelly

Project Manager, Kelda Water Services

Kelda Water Services (KWS) - with support from Arcus - is developing a range of renewable energy technologies including wind, solar, anaerobic digestion, combined heat and power and hydro. KWS has an excellent working relationship with Arcus, lasting almost 4 years. Their attention to detail and clear presentation of information allows the complex nature of Environmental Impact Assessments to be readily understood. Arcus’ work is always of a high standard and delivered within agreed timescales and budgets. I would not hesitate to recommend them in any capacity.

Harry Bond

Director, Temporis Wind Energy Developments

Efficient, flexible, hard-working, trustworthy and enjoyable to work with are all characteristics of the Company and their employees, and this has allowed us to develop our own business quickly with their help. We have the highest opinion of this business and have no issue with recommending them to any third party who is looking to contract for their services.

Kari Khevenhüller

Director, Enel Viento

Enel Viento has worked with Arcus for 8 years, with great success. Arcus staff care about our projects and they advise solutions where needed. The company is small enough for their work to be personal to them, and large enough to provide all the required services we have needed from feasibility to construction through a single point of contact. I have enjoyed working with them, and would recommend them to other developers.

Neal Reid

Director, Blue Energy

I've worked with Michael on a number of projects over the past ten years or so. He knows his subject area inside out and back to front, and has answered questions off the top of his head which other consultants had been pondering for days. He is very easy to get on with, personable and friendly, and in all my experience working with him, has never missed a deadline. I would recommend him very highly.