Having started as team of two in 2004, Heatons has grown into a practice of 20 staff working across the UK from offices in the East Midland and Northwest, and is now a leading industry player in planning, ecology and landscape design operating throughout the UK.
Heatons began as a small practice in the minerals and waste sector helping to acquire planning permissions for ongoing operations. Utilising an understanding of local authority planning procedures, we broadened our offer to collaborate with residential and commercial developers across the UK. As our expertise expanded, so did our services to encompass various sectors, including oil, gas, and renewable energy operations.
Spencer Warren, Managing Director of Heatons said; “I am incredibly proud to be celebrating our milestone anniversary this year. Looking back on 20 years of substantial growth is a testament to the dedication and talent of our team of experts. As we celebrate this milestone, I’m excited about the future and the countless opportunities that lie ahead for us.”
Key milestones
2004 – Heatons was established with 2 people – opened an office in Keyworth
2004 – Specialised in working with minerals and waste sectors
2015 – Introduced Development Plan Monitoring software
2020 – Ecology team was established and continues to strengthen
2021 – moved from Keyworth to current offices on Pride Park, Derby
2024 – 20 years of Heatons
Creating lasting relationships
Planning is a political process and over the years we have managed many planning applications that have successfully navigated and overcome various challenges. Given the constant amendments to policy and legislation, staying current is important. This enables us to provide informed advice to our clients and assures the local authorities we work with that we are well-informed and reliable. One of the most recent changes over the last few months has been the implementation of the Biodiversity Net Gain policy, that quite rightly, is aimed at protecting and enhancing the natural habitats of our ecosystem.
Our clients rely on us to meticulously prepare and submit planning applications that have positive results. This trust has been the cornerstone of our long-standing relationships, which have flourished over many years.
The Next 20 Years
We will continue to invest in the business, and we have some exciting plans that we look forward to sharing soon. Our vision is to continue to reinforce our position in the Midlands and to build a larger portfolio of clients in the North West, and we plan to open a new office in the South within the near future.
Our expertise in planning and ecology remains at the heart of our business and the addition of supporting clients with design, landscaping and permitting will continue to grow.
What else happened 20 years ago?
We couldn’t help but take this opportunity to look at what else happened 20 years ago, these are just a few of the significant events that occurred in 2004, firmly positioning themselves in the history books, here are just 20 (of course);
- The release of the first “Spider-Man” film: In May 2004, the blockbuster superhero film “Spider-Man 2” was released, directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire as the titular character. The film was a critical and commercial success.
- Facebook launched in February 2004 marked the beginning of a transformative era in communication and connectivity, enabling people to connect and share information in new ways.
- NASA’s Spirit rover landed on Mars in January and the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan in December.
- Apple released the iPod Mini and everyone wanted one because they came in different colours.
- Jude Law was named People’s Sexiest Man Alive.
- The original Star Wars Trilogy was released on DVD for the very first time. It was a huge hit and made over $100 million in its first-day sales.
- Friends aired its final episode, and it is the most-watched show of the entire 2000s. The series finale was watched by 52.5 million viewers.
- The European Green Party was established.
- Google introduced the free email service Gmail.
- Popular baby names were Michael, Matthew, Joshua, Jacob, Emily, Emma, Madison, and Olivia.
- The year began with Outkast, Hey Ya! topping the music charts.
- Popular online searches for gadgets and devices included digital cameras, MP3 players, PDA devices, GPS devices, plasma TVs, HD TVs, laptops, printers, DVD recorders, and telescopes.
- There were no social media networks among the 15 most popular websites.
- Indeed – the online job search website was born.
- The first privately funded human spaceflight and took place on 21st June 2004.
- Athens hosted the Olympic Games; this was the first time since 1896 that the Olympics were held in Greece.
- Asia had the tallest building. Measuring 509m (1,671 ft) to the tip of its spire, Taipei 101 overtook the Petronas Towers to become the tallest building in the world. It was the first skyscraper to break the half-kilometre mark.
- Arsenal finishes the English Premiership season unbeaten, earning the nickname “The Invincibles”
- Michael Schumacher wins his 7th Formula One World Drivers Championship, claiming the title for the fifth consecutive year.
- The X Factor first hit our screens.