The person who decided.
Now advising you.
Blackridge Planning Insight was founded on a simple premise: the most valuable planning advice comes from someone who has sat in the chair and made the decisions — not just studied the policy that surrounds them.
Henry Higgins
Founder & Principal Consultant · MRTPI
Fifteen years at the table where planning decisions are actually made.
Most planning consultants have read the policy. Henry has spent nearly two decades applying it — chairing committees covering one of the most complex and politically contested planning corridors in the country, managing public hearings, steering nationally significant decisions, and watching, at close quarters, exactly where applications succeed and where they fall apart.
"Planning decisions are made by people. They weigh evidence, respond to argument, and read the room. The most technically complete application can still fail if it doesn't speak to what a committee actually needs to hear."
Henry is one of a very small number of people in the country who can offer genuine committee strategy advice from sustained experience in the chair — not as an observer or occasional attendee, but as the person responsible for the outcome. That experience spans Borough Planning Committee, Major Applications, HS2, North Planning, and Executive Scrutiny — across more than two decades of unbroken involvement in Hillingdon's planning function.
Alongside his planning career, Henry built and ran a major international business — 15 years as Managing Director of a textile supplier operating across the Middle East and Far East — developing the commercial rigour, client communication, and stakeholder management that complex planning work demands. He brings both worlds to every instruction.
Credentials & Experience
Former Chair, Hillingdon Planning Committee (2023–2026)
Most recent role — chair of the borough's primary planning committee until 2026.
Former Chair, Borough Planning Committee (2021–2023)
The lead planning committee for all major decisions across the borough.
Vice-Chair, Major Applications Planning Sub-Committee (HS2)
Directly involved in determining applications affected by the HS2 corridor.
Chair, Executive Scrutiny Committee — seven years (2013–2020)
Overseeing the council's planning and governance functions.
Cabinet Member, London Borough of Hillingdon (2006–2012)
Six years at cabinet level.
LGA peer member
Advising local authorities on planning effectiveness.
Published planning commentator
Analysis cited in the House of Commons.
Managing Director, international textile business
15 years across the Middle East and Far East.
"Most planning advice tells you what the policy says. I can tell you what the committee will actually do with it — because I was the one doing it."Henry, Founder — Blackridge Planning Insight
Committee History
A continuous record of planning committee involvement at the London Borough of Hillingdon spanning more than two decades.
| Role | Committee | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Hillingdon Planning Committee | 2023 – 2026 |
| Chair | Borough Planning Committee | 2021 – 2023 |
| Vice-Chair | Major Applications Planning Sub-Committee (HS2) | During HS2 corridor period |
| Chair | Executive Scrutiny Committee | 2013 – 2020 |
| Cabinet Member | London Borough of Hillingdon Cabinet | 2006 – 2012 |
Published Commentary on Planning Reform
Henry writes on planning policy and reform for ConservativeHome. His first article was cited in the House of Commons.
How to fix London's broken planning system
ConservativeHome, February 2026
Cited in the House of CommonsHow to unblock major infrastructure projects
ConservativeHome, April 2026
A career built on both sides of the table
2021 – 2026
Borough Planning Committee Chair, Hillingdon
Nearly two decades of involvement in Hillingdon's planning function — spanning Borough Planning Committee, Major Applications, HS2, North Planning, and Executive Scrutiny. Determined thousands of applications and managed public hearings on nationally significant decisions.
Ongoing
LGA Peer Member
Advises local authorities on planning function effectiveness as part of the Local Government Association's peer review programme.
15+ years
International Business
Built and ran a major international business alongside his planning career, developing the commercial discipline, stakeholder management, and clear communication that now defines how Blackridge works with clients.
Published
Planning Reform Analysis
Writing on fixing London's planning system and unblocking infrastructure projects published on ConservativeHome. Analysis cited in the House of Commons — establishing Henry as a credible public voice on planning reform.
Why this matters for your application
He knows what committees actually need to hear
Not what policy requires — what the people in that room need to feel confident saying yes. That distinction is everything in a contested application.
He can spot the problems before you submit
After thousands of decisions, Henry recognises the patterns. He knows which objections will carry weight, which design issues will concern members, and which arguments will fall flat.
He carries credibility in the room
When Henry attends a hearing or provides an expert report, his background is known. That authority — as a former chair, LGA peer, and published analyst — changes how his evidence is received.
He gives you an honest assessment
Henry will tell you if your application is unlikely to succeed. That honesty — before you spend money on a submission — is one of the most valuable things he offers.
Deliberately small. Deliberately direct.
Blackridge Planning Insight is not a large consultancy. It is not designed to be. When you instruct Blackridge, you work with Henry directly — not a junior consultant, not an account manager, not someone who will brief Henry before your call and then disappear.
That directness is a deliberate choice. The value Henry offers is his judgement, his experience, and his honest assessment of your situation. None of that can be delegated. So it isn't.
Blackridge takes on a limited number of clients at any one time, which means Henry can give each one the attention it deserves. If he is not the right fit for your project, he will tell you — and, where he can, point you in the right direction.
15+
Years in Hillingdon's planning system
1,000s
Applications determined
Direct
Access to Henry on every case
HoC
Analysis cited in Parliament
Ready to find out how your application will land?
Available for planning consultations, pre-application appraisals, and expert witness instructions. No obligation on a first call.