ACERCA DE ESTE EPISODIO
In this episode of the DM U&I Podcast, our host, James Neil, CEO, sits down with Mike Kelly (E&P Growth Director) and Oli Treasure (Director, E&P Lead) to talk about Dalcour Maclaren's ambitious plans to scale its Environment & Planning (E&P) team into a top-tier force in the utilities and infrastructure sector. From permitted development strategies for water companies to supporting major DCOs across energy, water, and grid infrastructure, Mike and Oli break down where the real opportunity lies, including an eye-opening look at the untapped potential of floating solar on UK reservoirs (think: 400 GW of theoretical capacity).
The conversation also digs into what makes DM's ONETEAM approach different from traditional consultancies; why hiring the right people matters as much as winning the work; and what's next as the team heads to the Solar & Storage Live show this September at the NEC.
Whether you're a developer, client, or just curious about the infrastructure driving the UK's next 30 years, this is a candid look at where DM is headed, and why.
In this episode:
Meet Mike and Oli - backgrounds and why they joined DM
- DM's current E&P work: PD rights for water companies, DCO support, full planning applications, Environment Impact Assessments, screening for EIAs
- Team skills: planning, ecology, archaeology, stakeholder engagement, EIA
- £250bn capex opportunity across energy, networks, and water (next 5 years)
- Data centres as the next big growth area
- Why integrated services (land, geomatics, stakeholder engagement, environmental services, planning) reduce client risk
- DM's philosophy: right outcome over more fees, avoiding unnecessary EIAs, delivering pragmatic EIAs
- Heading to Solar & Storage Live in September — DM's first time exhibiting
- Floating solar deep dive: history, water company pioneers, environmental trade-offs
- UK floating solar potential: up to 400 GW theoretical, 20 GW realistic
- Attracting senior talent — including new hire Andy Towle (Archaeology & Heritage Director)
- ONETEAM ethos in action: securing a non-EIA determination on a pipeline project
- DM's ambition to become a top-tier EMP consultancy
Key stat: UK water bodies could theoretically support 400 GW of floating solar — 5x the UK's 2035 solar target (75 GW).
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