2025 has flown by at a rate of knots, but before we blink and find ourselves in 2026, we’re taking a moment to stop and celebrate what we’ve achieved.

From the technical to the meaningful, we’ve worked on a huge variety of projects this year, and it’s impossible to sum it up in one blog post. But, before you sign off for the year, take a peek at our year in numbers, from the silly to the significant.

150 Pret breakfast rolls devoured

Yes, you read that right. There’s a particular penchant for Pret’s breakfast rolls in our office and this year it’s become somewhat of a Friday treat.

With at least three of us putting in an almost weekly commitment to supporting our local outlet, we’ve clocked up over 150 of these tasty treats this year. Pret, if you’re listening, we think a loyalty card might be in order.

Nine mince pies sampled

It’s our Advent tradition, and we’re not shy about it. Our team works hard and we make sure we have fun, too. When the mince pies hit the supermarket shelves each December (or, let’s be honest, November), we start our annual Mince Pie Judging Panel, taste testing and voting for our favourites.

If you’re interested, the Waitrose Brown Butter mince pies are a clear winner in our eyes. You’re welcome.

74 buildings drawn

In November, Dave Draws spent the best part of a week in our office sketching out a floor to ceiling city scene mural. All in all, he captured 74 buildings in our unique piece of art, including a smattering of our own clients’ schemes.

See if you can spot our building, Neo…

50 Flashback Fridays posted

Euan continued his weekly flashbacks, causing us all at some point to exclaim “has it really been 20 years since…” and “I remember when it looked like that”.

Like you, we love seeing how the regional city core of Manchester and Salford has transformed beyond recognition, and yet, still retains clues everywhere you look to its past, and the stories that have formed it.

1615 football shirts sponsored

We are proud sponsors of Cheadle and Gatley JFC. Established in 1977, it’s an FA Charter Standard Community Club that has players aged between two- and 70-years-old, including a SEND team for people with additional needs.

Since updating our visual brand last year, we kicked off 2025 with a fresh set of shirts for all home and away teams. To be able to invest in our local community through our sponsorship is something we genuinely love being able to do.

10 charities supported

We continued to support Dogs4Rescue this year, with their exciting plans for Rescue World, a new, spacious home in Accrington. But we also extended our charitable support, both financially and through pro bono advice, to nine other charities this year, including the Embassy Village project beneath the Castlefield Viaduct.

10 local authorities visited

A huge highlight for us this year was Euan’s Wanderwalk in July. On the 3rd and 4th July Euan walked between all 10 Greater Manchester local authorities, to raise funds for A Bed Every Night, a campaign of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.

Euan smashed his £5K target on his 60 mile hike, and his daily step target with a +137,000 step count for the two-day challenge.

Thank you to everyone who supported him with this, it’s been a long-held ambition and it was such a joy to complete the challenge knowing everyone was behind him.

Progressive Living’s David Fairclough, Salford’s Kurt Partington and Ellie joined Euan on his last Wanderwalk leg

15 new clients supported

Built on a strong foundation of repeat business, 2025 saw us broaden our client base again. We’ve really enjoyed getting to know, advising and supporting 15 new clients, helping to unlock sites and create meaningful places across Greater Manchester and beyond.

21 local authorities collaborated with

While much of our work is focused in Greater Manchester, it’s not our only focus. We’ve worked with 21 different local authorities this year, from as far south as Cornwall, to the wilds of northern Lancashire in Ribble Valley.

76 planning applications submitted

We’ve taken on EIA schemes, greenfield, regeneration schemes and variations of conditions (and probably everything in between).

Between the five of us, we’ve clocked up 76 submissions in 12 months. Not bad going for this tight-knit team.

1242 affordable homes promoted

CERT’s Albert Street scheme, submitted in July, will provide affordable housing for local people. Credit: CERT

We’ve totted up the numbers and across all housing projects that the team promoted this year, we counted 1242 affordable homes. The total number of homes will have been much higher, but it’s the affordable homes that matter more. While they can be the hardest to deliver, particularly at a time when viability is an increasing challenge to deliverability, each number here represents an opportunity unlocked for a family to secure a better quality of life.

That’s 2025 in the can

And that’s our year in numbers; a whirlwind of projects, places and people. A huge thanks to everyone who’s supported us, worked with us and trusted us for planning advice over the year.

As we sign off for the rest of the year, we’d like to wish you a happy festive period, and we look forward to seeing you soon in 2026.

Places, pies and planning wins: our year in numbers