News

A new underground adventure at CONKERS with 70 metres of tunnels to explore has just opened. Visitors have to navigate the labyrinth of tunnels and discover what’s underground. The tunnels criss-cross each other and there are sound and light pods where visitors can...

Haverfordwest Castle – feasibility study for a Flagship Heritage Attraction PSC has been commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council to carry out a feasibility study for a Flagship Heritage Attraction in Haverfordwest Castle, Pembrokeshire. Haverfordwest, the County...

Client: Private sector client Feasibility study self catering cottages - we were commissioned to carry out a feasibility study to assess the viability of developing a cluster of three luxury self catering cottages in a coastal location in Southern England. How can we...

Visitor experience masterplan and management plan PSC has been commissioned by Bassetlaw District Council to prepare a written masterplan on the future development and improvements and update the Management Plan for The Canch, Worksop’s town park. The Canch is a...

Sustainable tourist accommodation The Gwent Levels are an area in Monmouthshire and Newport which are environmentally, historically and archeologically unique in Wales with multiple statutory protections of the landscape. PSC has been commissioned by Newport City...

Coastal regeneration - some coastal resort towns are facing a number of challenges including: Physical isolation / linkages Changes in tourism trends The seasonality of the seaside economy, particularly in terms of employment Frequent high levels of deprivation A...

Visitor centre feasibility study in Scotland Visitor experience feasibility study - working with Duncan Bryden, a leading specialist consultancy in rural development and the environment, we are assessing the options and feasibility of developing a visitor centre and...

Brooklands Park Masterplan, February 2018 PSC is working with Chris Blandford Associates to inform the development of a masterplan for Brooklands Park from a market and commercial perspective. How can we help? If have any questions about preparing a masterplan for a...

Forest lodge market assessment Client: Forest Holidays Forest lodge market assessment - PSC has been commissioned to carry out a market assessment to identify the market opportunity for  a development of luxury forest lodges.  The market assessment includes a review...

Wine tourism feasibility study, January 2018 Client: Wealden District Council PSC has been commissioned by Wealden District Council to carry out a feasibility study to explore how the Council can support wine tourism within the district. The district is one of the...

Tips on Heritage Lottery Fund Business Planning No. 2 Financial performance Forecasting Most Lottery funding programmes require a forecast income and expenditure account over a ten year period from project commencement. This is to ensure long term plans are realistic...

National Lottery Heritage Fund Business Planning Consultant - top tips Heritage 'businesses'? In many ways even the term business planning is anomalous for some heritage sites, places of worship, parks and museums as they do not consider themselves to be businesses....

Client: Private landowner Beach cafe feasibility feasibility study - PSC has been commissioned to advise on the development of a beach side catering offer to service the needs of both visitors and members of the local community. How can we help? If you are carrying...

Touring caravan park marketing plan PSC has been commissioned to review existing marketing activities carried out by a touring caravan park and develop a marketing action plan. The touring caravan park marketing plan will help to raise market awareness and pitch...

Working with an estate client we are carrying out a car parking options appraisal to identify the most appropriate way forward to increase revenue and enhance the current car parking experience. How can we help? If have any questions about assessing options for car...

HS2 and tourism impacts - on February 23rd, HS2 received Royal Assent to begin construction. So what are the implications for visitor attractions and tourism in general? Opinions vary significantly with some, like Marketing Birmingham, saying that the improved rail...

Paxton Pits Nature Reserve is an important environmental site and incorporates a visitor centre, Environmental Education Centre, trails, bird hides and a programme of events. PSC has been commissioned by Huntingdonshire District Council, to identify and assess the...

Country Park Options Appraisal and Feasibility Study Hinchingbrooke Country Park is located in Huntingdon and covers 170 acres of open grasslands, mature woodland and lakes. The country park visitor experience incorporates a cafe, visitor centre, play, trails and an...

PSC and Bowles Green have been commissioned by East Riding of Yorkshire Council to identify and assess opportunities to enhance the Sewerby Hall and Gardens visitor experience. The visitor experience incorporates a number of different elements helping to create a...

Clients: Cadwyn Clwyd Cyfyngedig (Cadwyn Clwyd) and the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty  PSC has been commissioned by Cadwyn Clwyd Cyfyngedig (Cadwyn Clwyd) and the Clwydian Range & Dee Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

You may think that design and communication are two quite different marketing disciplines, but when it comes to producing a leaflet, brochure or poster – or any piece of marketing collateral – it is essential that both are employed in equal measure, and are seamlessly...

Visitor centre feasibility study Client: Shropshire Wildlife Trust Working with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, PSC has been commissioned to provide advice and assess the opportunity of introducing a modular visitor centre at a former scrapyard site. The site is...

Visitor numbers increase by 16% to almost 58,000 CONKERS, the award-winning visitor attraction in the heart of The National Forest, has enjoyed a bumper summer this year with visitor numbers reaching 57,800 in July and August 2017. This figure represents a 16 per cent...

Earlier this year, Sara Crofts, HLF Head of Historic Environment announced that the current ‘Grants for Places of Worship’ system is due to be replaced by two new grant programmes, 'Our Heritage' and 'Heritage Grants', offering greater flexibility for applicants. From...

Visitor experience planning West Norwood Cemetery PSC has been commissioned by the London Borough of Lambeth to advise on developing the visitor experience and operational elements of the Heritage Lottery Fund project at West Norwood Cemetery. There are over 50 Grade...

Wibit feasibility study We supported our sister company to carry out feasibility to introduce a Wibit floating leisure experience within the Cotswolds Country Park and Beach, which is operated by our sister company Planning Solutions Limited. Find out about other...

Country Park Cafe Feasibility Study PSC has been commissioned by Rushcliffe Borough Council to carry out a feasibility study to assess the financial viability of introducing an eco-cafe at Rushcliffe Country Park. How can we help? If have any questions about carrying...

Client: Butser Education CIC Butser Ancient Farm is the UK's leading centre for experimental archaeology. The farm displays ongoing constructions of ancient buildings based on real sites, dating from the Stone Age through the Iron Age and Roman Britain, and finishing...

Cotswold Water Park Trust Press Release 7 April 2017 Keynes Country Park under new management The Cotswold Water Park Trust is delighted to announce that a new operator for Keynes Country Park (Cotswold Country Park and Beach) has been selected to take over this...

Scoping study for events project Client: Thanet District Council Scoping study for events project - PSC is preparing a scoping study to review and assess the current local authority-led provision of events and activities linked to the historic and natural landscape of...

Feasibility study for a 4D Cinema - we have been working with our sister company advising on the development of an 80-seat 4D cinema at CONKERS, which is opening on Saturday 22nd April. Find out more about the 4D cinema here. How can we help? If have any questions...

Feasibility study Calshot Activities Centre - PSC are working with the senior management team at Calshot Activities Centre, one of the south coast's leading multi-use activity centres. Our work is focussing on identifying and assessing product development...

Leisure centre catering review Client: Horizon Leisure Trust Leisure centre catering review - PSC are working with the Horizon Leisure Trust, who manage two successful multi-use leisure centres in Havant and Waterlooville. Our work involves carrying out a review of...

Demographic analysis, January 2017 Working with a private sector client PSC has been commissioned to carry out a demographic analysis of different residential population drivetime catchments to help inform the strategic direction of a tourism business.   See our new...

Client: Link4Life PSC has been commissioned by Link4Life, the Rochdale Borough-wide Cultural Trust, to develop a future Vision and development strategy for Hollingworth Lake Country Park and Visitor Centre. The wider lakeside location incorporates a number of uses...

Forest visitor experience planning Client: Forestry Commission PSC has been commissioned to work with the Forestry Commission to identify and assess visitor experience planning opportunities at one of their main forest sites in the Midlands. The work includes a site...

Education heritage theme days We have been working with the Education Team at CONKERS, an attraction managed by our sister company, to develop an education theme day packages based up different historic periods.  The first days are set to run in November.   How can we...

Historically (pardon the pun), heritage organisations may have been accused of being stuck in the past but an investment programme launched by the Heritage Lottery Fund last year recognises a commitment to building resilience for the future. With an annual investment...

Client: Buckinghamshire County Council Planning Solutions Consulting Limited are working with Buckinghamshire County Council at Black Park, Langley Park and Denham Country Park to identify ways to enhance the visitor experience and improve the longer term revenue...

Self-catering feasibility study Working with a private landowner, PSC has been commissioned to identify the most appropriate option to introduce self-catering accommodation on a site in England. How can we help? If have any questions about catering out a feasibility...

Visitor segmentation for visitor attractions - in the current financial climate, the need to use resources effectively is more important than ever. However large or small, every attraction needs to think tactically to remain competitive. It’s tempting to try and...

Feasibility study for a new country park, June 2016 Client: Hampshire County Council PSC has been commissioned by Hampshire County Council to carry out a feasibility study for a new country park in the north of the county. This is part of the wider masterplanning...

Planning Solutions has just opened its second high and low-ropes thrill experience, in Hertfordshire’s Welwyn Garden City. Planning Solutions, which already manages a hugely successful high and low-ropes aerial adventure course at its award-winning CONKERS Discovery...

Planning Solutions Consulting Limited has been commissioned by Warwickshire County Council to undertake an impact assessment of two country parks in North Warwickshire - Kingsbury Water Park and Pooley Country Park. The assessment will quantify the economic impact and...

Visitor research consultants, April 2016 Working with a local authority, we have been commissioned to develop and analyse a module of visitor research at three parks to build up a detailed understanding of current visitor audiences and future development...

PSC has been commissioned to carry out a review of an existing visitor centre to identify new revenue generating opportunities. How can we help? If have any questions about carrying out an operational review of a visitor centre please don’t hesitate to call Richard...

After a period of closure Planning Solutions Limited has reopened Kent Life, a leading heritage and farm park visitor attraction located in Maidstone. Kent Life is a family-friendly heritage farm attraction near Maidstone, Kent, offering visitors a taste of...

A guest post by Fiona Gowen - Creating Visitor Maps. Visitor maps play an important role in any visitor attraction. They provide an instant overview of the site on arrival, help visitors to easily navigate the area, promote walks, highlight services (e.g. toilets,...

Insurance and visitor attractions: Things to think about when renewing the insurance for your visitor attraction The tips below are designed to help visitor attractions to secure the most competitive premiums when purchasing insurance.   The tips have been provided by...

A post from David and Gemma at The National Brewery Centre Why should heritage centres use social media? Using social media for your heritage attraction is a key way to reach a wider audience, create awareness for your product and most importantly engage with your...

Crowdfunding and tourism:  Crowdfunding the purchase of a beach in New Zealand. PSC works on a number of coastal tourism projects – from advising on the development of stretches of beach through to specific sites.  This crowdfunding approach in New Zealand is probably...

Visitor attractions attracting corporate sponsorship - the tips below are designed to help museums and heritage attractions gain optimum benefits from sponsorship opportunities How to attract corporate sponsorship for your visitor experience - museums and heritage...

Social media marketing for museums: A brief look at the many free social networking sites used to promote museums. Much has been made of using the internet as a tool for promotion. Over 3.3 billion people worldwide use the internet - that’s some 40% of the world’s...

Setting up an Archive: Archives are collections of documents or ‘records’ which have been selected for permanent preservation because of their value as evidence or as a source for historical or other research (National Archive). In the modern age of technology,...

The Royal Esplanade Hotel a historic seafront hotel located in Ryde on the Isle of Wight has re-opened after a programme of refurbishment.  The Royal Esplanade Hotel is operated by our sister company Planning Solutions Limited. How can we help? If you have any...

Visitor Attraction SWOT Analysis: When assessing the opportunity for a new visitor attraction or approaches to enhancing an existing attraction there are a number of 'tasks' to complete, one of which is carrying out a SWOT analysis. Visitor attraction projects are...

Planning Solutions Limited, our sister company has taken over the operating contract for Kent Life Heritage Farm Park in Maidstone.

The new Ditherington Flax Mill Maltings Visitor Centre opens in November 2015 .  Ditherington Flaxmill visitor centre will be opening in November 2015. The visitor centre will be located within the former office and stables and will be managed by the Friends. The...

Tourism training and skills - a more skilled workforce in the tourism sector helps to create a positive visitor experience and adds to the success of a destination and its economic performance.  A key challenge for destinations and operators in the tourism industry is...

Marketing tips for museums and visitor attractions - hello I am Richard Linington and have been working in the tourism and visitor attraction sectors for Planning Solutions for over 17 years – over that time we have worked on a number of museum, heritage and visitor...

Our sister company Planning Solutions Limited have acquired the 72 bed Royal Esplanade Hotel in Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

Coastal feasibility study Client: Vale of Glamorgan Council Planning Solutions Consulting has been commissioned by the Vale of Glamorgan Council to carry out a feasibility study to assess the commercial opportunities at three coastal gateway sites to enhance the...

Our sister company, Planning Solutions Limited, has purchased the brewing equipment at the William Worthington Brewery and will start to brew beers and ales from November 2015 onwards.

Country park visitor experience and theatre catering assessments Client: Eastleigh Borough Council Working with an associate we have been commissioned by Eastleigh Borough Council to assess the opportunity to enhance the visitor experience at Itchen Valley Country...

As part of a Tourism Society event we visited the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s headquarters in Madrid. This was a form of trade mission and information sharing.