HAMPSHIRE commercial law firm Bond Pearce has been ranked in an independent survey as having one of the top 20 planning teams in England, and the fourth largest in the country.

The survey, which was conducted among barristers, solicitors and planning consultants nationwide, showed that Bond Pearce was ranked 20th in England jumping nine spaces since last year's survey.

Bond Pearce planning partner Richard Guyatt, pictured, said: "We have invested significantly in our planning and regeneration team in the last year and our ranking as one of the top 20 firms in the country reflects the growing amount of high quality work that we are winning nationwide.

The annual survey, conducted by Planning magazine, predicts that the planning law market will grow by 13 per cent this year, driven by increasing demand around compulsory purchase, planning gain and environmental assessment issues.