Peter Winter’s career has left its mark on Cumbria’s towns and villages.  

As a senior planning officer with the Lake District National Park Authority he spent 19 years playing a major role in significant developments in the county. 

He now runs his own consultancy firm Peter Winter Town Planning Services and still works with his long-time friend Andy Lowe, a former building conservation officer for the LDNPA, who consults on specific town planning projects.  

“We have worked in parallel during much of our careers and I can still go to Andy when I need some specialist advice on a planning project,” said Peter, who lives in the Crooklands area, near Kendal. “His ability to quickly ‘read’ and interpret the history of a building is hugely beneficial when preparing schemes.” 

Peter joined what was then called the Lake District Special Planning Board in 1988 as a senior planning officer. Notable schemes he was involved with included the replacement of the former Blue Box theatre at Keswick, a housing scheme in Rosthwaite which won a national Civic Trust award and successfully opposing plans for 18 huge turbines on the skyline at Whinash, overlooking Tebay. 

In 2007 he started work for PFK as its head of planning and development services and then set up his own company in 2017 at the age of 65.

His services include help with new planning applications, lawful development certificates and planning and enforcement appeals.  

Current work includes coordinating the development of a much-needed affordable housing scheme with two housing associations and a local landowner in a Lakeland valley, and the restoration and conversion of a Grade II listed building near Windermere.

“My strengths are my experience, my knowledge of the systems and planning policies, and knowing who to speak to and when,” said Peter. 

“I thoroughly enjoy the work. It is all about trying to match people’s expectations for their proposals with local authority planning policies. I work as a bridge between applicants and planning officers to find acceptable solutions wherever possible, whether it be for a new house, factory, barn conversion or renewable energy scheme.”