Celebrating 40 years in business
When Bell Cornwell first opened its doors in Hampshire it set out with a clear ambition to provide independent practical advice in an evolving planning landscape. Four decades on, that same ethos continues to underpin the business.
Developing a network of local offices has enabled us to bring together teams with on the ground presence harnessing local knowledge and experience to serve each distinct market
The practice was founded by Graham Bell, John Cornwell and Linda Saunders. Initially based in Basingstoke, within 3 years the business had expanded so rapidly that the decision was taken to move to larger premises in Hook – where we are still based today.
Bell Cornwell employed its first senior planner – Ian Sowerby – who worked his way up through the ranks to become Partner and has since retired.
The property crash begins to bite. Bell Cornwell rides the storm, expanding the breadth and scale of the projects undertaken by the team.
Bell Cornwell celebrates 10 years in business. By this point, the team had grown to ten people.
As the company grew, staff numbers expanded to handle the ever-increasing number of varied development projects. As our geographical reach extended, we opened our second office in Exeter. Today the Devon team is still based there and led by Iestyn John.
Despite the recession, we opened our third office in Amersham growing our presence in the northern home counties. The Buckinghamshire team is now led by Rebekah Jubb and we can still be found in Old Amersham.
By the 25th Anniversary, the business had grown to 18 people. Linda retires from the business in 2012.
John retires from Bell Cornwell. Rebekah Jubb becomes Partner after 9 years with Bell Cornwell, having joined as a Senior Planner.
Iestyn John becomes Partner after 5 years with the Devon team. He was the first permanent team member in the South West, joining as an Associate.
Office number four opens in Southwark, which is where we are still based today. Having a presence in central London enables us to be readily available and responsive to clients in the city. The team is led by Partner, Mike Cole, who joined the business in 2014 as an Associate.
With Graham retiring, 2017 marks the transition to a new generation of partners.
The Hampshire office moves to its current office in Hook, which has enabled the team to continue to thrive. The Business Support functions are based here serving all of the offices from a central base.
Nick Cobbold and Mike Cole are both made Partners. Nick joined the business in 2007 as a Senior Planner and now leads the original planning team in Hampshire, which continues to be the largest team in the business.
The UK goes into lockdown, and our team maintains our exceptional level of service from home. The breadth of scales and sectors our projects span and our agile setup enables us to weather this unprecedented tumultuous period.
In January 2021 we open our fifth office in Victoria, Cornwall, led by Dan Rogers. The team presence there provides local knowledge and experience for the Cornish market.
The Hertfordshire office opens in Harpenden, bringing us to six locations, and is led by Rebekah Jubb. This pushes our reach further north. Dan Rogers also joined the partnership team this year, after 10 years with the business, having started as a Senior Planner.
Bell Cornwell continues its expansion and opens the seventh office in Chichester, Sussex, in June 2025, led by Karen Tipper.
Bell Cornwell celebrates 40 years in business, with a number of events planned to mark the occasion throughout year. In April, Karen Tipper becomes a Partner having joined Bell Cornwell as a Senior Associate in 2022.
