From fountain pens to artificial intelligence, Bell Cornwell’s founding partners and today’s leadership reflect on four decades of change – and why the future belongs to businesses willing to keep evolving.
As Bell Cornwell celebrates its 40th anniversary, two generations of partners came together to reflect on the firm’s remarkable journey.
Over lunch, founding partners John Cornwell and Graham Bell sat down with current partners Rebekah Jubb and Nick Cobbold to reminisce about how the business has evolved since opening its doors in 1986. From a single office in Hampshire, Bell Cornwell has grown into a seven-office practice, spanning the South of England, while remaining proudly independent.
The conversation was full of memories, humour and honest reflections. It explored not only how planning has changed over the past four decades, but also how the business has adapted through every technological, economic and social shift along the way. Most importantly, it revealed why the values established by the founders remain just as relevant today.
From Fountain Pens to Artificial Intelligence
When Bell Cornwell was founded in 1986, planning looked very different.
Application forms were handwritten. Reports were carried to council offices in boxes. Mobile phones were the preserve of the few, the internet didn’t exist and the closest thing to artificial intelligence was a well-thumbed filing cabinet full of previous appeal decisions.
Yet despite all that change, one thing became immediately clear during the conversation: while the tools have evolved beyond recognition, the qualities that make a good planning consultant have not.
There was laughter over typewriters, lever-arch files and the days when leaving the office meant work genuinely stayed behind until the following morning. But there was also thoughtful debate about artificial intelligence, demographic change, recruitment challenges and how planning itself is continuing to evolve.
“From one office in Hampshire to seven across the South of England, Bell Cornwell’s story has always been one of thoughtful growth.”
Technology Changes. Judgement Doesn’t.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the conversation soon turned to AI.
Like many professions, planning is only just beginning to understand what artificial intelligence could mean. The partners discussed everything from AI-written planning statements to search engines that answer questions directly rather than simply directing people to websites. Bell Cornwell is already adapting, creating content that answers the questions clients are asking and embracing technology where it can improve efficiency.
But there was unanimous agreement that AI is a tool, not a replacement for experience.
“Technology may change the tools planners use, but judgement, strategy and relationships remain deeply human skills.”
For Bell Cornwell, planning has never simply been about writing reports and submitting applications. It is about understanding clients, identifying risks, developing strategy, negotiating with councils and finding solutions to complex problems. Technology may make some tasks faster, but judgement, commercial awareness and the ability to build trust remain deeply human skills where we as planning consultants add value to our clients.
Preparing for Tomorrow’s Challenges
Technology was only part of the discussion.
The partners also explored the wider forces likely to shape planning over the coming decades. Falling birth rates, an ageing population and changing patterns of development will all influence the places planners help create. Understanding these long-term trends may become just as important as understanding planning policy itself.
The profession itself is changing too. Public inquiries are now far less common than they once were, meaning younger planners often miss the experiences that helped previous generations develop confidence and resilience. Recruitment has become increasingly competitive, making it all the more important to take a patient approach and find people with the right mindset. While universities continue to produce graduates with strong theoretical knowledge, practical experience and professional judgement are skills that develop over time.
“The firms that thrive aren’t those that predict every change – they’re the ones willing to evolve.”
Rather than seeing these as obstacles, the partners viewed them as reminders that businesses must continue investing in people. Bell Cornwell has always believed that great planners are developed through mentoring, responsibility and experience as much as through formal education.
Adapting to a Digital World
The digital revolution has transformed far more than planning applications.
Marketing, client engagement and business development have all changed dramatically. A website is no longer an online brochure but a constantly evolving knowledge hub. Search engine optimisation is increasingly being complemented by AI optimisation, downloadable guides, thought leadership and content designed to answer clients’ questions and build confidence in our knowledge and service before they even pick up the phone.
Just as planning legislation evolves, so too must the way businesses communicate. Staying visible, relevant and accessible has become every bit as important as keeping pace with changes in planning policy.
Relationships Still Matter
Despite four decades of technological change, one message surfaced again and again throughout the conversation.
Relationships still matter.
Whether discussing recruitment, succession planning, networking or long-standing clients, the founders repeatedly returned to the importance of trust. Businesses grow because clients come back. People stay because they enjoy working together. Future partners emerge because someone recognised their potential years before they reached leadership. From one office in Hampshire to seven across the South of England, Bell Cornwell’s story has always been one of thoughtful growth, building a network of local offices that provide the local presence, knowledge and experience clients value.
“Relationships still matter. They always have – and they always will.”
It is perhaps no coincidence that Bell Cornwell’s transition from its founding generation to today’s leadership has been so successful. Succession was never left to chance. It was planned carefully, with the same patience and long-term thinking that underpins the firm’s planning advice.
Always Looking Ahead
If a development does not comply with Permitted Development rules, it becomes Looking back over four decades, the changes have been extraordinary. Planning has become more digital, more regulated and more complex. Society itself has changed, bringing new challenges that would have been unimaginable in 1986.
Yet the conversation also demonstrated why Bell Cornwell has continued to thrive.
“Forty years on, the principles have remained the same, even as the profession has transformed.”
The firm has never stood still. It has embraced new technology without losing sight of the importance of people. It has adapted to changing markets while remaining true to the values established by its founders. And it has always recognised that success comes not from predicting every change, but from being willing to evolve.
As lunch came to an end, it was clear that while planning has changed beyond recognition since 1986, the principles on which Bell Cornwell was founded have not. Forty years after John Cornwell and Graham Bell took the leap of faith to establish the business, those values continue to guide a new generation of partners, ensuring the firm remains ready for whatever comes next.
Forty years on, Bell Cornwell remains what it has always been: a business built on experience, relationships and a willingness to keep learning. Whatever the next forty years bring – whether artificial intelligence, demographic change or challenges that have yet to emerge – the firm is well placed to embrace change while staying true to the qualities that have defined it from the very beginning.
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.
