Our Consultants

Ben Elvin MSc

Planning Consultant

Hannah Sheffield B.A. (Hons), BTEC Nat Dip

Landscape Design

Michael Collins

Listed Building Planning Consultant

T16 Design

Daylight Assessment

Stroud Associates Ltd

Structural Engineers

JP Chick and Partners Ltd

Structural Engineers

Richard Monk BSc MRICS

Party Wall Surveyor

Plan IT Consultancy Ltd

Information Technology Support

A Few Words About Us

ABDS operates from an office based in Ipswich and is managed by David Hart and his associate Samantha Beal.

David started his career in the construction industry in 1979 completing an apprenticeship in Carpentry and Joinery and five years later embarked on a 21 year career in Building Control.

During his years in Building Control David worked for three Local Authorities based in Suffolk and Essex and obtained ONC and HNC Certificates in Architectural Building Studies and then went on to study for a Diploma in Building Control gaining membership of the ‘Association of Building Engineers’.

While employed in Planning Departments as a Building Control Officer David gained invaluable experience of the Planning and Building Control process working on projects of all sizes ranging from small domestic extensions to multi-million pound developments including:

  • Shopping malls
  • Schools
  • Industrial and retail parks
  • Hotels
  • Public houses
  • Residential care homes
  • Large housing developments

In his spare time while employed David pursued his passion for design and in 1998 set up a part time business as demand grew for his services resulting in ABDS being formed.

After the transition of being employed in Local Government to running ABDS full time David was approached by a number of Local Authorities requesting his Building Control expertise employed on a consultancy basis. As a result Anglian Building Control Services was formed running alongside ABDS providing a plan vetting service and site inspections for Building Control Departments and offering pre-application advice to Architectural Practices requiring guidance on Building Control issues, in particular fire engineering solutions and means of escape relating to large projects

Due to a high demand for services offered by ABDS and Anglian Building Control Services, Samantha joined David in 2005 after completing her A Levels and pursued a 4 year study programme obtaining a City and Guilds qualification of Level 3 in AutoCAD Design and a Foundation Degree in Construction.

Samantha initially produced all AutoCAD drawings for ABDS but now plays a more managerial role ensuring the smooth day to day running of the office, administrative support and carrying out site surveys.

A significant achievement by Samantha has been her contribution in producing detailed working drawings for a £3,000,000 six bay fire station, working alongside independent consultants and structural engineers on our largest project to date.

Staff profiles

David Hart
David Hart
Samantha Beal
Samantha Beal