TRICKERY, DECEIT, MANIPULATION

TRICKERY, DECEIT, MANIPULATION
From The Evening Standard - 30/07/2007

Revealed: the story behind one of London's Revealed: the story behind one of London's most controversial new developments BY ANDREW GILLIGAN

KEY PLAYER IN THE LOBBYING INDUSTRY

FROM its headquarters in Mayfair, PPS has become the key player in a little-known corner of the PR industry - the branch that specialises in winning developers planning permission for unpopular schemes.

Local protesters, residents' groups and even council planners may never have heard of PPS but PPS knows all about them. Its 60 staff act as the public face of controversial developments, and run a sophisticated war machine to get those developments past the objectors.

The company was founded 17 years ago by Stephen Byfield, a former staffer for a Labour MP, and Charles St George, an ex-Tory councillor. Its client list reads like a roll-call of the development industry: volume housebuilders, such as Barratt, Wimpey, and Taylor Woodrow; big retailers; quarry owners; and power stations.

Mr St George, now the company's director of special projects, lives on a country estate in Somerset and is described by PPS as having 'expertise in just about everything'.

Mr Byfield remains the managing director of PPS and is heavily involved in BAA's hugely controversial project to expand Stansted Airport.

See also previous post on PPs and Rhrodris ex spindoctor from PPS Cathy Owens. Leighton Andrews relations with the company.

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'The company was founded 17 years ago by Stephen Byfield, a former staffer for a Labour MP, and Charles St George, an ex-Tory councillor. ..'

Current projects include consultation with local residents for the proposed development of a new south stand at Twickenham for client the Rugby Football Union, while others retaining the agency on similar briefs are National Car Parks and Lattice Properties.