Celebrating 80 years of DCP

Our projects have moved with the times.  In the 1970s, for example, our Southend team under the leadership of then Partner, Neil Clarke, helped shape the town’s modern identity with landmark civic buildings in concrete and glass – a £2.5m programme then, equivalent to around £42m today.  Sustainability is now a key factor, either designed-in like Dyson Building at Gresham’s School or retrofitted as buildings are repurposed, like the YMCA Hub in Norwich – both award-winning projects.  Across 80 years, we’ve delivered thousands of housing, commercial, community, health, ecclesiastical, and educational projects.  Styles and requirements change; our commitment to value and expertise does not.

In 1946, everything was handwritten, typed up and laboriously duplicated.  Measurements were in feet and inches, and calculations in £s Ss & ds.  The shift to metric in the 70s was a blessing.  Fast forward to today: the digital revolution has been …. revolutionary! Software streamlines, measurement, pricing, billing and specification.  Teams meetings have replaced many in‑person sessions. Paper is no longer king, and while it will never disappear completely – we’re working on it!  All part of our sustainability drive – along with cycle to work and electric car schemes – supporting our Carbon Neutral status, achieved in 2025.

Adapting to changing markets and keeping abreast of new developments has always been a strength.  We began as quantity surveyors, but over the decades driven by the foresight of successive Partners and Associates, we’ve expanded our expertise adding building surveying, project management, health & safety, dispute resolution, and more.  Of all these, the most transformative to the practice was the move into building surveying.  Instigated by then Partner, John Bainbridge, who had identified a growing demand for the service, DCP employed their first Chartered Building Surveyor – Simon Jacklin – in 1994.   Simon then went on to lead the practice and now acts as a consultant.  Today we’re proud to be a near 50/50 blend of Building Surveying and Quantity Surveying.

A fun DCP fact:  Robert Dale, our current Senior Partner, embodies this blend, being part of a very rare professional breed, as he is both a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and a Chartered Building Surveyor.

Today, we continue to evolve with new services such as Embodied Carbon Assessments and Building Safety Act Principal Designer roles ensuring we’re responding to, or ahead of new legislation, technology, and client priorities.

The record for longevity at DCP to date belongs to our former Senior Partner, the late Bob Juniper, who spent his entire career with the practice, starting as a trainee straight from school in 1964, rising through the ranks to become Senior Partner.  His years of leadership helped guide DCP to the multi‑disciplinary consultancy we are today.  His influence and the values he promoted, both professional and personal remain the bedrock of who we are today.

To honour Bob’s legacy, we’ve launched the Juniper Foundation.  Building on our current achievements the Foundation will enshrine the structure and funding to deliver the continuous professional development of all our team.  Alongside our ongoing outreach to schools, and provision of work experience and apprenticeships, the Juniper Foundation will strengthen our ability to grow, evolve, develop and to ensure our future is as strong as our past.