Press release
18 August 2026 – Plowman Craven, one of the UK’s leading surveying and geospatial companies, has acquired Gwalia Surveyors, a well-established surveying practice with a strong presence across Wales and the South West of England.
Going forward, the business will operate as Gwalia Surveyors, part of Plowman Craven.
Founded in 1982 by Bruce Lane and later headed up by his son Llŷr, Gwalia has roots as a family business that has seen impressive growth. The company has contributed surveying and consultancy services to construction and infrastructure projects comprising nearly £3 billion.
The acquisition will see Gwalia’s experienced team join Plowman Craven, strengthening the company’s geographic reach and capabilities while giving clients access to a broader range of surveying, geospatial, and digital expertise.
With a proven track record spanning over four decades, Gwalia has worked on numerous high-profile and technically demanding projects, including BBC Broadcasting House in London, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, and the Snowdon Summit Visitor Centre in North Wales. More recent projects include Cardiff Central Square, The Triangle at Canary Wharf and John Lewis Birmingham.
David Locker, CEO of Plowman Craven, said: “Gwalia has built an outstanding reputation based on technical quality, trusted client relationships, and a commitment to delivering work to the highest standards. There is a strong alignment between our two businesses, particularly in our approach to clients, innovation, and people. Bringing Gwalia into Plowman Craven strengthens our capabilities and geographic reach, while giving the team access to the scale, technology, and breadth of expertise of the wider business.
“We are delighted to welcome Llŷr and the team to Plowman Craven and look forward to building on the strong foundations they have created.”
Llŷr Lane, Managing Director of Gwalia Surveyors, said: “My father established Gwalia almost 45 years ago and cemented its reputation on technical ability, trust, and doing things properly. To take that heritage and secure its future as part of a business with the standing and 60-plus-year history of Plowman Craven feels like the right next chapter.
“I’m particularly proud that our people, who have shown incredible loyalty and played such an important part in Gwalia’s success, will continue that journey. There is a huge amount of knowledge and experience within the team, and I’m excited to see what they can achieve with the additional scale, expertise, and opportunities available within Plowman Craven.”
The acquisition supports Plowman Craven’s continued UK growth objectives and provides Gwalia’s clients with continuity of existing relationships alongside access to the wider capabilities of the Plowman Craven business.
ENDS
Picture caption: The photo shows Llŷr Lane, Managing Director of Gwalia Surveyors, and features Waymap, following Plowman Craven’s recently announced partnership with the navigation app. The partnership reflects Plowman Craven’s wider focus on combining its geospatial expertise with digital technology to create new solutions for clients.
For further information, please contact:
Holistic:
Lisa Northcott
+44 (0)7885 980 154
Alex Shilov
+44 (0)7989 394 027
About Plowman Craven
Plowman Craven is a world-leading geospatial surveying and digital engineering company with over 60 years of experience helping organisations understand, manage and future-proof the built environment. With more than 200 specialists and offices across the UK, US, Australia and South-East Asia, the company has completed over 30,000 projects across property, infrastructure, transport, heavy industry and government.
From measured building surveys and LiDAR scanning to BIM, digital twins and AI-powered visualisation, Plowman Craven combines deep technical expertise with its own digital platforms, including Easl, its intelligent asset management environment, to deliver geospatial intelligence that goes far beyond traditional surveying.
Trusted by organisations including JLL, British Land, Stanhope and Transport for London, Plowman Craven is on a mission to digitise the built world, providing data that connects disciplines, informs decisions and helps shape places that stand the test of time.
