Viral Desai is a Chartered Town Planner and Practice Director at AtkinsRéalis, where Viral leads the Planning, Environmental Consenting and Communities practice. With extensive experience across major infrastructure and residential projects throughout the UK, Viral specializes in Major Infrastructure Consenting, particularly Development Consent Orders (DCOs) for energy, highways, and large-scale infrastructure.
Viral’s career highlights include leading DCO applications and examinations for nationally significant projects such as Wylfa Newydd Nuclear Power Station, Yorkshire GREEN, Grimsby to Walpole Grid Infrastructure, and multiple National Highways schemes including M25 J10 and J28. Viral is also at the forefront of innovative projects in nuclear, energy and highways sections, and has advised on masterplanning, stakeholder engagement, and sustainability for both public and private sector clients.
An elected member of the NIPA Council and a recipient of the Royal Town Planning Institute’s Young Planner of the Year award, Viral is recognized for a commitment to resilient communities and sustainable infrastructure. Viral’s leadership combines technical expertise with strategic insight, supporting clients through complex consenting processes and delivering successful outcomes for major projects across the UK.