McLoughlin Planning has secured planning approval for 13x affordable homes with associated works on land to the north of Down Ampney, near Cirencester at Planning Committee.  The proposed development will deliver much-needed housing on an allocated parcel of land within the Cotswold District Council Local Plan and inside a defined settlement boundary.  The approved scheme is a high-quality, considered and sensitively designed residential development which strives to set a “new standard” for the delivery of affordable housing.  These homes will be among the most energy efficient to be built in the district in recent years, in accordance with the Government and Council’s climate action ambitions.  

Responding positively to local housing need with a future-proof development

The proposed development will provide 100% affordable housing in an area where there is high demand. The housing mix directly responds to an identified need for the provision of smaller family homes in the area and, as a result, a mix of 2x and 3x bedroom homes will be developed.  

The project team worked rigorously through technical analysis and feedback from community engagement exercises, to ensure that the final scheme successfully responded to existing site constraints and opportunities. In addition, the development seeks to set a “new standard” for the delivery of affordable housing, with a fabric-first approach to ensure the project meets its target of being highly sustainable.  

The scheme will also provide the following benefits: 

• A new public open space to the south of the site, providing a mix of green spaces and a children’s play area; 

• A wildflower community meadow to provide a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG); 

• Additional tree planting to the front of the proposed properties and across the public realm. 

Bringing a redundant site back into use through responsive housing development

Furthermore, the site itself was once used for garaging and car parking but is now overgrown and fenced off from public use.  These proposals will enable the sustainable use of a redundant site, in a location that is within the development boundary.    

This policy compliant scheme in a sustainable location will deliver on the Local Plan’s development allocation and provide much-needed new affordable housing in Down Ampney. The aspiration is to set a new standard of build quality for affordable housing, with the development seeking to provide holistic renewable energy solutions to support low energy costs. This visionary development builds on a collaboration agreement between Bromford and Cotswold District Council to facilitate the development of sustainable, affordable homes in the area. 

It was great to work with  Bromford Housing Association on this project, with excellent architectural vision from Ridge and Partners Architects and landscape and ecological input from EDP.  We thank Cotswold District Council, its elected members, and consultees for their thoughtful response to this considered, needed, and well-designed affordable housing scheme which has community at its heart.   

How we can help

We are McLoughlin Planning, and our team has a simple objective: to get results for our clients by providing high quality planning consultancy.  

Our team of chartered town planning consultants deal with a host of interesting planning projects from across southern England and Wales – from strategic promotions and commercial premises to private developments and rural projects.  

We are a friendly and approachable team who care passionately about the built environment, always striving to get the best outcome for our clients and the community.  

If you have a development project which would benefit from expert planning consultancy input, then feel free to contact us through either our “Arrange a Call” tab on our contact page or via the email and telephone number provided below. 

Chris Moore – Director 

E: chris.moore@mplanning.co.uk 

T: 01242 895008 

Project Team

• Bromford Housing Association  

• Ridge and Partners (Architecture and Drainage) 

• EDP (Ecology and Arboriculture)  

Image Source: Ridge and Partners (2024)  

It was an absolute pleasure to be part of this proposal in Brockworth for a three-storey, 66-bed care home facility, along with associated ancillary works. Planning was approved in February of this year.  

The planning balance – increase in built form outside the settlement boundary VS identified need for housing

The site comprised a single dwelling in ample grounds, surrounded by playing fields and residential gardens with established border treatments.  

Key planning considerations included:  

• The site’s location outside the settlement boundary; 

• The introduction of a larger built form compared to the buildings currently on site; 

• Access; 

• Design and layout; 

• Landscaping and trees;  

• BNG; 

• Archaeology;  

• Energy Strategy. 

Although outside the settlement boundary for Brockworth, the development site benefitted from being adjacent to a strategic allocation, outlined in the Gloucester, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury Joint Core Strategy 2011-2031.  Furthermore, at the time of submission, the Council could not demonstrate a five-year housing land supply. The proposal would therefore help to address the identified need for registered care beds in the locality, and the quantum proposed would make a useful addition to the Council’s housing supply figures. 

Regarding the increase in built form compared to the existing, whilst this undoubtedly represented a key planning issue, it was successfully evidenced that the scheme could be delivered without unacceptable wider landscape and visual impacts, particularly given the significant additional residential development taking place adjacent to the site. As a result, we successfully justified that the minor visual harm created by the new built form would be comprehensively outweighed by the substantial benefits that would result from the development. 

The importance of communication and collaboration during the planning application process

Given this, a positive pre-application response was received, which acknowledged that the principle of development was acceptable, along with the proposed quantum of development which initially sought an 82-bed care home with associated amenity space, parking provision and a revised access point.   

On this basis, working effectively across a multi-disciplinary project team, a full planning application was submitted. However, statutory consultee responses received during the determination period raised several concerns.  We liaised effectively with the case officer and wider project team, presenting a series of solutions and mitigation measures to assuage concerns and present a scheme which responded positively to statutory responses and ensured a suitable quantum of care provision, adhering to the vision of our client.   

These included:  

• Reduction in the size of the proposed Care Home to 66 beds; 

• Revised and reduced building layout  set further back into the site; 

• Revised parking area to provide a higher proportion of spaces per unit; 

• Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Assessment which demonstrated that a 24.88% BNG would be achieved, far in excess of policy requirements; 

• Landscape Strategy Plan showing how the BNG will be achieved; 

• Archaeological Evaluation Report and Trial Trenching results; 

• Updated Sustainability and Energy Statement confirming that up to 90% of all the care home’s energy requirements woudl come from renewable energy sources; 

• Waste Minimisation Statement to ensure the development is carried out in an as environmentally friendly way as possible. 

The application was decided at Planning Committee, and we are delighted that following our involvement, all concerns raised by the statutory consultees were successfully resolved and that planning was approved in a timely manner.    

How we can help

We are McLoughlin Planning, and our team has a simple objective: to get results for our clients by providing high quality planning consultancy. 

Our team of chartered town planning consultants deal with a host of interesting planning projects from across southern England and Wales – from strategic promotions and commercial premises to private developments and rural projects. 

We are a friendly and approachable team who care passionately about the built environment, always striving to get the best outcome for our clients and the community. 

If you have a development project which would benefit from expert planning consultancy input, then feel free to contact us through either our “Arrange a Call” tab on our contact page or via the email and telephone number provided below. 

Joe Seymour – Associate Director 

E:  joe.seymour@mplanning.co.uk 

T: 01242 895 121 

Project team:  

• Supporting plans by RDT 

• Landscape and Visual Appraisal by David Archer Associates 

• Design and Access Statement by RDT 

• Transport Statement by RGP 

• Heritage Statement by Orion 

• Arboriculture Impact Assessment by David Archer Associates 

• Ecological Report by Ecology Solutions 

• Housing Needs Assessment by HPC 

• Acoustics by Sharpes Redmore 

• FRA & Drainage by PJA 

Image source: LNT Construction 

After a 12-month hiatus, the Inspectors’ thoughts on the Stroud Local Plan have been published, and it’s a devastating blow for the Council.

The Inspectors have recommended that the Plan be withdrawn because of fundamental issues relating to the funding and subsequent delivery of infrastructure to serve key strategic sites in the plan.

The Plan’s failure is a huge blow to the Council and the Officers who drafted it. No Plan is perfect, and I had a number of concerns about the strategy and allocations in the Plan and made those clear at the EiP. Looking at it from a personal level, I do have sympathy with those involved.

So, what does this mean for housebuilding?

Like many Gloucestershire LPAs, Stroud has seen an increase in its housing target through the Standard Method. Under the old figure, its annual target was 620 dpa, and this has been revised upwards to 820 dpa. This is a challenge, especially given that, at the Council’s own admission, it can only demonstrate a 3.24-year housing land supply against the lower figure. Given the failure of the plan, the Council no longer has a plan in place to resolve this undersupply.

This raises the inevitable question of “speculative development” coming forward, and it’s a simple, obvious fact that sites will be coming forward to meet its housing land supply requirements. While some will deride this, it has to be remembered that these sites will provide homes for all, including much-needed affordable housing. They will also create jobs and support local services and facilities. Housebuilding is a good thing.

Is there an opportunity for the SME Housebuilding Sector?

Now is the time to look seriously at smaller sites that can come forward and be delivered within five years. In looking at sites to come forward, I cannot stress enough that it’s a question of doing the basics right, making sure that the site is in a sensible location, deliverable, and devoid of genuine constraints. A lack of a five-year supply does not give succour those sites that are fundamentally flawed.

Stroud (possibly with a sense of hubris) proposed a plan that was heavily reliant on large strategic allocations to deliver housing in the District to the detriment of the SME sector. These allocations relied on upgrading Junctions 12 and 14 of the M5. Technical work proved they could be delivered. However, when asked by the Inspectors to “show me the money”, showing that there was funding for their delivery,  there was no money (I’ll leave you to think of other analogies about this involving post-it notes and magical trees). The lesson here is that if you are going to go big, make sure you have the funding in place. The money required was at least £200 million.

A full copy of the Stroud District Local Plan Review Letter is available here.

How Can We Help?

We are already starting to consider options, so come and talk to us about what you are looking to bring forward.

Nathan McLoughlin – Managing Director

T: 01242895008

E: nathan.mcloughlin@mplanning.co.uk

Image Source: Stroud District Local Plan Review 2025

About us

We are McLoughlin Planning, and our team has a simple objective: to get results for our clients by providing high quality planning consultancy.

Our reputation for integrity, innovation and intelligence means we are a growing business, thriving on personal recommendations from our loyal clients and trusted industry colleagues. Our team of chartered town planning consultants deal with a host of interesting planning projects from across southern England and Wales – from strategic promotions and commercial premises to private developments and rural projects.

We are a friendly and approachable team who care passionately about the built environment, always striving to get the best outcome for our clients and the community. Find out more about us here.

McLoughlin Planning has successfully secured Technical Details Consent (TDC) to construct 2 x 4-bed dwellings in the village of Driffield, a non-principal settlement near Cirencester. This is following the successful grant of Permission in Principle (PiP) at Cotswold District Council’s Planning Committee.

What is Permission in Principle (PiP)?

Permission in Principle is a planning consent route which was introduced in 2018.  It is an alternative way of obtaining planning permission for housing-led development and it separates the consideration of matters of principle for proposed development (location, uses and amount of development), from the technical detail of the of the development (everything else, including planning conditions, s.106 and BNG).

The PiP stage acts like a watered-down outline planning application, and it can prove a useful tool if you want to get a clearer idea of whether development on site may be acceptable in principle, without the need for submitting costly reports from the outset.

The Technical Details Consent is more akin to a full planning application and as such, requires the submission of detailed reports, including full details of layout, scale, landscaping, appearance, and access.

Technical Details Consent (TDC) and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

The most notable aspect of this TDC approval is that off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) credits needed to be sourced from a third-party organisation. This is because the site was not large enough to achieve the statutory 10% BNG uplift within the site boundary. Once a quote for off-site BNG credits was obtained, this was enough for the Council to grant planning permission, subject to an informative stating that development cannot commence until a BNG Plan has been submitted to and approved by the Council.

This will now be commonplace for small-scale housebuilders and developers as the sites they typically develop will not be large enough to construct dwelling(s) and have sufficient residual space to achieve a 10% BNG uplift on site. Therefore, sourcing off-site BNG credits is now becoming an essential part of obtaining planning permission.

How we can help

Are you looking to obtain planning permission for small-scale residential development? Do you need to source off-site BNG credits for your development? If so, then please contact us through either our “Arrange a Call” tab on our contact page or via the email and telephone number provided below.

Joe Seymour – Associate Director

E:  joe.seymour@mplanning.co.uk

T: 01242 895 121

Project team

• K-Ten Consulting (Drainage)
• All Ecology (Ecology)
• Wotton Tree Consultancy (Arboriculture)
• Core Geotechnics Ltd (Geology)
• Andrew P Jones (Development Consultants)

Image Source: Andrew P Jones Associates

About us

We are McLoughlin Planning, and our team has a simple objective: to get results for our clients by providing high quality planning consultancy.

Our reputation for integrity, innovation and intelligence means we are a growing business, thriving on personal recommendations from our loyal clients and trusted industry colleagues. Our team of chartered town planning consultants deal with a host of interesting planning projects from across southern England and Wales – from strategic promotions and commercial premises to private developments and rural projects.

We are a friendly and approachable team who care passionately about the built environment, always striving to get the best outcome for our clients and the community.

Please view our full ‘About Us’ page to view which of our planning consultants would best fit your needs.

We are delighted that following our involvement, planning permission has been secured for the erection of six new apartments in the heart of Cinderford.

Identifying the development potential of brownfield land   

It was an interesting site, located within the development boundary of Cinderford and previously associated with commercial uses.  But it was also an irregular shape, bounded by commercial and residential units, and had a recent planning refusal for a similar scheme on site.

It seemed to be heading in a similar direction again as, prior to our involvement in the project, the applicant had received negative feedback from the planning officer on the latest application.  Fearing a planning refusal and not sure how to most effectively respond to the comments received, we were approached and asked by the applicant to review the case officer’s commentary to date, provide guidance on how best to amend the scheme and to prepare supporting evidence/mitigation measures to help navigate the proposals to a positive outcome.

Key planning considerations for residential development on a brownfield site

 Given the complexities of the space, key planning considerations included:

• technical requirements (such as parking, and internal room standards);
• residential amenity considerations;
• contamination;
• siting;
• relationship of the development with neighbouring commercial uses;
• how the design would respond to local vernacular; and
• ecological requirements.

We provided the project team with a critical analysis of both the planning policy requirements and the feedback from the officer and weighed this against the proposed development. Our input helped to ensure that the redesign met the technical requirements set out in both local and national policy documents.

Clever design solutions and a strategic planning approach can unlock the development potential of a challenging plot

It was great to be working on the scheme with Edge Design Workshop.  Their considered revisions to the scheme included: removal of a disused MEB building to unlock more of the site; clever design of the housing units to ensure space standards and amenity space requirements were amply met; suitable parking provision for both existing and future residents; design amends to remove the risk of overlooking.

Alongside our advice to the architect, the applicant also commissioned us to write a planning statement, clearly highlighting the previous concerns from the case officer and how these have been addressed in the revised proposal.

The Council remained co-operative throughout the process and ensured a fair assessment of the Site and the revisions undertaken. The result was a positive conclusion, unlocking a valuable brownfield site for the delivery of much needed new homes in Cinderford.

We are so pleased with the outcome, and that through our careful analysis of planning policy and context, effective engagement with the project team and the presentation of a clear and considered planning strategy – this dilapidated site will now be regenerated to the benefit of the local area and will bring new, stylish apartments to a central and sustainable location.

How we can help

If you have a brownfield site, are wondering about its development potential and would like a member of our team to review your case and explore whether there is a way forward to secure planning approval for your project, then please contact us through either our “Arrange a Call” tab on our contact page or via the email and telephone number provided below:

Chris Moore – Director

T: 01242895008

E: chris.moore@mplanning.co.uk

Image source: Edge Design Workshop (2024)

We are absolutely delighted to have secured planning approval for the demolition of an existing dwelling and its replacement with 5x 3, 4 and 5 bed detached homes and associated amenity space, including a community orchard. This project will regenerate an unsightly and dilapidated plot and bring much-needed family homes to the area.  

Developments in open countryside

On the face of it, a challenging project.  The site is situated outside the settlement boundary, in open countryside, in the Cotswolds National Landscape (AONB), in close proximity to several Grade II Listed buildings and in a Conservation Area.  But as the Council cannot currently demonstrate a five-year housing land supply (2.78 year supply as of April 2024), the ‘tilted balance’ is engaged. This means that planning permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. 

Weighing up the planning balance on a challenging development plot

Given the sensitivities on site, our team engaged in a dialogue with the Council about the site and proposals early on with a pre-application meeting.  This fed into the final design and the associated planning application where we and the wider project team successfully highlighted the nuances of the project and the wider benefits it would bring.  

These included:  

Housing need: The proposal would provide a net increase of 4 dwellings which would contribute positively towards the council’s housing supply deficit and respond to an identified need for this type of housing.  

Economic benefits: There would be a short-term benefit to the rural economy during the construction period. 

Landscape impact: The Council agreed that the proposals would greatly improve the visual impact of the site within the National Landscape areas and that the scheme’s sensitive design responded well to the wider context of the site, both current and historic.   

Open countryside: Whilst local policy strictly controls development in this type of location, as the scheme sought to demolish an existing dwelling, a precedent for housing had been established.  Furthermore, the site had been allocated for new housing in the local plan.  

Outside the development boundary: The site sits on the edge of a village settlement and despite its technically ‘rural’ location, it benefits from proximity to a good bus service and is within safe walking distance of local amenities.  

Effective use of land: Not only do the proposals present an effective use of brownfield land, but given the sensitive nature of the site, a lower housing density was proposed to allow for its proximity to listed buildings and existing boundary treatments, including several established trees.   

Green Infrastructure: The lower housing density on site meant that the proposals were able to far exceed the 20% requirement for the provision of Green Infrastructure, which includes a large orchard.  

Conservation area:  The proposal involves the replacement of the existing dwelling on the site with a development of five detached ‘estate’ type cottages, designed to emulate the character of the surrounding area. The Conservation Officer agreed that the design was well-conceived and that the introduction of the orchard would help to restore the historic appearance of agricultural land across the area.  

Residential amenity: It was felt that the proposals would have minimal impact on residential amenity and would not result in issues of highway safety. 

Archaeology: The site has the potential to be archaeologically sensitive.  Given the scale of the development and the anticipated archaeological potential, we successfully established that any archaeological concerns could be successfully mitigated via condition and with an appropriate action plan in place.   

Making the case for new homes in a sustainable location

The council agreed that the benefits of allowing the proposed development would outweigh the harm that may otherwise be caused by allowing residential development in the open countryside. We are so pleased that this site can now realise its full potential, replacing a dilapidated building with 5x beautiful family homes and an orchard, improving the views across the AONB and bringing much-needed housing to the area.  

How our planning consultants can help your development project

This project is a prime example of the crucial role planning consultants play in giving a development proposal its best chance of success.  Application decisions are all a matter of planning balance – balancing the harm against the benefits with reference to adopted policy. Our role is to tease out the benefits of your proposal, ensure the necessary technical supporting reports and plans are provided and to present the proposal holistically to the LPA, setting out why it should be granted permission in the round. We work hard to establish contact with planning officers and build relationships, rather than taking an adversarial approach, which can often do more harm than good. 

Key contact for this project

Chris Fleming – Director  

E:  chris.fleming@mplanning.co.uk 

T: 01242895008 

Project team  

• Portus and Whitton (Landscape Architects)  
• Tyack Architects Ltd (Architects)  
• Rappor (Drainage) 
• EDP (Heritage, Arboriculture, Ecology and Archaeology)  

Image source: Tyack Architects (2024)  

About us

We are McLoughlin Planning and our team have a simple objective: to get results for our clients by providing high quality planning consultancy. 

Our reputation for integrity, innovation and intelligence means we are a growing business, thriving on personal recommendations from our loyal clients and trusted industry colleagues. Our team of chartered town planning consultants deal with a host of interesting planning projects from across southern England and Wales – from strategic promotions and commercial premises to private developments and rural projects. 

We are a friendly and approachable team who care passionately about the built environment, always striving to get the best outcome for our clients and the community. 

Contact us to see how we can best assist you with your development aspirations and view our full ‘About Us’ page to view which of our planning consultants best fit your needs.

A significant landmark for the emerging South Warwickshire Local Plan is about to be reached, and this has major implications for all of those with an interest in plan-making and seeking site allocations. The new Local Plan is being prepared to cover Stratford on Avon and Warwick Districts. 
 
Please take the time to have a look at this article and the links provided to the Committee Papers and the substantial technical evidence base which supports the Plan. 2025 was already going to be a critical year for planning and we are advising several parties on Plans like this.

The forthcoming Joint Cabinet Committee papers have now been released before the 12 December Committee date and this article seeks to look at some of the critical issues. 

Why is the Preferred Option so important? 

These papers are highly significant as they give us the first opportunity to understand what the SWLP is proposing. Officers are seeking member authorisation to move forward with the next stage of consultation on the document’s Preferred Option version in the new year. 

We have an established track record of promoting development sites of all sizes through the local plan system, and events like this are important landmarks for the development industry. We can use our skills and expertise to make the most of the opportunity consultations to secure a site allocation for development. 

The Housing Target 

The Plan does not use the current standard method calculation; instead, it uses the Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA) outcomes, commissioned in early 2024. This sets out the following targets: 

• Stratford on Avon DC – 868 d/pa
• Warwick DC – 811 d/pa

This equates to 41,975 homes over a 25-year plan period. 

The impending revisions to the NPPF have influenced the SWLP. The Preferred Option has been built with flexibility to accommodate a higher Proposed Standard Method Figure. 

Green Belt 

Historically, Stratford on Avon DC has been against green belt release, whereas the current Warwick Local Plan has released sites from the green belt for development. Given the number of houses being proposed in the two districts and the need for a sustainable development strategy, this has led to a number of greenfield green belt sites being released for development. Supporting the SWLP is an extensive evidence base, including a Green Belt review. 

Development Strategy 

The Preferred Option does not provide the granular details of a settlement hierarchy or details of which settlements will have a settlement boundary. This will be left for future work informing the evolution of the Reg 19 Version, to be consulted on in December 2025. 

That said, the document does identify 24 Strategic Growth locations across the Plan area, including green belt and non-green belt locations. Crucially, it is expected that only some of the locations will be allocated for development because the amount of land in these areas exceeds the housing and employment requirements for the SWLP. 

Draft Policy Direction 3 clearly states that the SWLP will review the settlement hierarchy. It will also examine thresholds for determining settlement boundaries and provide an interesting policy tool for setting a threshold for small-scale housing development at locations adjacent to those proposed settlement boundaries. 

Timetable 

As we advance, the proposed timetable is as follows: 

• January 2025 – Regulation 18 Preferred Option consultation; 
• December 2025 – Regulation 19 Consultation; 
• September 2026 – Submission of the Plan for Examination; 
• October 2026 to March 2027 – Examination; 
• June 2027 – Proposed Modifications; 
• December 2027 – Adoption. 

Concluding Thoughts 

The Preferred Option sets out several interesting points about levels development levels and directions for growth. Encouragingly, greenfield and green belt development are clearly on the agenda, which is welcomed and represents a clear recognition by the Councils that such development is critical to meet its housing and employment needs. In the future, the forthcoming Preferred Options consultation provides an essential first opportunity to promote your interests and help shape and inform emerging SWLP policy. 2025 was already going to be a critical year for planning and we are advising several parties on Plans like this. 
 
The SWLP covers a large area and governs development at both ends of the spectrum. If you want to understand more about what this means for you and what your interests are, please get in touch. 

Key contact for this project

Nathan McLoughlin – Managing Director  

E:  nathan.mcloughlin@mplanning.co.uk  

T: 01242 895128 

Resources

SWLP Evidence Homepage

Joint Committee Papers

We are delighted to confirm that McLoughlin Planning was instrumental in obtaining planning permission for the change of use of a Bed & Breakfast (Use Class C1) into a new dwelling (Use Class C3).    

Securing a residential use in a town centre location

The proposed change of use raised a number of key planning considerations which had to be carefully navigated, as the 18th century property is situated in a Conservation Area and within the Cotswold National Landscape.   

But the main planning issue was related to the Principle of Development, given the property’s location in Stow’s defined town centre. This area is zoned for commercial uses, meaning new residential development is not usually supported. Despite this constraint, McLoughlin Planning was able to persuade Cotswold District Council that in this case, a residential use in the town centre was appropriate.  

Our pragmatic approach, nuanced analysis of policy and site context, and the presentation of a strong fall-back position secured the planning approval for this change of use and the further evolution of this historic building, which will now become a family home.  

Moving towards a mixed-use High Street?

Councils tend to have policies prohibiting new dwellings in town centre locations, mainly to ensure the ‘vitality and viability’ of the High Street is maintained. However, applications like this demonstrate it is possible to obtain permission for a dwelling in commercial centres. As our High Streets evolve, there is increasing recognition that the introduction of modest amounts of residential uses within town centres can contribute to, rather than diminish, the activity in town centres.  

How we can help

Do you own or are you interested in purchasing commercial property in a town centre with a view to changing its use to residential? If so, then please contact us through either our “Arrange a Call” tab on our contact page or via the email and telephone number provided below. 

Joe Seymour – Associate Director 

E: joe.seymour@mplanning.co.uk 

T: 01242895008 

Image source: Knight Frank Estate Agency

We are delighted that following our involvement, planning permission has been secured for a garage conversion to enlarge the habitable living space of a mews house in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), despite a historic refusal on site for a similar scheme. The result of our recent planning approval will be the creation of a more spacious family home in a central and sustainable location, whilst also future proofing the building through important renovation works.

When a second opinion counts in planning

Our team was initially approached to assist following a planning refusal by RBKC for a similar scheme.  The key concerns raised by the Local Planning Authority (LPA) related to:

• The impact of the proposed design on the conservation area;
• Loss of car parking through the garage conversion and the subsequent additional on-street parking pressures.

As the property was centrally located in London, existing data advised us that surrounding streets were already heavily subscribed with parking permits and therefore could not afford the additional pressures. Furthermore, whilst garage conversions can, in some instances, be undertaken without the need for planning permission, a historic planning condition on the Mews property prevented the occupiers from benefiting from this opportunity.

Following a detailed review of the project, the previous refusal, the site’s context, and the relevant policies in the new Local Plan, we felt that there would be merit in revisiting the scheme and prepared a planning strategy for moving the project forward.

Turning a planning refusal into an approval – collaboration is key

Given the sensitive nature of the site, we worked closely with the team at Haine & Co Architects, to ensure that the revised design responded to the concerns raised in the previous planning refusal. The updated design sought to create a development which would be architecturally sympathetic to the age and character of the host building- reinforcing the original integrity of the site and its environs which was praised in the Officer’s Report.  Furthermore, the additional space at the property would allow for a more comfortable living space and would make best use of the existing footprint.

Regarding the parking issues, we prepared and presented a case to the LPA that a Section 106 legal agreement could be used to make the development “car-free”, given the site’s highly sustainable location. This would assuage concerns over additional pressures to on-street parking in the vicinity.

Following submission of the application, we liaised regularly with the case officer, ensuring they had everything they needed to make a timely determination. Upon completion of the legal agreement, the Council acknowledged that the previous reasons for refusal had been overcome and that Planning Permission could now be granted.

The importance of a strategic planning approach  

The above case is a useful reminder that a planning refusal does not necessarily mean that your development aspirations must come to a halt. Indeed, a refusal can help your proposals evolve, especially when combined with a strategic planning approach.

If you have recently had a planning refusal and would like a member of our team to review your case and explore whether there is a way forward to secure planning approval for your project, then please contact us through either our “Arrange a Call” tab on our contact page or via the email and telephone number provided below:

Chris Moore – Director

T: 01242895008

E: chris.moore@mplanning.co.uk

McLoughlin Planning has successfully obtained planning permission to demolish an existing dwelling and construct a larger replacement dwelling in the Tewkesbury Borough.  The site’s location within the Cotswolds National Landscape (formerly the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and particularly the Gloucester-Cheltenham Green Belt presented significant challenges to achieving the client brief. In partnership with Coombes Everitt Architects and Willder Ecology –we secured the demolition of a dilapidated dwelling dating from the 1920s, and the construction of a larger contemporary replacement dwelling.

Defining the term ‘materially larger’ in the Green Belt?  A holistic comparison can be key

Councils often provide inconsistent guidance or, more challenging still, no guidance at all in terms of the size of a replacement building one is allowed to construct in the Green Belt. The key planning policy test for this application was that the new dwelling could not be “materially larger” than the existing dwelling, which inevitably raised the question: what is meant by this subjective term?

McLoughlin Planning successfully negotiated with the case officer to agree that the proposed dwelling was not materially larger, thus allowing planning permission to be granted. One of the key lessons learnt from this project is that it is not simply a question of comparing the existing and proposed floor areas. The Council will also take into consideration the differences in height, footprint, and volume, in addition to floor area, when deciding whether a replacement building is “materially larger”. Providing a holistic comparison can be the difference between approval and refusal.

I own a property in the Green Belt – how can I obtain planning permission for my project?

We are absolutely delighted with the positive outcome on this project, which will turn an almost unusable dwelling into a well-designed home.  The team at McLoughlin Planning are very experienced in the nuances surrounding these types of development projects and navigating the complexities of challenging land designations.   If you have a project that might benefit from our expertise, then get in contact with one of our planning consultants to find out how we can best assist you.

Joe Seymour – Associate Director

E: joe.seymour@mplanning.co.uk

T: 01242895008

Image source: Coombes: Everitt Architects (2024)

Project Team:

McLoughlin Planning (Planning consultants)

Coombes Everitt Architects (Architects)

Willder Ecology (Ecologist)