Joe Seymour

BA (Hons) MSc MRTPI

Associate Director

Experience

Joe has an extensive background in the planning industry with ten years of local authority development management experience before joining McLoughlin Planning in 2019. He has worked on a wide variety of developments, including small, medium and large-scale residential, commercial, leisure, retail, equestrian and agricultural. Joe also undertakes work as a Planning Inspector on a contract basis, which provides McLoughlin Planning with a unique insight into the planning appeal process.

He has a particular interest in development management; listed buildings/historic environment; Green Belt sites.

Projects

Joe has successfully secured the following developments on behalf of his clients:

  • Conversion of Grade II listed pub into 4 houses in the Cotswolds.
  • Successful appeal for 45 dwellings outside of a settlement boundary in Tewkesbury.
  • Creation of a new farm shop in the Cotswolds.
  • Permission in Principle for a new dwelling near Bishops Cleeve outside the settlement boundary and within the Cotswolds AONB.
  • Large-scale redevelopment of Spriax Sarco in Cheltenham, including replacement extensions and historic timber windows on their principal Grade II listed Global Headquarters.
  • Permission in Principle for 5 dwellings on the site of a disused ecclesiastical building in the Cotswolds.
  • Permission in Principle for 2 dwellings in the non-principal settlements of both Cerney Wick and Driffield in the Cotswolds.
  • Retrospective approval of an equestrian stables and riding arena in Stroud.
  • Successful appeal for subdivision of a residential dwelling into two dwellings in Stroud.
  • Planning permission, listed building consent and advertisement consent for a new kitchen showroom in the centre of Cheltenham.
  • Removal of retail occupancy condition on a retail unit in Gloucester to allow unrestricted A1 retail to operate from the site.

Hobbies

In his spare time Joe enjoys playing golf, spending time with family, European city breaks and watching live sport (either in the stadium or in the pub!)

View Projects

Grade II Listed Building Consent Granted for a 19th Century House in the Cotswolds

McLoughlin Planning with special thanks to Undercover Architecture, who worked with us on this project and provided the drawings, are pleased to have gained planning permission and listed building consent for the Grade II listed private house, Somerford Keynes House, in the Cotswolds.

 

Listed building features required for consent

The key areas that the owner wanted consent for were:

  • Erection of a porch extension and alterations to the main house.
  • Various alterations to Kings Cottage, the Coach House and adjoining outbuildings, which are separately listed Grade II.

Contemporary Changes to the Main House

Alterations to the main house included in this recent granted permission were an addition of a French door with side lights to the side elevation, installation of rooflights in the roof valley between rafters (blocking up of a staircase to the basement with new staircase constructed to access cellar), and other minor workings such as the removal of modern partitions to allow for a more open plan space. In 2011, permission was granted for a stone porch to be added. This time round, a contemporary frameless glazed porch extension, complimented with a living green roof with pressed metal oversailing porch has been proposed to the side of the building to enhance a light and elegant feel to the house.

Family Orientated Outbuildings

In order for the outbuildings to have a more homely feel, internal changes were made to create larger spatial areas, including a raised ceiling, to accommodate for more bedrooms and a cosier setting at Kings Cottage. Proposed changes to the Coach House consist of a casement window to allow for an en-suit, which is located on the first floor to the linking section of the building. Originally, this wasn’t the case to be implemented, but due to concerns of excessive fenestration, the size of roof lights had to be changed and the dormer windows to be discarded. To allow for a modern way of travel and a tranquil Cotswold setting by the pool, an EV charging point and several air source heat pumps (ASHP), that are to be screened with timber for aesthetic purposes, were proposed.

Maintaining Historic Value and Consideration of Planning Policies

Overall, the proposed scheme has considered the historic value and beauty of the building’s original structure and the modern elements added to it over the years, therefore justifying that the new considered extensions and alterations granted for this permission will preserve the listed building for years to come. Additionally, careful considerations were sought out to ensure the development was aligned with legislation and policies, such as Section 16 of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) for works to take place.

I’m a Listed Building Owner – When do I need to Acquire After Consent?

If you are a listed building owner and are wondering whether and/or when you need to acquire for listed building consent, please get in contact and one of our planning consultants will be able to assist. Additionally, please view our article here about when to acquire for listed building consent.

Joe Seymour – Associate Director

E: joe.seymour@mplanning.co.uk

T: 01242895008

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Replacement Dwelling Secured in the Green Belt and Cotswolds National Landscape

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)

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Spirax-Sarco

Charlton House, is the global headquarters of Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc, a FTSE 100 company and is one of Cheltenham’s largest employers. It has occupied the site since the 1940s.

Charlton House is a complex site, involving a Grade II listed building and has been extended in the latter half of the 20 Century.

 

Spirax-Sarco were faced with a dilemma, the modern office extension was reaching the end of its operational life, it was poorly configured and ill-suited to modern working practices.

Given the need for change, the company appointed McLoughlin Planning and Roberts Limbrick Architects along with a multi-disciplinary consultant team to advise on options for redevelopment, to provide a modern, highly energy efficient work-space, fit for the 21 Century.

Working in partnership with Roberts Limbrick Architects we took the company through the various options available in terms of demolition and replacement structures. Refurbishment was out of the question. The fundamental challenge was to balance the need for a modern office space against the need to respect the character and setting of Charlton House. This demanded a creative and bold confident approach.

At an early stage of the project, the company sought to embody its environmental commitments into the project and working with the team, decided on a strategy which would deliver the County’s first ever BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) ‘Outstanding’ building, which is a very high bar in terms of measuring its environmental performance. Less than top 1% of new non-domestic buildings in the UK are within the Outstanding category so this is a significant achievement. ‘Outstanding’ building.

The new extension contains open-plan office space, break-out areas, an auditorium, a gym and changing facilities. Securing the renovation of the company’s global headquarters will help to consolidate their position in Cheltenham and will secure existing and attract new high-skilled jobs in the town for years to come.

McLoughlin Planning explained and guided Spirax-Sarco through the planning process, submitting the planning and listed building applications for the redevelopment. We were able to demonstrate that the bold, superior architectural design of the replacement extension clearly outweighed the minor harm that would be caused to the historic fabric of the listed building.

As part of the process, we equally advised the company on concerns raised from local residents which focused on the height of the new five-storey extension and the disturbance that would be caused during the demolition and construction phases of the development. Again, we were able to demonstrate to the Council that the development would not be detrimental to neighbouring residents and the applications were approved by the Council’s Planning Committee only four months after submission.

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Garden Office

McLoughlin Planning are delighted to obtain planning permission on behalf of our client to construct an outbuilding to the rear of their property to be used as a garden office. This is a development that is becoming ever more popular in the aftermath of the Covid-19 Pandemic which has seen working patterns change with a greater propensity for people to work from home.

The property in question is in the village of Upper Dowdeswell in the Cotswolds. The period building is within a Conservation Area where the design of extensions and outbuildings are more strictly controlled. The property is also next door to a Grade II* listed building which meant the design of the outbuilding could not harm the setting of the nearby designated heritage asset.

Despite these constraints, McLoughlin Planning achieved planning permission for a contemporary garden office constructed with vertical timber cladding, slimline aluminium windows and doors and an asymmetric sloping roof expertly made by Koto Design. The Local Planning Authority agreed that the modern design was a refreshing addition to a period building, and it blended in with its surroundings seamlessly.

Outbuildings are often seen by Local Planning Authorities as a good compromise for allowing additional floor space to be created at historic buildings without causing harm to their historic fabric, as is often the case with an extension.

The result of this development is a quiet working space away from the noise and disruption of a family home. If you are considering the construction of your own home office please feel free to contact us to discuss your project further.

 

 

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Get in touch

If you are interested in finding out how we can help you please get in touch