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.

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.

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.

We have recently been successful on application in using PiP to secure Permission in Principle for up to 5 dwellings on the site of a 1960s building last used as a Catholic Church.

Despite the site being located within the settlement boundary for Bourton-on-the-Water, McLoughlin Planning were initially met with resistance from Cotswold District Council to the prospect of redeveloping the brownfield site for a residential use. The building was previously used by the Diocese of Clifton for Catholic services, these were now mainly being conducted from their church in Stow-on-the-Wold, which meant the site was surplus to requirements.

Being faced with a refusal, McLoughlin Planning had to provide additional justification to comply with Policy INF2 which governs the redevelopment of community facilities such as places of worship. We explained that not only was there a suitable alternative venue in a nearby settlement that was more popular with the church’s congregation, but there are similar community facilities in the same planning use class within Bourton-on-the-Water that could perform the same services.

The Council requested a marketing exercise to prove there was no demand for the use of the site, however we successfully argued that this was not a policy requirement, because this only applied to the loss of a shop or pub. Consequently, McLoughlin Planning was able to demonstrate full compliance with Policy INF2 and the application was subsequently permitted.

This example further serves to demonstrate the usefulness of PiP Applications for private clients in providing highly cost-effective solutions to determine the development potential of their land and secure an uplift in value.

If this were a conventional outline or detailed application, upfront costs would have been considerably higher, reflecting the need for more technical work. Whereas, with the PiP process, the costs are largely focused on the planning case for the development, allowing significant savings to be made.

McLoughlin Planning has been successful in securing planning permission with listed building consent and advertisement consent for alterations to a prominent shopfront on Cheltenham’s Promenade.

112 to 118 The Promenade is a prominent retail unit in Cheltenham’s Town Centre.

McLoughlin Planning was appointed by Roundhouse Design to secure the necessary planning permission, listed building and advertisements consents to allow them to renovate the property and make key changes to it, breathing new life into this vacant retail unit, allowing it to become a kitchen showroom.

The building is Grade II Listed and is situated in a prominent location Cheltenham’s Central Conservation Area. Its current configuration was poorly suited for the client’s needs. McLoughlin Planning successfully achieved the necessary consents to allow the property to be remodelled, to improve the customer experience. This included undertaking detailed research on the building’s history showing that it has been consistently renovated and remodelled over time.

This development represents the resilience of Cheltenham’s retail sector and highlights the value of having a detailed understanding of a building’s past and demonstrating this to Local Planning Authority, listed buildings can be altered to help facilitate a post-pandemic resurgence to the local economy.

McLoughlin Planning are delighted to have secured planning permission for change of use from agricultural building to a farm shop for Todenham Manor Farm Shop.

Points of note from this application are the farm shop is to be ancillary to the main business on the premises, there cannot be separate A1 premises and the requirement for secure cycle parking to ensure adequate cycle facilities are provided to meet the requirement for sustainable development, in accordance with Cotswold District Local Plan Policy INF3.

This application poses interesting options to other farmers in Cotswold District, who may be looking for a means of diversifying and having a ready outlet for sales of their own produce.

Working on behalf of EG Carter and Gloucestershire County Council, McLoughlin Planning was part of a team that successfully delivered planning permission for the replacement school building at Warden Hill Primary School in Cheltenham.

Warden Hill Primary School is a two form entry primary school (420 pupils) located in Durham Close, Warden Hill, Cheltenham. The school is rated “Outstanding” by Ofsted and there had been consideration to expand the school to three form entry. The birth data, alongside existing primary provision in the area showed that the expansion was not required. However, the condition of the school buildings was reviewed and it became clear that they were of significant concern. Detailed investigation showed that an extensive maintenance programme would not be an efficient use of resources and it would be better to replace the school buildings.

In November 2020 Gloucestershire County Council’s cabinet approved additional funding to replace the existing school buildings.

Warden Hill School’s site is large enough that the new school building can be built, whilst the old school building is still in daily use by staff and pupils. Once the new building is complete, the old school building will be demolished.

McLoughlin Planning was able to demonstrate the planning policy case as to why this development should go ahead, despite the controversial use of playing fields for development. It was demonstrated that using the playing fields for the new school building was necessary and that it allowed the space currently occupied by the old school building to be re-used after it’s demolition as an improved play space for pupils.

There are specific conditions that have to be met to allow such development because of the value we all place on open spaces for our children. This includes Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, that local authorities are required to apply for the consent of the Secretary of State for Education to dispose of, or change the use of, land used for maintained schools and academies and following the guidance from Sport England.

The school has been developed to deliver an exemplar 21^st
century learning space that has been designed to be the most environmentally friendly low carbon primary school in the country. To enable this, it will have high building fabric efficiency, a low carbon heat source using an air source heat pump, on-site electricity generation through PV array, sustainable urban drainage systems and a “Pocket” forest.

Externally, there will be nature areas, playing pitches, daily mile and pump track and external amphitheatre seating for the pupils to enjoy.

We are delighted that ground was broken in November 2021 and that we were able to assist in this exciting project that reflects our continuing involvement with the County Council in the provision of new schools and school buildings.