McLoughlin Planning is pleased to have helped a homeowner in the London Borough of Camden in securing planning permission for amendments and improvements to an existing roof terrace space.

The existing property had a centrally located roof outbuilding which housed a staircase leading up to the outdoor space. However, the structure leaked both heat and rain due to historically poor construction. Furthermore, its central location meant the outdoor space could not be used to its full advantage.

As the property is also located in a conservation area, care was taken to ensure the proposal would also find ways to visually reduce its impact on the street scene and support the visual interest of the historically significant surrounding built form.

Working closely with the architect the initial proposal sought to move the stair opening to the southern edge of the building to provide a modern interpretation of the existing outbuilding which would visually reduce its built form and architecturally provide a distinction between the historic and modern built form. The scheme also includes an air source heat pump to help improve the property’s energy efficiency and overall sustainability.

Unfortunately, the Council raised concerns during the application about the overall design and height of the proposed cover and that this would likely be refused. Despite efforts to demonstrate how the structure complied with planning policies and would not result in the alleged harm, the Council’s position remained too far apart from the applicants to reach a suitable comprise on the design presented. However, in the interest of securing planning permission and a functional alternative, we worked with the architect to address the Council’s objections and proposed an amended opening with shared visual similarities to a Velux window. This would also help provide further access to sunlight/daylight internally.

The Council agreed that the amended proposal addressed their concerns and planning permission has now been granted. We are pleased that working proactively with the Council, architect, and the applicant meant a solution could be presented, providing a more aesthetically pleasing and functional outdoor space in time for the summer!

Following a lengthy proactive negotiation process with Tewkesbury Borough Council, we are pleased to have secured planning permission for a beautiful new self-build replacement dwelling on the doorstep of Cheltenham Racecourse.

Our client approached us with a planning application which sought to replace a post-war rendered bungalow with a new highly sustainable and beautifully designed 1.5 storey timber cladded family home.

Whilst the Council supported the design and agreed that it was high quality, there was a debate due to the proposed size of the new dwelling versus the existing home and what impact this change would have on the Green Belt and wider countryside. Concern was raised particularly in regard of the increase in ridge height.

Working closely with the applicant, we made a case on how the careful highly sustainable design responded to its context to ensure impact on the Green Belt remained very localised. Furthermore, the introduction of Class AA permitted development rights allowing the extension upwards (in addition to other PD rights), enabled us to demonstrate that the fallback position would result in a proposal which would be larger and result in greater harm than the current scheme.

We also emphasised the Government’s push to support new self-build development which has become an increasingly important planning consideration with recent recommendations coming through the Bacon Review (see our recent article on self-build here https://mplanning.co.uk/news/2…).

Working closely with the case officer it was agreed that the proposal would provide a scheme which would comply with Green Belt policy requirements. Furthermore, working closely with the officer, we were able to reduce the number of planning conditions to help ensure the swift delivery of the development.

This is a great case study on the importance of considering your available fallback positions, including development sites in the Green Belt, and taking the time to adopt a well-considered design approach and planning strategy.

We are delighted that we could be part of the applicant’s journey in securing their new family home and believe it will provide a new attractive addition to the Cheltenham area – particularly for those passing to attend the Cheltenham races!

McLoughlin Planning has been the Planning Consultant for Gloucestershire Airport for several years. As part of this, it has been involved in securing the necessary Consent for Skyborne’s operations allowing them to establish a Commercial Flight Training School at Gloucestershire Airport to meet the global demand for new Commercial Pilots.

The challenges faced by this project were:

• It was necessary to demonstrate that the use of a hangar as a Flight Training School fell within the definition of aviation-related development in the Town & Country Planning General Permitted Development (Order 2015).
• The Flight Training School was to be supported by an accommodation block for students.

The site is situated within the Green Belt where there are stringent planning controls on new development. As part of the company’s activities working on behalf of the Airport in terms of looking after its wider property portfolio, we were able to engineer a suitably positively planning policy context to allow Skyborne’s proposals to come forward as part of non-operational but aviation-related development.

We’re delighted to have secured planning approval for a new state-of-the-art medical centre to provide a new base for the existing St Paul’s Surgery, in St Paul’s Road, Smethwick.

The medical centre includes 10 consulting rooms, five treatment rooms, a Minor Ops suite, staff room, meeting room, central waiting space and administration rooms. Forty parking spaces are to be provided, including three disabled spaces and a drop off and deliveries bay.

Our comprehensive design and access statement commented that “St Paul’s Surgery currently occupies a two storey building that is outdated, under sized and no longer fit for purpose to accommodate the growing patient numbers in Smethwick and the surrounding area.

It is not practical to enhance or extend the existing building, and with limited space there is no ability to meet the increased demand for routine and urgent care.

In order to continue to provide services to all patients the practice must relocate and expand.

By relocating to the new site, patients will benefit from improved privacy and dignity arrangements; a fit for purpose building for the growing practice; patient centred care in a modern, purpose built environment, whilst accommodating the practice’s growing needs; improved disabled access; improvement in staff working conditions; increased car parking provision for both staff and patients; a wider range of enhanced primary care services; and provision of on-site pharmacy services integrated with the practice in terms of working process and delivery.

Services normally provided in a hospital or other local clinics could be provided at the new building freeing up facilities for more specialist procedures and improving healthcare capacity. We have included a Minor Ops suite to support some of these services.

A “pandemic wing” has been included in the surgery, with the option to isolate some rooms from the rest of the building, and with separate access for patients and staff.

There is an established need for St Paul’s surgery to expand. The existing premises are over capacity with no ability to extend.

Providing the surgery with a new, purpose built building, will allow them to not only improve routine clinical services but also offer a wide range of integrated services for patients and local community.

The layout of the building is designed to make it easy to navigate for both patients and staff, while creating a space that is enjoyable to work in and pleasant to visit. The central location of the site is ideal for a new medical centre, with established public transport links.”

McLoughlin Planning was part of a team, assisting in the securing of planning permission for a new medical centre for Stourport.

McLoughlin Planning was part of a team led by West Hart Partnership, assisting in the securing of planning permission for a new state-of-the-art medical centre for Stourport, on behalf of GB Partnerships.

The need for the new practice was driven by the merger of the town’s two doctor’s surgeries. Our services related to providing the planning policy justification for the new Medical Centre, balancing the loss of Public Open Space and the partial location of the site in Flood Zone 2 with the compelling need for a new medical centre in the town. Our work drew heavily on previous experience of reviewing public open provision for the town and government guidance requiring the provision of essential infrastructure.

Construction work began during July 2020 and when completed, will provide a medical centre capable of meeting the needs of 21,500 patients.

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.

Permission secured for variation of a restrictive retail condition, using the new Class E (of the Use Classes Order).

Historically, retail (Use Class A) development was heavily regulated in terms of where it could be sited, relative to the City Centre and associated district centres.

Outside of such locations, planning conditions have been frequently imposed to control the sale of goods from such locations, so that they don’t compete with established City and District Centres.

Recent Use Class Order changes and the introduction of Class E has created significant opportunities for retail development to be provided in locations unrestrained by retail planning policy.

This all sounds great except it leaves commercial landlords holding retail property in a difficult position. Many are limited by legacy conditions from a different time in planning which reduces the attractiveness of their properties, especially when faced with the freedom offered by Class E.

We have been successful in helping one such landlord out.

McLoughlin Planning has secured planning permission for the variation of a retail condition on a 2000 sq.ft. retail unit on the edge of the City Centre.

The unit benefitted from planning permission for retail uses, although with a restrictive policy that determined what goods could be sold from the premises. It expressly prevented the sale of food from the unit. This condition still applies despite the recent changes to the Use Classes Order.

In securing a variation of the retail condition to allow for food sales, we reviewed the availability of existing retail and non-retail floorspace in the City to prove that there was no other available locations as well as establishing a reasoned case that Class E allowed for development anywhere in the City.

This allowed a vacant unit to be brought back into a positive retail use. It will re-open as a small foodstore, making best use of an existing edge of centre site, promoting economic activity and avoiding a vacant retail unit becoming a problem.