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 has secured planning permission to redevelop Ellen Badger hospital, Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire to provide a much-needed BREEAM Excellent integrated health and well-being community hub, that includes a medical centre, café, well-being centre, and a community garden. The project is a great example of the NHS pulling together its different functions and services.

Whilst the proposed development replaces an existing medical centre, the development’s edge of settlement location, re-siting, and a significant increase in size (both in floor space and height) to accommodate the additional demand of the local community were key planning and design issues which we needed to assess and overcome.

We worked closely with architects One Creative to ensure the proposed development respected its context and edge of the settlement location to provide a positive example of new development for the community. For example, the existing river to the back of the development site has been incorporated into the scheme as part of a community garden creating a place for nature and tranquillity.

Our understanding of the policy requirements of Stratford District Council, and the undertaking of a meaningful pre-application submission and public consultation allowed us to advise the South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust on a planning strategy to ensure that the parameters of the proposed development were policy compliant.

Due to the scale of the development proposed and, for the Trust to retain essential services for the community, we worked with the Council to find an appropriate way through suitably worded planning conditions to break up the development into 2 phases. This avoided the need for two separate planning applications and provide a clear and single reference point for the Trust to ensure compliance with their planning permission.

This project enabled us to help build a new community of 198 much-needed new homes. We were brought in to secure outline permission for the landowners and retained by the developer to see the project through reserved matters.

We helped design a landscape-led development with a strong sense of place, including a tree-lined avenue and hedges which highlight the beautiful Cotswolds backdrop. A new park was created too, which all contributed to maintaining the legacy for a conscientious landowner.

We overcame many difficulties, not least ensuring that the requirements of an EIA-based application were met. We balanced the needs and desires of the council, landowners and developers, showing that we can solve challenges by bringing people together and building strong relationships. Our project management skills were also vital in seeing the proposals through to submission and discharging conditions.

McLoughlin Planning was appointed by Kier Construction to provide planning consultancy advice as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

McLoughlin Planning was appointed by Kier Construction to provide planning consultancy advice as part of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver Full Planning Permission for a new 2 Form Entry Primary School and nursery in the Quedgeley area of Gloucester.

The application was complex and contentious, as it involved the loss of an area of undeveloped land in the City, which was used by local residents for informal recreation, notwithstanding the fact that it was allocated for educational purposes and not protected for open space. This eventually saw the application being successfully determined at Appeal.

Through the Appeal process, we were able to provide a robust planning case, highlighting the development plan context for the site and the compelling guidance provided by Government regarding the provision of new schools. In addition, we were also able to draw on the Council’s own evidence regarding the availability of open space in the area to demonstrate to the Inspector that there was a surplus of the type of open space in the area, thus allowing him to better balance the competing needs of the Case.

We also provided extensive support in negotiating the Statement of Common Ground, which resulted in a number of Reasons for Refusal being dropped by the Council, thus ensuring that Inquiry time was minimised.

Mcloughlin Planning has successfully secured planning permission for the conversion of an agricultural building in Sandhurst, Gloucestershire.

Our client had previously secured prior approval for the erection of an agricultural barn to support their existing wider farming operation.

Having secured this approval the owner included (as part of the build) an internal space to provide a shooting lodge.

As their prior approval had limited the use of the barn to solely agricultural use, we were asked what could be done about this? Having a strong working relationship with the Council we were able to agree steps forward and therefore prepare and submit a planning application.

Chris Fleming, one of our Associate Directors, has years of experience working with rural land and property owners across Gloucestershire and the South West. His experience and expertise offered useful insight into the best planning strategy to ensure a robust planning application.

Demonstrating that the shooting lodge offered opportunities for farm diversification and that the proposal would not result in any planning harm, Chris worked closely with the Case Officer and Head of Planning at Tewkesbury Borough Council to reached a positive outcome.

This project is a great example of the importance of understanding restrictions and opportunities from planning decisions and experience in understanding rural planning policies.

We are so pleased that our team were able to add value to our client’s project and that the Cotswolds has a handsome new shooting lodge in its midst.

This was an ultimate grand design to match even the most ambitious dream home project. Working with architect, Richard Parr, we were involved from start to finish of this project nestled in a 150-acre farm in the spectacular Oxfordshire countryside.

The existing Cotswolds farmhouse cottage needed significant upscaling to meet our client’s needs for more space alongside first rate equestrian facilities. The sensitivity of the site, which lies near Chipping Norton, meant we were required to work hard with the project team and planning authority to meet the needs of our family client by making the case for an innovative development.

The result is a bespoke solution to delivering a beautiful 20,000 sq ft home marrying modern construction and traditional craftsmanship.

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.

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.