Our Work

Our reputation for integrity and the respect we have gained means we are a growing business, thriving on personal recommendations from our loyal clients and trusted industry colleagues. Our team of town planning consultants deal with a host of interesting planning projects from across southern England and Wales.

Take a look at a few examples of our work

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Public Inquiry

Appeal for 45 Homes in Gotherington

Nathan McLoughlin and  Joe Seymour worked with the team of consultants that has successfully secured full planning permission, at appeal,  for 45 new homes at Gotherington on behalf of Lioncourt Strategic Land Limited.

This Appeal Decision is noteworthy because it led to confirmation that Tewkesbury Borough Council (TBC) cannot demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply; the best estimate of its housing supply is judged to be 3.39 years. This leaves the Council in a difficult position, which originates from its failure (as part of the Joint Core Strategy (JCS)) to undertake the immediate review that it promised in return for the JCS’s adoption over 5 years ago. This is compounded by the fact that the JCS review process is a number of years away from being resolved. So, there is no easy fix without more speculative applications and/or the long-delayed strategic housing sites coming forward.

However, 5-year supply is only one part of the case for a planning proposal, it is essential that there is a well-designed and reasoned scheme, which fits with the principles of development in the NPPF and the Development Plan. Working closely with the wider team Nathan and Joe explored the previous Appeal and the sensitive landscape issues which affected it. A detailed analysis of the state of the community facilities and services in the village was undertaken to demonstrate that contrary to the Council’s position, the development would not lead to social cohesion issues.

The Inspector at this appeal made remarks on TBCs development plan that were significantly damaging to this and any future counter-argument, the council might have,  against developments in Tewkesbury District;  the “most important” policies in the development plan were deemed to be out-of-date by the Inspector and paragraph 11 d(ii) of the Framework was held to apply. In addition, the Inspector judged that Policy SP2’s numerical limits on housing development in service village locations were for making allocations and not determining applications.

In paragraph 158 of the Decision, the inspector states:

“In my view, it is of central importance to keep in mind that housing is occupied by people. Dealing with numbers obscures that. The lack of a sufficient forward pipeline of deliverable housing sites will inevitably mean that the housing needs of many people will not be met.” 

This is why the team at McLoughlin Planning do what they do, we care about creating enough homes for everyone.

Nathan McLoughlin was the lead planning witness, Joe Seymour provided support and great skill in assembling and running the Appeal. The wider team included fellow witnesses Cameron Austin-Fell (RPS), and Mike Davies (Davies Landscape Architecture), overseen by Peter Goatley KC on behalf of Vicky Bilton and Andy Faizey at Lioncourt.

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Clearwater Primary School, Gloucester

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.

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About us

We have a simple objective: to get results for our clients by providing high quality planning consultancy. That means our goal is to secure planning permission or an allocation for development.

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We have used McLoughlin Planning (London) on two or three occasions and found them efficient, knowledgeable and excellent at negotiating with Local Authorities and third parties. Their concise and specific advice helped us win approval for schemes which had previously been notified for refusal. We would not hesitate using them again for planning issues in London.

Rob Haine Haine & Co. Ltd.

Having worked with Nathan and his team for a number of years, I have found he offers a rare combination of intellectual rigour and practical focus, coupled with a commercial approach. He is solution orientated and capable of delivering on accelerated timelines for clients at the highest level with exacting standards and positive results.

Craig Jordan Jordan Hennessy

I have known Nathan for over 10 years and have used his services to great effect where professionalism, tenacity and a clear focus have been required, to deliver successful results. With a cool head, aligned with attention to detail and commercial acumen, he and his team work effectively and diligently and we look forward to engaging on other projects in the future

Grant Westall-Reece Avant

Working with McLoughlin Planning has been very enjoyable. I have always found the team knowledgeable and easy to work with. They have always been professional and have managed to achieve the results desired.

Matt Richardson Legal and General Homes

We have used Nathan and his team to help with a range of planning matters on a number of occasions. I have always found them to be extremely helpful, responsive and proactive. Nathan always makes himself available for phone calls and or meetings. He is especially patient and good at explaining complex matters in a very user friendly way.

Mark Lawson The Buying Solution

We have worked with McLoughlin Planning for many years and have always been very pleased with level of service in helping us navigate the ever-changing planning system. I also never cease to be impressed by the answers to the completely random questions I ask Nathan about possible new sites, normally in several different locations at one go.

Ian Hitchings Partridge Homes (Cotswolds) Ltd

After many years of working with Nathan and his team, we know we can trust their planning opinion. They often provide a solution that demonstrates Planning experience and expertise and the benefit of their input is measured by the planning approval success and infrequent need to go to appeal on a decision.

George Paton WebbPaton

We have consistently used McLoughlin Planning to successfully promote greenfield development sites in a variety of locations. Aside from their technical capabilities, we also value their considered approach to projects - particularly when dealing with delicate and complex planning issues. This makes them a natural part of our team.

Alistair Watson Welbeck Strategic Land

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