Site appraisal
We look at what your site could realistically carry, the constraints and policies that apply and the objections it may meet. You come away with a clear view of whether it is worth taking forward, and how.
Development · Derby
Residential development and land promotion in Derby
If you own land in or around Derby, or you are looking at a site to develop, the questions that matter first are what it could realistically carry and which route to permission suits it best. We can usually offer you an early view of both, before you commit to the cost of an application.
Our planners and architects work together on residential schemes of different sizes, so your site is looked at as a place to live as well as a planning case from the first conversation.
Key contact
Richard Pigott
Managing Director – Chartered Town Planner
How we can help
Help for landowners, developers and promoters
Over the life of your site you may need several of these, sometimes at the same time. We will suggest the ones that suit your land and your plans, and explain why.
Planning applications
We prepare outline and full applications for residential schemes and coordinate the specialist reports that go with them. You have one team drawing the whole case together on your behalf.
Land promotion
If your land may suit housing in the future, we can put it forward when the Council reviews its development plan and make the case for it at each stage. We will explain how that could sit alongside, or instead of, an application for your site.
Appeals
If your application is refused, we will look carefully at the reasons and tell you plainly how strong an appeal would be before you decide. Our planners can then take the appeal forward, so you keep the team that already knows your site.
How we work with you
From land to planning permission
Much of the value in your site is created before an application is submitted, so the early steps deserve the most care. Here’s how we usually take a site forward with you.
Step 1
Initial appraisal
We look at the constraints, the policy position and the planning history, and give you a view on whether the site is worth taking forward.
Step 2
Strategy
We set out your options, whether that means an application, promoting the land through the plan-making process or both, with the likely timescales and costs of each.
Step 3
Preparing the case
We bring the layout, the technical reports and the planning argument together into one clear case for your site.
Step 4
Submission
We submit a complete application and deal with the questions that follow from the case officer and consultees, keeping you informed as it progresses.
Step 5
Decision or appeal
We see the application through to a decision, and if it is refused we advise you candidly on whether an appeal is worth pursuing.
Local context
Planning in Derby
If you are weighing up what to do with land in or around Derby, it may help to see the kind of schemes we have taken through planning nearby.
At Oaklands in Strutt’s Park, we provided the planning, heritage and urban design work for a scheme that restored a Victorian villa and added nine new houses within the conservation area. It was won at appeal, where the case turned on highways, and the houses have since been built. If your land is in a conservation area, or access is the hardest question, Oaklands shows that both can be worked through with care and the right evidence.
In South Derbyshire, we designed an approved residential development at Twyford, five miles from Derby, which included listed building and barn conversion elements. We also designed a residential development at Etwall, six miles west of Derby, which was won at appeal. If your site includes older buildings, Twyford shows they can become part of the scheme, and Etwall is a reminder that a refusal need not be the end of the road.
Whether your land is a single plot or a larger site on the edge of the city, we will start by understanding what it could carry and what the council deciding it is likely to support. You will then have the same team with you, shaping the layout and the planning case together, all the way to a decision.
Green Belt on the edges of the city
If your land is on the northern, eastern or south-eastern edge of Derby, it may be in the Green Belt. Housing there faces a stricter policy test and has to be argued carefully against national Green Belt policy, so we will advise you early on whether that case can be made for your site.
Flood risk along the Derwent
Parts of the city beside the Derwent lie within flood zones, which affects where new homes can go and the levels they sit at. We establish the flood position before a layout is fixed, so your scheme is planned around it from the start.
Conservation areas
Several parts of the city are conservation areas, where new homes need to take their lead from the scale, materials and pattern of what is already there. That rarely rules development out, and we help you design homes that sit comfortably among their neighbours.
RIBA
RTPI
IHBC
ARB
Housing schemes
Residential schemes in and around Derby
Housing schemes we have taken through planning in and around Derby, two of them allowed on appeal after the council refused them.
Strutts Park Conservation Area and Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site
Residential Development – Oaklands
Planning Design worked with Derby based house builders Meadowview Homes to prepare a sensitive redevelopment scheme for Oaklands, a large
Twyford
Residential Development – Twyford, Derbyshire
This project involves the resubmission of a refined residential scheme at a historic rural farmstead in Twyford.
Etwall
Residential Development – Etwall, Derbyshire
This project is an example of a carefully designed scheme of nine high‑quality family homes.
Common questions
Developing land around Derby, your questions answered
Is my land in Derby or in one of the neighbouring districts?
Applications inside the city boundary are decided by Derby City Council, and those outside it by the neighbouring districts, such as South Derbyshire, Amber Valley and Erewash. Land that feels part of Derby can sit just beyond the boundary, so if you share the address or a plan with us, we will check which council your site falls to.
Should I apply for permission or promote my land through the plan?
Often the answer is both, and the balance depends on your site, your timescale and how you feel about the possibility of an appeal. An application can move more quickly, while an allocation takes longer but gives your land a firmer footing once it is in place. We will set out the options for your site before you decide.
What does a site appraisal involve?
We look at your site’s constraints, its planning history and the policies that apply, and at the kind and amount of development it could reasonably carry. You receive a clear view of the prospects and the risks, so you can decide your next step with confidence.
Do you work with landowners as well as developers?
We work with landowners, developers and promoters alike. If you own land, you may want to understand what you hold before deciding whether to sell, promote or build, and we keep that advice separate from any decision to take a scheme forward.
What are the chances at appeal?
That depends on the reasons your application was refused and the evidence behind them. We will look at the decision with you and give you a considered view before you commit, because an appeal is only worth making when the case is strong enough. The deadline for an appeal is strict and counts from the decision date, so an early conversation keeps your options open.
How long does a residential planning application take?
A major scheme has a statutory thirteen weeks for a decision and a smaller one eight weeks, from the day the application is validated, and larger schemes often run to a timetable agreed with the Council. The preparation before submission is the part you can shape most, and we will plan a realistic timetable for your site with you at the outset.
Wider coverage
Nearby areas we cover
Find us
Our nearest office
Planning & Design Practice — Derby (Head Office)
3 Woburn House, Vernon Gate, Derby, DE1 1UL
Derby, Derbyshire and the East Midlands
Get started
Shall we look at your land together?
Do you have a site in mind, or land you have owned for a while and would like to understand better? Send us a location and a few lines about what you are considering, and we will give you an initial view of whether it is worth taking further. That first view costs you nothing.