News Archives - Page 17 of 45 - Planning Design Ltd

Decision overturned allows conversion to flourish

28th November 202222nd March 2022 by Gary Stringer

Decision overturned! Planning & Design Practice successfully overturned a decision to refuse prior approval for the change of use of an agricultural building to three dwellings at Flourish Farm, Dale Abbey, Derbyshire under Class Q of the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO).

The building is a simple structure, enclosed on three sides with concrete block work walls. Above the block work the walls of the barn are finished in vertical timber cladding on two sides (north and west elevations), the east elevation is clad in profiled steel cladding above this, the roof is corrugated metal sheet roof.

The main issue the Inspector had to consider was whether the appeal building would be capable of functioning as a dwelling and whether the proposed development would fall within the definition of development permitted by the GPDO.

The Inspector found that the building would be capable of functioning as three dwellings, concurring with the appellant’s position that the building is structurally sound, and no significant improvements or modifications are required to facilitate the conversion.

The Inspector also agreed that the installation of new external walls only represents a small percentage of the building, disagreeing with the Council’s position that the closing of these openings would be so significant to amount to a rebuilding of the barn.

On the basis on the above the Inspector resolved to grant the appeal and allow the conversion of the building under Class Q of the GPDO.

Class Q’s are something Planning & Design Practice Ltd are well versed in, having helped lots of home owners imagine and realise their dream homes. The permitted development right is a notoriously complicated and thorny issue with many Planning Authorities. Since the permitted development right was introduced, there have been several notable appeal decisions which have altered and clarified how Class Q applications should be dealt with by an Authority. You can read more about this here.

We have vast experience of working on rural projects for homeowners, landowners and farmers in rural areas including barn conversions (both via a planning application and Class Q) and farm diversification schemes. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a no obligation consultation to discuss your project or property.

Heritage Project Update – Spring 2022

30th January 202422nd March 2022 by Gary Stringer

Buildings symbolising the heritage of towns, Spring

Jon Millhouse, both a Chartered Town Planner and a Full Member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, with a specialist interest in Historic Building Conservation provides his Spring update on several of the interesting heritage and conservation projects that Planning & Design Practice are currently engaged with.

As 2022 starts, with a sense of cautious optimism as we learn to live with Covid and embrace the new normal of the pandemic, it’s been rewarding to see progress being made on a number of the Heritage projects that the team here at Planning & Design Practice are working on.

It’s a great step forward for the project that planning/ listed building applications for the first phase of the proposed £35 million restoration and transformation of Elvaston Castle Country Park have been submitted to both Derbyshire County Council and South Derbyshire District Council.

The proposals aim to reverse decades of under investment and secure the future of the 321-acre Derbyshire estate, which includes the historic Grade II* listed gardens. The proposals include the conversion and extension of existing buildings to create new and improved commercial, recreational and educational uses and the construction of a new roundabout, access drive, delivery drive and car park.

We are working with Derbyshire County Council and Elvaston Castle and Garden Trust, together with the National Trust as Heritage Planning Consultants on the project.

A comprehensive public consultation exercise was undertaken in the Autumn of last year and members of the public can view the application, plans and the other documents submitted at Derbyshire County Council, County Hall, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3AG, online at www.derbyshire.gov.uk or at the Planning Department, South Derbyshire District Council, Civic Way, Swadlincote, Derbyshire, DE11 0AH.

We are pleased to be working with Belper Rugby Club to secure planning permission for an extension to their club house. This is set within an historic context being located within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site, next to Grade II listed Babington Hospital. The hospital, which was previously the Belper Workhouse was designed by the famous Architect George Gilbert Scott, who also co-designed the Houses of Parliament. Founded by teachers and pupils from Belper High School in 1975, we’re looking forward to playing a part in the future of the Club.

Having worked on the original in 2013, we are pleased to have been asked to write an updated version of the Ripley Neighbourhood plan, with the town council to consult on this new draft. The Neighbourhood Area covers the whole of the parish of Ripley and sets out planning policies for this area until 2028. The Ripley Neighbourhood Plan forms part of the Development Plan for the area and will be used through the planning process to assess future development proposals. We have included some new policies with the aim of recognising the, to my mind, the often-overlooked heritage of this town within the Amber Valley.

Having obtained reserved matters approval last Autumn for a new shop, cafe, and plant sales area at Glapwell Nurseries, we are pleased to see that work has started on the construction of 64 new homes on the site by our client Meadowview Homes, for which we also achieved reserved matters approval. A Derbyshire based bespoke house builder Meadowview have purchased and will be developing the residential part of the approved Glapwell Nurseries development. The sensitive redevelopment of the site will also see the restoration of a Grade II listed, 11th Century Bothy, the protection of an historic wall and a new public art installation to celebrate sites history.

For updates on these projects and more information on all things planning and architecture related, as well as expert advice and opinion, sign up to receive our free Monthly Newsletter.

Jon Millhouse, Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning permission for new Sheffield apartments

28th November 202222nd March 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice is delighted to have secured planning permission for 8 apartments on land at Cross Street, Sheffield. The proposed development includes the erection of a two-storey building and the extension and change of use of an existing two-storey building, as well a bin/bike store, parking area, landscaping, and outdoor space.

The application site is located on the eastern side of the Market Square in Woodhouse shopping centre, which is defined in the Sheffield Unitary Development Plan as a ‘District Centre’. A mixed-use area comprising of a range of commercial uses on the ground floor, and residential uses on the upper floors. The existing buildings on the site are 2 and 3 storey stone faced domestic style, dating from the 18th and 19th centuries. The site is set back approximately 15m off Cross Street and elements of the site are within the ‘District Centre’ designation.

The development seeks to make effective use of brownfield land in a sustainable location close to a range of services and facilities. The design of the site establishes a strong sense of place along Church Lane whilst optimising the potential of the site to accommodate and sustain an appropriate amount / mix of development to support local facilities and transport networks; creating a development that is safe, inclusive, and accessible by design.

The Planning Officer concluded that residential development would “not prejudice the dominance of preferred retail uses” in the District Shopping Centre and would “assist the aims of the Core Strategy in providing new homes in a sustainable, brownfield location, within an existing centre, at an appropriate density”. Given that Sheffield City Council is currently unable to demonstrate a 5-year housing land supply, the “tilted balance” set out in the National Planning Policy Framework was applied and the officer attributed significant weight to the contribution the proposal would make to the supply of homes in Sheffield.

With an office at the Workstation, and with numerous clients and projects in the area we are proud to have a close connection with Sheffield. Please get in touch for advice on local planning & development.

Planning Success: Boost for rural tourism within Derbyshire Dales

28th November 202222nd March 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice is pleased to announce that planning permission has recently been secured for the conversion of a traditional barn range to form two holiday lets (application ref: 21/01506/FUL) within the open countryside at Woodhay Farm, Marston Montgomery, Derbyshire – providing a boost for rural tourism.

Woodhay Farm is in the process of diversification. We had obtained prior approval (application ref: 18/00291/PDC) to change the use of the central modern agricultural barn into a business unit under Class R, Part 3 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended). This consent has now been implemented and includes a training, demonstration and conference area to support our client’s business, Beresfords Flooring Ltd which is a precast flooring and air bag fall protection company, offering a nationwide service.

**Figure 1:** Approved plans for the Class R Business Centre

Our client also obtained prior approval under Class Q, Part 3 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) for the conversion of an agricultural building to a dwelling in the western part of the site (application ref: 18/00184/PDA). This conversion project is also now complete.

**Figure 2:** Photograph of the Class Q Barn Conversion

More recently Planning & Design Practice were instructed to prepare, submit and manage a full planning application for the conversion of the remaining traditional red brick barns at Woodhay Farm to form two holiday lets and the retention of secondary access track to approved barn conversion.

The National Planning Policy Framework indicates that planning policies should support sustainable rural tourism and leisure developments that benefit businesses in rural areas, communities and visitors. This can include supporting the provision and expansion of tourist facilities in appropriate locations. We worked closely with the Local Planning Authority to secure planning permission under delegated authority by Officers at Derbyshire Dales District Council.

**Figure 3:** Existing traditional red brick barn to be converted

We have vast experience of working on rural projects for homeowners, landowners and farmers in rural areas including rural housing development, barn conversions (both via a planning application and Class Q), farm diversification schemes and tourist accommodation. We can provide you with expert advice on issues to be taken into account prior to submission of your application through to receiving the decision. For a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Andrew Stock, Principal Planner, Planning & Design Practice Ltd.

Microsoft Rare – Discharge of Conditions

28th November 202221st March 2022 by Gary Stringer

PDP_Microsoft Discharge of Conditions, Microsoft Rare Planning Consultants

Planning & Design Practice have successfully discharged the conditions attached to planning permission we helped secure in May 2021, for 1250 m2 of new office space to house Microsoft Rare’s latest expansion at Manor Park, Twycross, the purpose-built headquarters and design studio for the software developer.

For those who aren’t aware, Rare Limited is a British video game developer and a studio of Xbox Game Studios based in Twycross. Rare are known for their games spanning many generations and genres. Some of their most popular titles include GoldenEye 007, Sea of Thieves and Donkey Kong.

The new office building is set to be one of the country’s most sustainable buildings with careful consideration having gone into every element of the design from the carbon footprint of the materials used (including the distance travelled to import them to the site), through to the new solar array which will generate renewable energy to power the building.

The building has been designed by London based Architects LOM Architecture and Design working as part of a collaborative team of consultants led by Seven Partnership involving RKD, RPS Group, Cundall, 3 Sphere, EPS and Atelier Ten and Planning & Design Practice as the Planning Consultant.

Each ‘Barn’ building on the site accommodates a game based on different platforms and are therefore kept entirely separate and insulated from one another to avoid cross over between games and ideas. The new barn will provide workspace for one or more game development teams on two floors.

Planning & Design were involved with the project from start to finish, from the early concept stages and the pre-application enquiry, right up to post-submission and we are excited to see the development progress in the coming months.

Planning & Design have a wealth of experience in designing and securing planning permission for commercial projects.

We have the required skills to design both small and large scale schemes in-house and tailor the design to the client’s unique specifications. If you are unsure of your site’s potential, we are also able to provide our professional opinion on the planning potential of your property at the outset.

We can support your development aspirations through the various stages of the planning process, including (but not limited to): feasibility studies, site promotion through the local plan, pre-applications, outline & full planning applications and appeals. Contact us for a no obligation consultation to find out more about how we can help.

Planning & Design become a RIBA Chartered Practice

28th November 202215th March 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice are pleased to announce that they have been recognised as a RIBA Chartered architectural practice. The Royal Institute of British Architects is a global professional membership body driving excellence in architecture.

RIBA Chartered practices are the only architectural practices endorsed and promoted by the Royal Institute of British Architects. This accreditation sends a strong signal to clients, employees and the wider construction industry and shows that the practice is committed to excellence in design and service delivery.

At Planning & Design Practice we believe in good architecture, to improve our quality of life, create real value and to drive sustainable development, creating robust, resilient homes and buildings to face the challenges of climate change.

Our approachable and experienced team comprises Architects, Architectural Assistants, designers and technicians.

The team is led by Lindsay Cruddas, a RIBA accredited Specialist Conservation Architect, of which there are currently only 141 in the country. Lindsay qualified as a RIBA Chartered Architect in 2012, after receiving her degrees in Architecture at Leeds Metropolitan University, she has a specialist knowledge and interest in historic building conservation, reuse of redundant buildings and residential design.

On receiving the RIBA Chartered Status Lindsay said “We strive to gain the best outcome for our clients and design spaces that we are proud of. Becoming a RIBA Chartered Practice demonstrates that commitment to quality, service and design. I was delighted to receive the Chartered Status and proud to be developing the architectural side of the business.”

Joining Lindsay are Senior Architect Siegfried Doering (Dipl.-Ing. Architecture, AKH, ARBA) and Project Architect Manik Karunaratne (BA (Hons), MArch (Leicester), ARB).

Prior to Planning & Design Siegfried was Senior Architect/Project Design Manager as part of a team of 25 architects and engineers, and also Quality Manager in the department for an international company offering worldwide infrastructure buildings including train stations, data centres, train/tram depots, offices and maintenance facilities.

An Architects Registration Board (ARB) UK registered architect, Manik qualified in 2018 at the University of Nottingham, following an architectural journey comprised of several universities, having studied at the University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University and De Montfort University.

Having worked on commercial architecture practices previously, Manik has experience on office buildings, high rise apartments buildings, housing developments and barn conversions. Currently he is working on a variety of vernacular and domestic projects liaising closely with clients and further developing his knowledge in heritage and conservation.

Also part of the team are Part II Architectural Assistant Tina Humphreys, a graduate of De Montfort University in Leicester with a Master’s in Architecture, who is now working towards becoming an RIBA Chartered Architect. Joseph Cattmull is our Architectural Technologist, who graduated from the University of Derby, after studying the built environment at Cambridge Regional College, and who brings an interest in listed and traditional architecture and how they can be modernised.

Continuing a tradition of encouraging and supporting emerging talent, we are also pleased to announce the recent addition to the team of Joshua Bunce and Matthew Kempster as Junior Architectural Technicians, both joined the company in 2021.

Since being founded in 2002 Planning & Design Practice Ltd has earnt an excellent reputation for winning approvals and for creating attractive and viable proposals. Comprising RTPI Chartered town planners and RIBA Chartered Architects the company has generated over £200m of uplift in land values for clients through its consents and proposals. The architectural side of the business boasts true international expertise having worked on large scale projects across Europe and the United States as well as in the UK. The company is able to design award winning proposals for a wide range of clients across the country.

The company’s heritage team can advise on listed buildings and developments in sensitive locations whilst maintaining a strong planning consultancy team. In both 2019 and 2021 our heritage work was recognised and awarded the Highly Commended Certificate for Excellence in Planning at the RTPI East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence.

At Planning & Design we believe that good design is a crucial part of the planning process. Getting the design of a project right is critical to gaining a successful planning consent and avoiding unnecessary delay and costs.

We can help you to establish your brief and work through your design ideas, whilst bringing solutions to make your building a successful place to live or work in.

Our architectural team are based across Derby, Matlock, Macclesfield and Sheffield. For more information, or to discuss your dream project please get in touch.

Could Agricultural Transition and Biodiversity Net Gain be unlikely bedfellows?

28th November 202217th February 2022 by Gary Stringer

Our Director and Chartered Town Planner, Richard Pigott reflects on Agricultural Transition and the links with biodiversity net gain targets incorporated in the Environment Act 2021.

I attended an event this week on Agricultural Transition which is being described as the most significant change in agricultural policy for over 50 years. As a consequence of Brexit the UK has the opportunity to devise its own system of rural grants and payments that provide help to the farming industry. This was of particular interest for two reasons. Firstly, because many of our clients are farmers or own rural properties and it is important to have some understanding of the pressures they are facing in this period of transition so that we can advise them on potential farm diversification projects. Secondly, there are a multiplicity of new environmental schemes which have implications for the whole development industry in light of the legal requirement (by virtue of the Environment Act 2021) that all development must achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity by late 2023 . Biodiversity net gain can be achieved on-site, off-site or through a combination of on-site and off-site measures. To achieve biodiversity net gain, proposals must follow the ‘mitigation hierarchy’ which compels planning applicants to avoid harm in the first instance, then mitigate or finally compensate for losses on-site, off-site or through a combination of the two solutions. These measures will be required in planning conditions and legal agreements.

In some cases, applicants/developers will own land nearby that can help them to achieve the 10% figure but in more cases it will be necessary to identify land in 3rd party ownership that can be ‘improved’ and managed in an ecologically friendly way for at least 30 years in order to obtain planning consent. This could either be done by approaching landowners directly or by approaching a 3rd party organisation who effectively act as an agent, bringing together landowners and developers – as one such company puts it, “Through a network of habitat banks, we’ve launched Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Credits – a groundbreaking new product that gives developers a simple, risk-free way to implement BNG and at the same time provides the opportunity for landowners to diversify their business. It has the power to unlock sustainable development and restore nature.

Whether this approach will be quite so simple in practice remains to be seen. Will the costs of BNG credits be prohibitive, making some development unviable? Will there be enough BNG credits to go round once the legal requirement takes effect in around 18 months time? Is there the resource to enforce such management agreements in the long term?

These are interesting times for the agricultural industry and it could well be that Biodiversity Net Gain is coming along at the right time for farmers and landowners.

Richard Pigott, Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning Success for Churchway Homes Ltd

28th November 202216th February 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd is delighted to secure planning permission for amendments to a Reserved Matters approval on land to the South of Jetting Cottage and Jetting Forge, Fallgate, Milltown, Ashover, in Derbyshire, for our clients Churchway Homes Ltd.

Planning permission was originally granted for 5 large detached homes on a former quarry site. The principle of residential development had already been established following the grant of planning permission (application refs: 18/00291/RM and 19/00393/RM) and as works had previously begun on-site the permissions remain extant.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd were instructed by Churchway Homes Ltd to prepare, submit and manage a Section 73 planning application to vary Condition 1 (approved plans) of planning permission 19/00393/RM to allow for various alterations to one of the five houses approved in 2018.

Section 73 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 allows applications to be made for permission to develop without complying with a condition(s) previously imposed on a planning permission.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd worked closely with the Local Planning Authority to secure planning permission under delegated authority by Officers at North East Derbyshire District Council.

Gaining planning permission is a key step in almost any development. Planning & Design Practice Ltd is a multi-disciplinary team of Town Planners, Architects, Architectural Assistants and Design Professionals, and Heritage Specialists. We can take a project through from inception to completion, but we also offer the flexibility to engage a client’s own architects and provide a planning service, whilst our design team can also work with clients who have engaged other town planning professionals.

We have extensive knowledge about the policies and procedures of individual councils and the approach taken by planning officers and Councillors. For a no obligation consultation to discuss your dream project or property, please don’t hesitate to contact us on 01332 347371 or via email at enquiries@planningdesign.co.uk.

Andrew Stock, Principal Planner, Planning & Design Practice Ltd.

Approval for bungalows to proceed

28th November 202216th February 2022 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice were pleased when our application to discharge a number of pre-commencement conditions pursuant to a planning approval (17/00200/OL) to build 10 new bungalows was approved on behalf of our client. Pre-commencement conditions are those conditions on a planning permission which must be fulfilled before work starts on site or before the use of land changes.

The original application was for the approval of reserved matters for the erection of 10 bungalows to wheelchair user standard M4(3) comprising of 2 bedroom bungalows of 2 different house types.

The application sought approval of details relating to:

Employment & Training,
Public Art,
Surface Water Drainage,
Assessment of existing land drainage,
Foul Sewage,
Construction Method Statement,
Site Accommodation, Access onto Milken Lane,
Parking and Manoeuvring,
a Written Scheme of Investigation,
a Construction Environmental Management Plan,
a Landscape Ecological Management Plan,
Badger Survey,
Land Contamination,
and a Remediation strategy.

The nature of the conditions were to ensure there was clear mitigation provided. We were able to collaborate with a number of key stakeholders to ensure that the technical details of the application were approved to allow work to commence on site.

The application site forms an agricultural field on the edge of the village of Ashover, in Derbyshire. This is beyond the defined Settlement Development Limit within open countryside which is designated as a Special Landscape Area. It is open in character and slopes from north to south towards the main point of access taken from Milken Lane. A track runs along the eastern edge of the site leading to Grange Farm and Grange Barn to the north east.

The original outline planning permission restricts the approved development on the site to “bungalows” in the description of development, and also by condition 4 of the permission which states that “the dwellings hereby approved shall be single storey only.”

There is no other option then other than to design single storey dwellings for this development.

The theme chosen was that of traditional agricultural buildings – in appearance and materials as well as in the courtyard-type layout that has been submitted for consideration. Inspiration came from existing barn conversions and other rural developments that retain an agricultural character. The design chosen therefore includes materials typical of vernacular rural buildings – stone, timber, and plain clay roof tiles (Staffordshire Blue is proposed to be in keeping with many of the traditional buildings in Ashover). The layout of the site seeks to address social isolation and loneliness. The properties will have living areas to the front overlooking communal open space with land for a communal garden. There is an option for residents to become members of a Residents Association. The properties and layout are designed to encourage social interaction with all properties overlooking the central access road and communal spaces.

The site layout aims to create an informal courtyard feel, to represent the character of a farmyard through the relationship between the buildings.

We work with developers of all sizes, from small companies working on one property at a time to large housebuilders and commercial organisations where multi-million pound schemes are the norm. Our core planning and architectural expertise is supported by specialists in Heritage and Urban Design. We always think innovatively and a collaborative approach is at the heart of what we do. To discuss your project or property, contact us on 01332 347371 to arrange a no obligation consultation.

Proposed extension in Conservation Area

28th November 202215th February 2022 by Gary Stringer

On behalf of our client, Planning & Design Practice have submitted proposals for a single and two storey extension to a cottage within the Brassington Conservation Area, Derbyshire.

Whilst the property is not listed, believed to have been built in late 19th Century, and in the style of an Italian villa, it does have value in its history, and aesthetics.

The existing property is situated on a large plot on the northern edge of Brassington and within the Brassington Conservation Area. The dwelling is a large, detached, limestone-built property prominently sited on rising ground on the western side of Dale End – the main north – south route through Brassington. Brassington Village Hall is located to the southeast of the dwelling.

Planning permission is sought to demolish the existing northern single storey element of the dwelling and replace it with a part single storey, part two storey extension.

The existing dwelling is prominent with the Brassington Conservation Area due to its elevated location from Dale End. The original dwelling is of a simple form with traditional hipped roof. The converted garage and two small outbuildings were previous additions to the property which have been piecemeal, and each extension/addition is on a slightly different level; there are 6 different ground floor levels. The existing layout makes for awkward living space, where the occupiers have had to live in one side of the house as the garage and subsequent additions do not relate well to the main living space and have become storage spaces.

The later extensions/converted outbuildings were therefore considered less important to the overall character of the property and the Conservation Area, and their removal as part of this application was seen to be justified.

The proposed works are intended to give the owners of the property a better use of the space in their dwelling, provide an obvious entrance point and make better connections with the garden area to the west.

The proposed design of the extension will utilise the same hipped roof design as the main dwelling house (albeit with a flat lead roof section). The ridge and eaves height of the proposed extension has been reduced to provide a sense of subservience to the original property.

It is proposed to construct the new extensions in matching materials to the main house. It is proposed to use stone which will be re-used from the existing extensions that are proposed to be demolished. The principal elevations of the original house have finely cut and laid dolomitic limestone and sandstone dressings. The rear elevations are of rubble stonework.

The proposal ensures that the entire proposed north and eastern elevations of the new extensions will match the finely cut & laid limestone of the host building. Matching such a distinctive architectural style and its constructional materials etc. is considered to complement the building & Conservation Area.

At Planning & Design Practice, we recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas. Our Heritage team includes Director Jon Millhouse, who is a Full Member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, Architectural team leader Lindsay Cruddas, a registered Specialist Conservation Architect and Heritage Assistant Ruth Gray who recently completed a Masters in Public History and Heritage at the University of Derby. For more information on the heritage services we offer, or for a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your project or property, please don’t hesitate to get in touch to find out how we can help.

Decision overturned allows conversion to flourish

Heritage Project Update – Spring 2022

Planning permission for new Sheffield apartments

Planning Success: Boost for rural tourism within Derbyshire Dales

Microsoft Rare – Discharge of Conditions

Planning & Design become a RIBA Chartered Practice

Could Agricultural Transition and Biodiversity Net Gain be unlikely bedfellows?

Planning Success for Churchway Homes Ltd

Approval for bungalows to proceed

Proposed extension in Conservation Area

Offices

Services

Useful Links

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

GET IN TOUCH