Grade II Listed Archives - Planning Design Ltd

Listed barn conversion approved in Peak Park

28th November 20228th December 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice were delighted to secure planning and listed building consent this month, November 2021, for the conversion of a curtilage listed barn in the Peak District National Park, allowing the transformation of the building into dependent relative accommodation.

The barn is situated in the grounds of a centuries old, Grade II Listed farmhouse in the delightful village of Grattan, amidst rolling Derbyshire countryside. According to the Listing description, the farmhouse was constructed in 1689. The designation of the buildings as Grade II Listed is warranted given the date of construction and aesthetics, both are valued heritage assets which are an irreplaceable resource and contributes to the setting of the local village.

Thoughtful design, sensitivity to the heritage value of the farm and wider landscape, and careful negotiations with the Peak District National Park authority were required to secure consent.

The permission will now enable the applicants to accommodate their elderly parents on site, to be better able to look after their needs.

Obtaining planning permission can provide you with the dream home in the countryside or maybe the way of life you have always dreamt of.

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 you need on the issues to be taken into account prior to submission of your application right through to receiving the decision.

If you require advice on the reuse or development of land or buildings within the Peak District National Park, please do not hesitate to get in touch for a free, no obligation consultation.

Main Image: Dale End Farm

Green shoots with planning success at Glapwell Nurseries

28th November 202220th October 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd were pleased to obtain reserved matters approval this month for a new shop, cafe, and plant sales area at Glapwell Nurseries. This is as part of a larger redevelopment of the site which will also see the construction of 64 new homes by our client Meadowview Homes, a Derbyshire based bespoke housebuilder who have purchased and will be developing the residential part of the approved Glapwell Nurseries development.

The popular plant nursery is located in and around the walled garden of the former Glapwell Hall. We currently also have a reserved matters application in for the new homes, and a listed building application for the restoration of a Grade 2 listed 18th century former bothy on the site, which we hope will be approved soon.

The restoration of the dilapidated, Grade II listed Bothy will be a significant benefit. The relandscaping of the area to the west of the wall fronting the road, and the restoration of the majority of the wall (small sections will need to be removed to facilitate access) will be an opportunity to better reveal and protect these historical features.

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.

Since being founded in 2002, we have established a strong reputation for providing honest and sound commercial advice, skilled presentation, advocacy and negotiation.

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.

For a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your project or site, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

With more news to come on this existing development, please visit and bookmark our website for further updates on this ongoing project, you can also sign up for our free monthly newsletter HERE.

Main Image: The former Glapwell Hall, now demolished.

A family affair for Derbyshire listed barns conversion

29th November 202222nd June 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice obtained planning and listed building consent last month for the conversion of part of a complex of curtilage listed barns near Ashbourne to dependent relative accommodation.

The newly created accommodation will enable two generations of the same family to live alongside one another in attractive Derbyshire countryside. The applications required careful space planning and sensitivity to the historic buildings given their listed status.

The Planning and Listed Building application was for the conversion of a double garage, utility room and snug to dependent relative accommodation, to house the elderly parents of the new owners of the property. The proposals would see the existing snug and utility rooms repurposed as a bedroom and bathroom respectively. The garage will become a living/kitchen area, with recessed glazed panels inserted into the existing door openings. A new internal wall will be constructed to separate the annex. Two conservation rooflights will be inserted into the roof.

The property is part of a traditional range of brick-built barns at a Derbyshire Farm, converted several years ago. The farmhouse itself is Grade II Listed, the barns curtilage Listed.

The impact of the physical works on the character and appearance of the curtilage Listed Buildings are relatively minor. There are few historic features internally (concrete floors, concrete block walling, modern timber roof), thus the relatively minor changes (new wall, raised floor, insulation, opening the roof space, kitchen unit and bathroom) can be accommodated without undue harm.

Obtaining planning permission can provide you with that dream home in the countryside or maybe the way of life you have always dreamt of.

It can also bring about significant gains and help to maximise the value of your rural property. However, development in the countryside is subject to strict planning controls which can make obtaining planning permission very difficult. We have vast experience of working on rural projects for homeowners, landowners and farmers in rural areas. If you have any questions about a rural planning project please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Planning permission to facilitate care for creatures great and small at Derbyshire veterinary practice

29th November 202217th March 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice have successfully gained planning approval for a rear extension and new front porch entrance to a friendly and well-known independent veterinary practice within Matlock, Derbyshire. The veterinary practice moved into the Grade II Listed building that was formerly a pub and hotel called the Boat House Hotel which sits within the Matlock Dale Conservation Area.

The veterinary practice opened to the public in June 2016 following substantial internal renovation. Subsequently, the rapidly expanding practice has seen the need of extra space, for the back of house functions, such as operating rooms and storage. A previous planning application for a large rear extension to the existing former pub house was submitted, but was unsuccessful, which prompted the veterinary to approach Planning & Design to help them gain approval for this much needed extension to facilitate the future growth of the business.

As the Boat House Hotel is a Listed building, it is important to preserve and respect the existing building. The previous, unsuccessful design was for a single-story rear extension that abutted right up to most of the rear elevation of the existing building, with a flat roof design and used up most of the courtyard footprint to the rear.

After pre-application discussions and liaison between the clients and the local authority, Planning & Design were able to get approval for a design which better responds to the existing listed building in terms of scale, form and design, whilst also providing the client with the extra space needed to grow the veterinary practice business. The approved design has mostly moved away from the existing rear elevation of the existing building by incorporating two glass links which lead from the existing property to the new proposed extension with a central courtyard between the two links. The new extension is of a pitched roof form and more of a scale which is subservient to the listed building. The new design incorporates a stone plinth base and a rendered finish along with the glass links, providing a scheme which better preserves the historic character of the existing building and its surroundings.

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.

For more information, and a free half an hour consultation to discuss your project, please contact us.

Everton’s £500 million new stadium given council approval

29th November 202217th March 2021 by Gary Stringer

Everton Football Club’s 25 year search for a new stadium has reached a key milestone, writes keen Everton fan and Planning & Design Practice Ltd Director Richard Pigott. Planning applications for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock and a community-led legacy project at Goodison Park were unanimously approved by Liverpool City Council at a meeting last month.

The decision to grant approval for a new 52,888-capacity waterfront stadium and the outline application for a re-imagined Goodison Park (the club’s home since 18925) brings both projects a significant step closer. Everton worked closely with the Liverpool Planning Authority, Historic England and other stakeholders for the past 12-months as part of the planning application process, and for around 2 years prior to that.

It was not all plain sailing though. Historic England said that while it supports Everton’s need for a “state-of-the-art” stadium and the benefits it could bring, it advised the council to refuse the application. In a statement, it said the plan to infill the dock would “fundamentally change its historic character” and result in “substantial harm” to the significance of the Grade II listed dock. It added it could also damage the waterfront’s World Heritage Site status.

However, the LPA considered that the significant social and economic public benefits of the new stadium outweighed the harm to the heritage assets of the site, also noting that the club had committed to spending £55m in preserving and celebrating the heritage assets as well as creating a heritage centre around the currently derelict Hydraulic Tower. The club had also amended the proposals, including removing the multi-storey car park from the west quay, thus creating a stepped plaza forming a key part of the site’s public realm which can be used on non-matchdays, and by reducing the overall height of the stadium in line with Liverpool City Council’s World Heritage Site Supplementary Planning Document.

The Secretary of State will now decide whether to overturn or uphold the committee’s decision, and the UNESCO World Heritage status will be reviewed later this year. This is standard practice for a development of this size and scale and the Government will have an initial 21 days to review the application before reaching a decision.

Watch this space.

For more information and images please visit https://www.peoples-project.co.uk/

Main Image: The People’s Project, Pattern Design

Reappraising brutalist architecture

29th November 202213th January 2021 by Gary Stringer

Some of the finest examples of brutalist architecture in the north of England are at risk of being torn down, according to Simon Phipps, the photographer behind the book Brutal North, who believes a crucial part of the country’s architectural history could be lost in the process.

Lindsay Cruddas, a RIBA accredited Specialist Conservation Architect from Planning & Design Practice Ltd shares her thoughts on this divisive architectural style, the factors involved in considering the listing and conservation of buildings and the role that the re-evaluation and re-use of Brutalist buildings can play in a zero carbon future.

Design is subjective and Brutalist Architecture isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, moons ago I would have also wondered why a derelict 1950s brutalist building isn’t being knocked down for redevelopment. However, opinions change and so does our perception of Heritage.

Victorian architecture was once new and the following generation wanted to tear it down to make way for new buildings, fortunately much of it survives today given the relatively slow turn around on buildings occupancy.

Brutalist architecture, which are largely constructed from concrete expanses of blank walls and dominating structures, were mainly used for large scale developments such as flats, universities, and public buildings. A favourite of mine is the Roger Stevens Building at the University of Leeds, the structure is of an impressive scale and connects several spaces together. The building is a central figure in the city campus and negotiates the change in levels of the site with a grand concrete staircase. The building was designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon and built at the campus in the late 1960s. The striking façade expresses the ventilation services in concrete and internally the building uses ramped circulation to access the lecture theatres. The building was only listed in 2010 but because of its Significance it was Grade II* listed.

Conservation and listing of buildings is dependent on several factors of why a place is importance and what is its significance. They are broken down into the following categories:

Evidential value: the potential of a place to yield evidence about past human activity.
Historical value: the ways in which past people, events and aspects of life can be connected through a place to the present – it tends to be illustrative or associative.
Aesthetic value: the ways in which people draw sensory and intellectual stimulation from a place.
Communal value: the meanings of a place for the people who relate to it, or for whom it figures in their collective experience or memory.

As we move further into the 21st Century, some of these buildings are now 50-70 years old, they are the next stage of our architectural history. Of course, not every single brutalist building deserves to be listed however they do deserve a second chance. Take Park Hill in Sheffield, it was in a dilapidated state until recent years and now it has been refurbished into office space, a nursery, residential and student accommodation. The building has had a new lease of life and is a vibrant area of Sheffield once again.

Locally Derby Assembly Rooms could be listed to help secure its future. The building has Aesthetic value in its striking appearance with expanse of concrete and domineering stature. The building has communal value, for may people the building will be known for concerts and performances and the annual Derby Young Farmers Ball.

As a nation we wanted to be carbon zero by 2016, which was never going to be achievable, but part of our future is the reuse of existing buildings. The sensitive restoration and imaginative adaptation to these brutalist buildings could assist in the carbon zero goal as well as retaining a key part of our architectural history.

Lindsay Cruddas, Specialist Conservation Architect, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning Design recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas. We have worked on numerous schemes affecting Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and design team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us for a no obligation consultation to discuss your particular building or project.

Ongoing restoration heats up

30th November 202219th October 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd were delighted to receive consent for underfloor heating as part of the ongoing restoration of the Grade II listed Highfield Farm, Derbyshire.

The farmhouse, built in the 17th century, was traditionally heated by a large fireplace in each room. The farm had been tenanted up until the early 21st century however had never been installed with modern central heating.

The insertion of radiators and associated heating system would involve significant intrusion into the historic fabric of the building, requiring holes to be cut into walls and floors to accommodate pipes. It was considered that underfloor heating presents a better method of heating historic buildings, being a low level of background heat, spread uniformly and maintaining a stable temperature for the building. Radiators, meanwhile, rely on convection, resulting in circulation of rising hot air and causing a draught.

The existing floors comprised non-original quarry tiles, from a variety of different manufacturers and likely reclaimed from another house. These were laid upon bare earth. Traditional buildings, of solid masonry construction and without a damp proof course, rely on vapour permeable materials to allow moisture to enter and exit the building. The insertion of a modern, impervious, concrete floor slab would force ground moisture into the walls, causing problems with damp. It was decided that a limecrete slab would instead be laid to maintain vapour permeability. Lime is also more environmentally friendly, being burnt at lower temperatures than Portland cement whilst absorbing CO2 during the setting process of carbonation.

The limecrete was combined with recycled foam glass, providing a vapour permeable layer of insulation to prevent heat loss.

The floor is to be completed with the insertion of new stone slabs, as would have likely existed originally in the 17th century farmhouse.

At Planning & Design Practice Ltd we recognise the importance of the built heritage in our towns, villages and rural areas. We have the in-house expertise to ensure that proposals are designed sympathetically to conserve and enhance historic buildings and sites.

We have worked on numerous schemes affecting the restoration of Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. Director Jon Millhouse specialises in heritage planning and architectural team leader Lindsay Cruddas is a registered Specialist Conservation Architect.

For more information, or to discuss a specific project or property please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Main Image: George Henshaw, Planning & Design Practice Ltd.

Cultural heart planned in Sheffield city centre regeneration

18th March 2020 by Gary Stringer

A significant amount of heritage will be retained as part of the creation of a new ‘cultural heart’ for the city centre in the recently unveiled plans for Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City II development.

Block H, which is located on the site between Wellington Street, Carver Street and Cambridge Street, will provide a wide-ranging development split into three distinct elements (H1, H2 and H3). A period of public consultation on H2 and H3 began on Thursday 12 March, ahead of a planning submission later this Spring.

H2 will be a brand-new building offering approximately 70,000 sq ft of Grade A office space, split across seven upper floors and boasting an impressive south facing roof terrace, with retail and food and beverage units on the ground floor.

Taking inspiration from Sheffield’s celebrated industrial past, H2 will be a visually striking, dark-coloured metal building designed to minimise operational energy, emitting around 40% less carbon than a typical Building Regulations compliant design. This efficiency will also continue to improve as the embodied carbon in the electricity grid reduces.

In contrast, the development for H3 (to be known as Cambridge Street Collective) will be aiming to retain as much of the quality, existing fabric and façades along Cambridge Street and Wellington Street as feasible – helping to attractively balance the old and new across the site.

Proposals for Cambridge Street Collective include a large, industrial-style space, which would be perfectly suited to a food hall or similar sociable, communal offer. Wrapping this space would be complementary shops, a bar and restaurant, and an upper level leisure space. The existing Bethel Chapel building will also be renovated, with plans for this to become a live entertainment venue.

Although not part of this planning application, the site is also home to Leah’s Yard (H1) – a Grade II* Listed building housing a collection of small former industrial workshops. Plans are still at an early stage, however there is a real desire from the project team to maintain the building’s unique Sheffield character by providing similar workshops for the city’s next creative generation. In the meantime, Listed Building Consent is being sought to undertake the structural works required to make the buildings secure.

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, Cabinet Member for Business and Investment at Sheffield City Council, explained the vision:

“We will be retaining a lot of attractive heritage across the Heart of the City II site, while also ensuring we create new spaces that are sustainable to the local economy.

“With some of the most interesting architecture in the city centre, Block H was always going to be one of the most rewarding blocks in the masterplan. We truly believe that these new plans will help provide a cultural heart and social anchor to the scheme.”

In a bid to ensure a viable and attractive development – one that also respects the heritage assets on the Block H site, Sheffield City Council and its Strategic Development Partner, Queensberry, have been working closely with heritage interest groups in the city. They have been discussing design and usage ideas.

The emerging proposals for this block now showcase the retention of far more original architecture than envisaged in the 2018 masterplan. Plans now include the preservation and sympathetic restoration of the quality fabric and façades along Cambridge Street and Wellington Street, including the listed Bethel Sunday School and Leah’s Yard, as well as the Bethel Chapel and the buildings that formerly housed Brewhouse and Henry’s. The historic buildings fronting these streets will be kept with internal adaptations and reconstruction carried out where necessary to bring them back into use.

Nick Roscoe of Hallamshire Historic Buildings, said:

“Sheffield City Council should be commended for taking this enlightened and forward-thinking approach to the interesting range of buildings that we can see on Cambridge Street and Wellington Street today.

“They have brought in first class architects and consulted carefully with stakeholders to make the most of these precious heritage assets. This is a project to be proud of and an approach we hope to see followed again.”

The Block H site occupies a prime location in the wider Heart of the City II scheme. Directly linking to the attractive new public spaces of Charter Square and upcoming Five Ways, it will sit comfortably alongside Grosvenor House and Isaacs Building.

Public consultation for H2 and H3 runs 12 March-7 April, with public drop-in sessions, at the former Clicks and Mortar shop on Pinstone Street, taking place on 25 March (15:30-19:00) and 26 March (11:00-16:00).

Park Hill: A Guide for the Future from Sheffield’s Proud Past

7th February 2020 by Gary Stringer

Sheffield Park Hill, where the Planning and Design Practice's Sheffield office is based

There are some buildings that come to encapsulate a city’s spirit. They become synonymous with the culture, identity and history of the space they inhabit. If one thinks of Liverpool, an image of the Liver building is almost invariably conjured in the mind. Newcastle’s maritime history is proudly on display in the very bricks and motor of the Baltic Flour Mill.

It is hard to think of a more striking urban image than the Park Hill Flats that tower above Sheffield’s train station. An instantly recognisable monument of 1960’s Brutalism, the flats represent an idealism in design that sought to provide working people with a good standard of living that had never been seen on that scale in the city before. The dream of streets in the sky with self-contained communities, with all their required services close at hand, guided the project that replaced the post-war slums. Of course we now know that history is not always kind to the idealists, and the breakdown of social cohesion that occurred during the turbulent 1980’s set the tone for the flats new imagine as a symbol of poverty and social isolation.

As one walks from the city to the train station today, you are met by a visual juxtaposition between the harsh and dilapidated old portion of the building, the vibrancy of the newly renovated element of the project, and the significant amount of scaffolding that indicates further works are well under way. The re-birth of this grade II listed building is especially relevant to the wider development context of Sheffield. The city is massively constrained due to its proximity with the Peak District National Park, Rotherham and the fact that large areas of the Authority’s jurisdiction designated as green belt. This means new development has got less and less space to inhabit. The regeneration of the Park Hill Flats offers a prime example of how the re-use of other characterful buildings in the city can be used to deliver bold architectural statements that meet the needs of today whilst paying homage to Sheffield’s rich heritage.

Rory Bradford, Planner, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Extending Walnut Cottage

10th May 202114th January 2020 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd have recently gained planning permission for a porch and living extension to a curtilage listed barn at Walnut Cottage in Ashleyhay.

Walnut Cottage was formerly a farm building associated with nearby Spendlove Farm. The barn was then converted to a holiday let in 1991 and in 2013 the council granted a Lawful Development Certificate regularising the use of the building as a permanent dwelling. In 2015 the council advised the then owners of the building that it considered the building to be curtilage listed, by virtue of its association with Grade II listed Spendlove Farm. A listed building application to retrospectively consider previous changes to the building was submitted and approved. Our clients subsequently purchased the property and made it into their family home.

An initial sketch scheme was submitted previously for pre-application enquiry. This sketch scheme was different to the one submitted, which incorporated a larger porch which had a pitched roof, the living extension was also larger and had a contemporary flat roof. In the council’s response, the heritage consultant opined that the form and scale of any buildings to be attached to the gables would need to preserve its special interest and retain its agricultural character.

In response to the heritage consultants comments we proposed that the living extension be set back as far as possible from the main lane access, be of a pitched roof and the size reduced. For the porch to the front of the barn, a simple lean-to is proposed.

To enable the proposed extensions to reflect the agricultural setting, we proposed that both the living and porch extension be clad with weathered Corten steel, a material which is typical of a farmstead. The large recessed glazing to the West will provide the clients with the spectacular views of the countryside that they are not currently able to enjoy from their main living area.

Looking for your dream home? Our team of experienced professionals work with home owners on a daily basis to provide the technical knowledge, design ideals & relevant expertise to help guide you through what can be a daunting process.

Our approachable and experienced team comprises RIBA Chartered Architects, architectural assistants, designers and technicians. Our architects have true international expertise having worked on large scale projects in Russia, Germany, Spain and the United States as well as across the UK.

For more information, and a free half an hour consultation to discuss your project, please contact us.

Listed barn conversion approved in Peak Park

Green shoots with planning success at Glapwell Nurseries

Planning permission to facilitate care for creatures great and small at Derbyshire veterinary practice

Everton’s £500 million new stadium given council approval

Reappraising brutalist architecture

Ongoing restoration heats up

Cultural heart planned in Sheffield city centre regeneration

Park Hill: A Guide for the Future from Sheffield’s Proud Past

Extending Walnut Cottage

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