Michael Bamford Planning & Design Archives

Planning Inspectorate refuse planning permission for solar farm in Alfreton

13th December 2022 by Gary Stringer

Amber Valley Borough Council have been successful in defending their decision to refuse a full planning application for a major solar farm on the outskirts of Alfreton, Derbyshire. The Appellant (a subsidiary company of Kronos) took the refused application to appeal via a public inquiry where a government planning inspector ultimately determined that it was correct to refuse the application and dismissed the appeal.

What development was proposed for Alfreton Solar Farm?

It was proposed to develop the Site into an array of free-standing solar panels and associated infrastructure, to generate just under 50MW of electricity. Following submission of the application and subsequent comments, the Appellant reduced the physical extent of the scheme from c.105 to c.75 hectares. However, the reduction in site area did not reduce the overall electrical output, which remains at just under 50MW (49.9MW) of electricity. 50MW is the threshold for a “nationally significant infrastructure project” within the Planning Act 2008 which meant that the application would have been determined by the Government and not the Local authority.

What was the process to refuse the application for a Solar Farm at Alfreton?

The application was heard at the Planning Board meeting held on Monday 6th December 2021. Following representations made by members of the public, Alfreton Park Community Special School, the applicant’s agent and other interested parties the application was unanimously refused by members of the Planning Board.

Following this, the applicant pursued an appeal against the Local Planning Authorities Decision to refuse the application and a public inquiry was held in The Post Mill Centre in South Normanton for a total of 6 days which included a site visit. Many members of the public were present throughout and were given opportunity for their individual and collective case against the development to be heard.

Why was Alfreton Solar Farm refused?

Careful site selection and design is the best way to avoid or minimise potential adverse landscape and visual impacts arising from solar development. In this case, the sensitivity of the location for large scale ground mounted solar PV was fundamental to the decision to refuse planning permission for the solar farm.

The proposed site was not within a designated landscape, but was in an historic parkland site recognised as a non-designated heritage asset (Alfreton Park) with six public footpaths passing over it, used heavily by residents of Alfreton.

The Inspector found that the panels “would present as a starkly industrial mass of metal” given their prominent location, visible from as far away as 4-5 kilometres. The development would have a significant effect on landscape character and would be significantly out of scale with the landscape and attractive valley landform. He commented that the value of the landscape was enhanced by its accessibility from Alfreton and local footpaths. The inspector found that the proposed new hedging would also serve to be harmful to the landscape, in “stark contrast” to the prevailing situation. The humming noise of inverters would add to the impact for those walking through the site.

On heritage, the Inspector found that there would be harm to the settings of a listed church and manor house and that the heritage significance of Alfreton Park would be seriously compromised. He also found a degree of harm to the more distant, but Grade I listed, Wingfield Manor given the visibility of the site from the west.

A potentially significant issue arose at the inquiry as to impacts upon hypersensitive pupils at a special needs school immediately adjacent to the site. While there was no evidence as to extent of some of these impacts and the Inspector could not draw a firm conclusion, it was a matter that weighed against the scheme.

The Inspector had regard to the need for renewable energy and the lifespan of the development, but he considered that the landscape and visual impacts were decisive, and that 40 years is a very significant period over which those impacts will be felt.

Our Role

Director, Michael Bamford acted on the Council’s behalf to defend the decision to refuse the application. Working with Barrister Ned Westaway, Mel Morris Conservation and Deborah Evans.

Two Years of success in the Steel City

28th November 202217th November 2021 by Gary Stringer

Michael Bamford, Director at Planning & Design Practice Ltd reflects on two years of success in the Steel City as we celebrate the second anniversary of our Sheffield office.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd opened the doors of its new Sheffield office in September 2020. Two years on and a lot has changed. Clearly the Pandemic has been a significant part of everyone’s life over the past 2 years and continues to be. Like many businesses we were nervous of how things would unfold economically and the impact Covid would have on the construction industry. This nervousness was not misplaced but so far, the impact hasn’t manifested the way many of us expected it too.

After the initial shock at the start of the first lock down the number of enquiries and planning applications has increased. For many of us, the Pandemic has meant we have been busier not quieter, and Sheffield is by no means an exception to this, the property market has been impressively strong throughout the pandemic and investments into the city have continued despite the uncertainty. The loss of some significant retailers is yet to be felt but the city is growing, and confidence is high, growth which is reassuringly above the average for the rest of the country. The £0.9m grant for improvements to Fargate will only help to drive this.

The recent award to Sheffield, which saw the Steel City named the most sustainable city in the UK by researchers from the University of Southampton, (and as reported by the Independent Newspaper) is testament to how Sheffield is doing things differently. The focus on renewable energy production across the city and the prospective introduction of the clean air zone are all moving Sheffield in the right direction, and it is good to see this recognized. Investment into safe cycle ways across the whole of the city is still lagging behind and anecdotally, the take up of public transport post pandemic remain much lower, whilst private car use appears to be on the increase. I hope the award becomes a catalyst for further change and investment into sustainable measures across the city.

It has been a particularly interesting 2 years for us. We have had a number of significant new Clients come on board with us. Not least Microsoft for whom we have been advising on two major applications for new offices and new laboratories. The new offices, when built will be one of the most sustainable buildings in the country and will serve to push the boundaries of rural office accommodation. As Planners and Architects, sustainability is at the core of what we do, and it is always exciting when the theory is put into practice and realised. We are optimistic that Sheffield will see significant growth over the next 3-5 years, and it is our hope that we can grow with it.

With an office at the Workstation, a member of Sheffield Chamber, 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.

Michael Bamford, Director – Chartered Town Planner, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Planning & Design announce new Directors

29th November 202223rd June 2021 by Gary Stringer

Planning & Design Practice Ltd are excited to announce two new additions to its Board of Directors.

With effect from July 1, 2021, Specialist Conservation Architect Lindsay Cruddas and Chartered Town Planner Michael Bamford join Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Chartered Town Planners Richard Pigott, and Jon Millhouse as Directors of the Derby based team of town planning consultants, architects, and heritage specialists. This diversification of the board represents both our increasing architectural ambition and the continuing growth of our Sheffield office.

Lindsay said: “After leading the Architectural Team for over 6 years I’m delighted to be appointed as a Director. The change in the company reinforces our practice core values that Planning and Architecture go hand in hand to make spaces better for the people who live in and use them. We are all excited to assist our clients in developing new and exciting projects.”

Michael added “I am excited to be a part of the next chapter in the future of Planning & Design. We have seen considerable growth over the past 2 years within the Yorkshire region as well as across the country and I look forward to working with the team to continue to deliver projects we are proud of.”

The news coincides with the announcement that Planning & Design’s Founder Jonathan Jenkin is stepping down as Managing Director to work part time in a consultancy role.

Jonathan said: “In order to strike a better work/life balance I am stepping back to work part time. The new Directors are talented and ambitious, they will bring fresh drive and capability to the company and this change represents an important milestone. I wish the new board every success and as they represent all aspects of the company’s business, I am confident that the company has a bright future as leaders in architecture and town planning. This is certainly not a goodbye from me, and I look forward to my new role as Chairman of the Board, and the opportunities it presents to strengthen relationships with our key clients as well as develop new ones.”

A chartered town planning consultant and building designer, Jonathan has developed the company, established its core values and delivered many hundreds of projects since the company was founded in 2002.

As Managing Director of Planning & Design, Jonathan has been responsible for the company’s overall operation on a day-to-day basis, working together with existing Directors Richard Pigott and Jon Millhouse on developing, implementing, and informing the strategic vision for the business.

Since being founded in 2002 Planning & Design Practice Ltd has generated over £200m of uplift in land values for clients through its consents and proposals and has an excellent reputation for winning approvals and for creating attractive and viable proposals. The architectural side of the business boasts an approachable and experienced team comprising 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. The company is able to design award winning proposals for a wide range of clients across the country.

The company also has a heritage team who can advise on listed buildings and developments in sensitive locations whilst maintaining a strong planning consultancy team. In 2019 our heritage work was recognised and awarded the Highly Commended Certificate for Excellence in Planning for Heritage & Culture at the recent RTPI East Midlands Awards for Planning Excellence 2019. The Highly Commended Certificate was for our work on the redevelopment of the ‘East Site’ at John Smedley Mills, Lea Bridge.

Planning & Design Practice has a close connection with Sheffield, having long maintained an office in the city and with numerous clients and projects in the region. In 2019 the company made a significant investment in their presence in Sheffield with a move to new premises at The Workstation, the city’s leading business centre for creative talent and innovation in the heart of its thriving Cultural Industries Quarter.

Speaking on behalf of the current Directors, Richard Pigott said:

“We are delighted to welcome Michael and Lindsay as Directors, having worked with them both for a number of years. They will bring fresh energy and different perspectives to the company as we strive to achieve our strategic objectives. After 10 years of working with and learning from Jonathan we are also delighted he will remain an integral part of the business as his vast experience and contacts will continue to be important for the business.”

Planning Design – ‘A new normal’

29th November 202213th November 2020 by Gary Stringer

Writing for Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, a year on from the opening of our Sheffield office, Michael Bamford, Director at Planning Design reflects on adapting and prospering under “A New Normal” following the unprecedented upheaval caused by Covid-19.

In October 2019 we moved into our new office in the Workstation and were excited for what was a new chapter for Planning Design. Back then we thought the issues facing the South Yorkshire region were meeting the challenges of Climate Change and Brexit. We, like many businesses were apprehensive about the impact Brexit might have on business as usual but didn’t spot the more acute issue on the horizon. Covid-19 only really floated onto the radar in January and it wasn’t clear how significant a challenge it would be until March. At the time we were quietly optimistic about the signs of growth in Sheffield and excited at the opportunity to continue to be involved in realising potential for the city.

It was late March when true impact of Covid-19 hit home as the national lock down was rolled out. Working from home became the new norm, the majority of the planning system ground to a halt whilst Council’s and the Government grappled with operating a system that was reliant on a central office suddenly being required to work entirely remotely. Planning applications, appeals, committee meetings, pre-apps all stalled and for a short time it was difficult to see how things would move forwards.

Gradually the country (and the world) adjusted to lockdown and a new normality prevailed. Never has access to the internet been so vital in connecting communities and allowing work to continue. Video calls have become an engrained part of our society and paved the way for a new way of working. Slow at first to respond to the challenges of COVID-19, work towards the Sheffield Local Plan is now well and truly up and running and areas such as Doncaster have excelled in adapting to the challenges and motoring on with the adoption of the Local Plan.

The construction and property market was temporarily put on hold causing a backlog of demand which only served to accelerate the growth when it was released. Something that has been felt across the world. Many countries including the U.K. have seen significant growth in the price of property. The importance of space standards, natural light and access to public open space has been felt much more acutely, fast forwarding the adoption of policies and legislation to provide better homes. Significant changes to existing permitted development rights and the creation of new ones all striving to provide more homes of a much higher quality. As has been common to a lot of crises, the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated change across the board, and both planning and architecture are no different. In some areas the changes have been very difficult, and time will tell what long-term impact the pandemic will have on our lives.

One aspect the pandemic has highlighted is the importance of communities and how, when faced with challenges, people come together to adapt and remodel how normal society functions.

It is refreshing to see the how Sheffield as a Council are adapting and how Heart of the City is pushing ahead despite the adversity of the past 9 months. The view from the office window has changed over the past 12 months with ‘The Gate’ a new student accommodation tower nearing completion as well as the new HSBC building and the sheer number of cranes on the Sheffield skyline. It is all a clear sign of the optimism and investment people place in the city.
We have continued to work closely with both the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and the University of Sheffield to provide opportunity for employment and work experience within the city and welcome the support of both institutions in helping to deliver positive change across the region. As a company we have seen positive growth over the year and look forward to embarking on chapter two of “A new normal”.

Michael Bamford, Director, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

The Sheffield Plan – Our City, Our Future: Consultation begins September

30th November 202218th August 2020 by Gary Stringer

Sheffield City Council are preparing a new draft Sheffield Local Plan which will guide the future of the city by setting out how and where development will take place up to 2038. It will be called the ‘Sheffield Plan’ and, once it has been adopted, it will replace the Sheffield Core Strategy (2009) and ‘saved’ policies the Sheffield Unitary Development Plan (1998).

From 1 September 2020 Sheffield City Council will hold a 6-week consultation, which aims to gather views on what people would like to be included in the emerging Plan.

The document open for consultation involves The Issues and Options 2020 document, which outlines the key opportunities and challenges for the city, and sets out some issues and options for consideration.

The Council published a similar document in 2015 titled Citywide Options for Growth to 2034. This consultation document was the start of creating the new Sheffield Plan, and the representations made have formed this new Issues and Options Paper.

The 2015 document highlighted one of the biggest challenges Sheffield faces which is how to accommodate around 40,000 new homes over the next 20 years to cater for Sheffield’s growing population, coupled with creating a skilled workforce with higher overall incomes, by allocating 140 hectares of land for employment uses.

This new document updates the challenges and opportunities facing the city, and it expands on the previous consultation in 2015 where people raised concerns around the development of housing on Green Belt land. Careful consideration has been given to this feedback, and the new proposals sets out a fresh approach for how and where future development could take place in Sheffield.

The Council are seeking representations from anyone who lives, works, has business in, or visits Sheffield such as residents, businesses, community groups, developers, and statutory bodies about what the Sheffield Plan should address.

This consultation aims to overcome potential challenges, and shape the population of Sheffield’s vision and aims.

In preparation for the consultation, and to give people time to find out more about the aims of the Plan and the choices available for Sheffield, the ‘Issues and Options’ document has been issued ahead of the start of the consultation. This will give you the opportunity to read it, talk to others and consider your views before the actual consultation starts on 1st September. You can make your formal comments from then until October 13th which means the consultation doesn’t coincide with the easing of lock down and the summer holidays.

With an office at The Workstation we have a close connection with Sheffield with numerous clients in the region. Our office is led by Chartered Town Planning consultant Michael Bamford please get in touch for advice on any planning issues or potential projects.

New student development planned for Sheffield

5th December 20227th April 2020 by Gary Stringer

A new student development combining flats with commercial units beneath has been submitted to Sheffield City Council. The proposal is hoped to provide 220 student flats as well commercial space in an area of the City that is undergoing major regeneration and redevelopment at the moment.

Crosslane Group, supported by Urbana Town Planning and Cartwright Pickard, has submitted an application to Sheffield City Council for a development on Fitzwilliam Street.

The application seeks planning permission for the demolition of the existing industrial building on the site and construction of a new 13 storeys building to provide a mixture of flats and commercial space. At this stage, the proposed indicate a total of 225 student bedrooms, provided over 201 studios and 12 two-bed apartments complete with amenity areas and a rooftop terrace. Two commercial units are also proposed for the ground floor fronting onto Fitzwilliam Street and Bowland Street.

No car parking is proposed on site but secure cycle parking will be provided on the ground floor, an increasing feature of city centre development across the country. The attraction of city centre development is the access to services and facilities. Sheffield train station is within walking distance from the site and there is little need for occupants to have a car.

The scheme represents another key investment into the regeneration of the City centre and the Devonshire Quarter and should be seen as making a positive contribution to the city as whole.

Planning & Design has a close connection with Sheffield, having long maintained an office in the city and with numerous clients and projects in the region. Currently based at The Workstation, Sheffield’s leading business centre for creative talent and innovation in the heart of the city’s thriving Cultural Industries Quarter, our Sheffield office is led by Michael Bamford. A chartered town planning consultant, Michael started with Planning & Design in 2015 and carved out his early career with the group. Having left the company in early 2018 to work with a National Consultancy based in Sheffield, he returned to Planning & Design last summer and takes the lead on the operation of our Sheffield Office.

Please contact Michael if you require assistance with planning applications, appeals or local plan representations or require advice on lawful development certificates or development appraisals, michael.bamford@planningdesign.co.uk or telephone 0114 788548.

Sheffield City Council – Living in the City

9th March 2020 by Gary Stringer

Sheffield City Council has launched a new consultation to help them to understand what people think about working, spending time and living in the city centre.

The consultation will look at resident’s perceptions of the area and ask for suggestions about what changes could be made to make it a more attractive neighbourhood for more people.

The consultation findings will be used to inform a new Central Area Strategy that will form part of the Local Plan, which will guide development in the city until 2038.

Sheffield City Centre is currently undergoing significant regeneration, with major schemes such as Heart of the City II, Transforming Cities Fund and Grey to Green creating an exciting new hub of businesses, shops, restaurants, green spaces and homes in the area.

The proposal for a more residential city centre also focuses on creating lower carbon, efficient buildings served by good public transport links and active travel routes, for example cycle lanes and pedestrianised zones. This approach to ensuring sustainable living and working is an integral part of the Council’s climate emergency declaration and its ambition for the city to become carbon neutral by 2030.

Councillor Bob Johnson, Cabinet Member for Transport and Sustainability at Sheffield City Council said:

“As Sheffield and its economy continue to grow, it is incredibly important that we ensure that the right kind of homes are created for people in our city.

“We are committed to exploring all of the options for creating quality housing choices that meet the needs of the people who live there. Developing more city centre living gives us the potential to maximise the reuse of brownfield sites and maintain our commitment to protecting our greenbelt land wherever possible.

“Nearly 30,000 people already live in our city centre and we want to know what could be done to encourage more people to join them. Please take this opportunity to give us your views on what it’s like to spend time in the centre of Sheffield.”

“City centre living certainly offers benefits in terms of sustainability and we are eager to see an increase in the number of family homes developed in the centre of Sheffield said Michael Bamford, Associate at Planning & Design.

“As we move to a carbon neutral economy we need to look at the bigger picture. How we connect the existing residential areas of the city to the centre will play a vital role in reducing the impact on the environment. City centre living should not be pursued in isolation of a much wider and joined up approach to sustainable living for the Sheffield region as a whole”.

The consultation closes on the 25th March. You can find out more about the consultation and give your opinion by clicking here.

Bridging the North South Divide

7th January 2020 by Gary Stringer

With the election out of the way and Brexit firmly on the horizon, Boris continues talk on his election pledge to increase investment in the North of England and Midlands, in a bid to boost economic growth and prosperity. Sheffield and Derby both look prime for relocating and recalibrating Government resource and investment decisions.

UK regional inequality is amongst the worst in the developed world and is a problem that successive governments have been grappling with for many years. Stark disparities in economic performance across the country have been an issue for some time and is the split is growing according to the latest regional output data released by ONS in December.

It is understood that HM Treasury could make wholesale changes to the way in which public investment is allocated to key economic growth interventions across the country, with value for money and economic appraisal assessments (as guided by the Treasury’s ‘Green Book’ guidance for nearly half a century) recast to focus explicitly on boosting economic wellbeing in the North and Midlands.

This could affect future national government investment decisions in a range of transport, infrastructure and business growth projects, shifting the focus away from national economic growth outcomes (and overall scale of economic benefit) towards reducing inequality and the ‘productivity gap’ between northern and southern England.

Further detail is expected in the Spring Budget – but on the face of it, these proposals could have a significant impact upon the location of government resources and funding available to stimulate and encourage economic growth.

Workforce productivity by local authority in England (2018)
Source: Experian 2019 / Lichfields analysis

It should see greater investment in cities outside of London including both the Yorkshire and Humber and East Midland’s regions. With the Northern Powerhouse still pushing for significant investment and changes in the power key areas have over their budgets, 2020 will be an interesting year for investment outside of London and the South East.

Sheffield Call for Sites

7th January 20206th January 2020 by Gary Stringer

As we have written about previously, work on the Sheffield Local Plan has picked up again and the Council are currently undertaking their call for sites. This opened on 16 December 2019 and will run until 31 January 2020. The last call for sites took place in 2014 as part of the Citywide Options for Growth consultation and this is a good opportunity to put new sites forward to the Council for consideration.

If your site was submitted to the Council as part of the 2014 consultation we advise resubmitting it as part of the current call for sites to ensure the Council fully consider it as part of the Local Plan.

If you have a site that hasn’t been submitted to the Council before and would like to know if it is suitable for inclusion in the Local plan the please do get in touch.

The call for sites is one of the early stages of identifying the how and where the city will grow. Whilst there is a strong emphasis on providing housing for the city, the call for sites isn’t limited to housing sites. The Council will be looking at development in Sheffield as a whole and therefore, in addition to housing, the call for sites is relevant to areas for the following development;

employment
retail
leisure
health
waste
gypsies and travellers
travelling showpeople
community and recreational use

As planning consultants based in Sheffield, we work closely with Sheffield City Council Planning Department and can advise on the suitability of sites for inclusion within the Local Plan. If you want to talk about submitting a site to the Council for consideration, please contact Michael Bamford via email on Michael.bamford@planningdesign.co.uk or call the office on 0114 221 0618.

Sheffield Council planning jobs under threat?

8th November 2019 by Gary Stringer

It is believed that around 40 jobs are under threat at Sheffield City Council as part of a restructure of the council’s planning & development department.

The jobs thought to be under threat include access officers, members of the urban design team, conservation officers, landscape architects, as well as others.

At the last full council meeting, Councillor Bob Johnson, cabinet member for development, was asked about the job losses and said he was in dispute about what was going to happen.

He said: “Unfortunately we are still in a collective dispute with the planning service following the restructure so it would be really difficult and probably ill-advised for me to comment publicly until such time as that dispute has been resolved.”

Among the jobs under threat are two part-time access officers. Disability Sheffield has launched a petition to save the roles.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, Green Party leader and City ward representative, said the role of the specialists was vital to making Sheffield an attractive, safe and accessible place for the public and said the proposals could weaken planning regulation.

Commenting on the proposed losses Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director, Planning & Design said,

‘It is important to the smooth delivery of planning permission that the council has enough skilled and competent planning officers and those who support the planning team in specialist roles. Good conservation officers and urban designers can be very effective in helping to deliver development and it is important for us as consultants that we can meet and discuss development proposals with council officers at the pre-app stage as well as during the application process. One of our problems is the lack of specialist staff in most councils which limits pre-application advice which can lead to abortive planning applications and delays in getting planning permission. We do not want this situation to develop in Sheffield so we are concerned that the cuts will lead to the loss of skilled professionals, a reduction in the level of service available to the development industry and delays in the planning process.’

Planning & Design Practice Ltd is a multi-disciplinary team of Town Planners, Architects, Architectural Assistants and Design Professionals. We have extensive knowledge about the policies and procedures of individual councils and the approach taken by planning officers and Councillors.

Please contact Michael Bradford, Associate, if you require assistance with planning applications, appeals or local plan representations or require advice on lawful development certificates or development appraisals, michael.bamford@planningdesign.co.uk or telephone 0114 221 0618.