Planning & Design become a RIBA Chartered Practice

A RIBA Chartered Practice logo over a building that our architects have designed

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.

New talent, new expertise, New Year

PDP_New Year New Recruits

As we look ahead to the new year and the new opportunities it will bring, Planning & Design Practice Ltd is expanding and excited to announce new additions to the team, with new recruits joining our planning, architectural and heritage teams.

Joining our approachable and experienced team of RIBA Chartered Architects and architectural assistants is Project Architect Manik Karunaratne. 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.

Andrew Stock joins us as a Principal Planner, having spent over 7 years in local government. Andrew previously worked in development control as a Planning Officer at Herefordshire Council and, since 2016, as a Senior Planning Officer at Derbyshire Dales District Council.

During his time in local government Andrew gained a wealth of knowledge on a wide range of planning applications including residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural developments of various scales. Andrew will utilise his wealth of experience and local knowledge to assist the company in the preparation, submission and management of all types of planning applications going forward.

Having recently completed a Master’s degree in Public History and Heritage at the University of Derby, Ruth Gray joins our Heritage team as Heritage Assistant. Ruth will assist an IHBC (Institute of Historic Building Conservation) planner and a Specialist Conservation Architect, carrying out research and helping to prepare heritage assessments, listed building applications and planning applications in conservation areas, and within the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage site, where we have worked on a number of successful projects. Prior to joining Planning & Design, Ruth was a heritage assistant at a charity in Nottingham supporting sector entrants to find their first role in museums and cultural institutions.

Continuing a tradition of encouraging and supporting emerging talent, we are also pleased to announce the addition to the team of: Joshua Bunce and Matthew Kempster as Junior Architectural Technicians; and Katy Francis, Emily Anderson, Caitlin Holton and Shaun Hyde as Graduate Planners.

Richard Pigott, Director said “We are excited to be growing the team again following the restructuring earlier in the year and the appointment of the new management team. This is in response to continuing demand for our services and demonstrates our confidence in the future in both our Derby and Sheffield offices, reflecting the positive economic outlook in these two great cities.”

Since being founded in 2002 Planning & Design Practice Ltd has earnt an excellent reputation for winning approvals and for creating attractive and viable proposals. 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 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’s heritage team 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 permission for new bungalow, Dalbury Lees

PDP_New Bungalow Dalbury Lees

We recently received Planning Permission for a new bungalow in the area of Dalbury Lees, a small village in Derbyshire.

We originally gained outline planning approval for a bungalow and garage on this plot, and the clients came back to us to apply for the reserved matters application.

The site is on the main road through Dalbury Lees from Long Lane towards the south. The plot sits between two other bungalows to the north and south and was granted outline consent as an infill plot. The site had a number of constraints to deal with which included; a large tree to the north of the plot which has a Tree Preservation Order and root protection zone, a sloping site to the south east, a narrow site access with tight visibility splays, an irregular triangle shaped plot, and limitations on the eaves and ridge heights which relate to the existing properties heights to the north and south of the site.

The brief from the clients was for a dormer bungalow with 3 bedrooms, separate living area, large kitchen and dining area, a garage linked to the house, maximising the amazing views over the fields to the East and a specific request for private spaces separate from the main social and entertainment space.

The concept of the building is a H shaped floor plan which follows the shape of the triangular plot and looks towards the east. Sitting back from the main road and sitting slightly lower into the ground using the sites topography the new property has a low impact. The entrance drive leads to garaging and parking, the covered entrance is set back enclosed by two wings of the house which creates a focal point, for the entrance. The H shaped floor plan encloses a rear private courtyard space creating an outside room enclosed on three sides with open views on the fourth. The low profile of the building ensures that this rear space catches the sun while maximising privacy and outlook. By having the entrance in the centre, the hall connects the north wing as the main living areas and the south wing for the bedrooms and private spaces. The central entrance also draws your eye to the private patio/courtyard area and then to the vast field view beyond. The change in levels across the site allowed us to create an upper floor above the ground floor bedrooms to provide two further loft bedroom spaces with bathroom facilities.

During the planning application process there was a stipulation from the Local Authority regarding the street scene view of the proposed scheme. They requested that the view from the street scene of the proposed to be viewed as a single storey bungalow, with higher eaves and ridge heights towards the rear of the site. So we amended the scheme only slightly to accommodate this aspect, we did this by dropping the front bedroom facing the road into a single storey element with the higher eaves and ridge further away towards the rear of the site for the other loft bedrooms.

Following this change a planning approval was granted with conditions.

The design is appropriate in terms of its context and will provide a fine family home.

Our approachable and experienced team comprised of architects, architectural assistants, designers and technicians, offer a comprehensive design service through all the RIBA work stages from concept through to completion. 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. To discuss a project, please get in touch.

Tina Humphreys, Part II Architectural Assistant, Planning & Design Practice Ltd

Building on our International Architectural Expertise

PDP_Achitectural Team

Planning & Design Practice Ltd are excited to announce new additions to its architectural team, as we look beyond lock down, embrace the “new normal” and the opportunities that this may present for our homes, high streets and workplaces.

Our approachable and experienced team comprises 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.

We offer a comprehensive design service through all the RIBA work stages from concept through to completion.

Planning Design 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.

Joining our team is Senior Architect Siegfried Doering (Dipl.-Ing. Architecture, AKH, ARB, RIBA). 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 a company offering technically sophisticated and customized infrastructure, mobility and transport solutions internationally.

Siegfried’s personal philosophy is to practise and understand architecture as a creative compromise between budget, function, quality and aesthetics – all tailored to the client’s needs.

Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design said:

“We are pleased that Siegfried has joined an expanded architectural team at Planning Design. He is an experienced architect with 35 years of professional practice working in the UK, Middle East and Europe including Germany, and Russia. He has worked on an enormous variety of projects from single dwellings, apartment blocks, conservation, education, care homes, office buildings, data centres, industrial, retail, and railway infrastructure through to major logistics centres and has the on-site experience that will ensure that projects can be delivered on time and on budget.

His experience and professionalism will be invaluable to our collaborative team and to our clients and will allow us to deliver a wider range of architectural projects here in the UK. His appointment is part of our ambition to create a leading architectural practice which combines the skills of a the conservation architect, the knowledge of low carbon design, the flair of creative minds and the practical experience of delivering projects at any scale. We believe that our mix of skills and experience sets us apart from other practices here in the Midlands and South Yorkshire in delivering both excellence and creativity.”

Also joining Planning Design, we are pleased to welcome Architectural Technologist Joseph Cattmull. Studying the built environment at Cambridge Regional College and then graduating from The University of Derby in the summer of 2018, Joseph brings an interest in listed and traditional architecture and how they can be modernised.

Siegfried and Joseph join a team that includes Lindsay Cruddas, a RIBA accredited Specialist Conservation Architect, of which there are currently only 122 in the country. In addition they join ARB registered architect Fernando Collado Lopez, who qualified at the higher School of Architecture in Seville and also studied at the Fakultät für Architektur und Landschaft in Hannover, Germany and Part II Architectural Assistant Tina Humphreys, a graduate of De Montfort University in Leicester with a Master’s in Architecture, and who is now working towards becoming an RIBA Chartered Architect.

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.

Our team of RIBA Chartered Architects and Architectural Assistants have a wealth of experience working with homeowners, developers and the public sector, both here in the UK, across Europe and the United States.

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.

Top Image: Bespoke New Dwelling, Darley Dale, Matlock

RIBA announces shortlist for Inaugural Neave Brown Award for Housing

PDP_RIBA Neave Brown Awards 2019

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced on Thursday 25 July the shortlist for the very first Neave Brown Award for Housing, named in honour of the late Neave Brown (1929 – 2018).

Neave Brown was a socially-motivated, modernist architect, best known for designing a series of celebrated London housing estates. In 2018, he was awarded the UK’s highest honour for architecture, the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture, which is approved personally by Her Majesty The Queen.

The four housing developments in the running for the 2019 Neave Brown Award for Housing are:

Brentford Lock West Keelson Gardens, London, by Mae Architects

Thoughtful canalside development comprising six large apartment buildings, with distinctive saw-tooth roofs reflecting the site’s industrial past, linked with rows of four storey townhouses.

Eddington Lot 1, Cambridge, by WilkinsonEyre with Mole Architects

Designed for the University of Cambridge, this new residential quarter is an exemplar of integrated urban design. Incorporating a variety of housing types including generous apartments, some wrapped around a new supermarket and integrated with a new doctor’s surgery.

Goldsmith Street, Norwich, by Mikhail Riches with Cathy Hawley

Large development of 105 highly energy-efficient homes for social rent, designed to Passivhaus standards for Norwich City Council.

The Colville Estate, London, by Karakusevic Carson Architects with David Chipperfield Architects

Bold regeneration of a Hackney Council housing estate, designed and delivered in close engagement with residents, to provide 925 new homes in a neighbourhood of legible streets and open spaces.

The shortlist was selected from the 2019 RIBA Regional Awards winners by an expert panel of judges: RIBA President Ben Derbyshire; Director at Levitt Bernstein Jo McCafferty; and Professor Adrian Gale, formally of the School of Architecture at the University of Plymouth.

On the shortlist, Jonathan Jenkin, Managing Director of Planning & Design Practice Ltd said

‘It is good to see public housing and public bodies such as the University of Cambridge being recognised. All the schemes are exemplars and aim to provide high quality accommodation on difficult sites. Good quality public housing is essential if we are going to raise the quality of housing generally and meet the challenges of housing which is fit for purpose and long lasting and housing that meets the challenge of climate change’.

To be considered for the 2019 Neave Brown Award for Housing, projects needed to be a winner of a 2019 RIBA Regional Award, be a project of ten or more homes completed and occupied between 1 November 2016 and 1 February 2019 and one third of the housing needed to be affordable and should demonstrate evidence of meeting the challenge of housing affordability.

The winner of the Neave Brown Award for Housing will be announced at the RIBA Stirling Prize ceremony on Tuesday 8 October 2019.

RIBA declares environment and climate emergency

PDP_RIBA Climate Emergency

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) have formally agreed to join the global declaration of an environmental and climate emergency at the triannual meeting of RIBA Council members.

At the meeting, which brings together elected trustees to debate and discuss the biggest issues facing the profession, the Institute also committed to developing the RIBA Ethics and Sustainable Development Commission’s action plan and a pledge to support the government’s 2050 net zero emissions target.

RIBA President, Ben Derbyshire, said:

“The climate emergency is the biggest challenge facing our planet and our profession. But to have a significant impact we need to do more than make symbolic statements – we need to turn warm words into impactful actions.

The implementation of a five-year action plan we have committed to today will ensure we are able to benchmark change and evaluate the actions that make most impact.”

RIBA Chief Executive, Alan Vallance said:

“With a background in the meteorological sector I have a deep insight into the impact of climate change and the vast and urgent task ahead of us. RIBA Council’s commitment to the climate emergency declaration is an important moment for the institute and the profession – a catalyst for the further action and change that is needed to ensure that architects and the built environment sector are at the forefront of a zero-carbon future.”

Next steps will include the implementation of a five-year detailed action plan to embed sustainable industry standards and practice and use the RIBA’s influence to improve government and inter-government policy and regulation.

The Ethics and Sustainable Development Action Plan will include measurable actions to support a net zero carbon built environment. It will drive change at a national and international level in industry standards and practice; in government and inter-governmental policy and regulation; and in the RIBA’s own carbon footprint.

Planning & Design Practice Ltd welcome the RIBA initiative, and fully support their efforts to identify the steps needed to build all new buildings to a net zero carbon standard and to identify the steps necessary to retrofit existing buildings. However the implementation of all this work while limiting carbon emissions itself will be a significant challenge.

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