Hybrid Planning & Development

Tonight is the Royal Town Planning Institute Planning Excellence National Awards! ✨   Our directors, Claire Day and Danielle St Pierre MRTPI were proud to be part of the judging panel for the third consecutive year and will be attending this evening’s black tie awards presentation at The Fountain Room.   This event marks the 47th year of the Planning Excellence Awards and we look forward to celebrating the very best plans, people and projects.   See you there?    #RTPIAwards #PlanningExcellence #JudgingPanel #ProudofPlanning #Teamwork #Planning #Placemaking #Awards #Success #Networking

Our associate planner, Hannah Fawdon MRTPI attended Women in Planning’s panel discussion with Montagu Evans yesterday to hear industry insight on the emerging Grey Belt proposals outlined in the revised NPPF.   Hannah’s key takeaways from the session are:   -There is a general consensus that the ‘Golden Rules’ need to be diluted for the Government to meet its housing targets, as schemes are unlikely to be deliverable with the rules as they stand, e.g. 50% affordable housing will make residential schemes largely unviable -The requirement for Green Belt Reviews as part of the Local Plan making process will likely slow down planning further -There seems to be professional agreement that the Grey Belt designation will apply to Metropolitan Open Land in London (as it affords the same status and level of protection as the Green Belt) -The Grey Belt will likely favour commercial schemes rather than residential where there is no affordable housing requirement -Some areas will really struggle with bringing development forward on the Grey Belt where 50% affordable housing is required, especially with 20% BNG in some LPAs and nutrient neutrality issues   Hannah comments: “This was a really in-depth and insightful discussion, and many of the points aligned with our own expectations. It was strongly agreed that when the revised NPPF is published, there needs to be clear definitions as well as guidelines for how the changes will work in practice. Publication is anticipated pre-Christmas, with the panel suggesting it is likely to be the final full working week of December.”   #NPPF #planningnews #planning #greybelt #residentialdevelopment #housingtargets #ukhousing #affordablehousing #commercialdevelopment #predictions #paneldiscussion #industryinsight

Our directors are looking forward to attending tonight’s Hertfordshire Residential Development Awards in St Albans! Claire Day and Danielle St Pierre MRTPI will join clients and the wider Hertfordshire property community at this sell out event, which will recognise the region’s best developments and property professionals, and fundraise for East & North Hertfordshire Hospitals Charity. See you there? #hrda24 #awards #blacktieevent #property #residentialdevelopment #charity #fundraising #planning #networking 

Redevelopment of this constrained brownfield site in Wolverhampton can now proceed after we secured planning permission for a two-storey building.   Our client’s site, to the rear of Queen Street in the city centre, comprises a single storey garage structure that has remained unused since the offices occupying the Grade II listed building at the front of the site were converted to residential. It also sits within a designated conversation area.   “The parameters of the site were extremely constrained, meaning residential redevelopment wasn’t a viable option,” explains our associate director, Aaron Henecke. “We recommended pivoting to a serviced accommodation scheme comprising four one-bedroom apartments, which would provide a sustainable option for short stay visitors.”   Design for the newly approved building drew inspiration from a 19th Century property that once occupied the site. It includes a traditional brick façade with bay windows, timber sashes and a slate hipped crown roof. Cycle storage and a communal courtyard are positioned at the rear.   Aaron adds: “In its current state, the site has a negative impact on the street scene as the garage structure offers no architectural relationship with the Grade II listed host building. With the successful outcome of this planning application, not only will the building line be restored and high quality hotel-type accommodation created, but we’ve also managed to unlock a challenging site and add immediate value to our client’s land. For developers or landowners looking for a fresh perspective on their sites, please get in touch,” adds Aaron. #planningnews #planningapproval #proudofplanning #redevelopment #brownfield #urbandevelopment #servicedapartments #citycentre #wolverhampton #westmidlands

Our director, Danielle St Pierre MRTPI is the latest guest on the Urban Forecast Podcast! Danielle sat down with hosts, Oliver Lowrie and Jon Ackroyd to discuss potential changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and their impact on urban planning. Listen via the links below for Danielle’s insight on: ➡️ Housing targets and the five year land supply ➡️ Green belt regulations and what opportunities the new ‘grey belt’ might unlock ➡️ Whether brownfield passports will streamline planning approvals ➡️ Brownfield Regeneration, Placemaking, Sustainable Urban Extensions, and Retrofit Policy https://lnkd.in/eqgGA9-2 #UrbanForecast #Podcast #PodcastGuest #UrbanPlanning #PlanningInsight #ProudOfPlanning #PlanningNews #Opinion #Advice #HousingTargets #GreenBelt #GreyBelt #LandSupply #PlanningPassports #BrownfieldDevelopment

Happy World Town Planning Day everyone! 🏢🏗️🌱🌎📝   Today’s marks the 75th anniversary of this international event to celebrate how good planning improves the lives of people and society. This year’s theme, Homes Start with Planning, focuses on the integral role planners have in delivering housing to meet the needs of communities.   We are proud to have contributed to successful housing schemes in (18) London Boroughs as well the Midlands, South Coast and East of England. Our projects have created rural self-build homes and farmhouse style properties through to urban apartment schemes, mixed-use developments, and full-scale masterplans that have rejuvenated town and city centres into sustainable communities.   With new homes high on the national agenda, talk to us about the role planning can play in your next housing development.   #WTPD #WorldTownPlanningDay2024 #Planning #PlanningConsultancy #ProudOfPlanning #Placemaking #NewHomes #UKHousing #BuildCommunities #Sustainability #UrbanLiving #Development #Housebuilding #Regeneration 

Congratulations to all this year’s Royal Town Planning Institute Planning Excellence Awards finalists!   Our directors, Claire Day and Danielle St Pierre MRTPI were proud to be part of the judging panel for the third consecutive year, where they learnt more about the successes of inspirational individuals and talented teams as well as the outstanding projects, both in the UK and internationally, that have been delivered.   View the full list of finalists via this brochure - https://lnkd.in/eXN3X6jt   #RTPIAwards #PlanningExcellence #AwardFinalists #JudgingPanel #PlanningNews #ProudofPlanning #Finalists #Teamwork #Planning #Placemaking  

A new community centre will be created in the London Borough of Newham after we secured unanimous approval at committee for a change of use application. A former Wetherspoons public house on Upton Lane (pictured here) will now be regenerated into a new community hub by our client, Quwwat-Ul-Islam Society, which is a registered charity. Quwwat-Ul-Islam Society intends to provide vital services for the strong South Asian population among Forest Gate, as well as the wider local community. Activities in the newly approved community centre will include parent & toddler sessions, elderly social clubs, youth sports & clubs, study groups, fitness classes, health and wellness workshops, and IT skills/vocational training. Our director, Danielle St Pierre MRTPI has led the application and presented at committee. Danielle comments: “The former pub closed in July 2023 so this site has remained vacant for over a year. Our client sought to repurpose the building and create an asset for the community, and as part of our application, was able to demonstrate significant demand via a Community Needs Survey Analysis Report and Indicative List of Service Users. “In addition, the centre’s proposed opening hours were significantly less than the previous pub, meaning less noise and disruption for nearby residents. “We’re extremely pleased that the committee supported our client’s intent and unanimously agreed to this flexible change of use. It is especially rewarding to know the long-term viability of this site has been secured,” adds Danielle. #changeofuse #planningapproval #planningpermission #planninggranted #planningnews #proudofplanning #goahead #regeneration #reuse #repurpose #highstreet #communitycentre #redevelopment #ForestGate #Newham 

Meet our newest team members, Davide Bertaggia MRTPI and Luke McBratney! 👋   Davide and Luke joined us over the summer as planners, collectively bringing almost a decade of private and public sector experience, including roles in three London Boroughs, Wales and the Netherlands!   Find out more about them at https://lnkd.in/gYwPuK-e   #welcometotheteam #teamHybrid #appointments #newstarters #planners #planningnews #businessgrowth

Good news - I’ve joined the Women in Planning mentoring scheme for a second successive year and this time will be supporting two candidates!   For the next 12 months, I will mentor two planners with support and guidance on their career development and I’m excited to get going!   This independent initiative was set up by Women in Planning to encourage knowledge sharing and make the planning industry more diverse, equitable and inclusive. It’s a great way for young planners to build connections, learn leadership and management skills, and seek an alternative perspective about growing their careers.   Find out more at https://lnkd.in/eW-NQcyc   #womeninplanning #mentoring #leadership #giveback #helpothers #careersguidance #careeradvice #planningcareers #proudofplanning #futuregenerations #teamHybrid