SF Planning Limited

📣 Three New Homes approved in Cotswold AONB. A great result following a successful Cotswold District Council planning committee, where there was a lot of local interest. Some nice words from our client following the decision: 💬 "Paul Jenkins was extremely helpful and professional throughout a long planning application process. He was always quick to respond and kept me fully informed, and his advice and guidance were invaluable. I have absolutely no hesitation in fully recommending him." Great work Paul Jenkins MRTPI and team, and thanks to Tyack Architects Ltd, Rappor, SWIFT ECOLOGY LTD and GHA Trees Limited for their support with the application. Read the full story here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eh624hf2

There are some applications that, for any number of reasons, gain a huge amount of public interest. Finding a solution to install a permanent, covered area at the front of one of Cheltenham's most recognised buildings is one such project. Andrew Merrell has done the work for us in terms of announcing this one in The Raikes Journal, thank you. ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/etd-ZPp8 We'll document the route to the successful committee resolution in a story on our website soon, but in the meantime, we'll take a breath and celebrate the success. Particular congratulations to Simon Firkins MRTPI, and Julian Dunkerton and No.131 The Promenade. Also huge thanks to the rest of the SF Planning Limited team and our wider network of consultancy partners, who have supported in a variety of ways on the application (Tyack Architects Ltd Donald Insall Associates LandArb, LLC) In Simon's words: "We are delighted with the outcome at planning committee. The whole team has worked incredibly hard for many years, seeking to create appropriate solutions for this important and sensitive site, engaging with key stakeholders all the way through that long process.   It is often inevitable in planning that people will have differing opinions about the weight to be given to competing objectives in any balanced decision. Decisions frequently come down to subjective judgements. In granting permission, the members of the planning committee debated everything in depth, correctly applied the relevant statutory and policy tests, and concluded the proposal should be approved.   The result can be credited to everyone involved on behalf of the applicant."

After a significant pause in the examination of the Stroud District Local Plan Review, the planning inspectorate has written to the Council to confirm their view that withdrawal of the plan from Examination is now the most appropriate way forward. https://lnkd.in/en5V43xV

So impressed with the enthusiasm of the Sir Thomas Rich's School students at today’s careers fair. They had some brilliant questions and some really intelligent insights into how they see town planning. We’re looking forward to hosting work experience students from the school this spring. Thanks as ever to Charlotte Daborn and the Royal Town Planning Institute for supporting us with materials and information for the young people we speak to at our local schools.

New blog post from Simon Firkins MRTPI: SME developers and the Impact of BNG "In April 2024, mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) legislation was extended to include almost all development sites in England....Nine months on, BNG has played a major role in pushing an industry sector to crisis point." Read the blog here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/gBrSn2tw A good read, summarising our experience to date, and including some new statistics and fresh calls for reform from the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and Home Builders Federation.

Thank you Gloucester Hartpury Rugby for having us as sponsors for another season. It's shaping up to be a nail-biter, with the team showing some brilliant form in the Premiership Women's Rugby competition. This season, as well as sponsoring the team, we're following the lead of the players and their incredible work promoting women's sport, by supporting the work of Gloucester Rugby Charitable Foundation, and one of their youth projects. More to follow on that soon. Gloucester Rugby James Forrester Rob Webber

A very Happy New Year from the team at SF Planning.

As appears to be tradition for planners, we're ending the year with a flurry of December activity, making sure we're ready to support our clients with another set of planning reforms. Our team will be taking an extremely well-earned break over Christmas. Our offices close at 12pm on Christmas Eve and reopen at 9am on Thursday 2nd January 2025. Huge thanks to our fantastic team and to all those who have supported us this year. Exciting things ahead in 2025, as we celebrate our 20th anniversary! Sending our warmest wishes for Christmas and the new year.

An incredible result for professional quash player, Nathan Lake, who we are very proud to sponsor. Nathan joined the England squash team for this year's World Team Championships, taking silver in the finals. 🥈 #proudsponsors #prosport #squash Professional Squash Association England Squash World Squash Federation (WSF) East Glos Club, Cheltenham — Tennis, padel, squash, racketball

Revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) - a guide for our clients and contacts. No doubt there will be a fair few of these summaries around. We’ve created ours to be as relevant as possible for our clients, while attempting to keep things simple. We’ve also included a table with details of revised housing delivery figures for the local planning authorities we work within most frequently. Lots of opportunities for landowners and developers, but as always, the finer details are all-important. SF Planning Limited’s consultants are ready to discuss the changes, and how they could relate to your sites and applications.