South West - GL Hearn

2 downloads 193 Views 861KB Size Report
... St Stephens Place Leisure Park, which included a seven-screen digital cinema, .... Pledge, GL Hearn is listed on the
Issue 8

South West News

Planning Development and Regeneration

Image courtesy of Mountford Pigott

Planning permission secured for St Stephens Place Leisure Park, Trowbridge GL Hearn’s Bath team has secured planning permission for Legal & General Property (LGP) for a mixed-use regeneration scheme in Trowbridge which is now under construction, with opening planned in October 2013. Led by Planning Director Mike Beese, and Planning Associate Director Alban Henderson, the design team developed proposals for the St Stephens Place Leisure Park, which included a seven-screen digital cinema, operated by Odeon, and an 80-bed Premier Inn hotel, as well as provision for seven family restaurants, cafes and bars. Following overwhelming public support for the scheme, during the consultation phase, Wiltshire Council Western Area Planning Committee unanimously voted to grant planning permission for the scheme. Situated on the circa 1.25 ha former Tesco store site at St Stephens Place, the development will see hundreds of jobs created during the construction phase and around 200 jobs when the scheme is operational. Commenting on the success, Mike Beese said: “The GL Hearn planning team in Bath advised LGP through the various stages including providing initial strategic planning advice, handling the pre-application phase, and ensuring that the extensive range of submitted planning application documents had addressed all issues, which allowed Wiltshire Council to grant planning permission at the first available Committee.’ “The LGP scheme will create a cultural and entertainment hub in the town centre, and will provide a boost to Trowbridge’s regeneration aspirations by acting as a catalyst for further investment.” Tim Russell, Senior Asset Manager at Legal & General Property, commenting on the Wiltshire Council decision said: “This makes way for a much needed and long awaited cinema-anchored leisure scheme that we feel best serves the demands of the County Town of Wiltshire and its surrounding catchment area.” Contact: Alban Henderson [email protected] 01225 822400

“Furthermore, we are very excited that following this approval, we can now bring forward a development that will not only regenerate the southern part of the town centre, but help make Trowbridge an exciting destination for Wiltshire residents.”

glhearn.com

GL Hearn South West News - Issue 8

2

Education

Image courtesy of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios LLP

New home for Bath Royal High Junior School Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Planning Committee unanimously approved the scheme which will enable this Girls’ Day School Trust school to move from its present site to Cranwell House in Weston, Bath. Cranwell, although already in educational use, needs major refurbishment work, replacement classrooms and multipurpose hall. Cranwell is a listed building, in its own landscaped grounds and within Bath’s Conservation Area and designated World Heritage Site. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios have designed a contemporary building which will sit alongside the Victorian building which is itself based on a Georgian manor house. One committee member commented that it was one of the best Contact: Dan Washington presented schemes to be considered in a long time. [email protected] 01225 822400 For further information on this and other education and heritage related schemes contact Dan Washington.

Residential

Image courtesy of Bloor Homes

GL Hearn secures residential permission for Bloor Homes In June 2012, GL Hearn secured planning permission for a residential scheme on the former Summerfield School site, Lime Grove, Bath. The former Council owned site is located between a railway embankment and allotments, and is in close proximity to the Bath city centre lying in both the City Conservation Area and World Heritage Site. The site has been vacant since 2007 and was subject to a previously failed scheme prepared by others. Bloor Homes appointed GL Hearn as planning consultants to progress a revised lower density scheme. In consultation with Council officers, Bloor Homes revised and reduced the density of their residential scheme and GL Hearn were able to demonstrate that the revised proposals addressed all previous reasons for refusal. Through the submission of a Sequential Assessment, GL Hearn Contact: Chris Beaver successfully showed that the site passed the NPPF flood risk sequential test. [email protected] 01225 822400 Bloor Homes have now purchased the site from B&NES and have commenced work on site with completion expected later in 2013.

glhearn.com

GL Hearn South West News - Issue 8

3

Residential

Image courtesy of Nash Partnership

Planning permission for a residential-led mixed use redevelopment scheme on behalf of Linden Homes GL Hearn’s Bath office received planning permission for a residential-led mixed use redevelopment scheme comprising 169 dwellings, including a proportion of affordable rent units, replacement community facilities, offices, town centre link, formal green space and associated works on behalf of Linden Homes. The former Alcan factory site is situated within the market town community of Midsomer Norton. Built to help replace jobs lost at the end of the coal-mining era, the factory closed in 2006. Its history of employment use and position within a residential neighbourhood, close to Midsomer Norton Town Centre created significant challenges and opportunities. The development will create a strong sense of place, a community building, new green spaces, improved walking and cycling connection and the potential for integrated development of adjoining land. The strategy for economic regeneration incorporates a number of strands, providing 169 homes to create a new residential offer, including live/work units, to help retain and attract skilled and enterprising people. Small office units are to be provided on-site, above the replacement community building and adjacent to the live/work units. In addition, the development is providing a significant contribution towards the creation of an off-site ‘workhub’ to energise and provide a focus for the small and micro business sector. Contact: Chris Beaver Following a period of pre-application negotiation, full planning permission was secured following a unanimous decision at Committee with councillors praising the consultation process and mix and quality of the development. For further information please contact Chris Beaver or Gaynor Parkinson who worked on the scheme.

[email protected] 01225 822400 Contact: Gaynor Parkinson [email protected] 01225 822400

glhearn.com

GL Hearn South West News - Issue 8

4

Environment

GL Hearn signs a Low Carbon Pledge GL Hearn has signed-up to the Planning Portal’s Low Carbon Pledge. The Pledge will see the company submit more planning applications and appeals electronically wherever possible and will lead to CO2 savings for years to come. The campaign from Planning Portal, the Government’s online planning and building regulations resource for England and Wales, encourages the submission of planning applications online to Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). By submitting more applications online via the Planning Portal, GL Hearn will reduce the associated costs and resources of sending planning applications to LPAs, which in-turn will lead to a reduction in the company’s carbon footprint. As a result of signing up to the Low Carbon Pledge, GL Hearn is listed on the Planning Portal website as a signatory to the Pledge. Alastair Crowdy, National Head of Planning, Development and Regeneration at GL Hearn, said: Contact: Gaynor Parkinson [email protected] 01225 822400

“This is a reflection of the on-going aims of GL Hearn’s corporate social responsibility, particularly our work towards achieving the ISO:14001 environmental certification. We also hope our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint will inspire others in the industry to adopt the same environmentally friendly practices.”

Environment

15ha Solar PV (5MW) planning permission secured in the Green Belt Our Bath office secured planning permission for a large scale solar photovoltaic (PV) scheme in the statutory Green Belt near Bradford on Avon. The planning permission relates to a ground mounted system of fixed PV solar panels on a 15ha site. The Solar PV proposal forms part of an energy strategy to deliver an exemplary carbon neutral extension to Bradford on Avon that will be the subject of a formal planning application in 2013. The Council accepted our ‘special circumstances’ case and permitted the project under officer’s delegated powers without referral to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under the Green Belt Direction 2009. We also negotiated out the need for any ‘pre-commencement’ conditions by supplying full details with the application submission. The scheme was subject to environmental impact assessment (EIA) screening and community engagement coordinated by GL Hearn prior to submission. Following the March 2011 announcement on the reduction in feed–in tariffs (FITS) subsidy for large scale solar PV by Chris Huhne, the former Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, we negotiated a fast track process with the Local Planning Authority. The application was determined Contact: Chris Beaver within 8-weeks of registration despite the Bank Holiday period and the planning case [email protected] officer going on paternity leave! 01225 822400 The development was fully implemented and connected to the National Grid in October 2011.

glhearn.com

GL Hearn South West News - Issue 8

5

Environment

First Commercial Biogas Plant for Wiltshire In July 2010 GL Hearn secured planning permission for an innovative rural diversification project involving the erection of a biogas plant (using anaerobic digestion (AD) technology) and a scheme of speculative employment units on a redundant farm on the edge of Warminster, Wiltshire. The permission followed 18 months work which involved the provision of initial pre-acquisition advice, management of preapplication consultation process, and coordination of comprehensive full planning application submission. GL Hearn also assisted the client, Malaby Biogas Ltd, in their due diligence process of selecting the preferred supplier of AD technology. In 2011 we secured revisions to the scheme through a material minor amendment, and have also discharged the pre-commencement planning conditions. The approved scheme commenced on site in May 2011 and was completed in Spring 2012 and is now commencing its operational phase. This is the first commercial biogas plant in Wiltshire. It will receive organic commercial waste and farm slurry, which will then be processed through the AD plant. The biogas will then power a combined heat and power unit (CHP). Surplus renewable electricity will be exported to the National Grid (equivalent to power up to 1,000 homes), and the renewable heat will be used in the integrated employment units and visitor centre. The digestate output from the AD process will be used as organic fertilizer on local farms. Malaby Biogas and Chris Beaver presented a ‘Planning Permission Masterclass and Case Study’ at the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) UK AD and Biogas conference at London’s NEC. The project won an award at The Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Corporate Green awards 2012 as the most impressive newcomer to implementing environmental actions.

From left to right: Gaynor Parkinson (Planning Consultant), Tessa Pepler (Ecological Consultant), Toby Minter (Developer), Philippa Forrester (Presenter), Chris Beaver (Planning Consultant), Thomas Minter (Developer), Colin Hirons (Site Manager) and James Miles-Hobbs (Rural Development Consultant).

Contact: Chris Beaver [email protected] 01225 822400

glhearn.com

GL Hearn South West News - Issue 8

6

Combined intelligence at GL Hearn Planning Director Contact: Chris Beaver [email protected]

Environmental Planning Director Contact:

Glasgow

Michael Lee-Wright [email protected]

Edinburgh Newcastle

Business Rates Director Contact:

Belfast Sunderland

Hugh Bower [email protected]

Corporate Director Contact:

Dublin

Manchester Liverpool

Bob Nurse [email protected]

Nottingham

Corporate Associate Director Contact:

Birmingham

Bill Russell [email protected]

Cardiff Bristol Bath Exeter

Southampton

London

For further information on ‘South West News’ or on any general matter please contact Gaynor Parkinson on 01225 822400 or your usual GL Hearn contact.

Bath Office The Malt House Sydney Buildings Bath BA2 6BZ T: +44 (0)1225 822400 F: +44 (0)1225 822429 E: [email protected]

All text copyright © GL Hearn 2012

We endeavour to keep our mailing lists up-to-date. If you would like to be removed from the list, or you have a colleague who would like to receive future issues of ‘South West News’, please email [email protected] with details. Disclaimer. GL Hearn are not responsible or liable for any actions taken from use of content and opinion expressed within the publication.

Regulated by the RICS and members of the RTPI

glhearn.com