Planning Permission: our latest success stories

Our latest planning permission successes include Listed Buildings, new flats in London, and a farm redevelopment in Wiltshire.

1. 13 new homes in Wiltshire

After a lengthy process, we are proud to have secured full planning permission for a total of 13 new homes, replacing existing farm buildings in Wroughton. Substantial negotiations have been required to agree the application’s suitability and the necessary mitigations, resulting in the granting of planning permission in spite of local objections. Early hurdles included requests by the Council’s Highways and Drainage Officers, both of which we managed to satisfy. After reaching a legal agreement with the Council over the provision of affordable housing, the benefits of the scheme saw the proposals approved.

2. Listed Coach House conversion in Oxfordshire

We recently secured planning permission and listed building consent for works to a Grade II Listed property in Upper Tadmarton, west of Banbury. Our client wanted to convert the house’s coach house into a gym and home office. This follows on from listed building consent we secured at the same property in February, for a range of internal alterations to the main house.

3. New 4 bedroom house in Hampshire

We recently obtained planning permission for a replacement dwelling in Quarley, Hampshire. The proposals involved the demolition of the old house, with an existing annex to be retained as ancillary accommodation, a new detached garage and a new four bedroom home. The Council’s Landscape Officer agreed with us that a sympathetic landscaping scheme would help the development to blend in with the landscape. As a result, the Planning Officer decided that although the new house would be larger than the existing, it would not be more visually intrusive.

4. Subdivision of flats in London

One of our recent urban projects has been approved, for the subdivision of an existing duplex flat into two single floor flats in Wandsworth. We successfully argued that the new, smaller flats will help the area to meet the rising demand for smaller units, responding to the rising proportion of single person households in the area.

5. Change of use for Grade II* Listed country Manor near Marlborough

Another recent success is the gaining of planning permission for the use of a beautiful country manor estate near Marlborough for weddings and functions, as well as the use of a former staff flat as a holiday let. We pointed out that the Development Plan expressly promotes the reuse of rural buildings for employment, tourism and cultural uses. It was demonstrated that, even though the site’s location meant that there was some conflict with local policies relating to sustainable access, the plans were backed up by national policy, and the proposal will safeguard the long term future of an important, Grade II* Listed heritage asset.

6. Listed Building converted into 4 flats in Winchester

We have successfully obtained planning permission and listed building consent for the conversion of a listed office building to form four apartments in Winchester. Key issues involved were the impact on the heritage value of the listed building, and the loss of office floorspace capacity in a city centre location. We were able to demonstrate that the proposed works would be sympathetic to the character of the building through our own meticulously compiled Heritage Statement. We also showed that the loss of office space was relatively minor, compared to the benefits of new homes in this location.

7. 151019 Roundaway Farm Farmhouse Extension in rural Hampshire

Planning permission was secured for major two storey and single storey extensions to a former farm house in Tangley, on the Hampshire side of the Wilts/Hants border, within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The site benefitted from significant visual enclosure, allowing our design team to extend more substantially than might otherwise be possible in an AONB. We worked with Landscape Consultants, who produce a Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment (LVIA), and were able to demonstrate that the proposal would not be more visually harmful than the existing building.

8. Replacement roof at a Listed home near Devizes

One of our smaller scale projects recently was at Potterne, near Devizes, where the owner of a Grade II Listed home wanted to replace the glass roof of his conservatory with a slate tiled roof, with rooflights in. We argued that the new roof would actually be an enhancement to the heritage asset, as the conservatory roof would now match the roof of the host building, and the rooflights would be hidden within the pitch of the roof. The Council agreed with our position, and granted listed building consent accordingly.

Have a look at our Portfolio for a collection of our finished projects, or get in touch to start your project.