The Plainview team have secured planning permission for 10 residential units on a greenfield site on Hayling Island.
The brief:
An outline planning application for 8 residential dwellings on site had been approved previously. However, there was clear capacity to increase the number of dwellings and our client therefore sought to vary 2 of the approved detached properties, to form 4 semi-detached houses.
The addition of these two extra homes meant that the application would now constitute 10 dwellings and as such, would be classed as a major application, requiring engagement and liaison with the council at both a local and county level on issues such as drainage, landscaping and highways.
To add to the complexities of the case, works had already started on the approved 8 dwellings and there was a strict build timetable which had to be adhered to.
Making the case for increased density:
The previous approval for 8 dwellings highlighted that the principle of development on site, impact on local character and residential amenity had all been considered acceptable by the planning officer.
We therefore sought to limit any wider changes on the development and focused on making the case for the additional dwellings by:
- Justifying how the proposal to increase the density of the development within a sustainable and urban area complied with local and national policies;
- Demonstrating how the additional houses were an efficient use of land and would provide attractive family homes with generous amenity space based on local standards;
- Preparing a housing density assessment of the surrounding areas which showed that the proposed revised density reflected that of the surrounding streets;
- Successfully justifying that the scheme should be considered under a similar context to the previous approval, to ensure consistency in decision making.
Making a major application:
Furthermore, in light of the increase in the number of dwellings on site, further detail was required on aspects of the development which had already been built.
We engaged effectively with the local and county councils, liaising between the authority officers and relevant third party consultants to provide revised documents to respond to the larger scheme including:
- The negotiation of an effective highways solution;
- The provision of revised landscaping documents;
- Resubmission of drainage plans and, as there was a lengthy delay between the local and county council for this, we formed a working relationship with the drainage officer to remove the burden of a 20 day response period and managed to resolve all matters much faster.
All resolutions were then passed onto the case officer as a formal response to any concerns.
The outcome:
We worked effectively with all supporting parties, both client side and from the two councils, and as a result were able to secure permission for the revised development and successfully minimised disruptions to the build timetable.
IMAGE SOURCE: Jaye Ford Architecture Ltd (2015)