Positive redevelopment of brownfield land for a rural business enterprise

We regularly help commercial clients secure the necessary planning consents to help them to establish their business, or to secure its expansion.  In this case we helped a small business owner get her cattery up and running, by securing planning permission for the required development and the associated change of use, so that she could run the business from her home in a rural location in Uttlesford.

Planning in a rural and isolated setting

The proposed development sought to replace a manège in incidental use, with a cattery building, to enable the necessary business operations on site.

Our first stage was to undertake a detailed review of the planning history on site. This revealed pertinent restrictions associated with the previous use which helped to inform the planning strategy.

We sought to gain a comprehensive understanding of our client’s aspirations. This, coupled with our analysis of the key planning issues, enabled us to work with the client to create a positive scheme for the location. We presented this scheme effectively, with a thoroughly-researched and persuasive planning statement, and we proactively engaged with the case officer during the determination period, leading to a positive result for our client.

How we added value

Despite the rural and isolated setting, we successfully demonstrated how the proposal would accord with local and national policy and would achieve net gains across the three dependent objectives of sustainable development. We also:

• evidenced the benefits of rural diversification and the local employment opportunities the project would present;
• explored the positives of the redevelopment of a brownfield site and the re-use of brownfield land;
• successfully established the incidental nature of the proposed works and evidenced the continued use of the residential dwelling;
• evidenced the negligible impact of such a modest development on the open countryside;
• made the case for the benefits of working from home and utilised our knowledge of relevant policy relating to sustainable growth and expansion of businesses in rural areas through well designed buildings, to promote the proposal.

We were so glad to help our client establish their rural business enterprise and delighted that our expertise has secured planning for a proposal that will boost the rural economy whilst protecting the character and appearance of the countryside, and neighbouring residential amenity.

About us

Our team of experienced and dynamic planning consultants have been helping small business and commercial organisations secure planning consents for over a decade. If you require assistance with a change of use, commercial development, certificate of lawfulness or enforcement relating to your business then don’t hesitate to contact us. See how we can best assist via enquiries@plainview.co.uk or call us on 01242 501003, providing the site address and a brief overview of your project. We value your privacy and any information which you provide will not be shared outside of our company and will only be used in relation to your enquiry.

Content correct at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date advice or to discuss your project, please contact our team directly.