ROK Planning

In April Anna Anderson, one of our lovely Assistant Planners here at ROK, will be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for HARP charity. HARP is Southend’s leading homeless charity, providing housing, advice and support to over 1,000 people each year who are either experiencing homelessness or are at risk of losing their home. At ROK we support charities that make a difference in our communities, and we’re always looking for ways to help. For more information on HARP, or if anyone would like to contribute towards this important cause, please see the link below: https://lnkd.in/eppFjJkz We’re very excited to cheer on Anna as she takes on the London Landmarks Half and wish her the best of luck! #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #sustainabledevelopment

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.” (Ruth Bader Ginsberg) Tomorrow is International Women’s Day! Happy IWD to our amazing women here at ROK and beyond, who we celebrate today and every day. #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #sustainabledevelopment  

ROK…..Town Planning…..a perfect match?! Wishing a Happy Valentine’s Day to all our connections. At ROK, we are celebrating with a Valentine’s themed pot-luck breakfast to set us up for the day where the team have brought in some of their favourite breakfast dishes! 😊 The ROK Planning Team #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #sustainabledevelopment  

Who needs the new NPPF…… Doing exactly what the Planning system is designed to do…. ROK Planning are proud to announce Planning permission for 22 new family homes in Bucks! Working with officers throughout the pre-application and determination processes, the permission unlocks a site with a challenging planning history and heritage constraints and which meets the long-held aspiration of the LPA. An excellent scheme by MEPK ARCHITECTS LIMITED on behalf of Paradigm Housing Group, delivering housing on an underutilised and historically unviable brownfield site in High Wycombe, which locals may remember as host to the once legendary Club X / The Attic nightclub in the 1990s. The development which will be an excellent addition to the conservation area, also providing a new pedestrian and cycle route to the town centre, along with significant new landscaping and tree planting.  For more information on this project and to find out how ROK Planning negotiated a viable s106 agreement, please contact Wilf Foster or Alun Evans. #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #sustainabledevelopment  

Magic Wand…? Hedwig…? Or Town Planning zeal….?! Planning success delivered in the Green Belt – a new retail store, opposite Harry Potter Studios! ROK Planning are delighted to have worked closely with Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects, Three Rivers District Council and Hertfordshire Highways to secure planning permission for 1,540sqm of Class E(a) retail floorspace, for a discount-food operator. The site on the northern fringe of Watford is currently occupied by a 1,313sqm garden centre which under this permission will be demolished and replaced. The new store will have a slightly larger volume and footprint but has been sensitively designed to respond positively to the context and minimise impact on the openness of the Green Belt. As well as dictating the planning strategy and managing the subsequent application, ROK Planning also produced a Retail Sequential Assessment to support the proposals.  For more information on this project or to find out how ROK Planning could help you please contact Alun Evans or Katy Greenwood. #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #sustainabledevelopment

We are very happy to congratulate and formally introduce the lovely Imogen Seth, Katharina de Mel and Eva Papai to the ROK Planning team! They have joined as our newly appointed Assistant Planners and are already making hugely positive and significant contributions to the wider team and clients at ROK Planning. At ROK Planning we are always working tirelessly to ensure we are curating the best team and environment for our employees and clients. If you would like to hear more about ROK Planning and how we can help you, please reach out to www.rokplanning.co.uk #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #planningapplications #planningapproval #sustainableplanning

Representing a strong case for Common Sense to prevail, ROK Planning are delighted to have secured permission at appeal to replace ‘an unmistakable eyesore’ in Clerkenwell. The S78 appeal decision against LB Islington’s failure to determine within the prescribed time limit demonstrated emphatic and unequivocal support for the demolition of the ‘eyesore’ and its sensitive replacement, namely a 4-storey office building which will provide over 5000m2 of office floorspace in Islington.  This development will see the optimisation of a brownfield site located in the CAZ and Priority Employment Location. It also significantly enhances the contribution the site makes within a challenging context with the site between two conservation areas, adjacent to listed buildings and enclosed by residential blocks at the rear of the site.  The Inspector’s clear references to the poor state of the site and the quality of the proposed replacement emphasised the opportunity before the decision-makers to redevelop the site which has been vacant since September 2019. It was a pleasure working alongside Gensler who were architects on the scheme and, GIA Surveyors, Iceni Projects and Hartnell Taylor Cook. Counsel was provided by Landmark Chambers. For more information on this project or to find out how ROK Planning can help you, please contact Matthew Roe, Jamie Dempster, Erlina Hale or Immie North! #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #planningapplications #planningapproval #sustainableplanning

Happy World Town Planning Day!   Today, we celebrate the essential role of urban planners in helping to shape cities and communities around the world. On the 8th November every year, planners and communities come together to celebrate how good planning improves the lives of people by creating spaces and vibrant communities which enhance quality of life for all.    Here at ROK Planning, our projects and our people are at the heart of what we do, and we aim to inspire, innovate and educate future generations.   As urban populations continue to grow, it’s more important than ever to think strategically about how we plan for the future.   This year, World Town Planning Day coincides with National Cappuccino Day – ROK will be indulging in a well-deserved caffeine hit for sure – and if you’d like to meet us for a coffee, not just on the 8th but throughout the year, please reach out to us at www.rokplanning.co.uk or to your usual contact. #rokplanning #townplanning #planning #development #worldtownplanningday #sustainableplanning 

Located on Boord Street….But delivering Exciting development….. ROK Planning are thrilled to have worked in partnership with Farview New Homes to recently gain a resolution to grant planning permission for a residential-led mixed-use scheme on the Greenwich Peninsula. At a maximum height of 26 storeys, the proposal incorporates 352 new C3 residential units, 340 new purpose-built student beds, a new STOREX self-storage facility, light industrial floorspace, ground floor commercial floorspace and a new nursery. Epitomising the changing emphasis on how we use land within our cities, the site was previously used as a Lorry Park, but will instead now contribute to aims of creating a new mixed and inclusive community on the Peninsula by providing a range of housing types and new employment opportunities. Situated within the Greenwich Peninsula Opportunity Area, the scheme adds to the Masterplan-led regeneration led by RB Greenwich. The unique location next to the iconic Studio 338 nightclub has been carefully considered throughout the design process, with the positioning of the new 11 storey STOREX Self Storage facility creating a noise buffer to the new residential uses behind. This variety of uses couldn’t have been achieved without the combined architectural efforts of Allies and Morrison, aca studios and Threesixty Architecture Ltd. For more information on this project, or to find out how ROK planning could help you please contact Katy Greenwood or Samuel Blacker. #rokplanning #townplanning #planning #development #greenwichpeninsula 

It’s been a very busy couple of months at ROK Planning and we are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon… 🏃♀️ ➡ Very happy to formally introduce the lovely Louisa Gregory, Naomi Baker, Anna Anderson and Emily Mackenzie to the ROK Planning team! They have joined respectively as our dedicated Operations Manager and newly appointed Planner, Assistant Planner, and summer Planning Intern who will be joining us in a permanent position from the Autumn – we are thrilled to have them, and they are already making huge contributions to the wider team and clients at ROK Planning. This week the 2024 ROK graduate intake also gets underway, with three graduate Planners looking to kick-start their career at our dynamic and growing consultancy. Watch this space for formal introductions… ROK would also like to send warm congratulations to some home-grown heroes on their internal promotions:   1.     Dan Botten who has been promoted from Associate Director to Senior Associate Director; 2.     Wilf Foster who steps into the role of Associate Director from Senior Planner; 3.     Aidan Payne who is now taking on the role of Senior Planner following his success as a Planner; 4. and last but certainly not least Samuel Blacker who has been promoted from Assistant Planner to Planner!   As ROK enters its 7th year of successful trade, we are working tirelessly to ensure we are curating the best team and environment for our employees and clients. If you would like to hear more about ROK Planning and how we can help you, please reach out to us at www.rokplanning.co.uk #ROKPlanning #townplanning #planning #development #planningapplications #planningapproval #sustainableplanning