DHA Planning Group’s Post

This September, DLP Planning Ltd and the Strategic Planning Research Unit (SPRU) assisted Taylor Wimpey – North Thames and WHITEACRE LIMITED in securing planning permission for up to 186 dwellings and 59 Extra Care units at Grange Farm, Bovingdon. DLP was first engaged in 2020, supporting the site’s proposed allocation in Dacorum Local Plan’s Regulation 18 version. The Planning Committee granted permission in April 2024 following a positive recommendation. DLP proposed changes to optimise the draft allocation’s development potential, supported by extensive community engagement including as part of the then-emerging Neighbourhood Plan. This ensured the site remained proposed for release from the Green Belt in subsequent Local Plan revisions, providing at least 1.15ha of community land for outdoor sports and recreation, and community facilities including a Scouts hut and community orchard. A hybrid planning application was then submitted in August 2023 after extensive engagement comprising both pre-application advice and input from the Design Review Panel. The application identified a package of very special circumstances for approving the development prior to the Local Plan's finalisation. This included addressing the site’s unique surface water drainage improvements, the borough’s urgent market, affordable and older persons’ housing needs, alongside bespoke Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) provision for mitigating recreational impacts on Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC). DLP’s success at promoting and securing planning permission for development in the Green Belt comes at a time when the new Labour Government has provided a clear signal that further land currently falling under this designation will have an important role in meeting future housing needs while decision-takers and plan-makers will retain control over, as applicable, the very special or exceptional circumstances required to support the case for development. DLP therefore expects to lead on the planning strategies for several similar proposals in the coming months. #YearInReview2024 #planning #GreenBelt #housing #OlderPeopleHousing #housingcrisis

🏡 Balancing Development and Preservation: A Town Planning Challenge for Surrey? Elmbridge Borough Council’s Local Plan is being re-evaluated having been urged to reconsider its goal of 8,000 new homes, as using green belt land is “justified”. As expected, the council expressed disappointment, reaffirming its commitment to protecting the green belt from "speculative" development, focussing instead on brownfield sites for future housing. The debate over housing development on green belt land highlights a complex challenge: meeting housing targets while preserving undeveloped spaces. What are your thoughts on balancing sustainable growth whilst protecting our natural spaces? #HousingCrisis #GreenBelt #SustainableDevelopment #Planning

Appeal Allowed on designated Open Space & SINC! I was very pleased to receive this Appeal Decision through last week, granting Permission in Principle for our clients to build between 5 and 9 new homes on a backland site in North London. Both London Plan and Local Plan policies were stacked against us, and so we needed to challenge the Council’s own evidence-base whilst building a strong case for the public benefits the scheme could deliver. We were ultimately successful, with some of the key points from the Inspector’s decision being: ✔ Provision of publicly accessible and improved Open Space would off-set any net loss. ✔ Proposed improvements to biodiversity carry significant weight. ✔ Where the Council lacks a 5-YHLS, the proposals make a notable contribution. ✔ These benefits outweigh conflicts with the development plan and less than substantial harm to the setting of a nearby Listed Building. It’s not every day you win an Appeal, and certainly not for a site as seemingly restricted as this one! If you’d like to hear more about our winning strategy, feel free to DM me to discuss. #planningappeal #planning #housing #newhomes #permissioninprinciple #planningpermission

We help Galliford Try get planning success for Brentwood Special Needs School in Manchester With a critical deadline looming, Galliford Try required 8.48 habitat units to meet planning conditions set by Trafford Council, ensuring the timely start of construction. Galliford Try is one of the UK’s leading building constructors. They turned to us for a fast, effective solution. Working in partnership with the Iford Estate, one of only seven projects officially registered on the government’s DEFRA platform at the time, we sourced the necessary BNG units and swiftly completed all required legal paperwork. This enabled Galliford Try to discharge the planning conditions and proceed with construction in time for the school holidays. Michael Cook, Senior Design Manager at Galliford Try, commented: "𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘉𝘕𝘎 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘉𝘕𝘎 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴.” Ian Hambleton, Founder of Biodiversity Units UK commented: “𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘛𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘈𝘵 𝘉𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘜𝘒, 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥-𝘪𝘯-𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥" For more information about our approach, and mission to give developers more BNG certainty, visit biodiversity-units.uk #BNG #insight #biodiversityunits #biodiversity #uk #property #biodiversitynetgain #propertydevelopment

The Government has today published the new version of the National Planning Policy Framework. In addition to general changes seeking to increase housebuilding, there is significant reform for development within the Green Belt utilising ‘grey belt’ land. Requirements include that: - Development would not fundamentally undermine the purposes of the remaining Green Belt - There is lack of a five year supply of deliverable housing sites or where the Housing Delivery Tests was below 75% of the housing requirement over the previous three years. Notably a number of Councils with fairly recently adopted plans will still be below the 75% HDT threshold. - The development would be in a sustainable location - The development meets ‘Golden Rules’ including 50% affordable housing in most cases, improvements to infrastructure and new and improved green spaces. In terms of the speculation over what might be ‘grey belt’, this has been confirmed as: “previously developed land and/or any other land that, in either case, does not strongly contribute to any of purposes (a), (b), or (d) in paragraph 143.” Namely preventing sprawl, towns merging or the setting of historic towns. ‘Grey belt’ however excludes National Landscapes (formerly AONB), National Parks, irreplaceable habitats and designated heritage assets.

Julian Sharpe MRTPI, our Head of Planning, with an update on the new version of the National Planning Policy Framework with some clarification on what might be considered 'grey belt'.

This year, World Town Planning Day is spotlighting the crucial role of planning and planners in delivering housing that meets the needs of our communities, and in helping to create equitable, inclusive, and sustainable solutions for all.   At Rural Solutions, we’re dedicated to working with rural landowners and developers to create housing that supports vibrant, sustainable rural communities.   Our work covers the whole of the country. It involves engaging in all stages of the planning process. Promoting land for allocation as housing sites in local plans on behalf of rural landowners. Influencing local policy to recognise the role of rural estates and their unique ability to deliver managed change in rural communities in which they already often provide quality and affordable homes. Working with developers and design teams to deliver planning applications from single country houses, to rural conversion schemes, and village extensions.   It can be hugely rewarding working on projects which you can see can contribute to the future sustainability and vitality of rural communities. Rural Solutions #WTPD #WorldTownPlanningDay2024 #SustainableDevelopment #RuralHousing #CommunityVitality

Two very important important additions in support of our 'Net Postive Places' and Pre-Construction capabilities. #netpositve #placemaking #preconstruction #utilities

D.C. needs an owners rep for waterfront development The D.C. government is taking its first major step forward in years in the long-planned effort to turn a 110-acre site on Poplar Point in Anacostia into a mixed-use waterfront destination. Leaders say this is a particularly complicated project that will develop over several years. Just like water and wastewater infrastructure development. Years in the making. Complicated. While DC could argue their waterfront development is essential for lots of reasons, we can all agree that water infrastructure development underlies economic vitality, environmental sustainability and the quality of life. #water #development #projectdelivery #costcontainment Anser Advisory Robert Sheets https://lnkd.in/gpXcibZ2

You may have been hearing about TODs – or Transport-Orientated Developments - recently in the news.   These are one of the initiatives of the Minns Government in response to the NSW housing crisis.   Implemented in May 2024, the Transport-Oriented Development (TOD) State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) amendment aims to increase affordable, sustainable housing near major transport hubs across NSW.   Here on the Central Coast, Gosford, Wyong, Tuggerah and Woy Woy have been selected for this program based upon their ability to handle increased housing density, having existing residential zoning near their railway stations and a range of other criteria identified by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure.   Adjustments to planning controls in these areas now permit higher density housing within 400 metres of the stations. A maximum building height of 22 m is permitted for residential flat buildings and 24 m for buildings containing shop top housing. A 2% mandatory affordable housing contribution is required, delivered onsite and in perpetuity for developments with a minimum Gross Floor Area of 2,000 m2.   Projected to add 138,000 new homes over the next 15 years, the TOD SEPP is a step forward in tackling housing challenges for NSW residents. To check if these changes apply to your property, visit the NSW Planning Spatial Viewer. #RZKgroup #interiordesigntrends #TODSEPP #awardwinningdesign #architecture2024 #turnkeysolution #constructionmanagement #projectmanagement