A national housebuilder sought an allocation for 3,500 new homes on an underused airfield in Cambridgeshire.  SP Broadway was instructed to provide political, community and media relations support to promote the inclusion of the site in the council’s Local Plan.

Challenge

 SP Broadway was instructed after initial concern that the airfield would not be included in the emerging Local Plan.  Meanwhile a vocal campaign group had formed to fight the potential inclusion of the proposals in the plan, securing support from some ward councillors.

Solution

• SP Broadway undertook an initial ring-around of key council members to ascertain their views on the potential inclusion of our client’s site in the Local Plan. These calls established the site was in serious contention for inclusion in the draft plan, but ‘not certain’ to be included.

• SP Broadway organised a meeting with key cabinet members including the council leader and the cabinet member for planning to discuss and promote the merits of the site. Shortly after this meeting the draft plan was published, which included an allocation for 3,500 new homes on the airfield.

• As the Local Plan progressed through various council meetings, we held briefings with ward members and the MP to brief them on the proposals, gain an understanding of their views, and prevent/detect wavering of support.

• To tackle misinformation from the opposition group and any potential public misunderstanding, we launched a dedicated consultation website, outlining the key aspects of the proposed development and promoting the benefits.

• In the run up the council vote on the Local Plan a comprehensive briefing letter and leaflet were sent to all council members. Calls where then made to councillors to answer their questions and where necessary answer their concerns.

Result

 The Local Plan was ratified (27 in favour, 21 against) with an allocation for 3,500 new homes on our client’s airfield.

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Our client sought outline planning permission to build 35 new homes on greenfield land at the edge of Gosfield, near Braintree, having submitted two tandem applications for two different access options.

Challenge

• The site was located on greenfield land at the edge of a small village, which had experienced very little development for decades.

• Two alternative access routes were proposed. One was objected to by the Highways Authority. The second access option was recommended for approval by District and County planning officers, but faced objections from members of the Parish Council, and was the subject of a petition signed by 125 opposed local residents and the local primary school.

• Local ward councillors and the Cabinet Member for Planning were hesitant about discussing the proposals.

Solution

• Our client instructed SP Broadway to formulate a communications strategy to gain political support for and minimise opposition to the planning application. We prepared a Political and Stakeholder Survey to identify and analyse the political makeup of Gosfield and Braintree, which enabled us to devise an engagement strategy, and understand the level of community support and key issues of concern.

• SP Broadway attended the Parish Council meeting at which the application was to be discussed, in order to gain a better understanding of local community views and the views of the Parish Council.

• We advised our client to compose a briefing letter to members of Braintree District Council Planning Committee. We guided them through the drafting of the letter, advising on content and tone, and reviewing it to ensure it succinctly outlined the political and community benefits of the scheme for councillors.

• We reviewed and advised on our client’s speech to Braintree Planning Committee, tailoring it to highlight the political merits of the scheme.

Result

In spite of the local petition and objections from members of the Parish Council, the scheme gained outline consent at Committee.

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Our client sought support for their application to provide a new neighbourhood of 1,100 homes on the northern fringe of Ipswich, in addition to a new primary school, local centre and 30-hectare country park.

Challenge

Henley Gate was 1 of 3 neighbourhoods making up ‘Ipswich Garden Suburb’, allocated within Ipswich Borough Council’s emerging Core Strategy. However, there was concern amongst local community groups about the impact of a significant development. Another developer had submitted an application for a neighbourhood of 815 homes in July 2014 but it had not been brought before the Planning and Development Committee.

Solution

• A Political and Community Stakeholder Survey was drafted to identify and understand the concerns of groups and individuals, elected and non-elected, likely to have an interest in the planning application.

• Based on our understanding from the Survey, we designed and implemented a comprehensive programme of community engagement. This focused on 1) emphasising our coordination with the Council’s Core Strategy and its previous extensive consultation on the Ipswich Garden Suburb, and 2) communicating a vision of a community that Ipswich would be proud of.

• In engaging with the local residents through a public exhibition, a consultation website and a leaflet mass-mail, the strategy of coordinating messages with the Council’s Core Strategy established the application as the essential end-point of the Ipswich Garden Suburb consultation process.

• In engaging with the media through proactive press releases, we focused on the quality-of-life and community aspects of the scheme to support the vision of a community that Ipswich would be proud of.

• In engaging with political stakeholders through face-to-face meetings and political briefing letters, the two elements of the strategy were combined to maintain and enhance the development’s position as a policy priority for key councillors.

Result

Ipswich Borough Council Planning and Development Committee approved the application by 9 votes to 2. The Planning and Development Committee decision gained positive coverage in the local press.

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SP Broadway was instructed to assist with the final political stage of consultation on an application to redevelop two garden centres on the edge of South Woodham Ferrers, Essex, providing a new Sainsbury’s store and doctor’s surgery.

Challenge

• The site was a long, thin stretch of land outside the Urban Area, extending into open countryside. Parts of the site were undeveloped, and the site was opposite a Grade II listed cottage.

• Chelmsford City Council had identified a large area of land north of the town for potential residential development in its Local Plan. Our clients’ site formed part of this land, and there was concern the application would be seen as a ‘Trojan Horse’ for further development outside the Urban Area.

Solution

• Our initial research established that South Woodham Ferrers councillors had recently undertaken a survey of residents showing widespread enthusiasm for a new supermarket to rival the existing Asda store, promoting choice and competition.

• We monitored local newspapers and online media to monitor the response to the council’s Local Plan options, and prepared a press release in case the connection was made publicly between our client’s application and the proposed residential development to the north, which could have led to a refusal.

• We drafted and sent a briefing letter to all Planning Committee members, setting out the benefits of the scheme for South Woodham Ferrers residents, followed by calls to members to gauge their attitude to the scheme and answer any questions.

• Planning Committee members chose to defer the application for a month, enabling a site visit to consider the scheme’s impact on 1) landscape 2) highways 3) the listed cottage and 4) the town centre. In the week of the site visit we sent a further briefing letter addressing these four key issues.

Result

The application was approved 10 votes to 1 at the second Planning Committee meeting.

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A boarding school in Hertfordshire sought planning consent to demolish a postwar building on its campus and replace with two new buildings, providing much-needed accommodation for students and staff.

Challenge

The application site was adjacent to a number of residential properties. An application had been submitted before but refused at committee because of the impact of the new buildings on these properties.

Solution

Having submitted a revised application that sought to adress the reasons for refusal, SP Broadway was instructed to assist the school with communications to planning committee members in the run-up to the committee date.

• • We advised the school to send an initial letter to members once the revised application was submitted, making clear exactly what was proposed and the changes made to the scheme since the refusal. An initial draft was produced by the planning consultant and we then reviewed the text, suggesting a series of amendments and refinements to ensure clarity of communication and maximum use of standard English.
• Once the officer’s report was published in advance of the committee date, we assisted the planning consultant in producing a second letter to planning committee members, specifically addressing issues raised in an objection by one of the neighbouring residents. Again the emphasis was on explaining how the application addressed these issues – most of the detail of which was technical – in as clear and easy-to-understand a fashion as possible.

• We also reviewed a draft of the planning consultant’s speech to the planning committee, suggesting specific amendments to the text and providing general advice on delivery.

Result

The revised application was unanimously approved by East Herts Development Management Committee.

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Our client sought planning permission to build 120 new homes on the edge of Colchester in Tendring District.

Challenge

• A high level of interest from members of both Tendring District Council and Colchester Borough Council.

• A greenfield site with sensitive boundaries to ancient woodland and neighbouring residents.

• Political upheaval during the pre-application process owing to the 2015 general election.

Solution

• • Our client instructed SP Broadway to formulate a communications strategy to gain political support and minimise potential opposition for their application. We held meetings with key local members including the chair of planning committee and the leader of the neighbouring local authority, understanding key concerns and areas of agreement.
• • We then worked with adjacent residents to the site at a community liaison meeting, and were able to address individual concerns directly. Following this we arranged a public exhibition, inviting key local stakeholders and residents. Engaging closely with the media, we gained positive coverage about the proposals and the exhibition.
• • Prior to committee, we drafted a comprehensive political briefing brochure outlining the merits of the scheme, including the positive feedback from the consultation.

Result

In spite of the sensitive location and some concerns from local residents, this application obtained only four objections from local residents, and gained the support of the parish council. Following officer recommendation for approval, the proposal was unanimously consented by Tendring District Council Planning Committee. Members of both the administration and opposition commended the engagement undertaken for the application.

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Our client was seeking planning permission to build 292 new homes on the edge of a market town in Braintree District.

Challenge

The site was greenfield and was located outside the development boundary for the town.  An opposition group had secured sustained media coverage of claims that the proposals would strain local services and lead to traffic congestion.

Solution

• Asked by our client to assist in the run-up to the planning committee date, SP Broadway drafted and sent a five-page briefing letter to planning committee members. This made clear that the site could deliver new homes in a sustainable location to help meet Braintree’s housing needs, with development also boosting trade for the market town’s high street businesses. The letter also laid out point-by-point how the proposals would benefit existing residents through the provision of highways improvements, new community space and an extension of the GP surgery.

• We then followed the letter up with courtesy calls to planning committee members in the week of the committee, to make sure they had received the letter, to establish whether they had any comments and to answer any last-minute questions.

Result

Having secured the planning officer’s recommendation for approval, the scheme was approved by 11 votes to 1.

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