Our client sought planning permission for 165 new homes on the edge of Hambleton, a village in Wyre Borough in Lancashire.

 Challenge

The site was located on a green field on the edge of the village.

An opposition group quickly formed and campaigned against the proposals on the grounds that new homes would impact the character of a small village. The group encouraged over 400 people, including the local MP, to submit letters of objection to the Council.

Solution

• We undertook detailed political research into the views and allegiances of members of the Committee, identifying positive messages around the scheme that were likely to resonate with key members.

• We produced and distributed a concise three-page briefing letter to all members of the Wyre Borough Council Planning Committee which outlined the key features of the proposal, and the lengthy consultation that shaped the application. The letter highlighted the sustainability of the site, and of the village of Hambleton, and detailed the generous amount of public open space that the development would provide.

• We followed this briefing letter with courtesy calls to members of the Planning Committee to make sure that they had received the letter, and to establish who would be attending the Committee meeting. We produced a detailed analysis of the responses made by members, providing our client with information on the composition of the Committee on the night, this allowed our client’s speech to the Committee to be specially tailored.

Result 

The Wyre Borough Council Planning Committee voted to approve the application by 7 votes to 1.

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Our client sought planning permission to build new accommodation for the elderly on the site of a former depot in Cheadle, Greater Manchester.

Challenge

• The site was in a Conservation Area and adjacent to a historic building of local importance.  There was a concern locally that the proposed building was too big for the area.

• There was a perception locally that the proposal would exacerbate traffic problems in Cheadle.

• The local MP had written to the case officer drawing attention to her constituents’ anxieties regarding design and access issues.

Solution

• Instructed just days before the planning committee date, our client asked us to draft a short briefing letter to committee members setting out the benefits of providing new homes for the elderly in Stockport borough.

• We studied the officer’s report and our client’s Planning Statement and used this information to draft a concise two-page letter, explaining that the proposal would provide much-needed new elderly accommodation in a highly accessible location, bring family homes back onto the open market, reduce the burden on local Adult Social Care and NHS budgets, help to meet a need for Extra Care units in the borough, contribute to the council’s five-year housing land supply, and provide a sustainable alternative to long-term care in council care homes.

• Once agreed with the client the letter was sent by email to planning committee members.  In the same email we sent members a copy of a letter our client had recently received from a local MP, congratulating them on the completion of a similar elderly accommodation scheme in Leeds.  This letter was invaluable in helping to back up our client’s case that the proposals were of a high quality and would make a positive contribution to Cheadle both visually and culturally.

Result

The planning application was consented.

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• Our client sought planning permission for 145 new homes on the edge of Boroughbridge, a town in Harrogate Borough.

Challenge

• The site is located adjacent to a Registered Battlefield, the site of the medieval Battle of Boroughbridge.

• The site is located between Boroughbridge and the village of Milby and concerns about settlement coalescence had been raised.

Solution

• We undertook detailed political research into the views and allegiances of members of the Committee, identifying positive messages around the scheme that were likely to resonate with key members.

• We produced and distributed a five-page briefing letter to all members of Harrogate Borough Council Planning Committee which outlined the key features of the proposal and the community benefits it would deliver, including major footpath enhancements. The letter presented the Registered Battlefield aspect of the application as a positive, describing how the development would protect the northern boundary of the battlefield and fund new visitor facilities. The letter also set out how the green gap between Milby and Boroughbridge would be maintained.

• We followed this briefing letter with courtesy calls to members of the Planning Committee to make sure they had received the letter and to establish whether they had any comments or last-minute questions. We produced a detailed analysis of the responses made by members, providing our client with useful intelligence as they prepared for the Committee.

Result   

Determination was deferred by a month as Planning Committee members requested more information on highways and flooding. The Committee was assured by the extra information provided and the application was approved, with members recognising that the proposals would enhance the Registered Battlefield and preserve the green gap between Boroughbridge and Milby.

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Newcastle City Council proposed an allocation for new homes on Green Belt land in the village of Throckley as part of the NewcastleGateshead One Core Strategy. The land has been owned by our client since 1735, and all development in Throckley has been the result of gifts of land by our client over the last three centuries.

Challenge

The allocation was opposed by residents whose homes backed onto the land, who had formed a campaign group to fight the inclusion of the site in the Core Strategy. SP Broadway was appointed to help our client keep the site allocated in the Core Strategy.

Solution

• SP Broadway organised a meeting with the Newcastle City Council members for Throckley to understand their views on our client’s site. While they could see the merit of new housing in the area, they were troubled by the amount proposed and felt there were better sites elsewhere.

• We organised a meeting with leading representatives of the campaign group to understand their views on the site. This established that the group was opposed to any sort of housing on our client’s site as it was Green Belt land.

• Given that local council members and residents were less than enthusiastic, we decided to focus on winning over other Newcastle City Council members to the idea of development on our client’s site. Ahead of key cabinet and council votes on the Core Strategy we sent a detailed briefing letter setting out the merits of development on the site and urging its retention in the Core Strategy. Both the cabinet and the full council subsequently voted to submit the Core Strategy to the Planning Inspector with an allocation on our client’s site.

• During the Planning Inspector’s examination of the Core Strategy it became clear that a resource was needed to provide a source of information for residents about our client’s site. We therefore helped to create a new section of our client’s website dedicated to Throckley, setting out clearly the key aspects of the proposed development and promoting the benefits. We also monitored local newspapers and online media to keep our client aware of any public discussion of the site.

Result

The NewcastleGateshead One Core Strategy was adopted by Newcastle City Council and Gateshead Council with an allocation for 550 homes on our client’s site.

SP Broadway continued to provide political advice to our client as they submitted an outline planning application for 580 homes on the site. The application was approved by Newcastle City Council Planning Committee by ten votes to one.

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