Our client sought planning permission for up to 44 new homes (including 13 affordable homes) on a brownfield site opposite Hungerford Railway Station, on the M4 corridor in West Berkshire. The site was derelict, cleared and unoccupied, and had been subject to various failed planning applications previously.

Challenge

The site had a chequered planning history, so it was important to explain our scheme and build support from the bottom up via political and community meetings and public consultation.

Solution

• We held several pre-application meetings with officers, ward councillors, the Chairman of the Town Council’s Environment and Planning Committee, the Mayor and the Cabinet Member for Planning on West Berkshire Council, all of whom were supportive of regenerating the unattractive and redundant site but highlighted parking, height, sustainability and density as areas of concern.

• We held an online consultation which ran for a month, informing residents by posting a notification letter to 456 neighbouring addresses.

• Approximately 19 residents submitted written feedback by the end of the consultation, with key concerns repeatedly raised around parking, height, and density.

• To build support for the proposals we made a presentation and answered questions at the Town Council’s Environment and Planning Committee. Community consultation and feedback from the Town Council and neighbours allowed the project team to understand the views of residents and amend the scheme accordingly improving the layout and landscaping.

• SP Broadway compiled a Statement of Community Involvement outlining the process of engagement which was submitted in conjunction with the planning application.

Result

With little negative feedback from the consultation, and all key stakeholders aware of the scheme and briefed, the scheme was consented via delegated decision.

The post 44 homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought planning permission for up to 150 low-carbon sustainable new homes alongside new parkland and football pitches in Chesterton, on the edge of Bicester in Oxfordshire, within a council area which graduated from Conservative to no overall control during the planning timescale.

Challenge

Our clients undertook various pre-app meetings with Cherwell District Council who were supportive, albeit this did not translate in the paperwork. Drainage was highlighted as a technical issue and Chesterton was a category A village with no neighbourhood plan. Nearby a new sports centre and US led Great Wolf Resort were approved on appeal.

Solution

• SP Broadway met with residents and political / community leaders to communicate a positive vision for the new homes, new parkland and football pitches being proposed, and to understand local views in light of extensive other development in the local area, just off the M40 Oxford-Birmingham corridor.
• SP Broadway organised a public exhibition for residents, which was attended by approximately 72 people, including two Parish councillors. The key points that repeatedly came up in the feedback included pavements and walking, provision of a village shop, roads, primary school places, cycle lanes and public transport. We also created a website to invite online feedback.
• We informed residents of the public exhibition and online consultation by posting a notification letter to 437 addresses in the immediate vicinity after discussions with officers and ward members on the radius of invitees.
• To build support for the proposals, we met with the Chairman of Chesterton Football Club. Discussions were positive and the Chairman highlighted that further improvements to the Pavilion, parking spaces, football pitches and a potential tennis court would be beneficial to the local community, and likely help build support.
• SP Broadway compiled a Statement of Community Involvement outlining the process of engagement which was submitted in conjunction with the planning application.

Result

A planning application was submitted on 16th January 2023. The application was refused in July 2023. Subsequently, an appeal was submitted, and planning permission was granted in May 2024, the Inspector agreed the new homes were in compliance with the development plan, and ‘material considerations’ did not indicate the Inspector should decide other than in accordance with the development plan.

The post 150 low carbon homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

After 2 years of marketing land on the edge of Witney that had previously been consented for employment use (offices and a hotel), and failing to attract offers, our client required assistance for a change-of-use application to provide 75 new homes.  The District Council opposed the proposed change-of-use, considering the land ‘de facto employment land’ despite the lack of commercial interest.

Challenge

The District Council believed that since the land had previously been consented for employment use (albeit five years before), it should remain solely reserved for employment use.

Solution

• SP Broadway undertook a campaign to explain the advantages of the change-of-use to key political stakeholders.  We gained a motion of support from the local Parish Council, which agreed that it ‘does not seem logical’ to retain the land for employment.  We also received the approval of the local ward member, who said the scheme was ‘easy to support’.

• We sought input from the public regarding potential community facilities or projects that could be funded from developer contributions.

• We initiated a ‘door to door’ neighbourhood petition aimed at informing residents about the advantages and feasibility of new homes.  The planning application included 40% affordable housing, improvements to public green spaces and children’s play areas, as well as the developer’s commitment to financially supporting a community-driven project.

Result

• Although ward members were sympathetic to the change-of-use, the District Council’s officers refused the change-of-use application in March 2022 using delegated powers.

• Our client appealed the delegated refusal, and the inspector allowed the appeal.  The inspector noted that the proposal ‘would support economic growth through direct and indirect jobs and investment’, agreed that there were no grounds for the District Council’s initial claim that the site was ‘de facto employment land’, and highlighted that the council could only demonstrate a 3.5 year housing supply.

The post 75 homes (change-of-use) appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought to bring forward proposals for a service area off the A34 at Chilton, Oxfordshire, compromising of a petrol filling station, electric vehicle charging points, parking, retail and a food and drink outlet. The proposed site was ideally located for such a development – a small triangle of farmland cut off by highways upgrades at the Chilton A34 junction, located on a stretch of the A34 with no northbound services for 40 miles.

Challenge

• The site was within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and officers were concerned the proposals constituted ‘major development’ in the AONB.

• Additional concerns were raised that the scheme would generate a significant level of increased traffic at the interchange, and poor sightlines on the northbound slip road.

Solution

• We launched a community consultation website outlining the proposals and providing our contact details for residents and stakeholders to direct enquiries and comments.

• We sent out a detailed briefing letter to nearly 800 local residents and businesses, directing them to visit the consultation website and leave feedback, receiving almost 90 positive responses.

• We arranged a series of meetings with stakeholders, including the site ward councillor, the Oxfordshire County Councillor, the Parish Council and neighbouring Parish Council, as well as the Harwell Campus and neighbouring businesses. The ward councillor proved extremely supportive, and agreed to call the application in to Planning Committee.

• Crucially, we organised a series of meetings with the North Wessex Downs AONB Board, which culminated in the Board writing to Vale of White Horse District Council supporting our stance that the proposals did not constitute ‘major development’.

• SP Broadway arranged a meeting with the site’s Member of Parliament, who supported the proposals and wrote to Vale of White Horse District Council urging them to consent the application.

Result

The application went before the first Planning Committee after local elections, where the Conservatives had lost their majority to the Liberal Democrats, who did not share the previous administration’s enthusiasm for the Service Area and refused the application.  An appeal was subsequently submitted to the Planning Inspectorate.

The post Service area appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought planning permission for 75 affordable flats and 330 square metres of commercial space.  The site had previously received planning permission for approximately 70 flats.

Challenge

Although there was an existing consent for c.70 units with a mix of 1,2,& 3 beds, our client wished to deliver a 100% affordable scheme.  It was SP Broadway’s priority to highlight throughout the consultation and engagement the benefits of delivering a fully affordable scheme in a sustainable location that would help to reinvigorate the local High Street.

Solution

• SP Broadway organised a meeting with leading planning councillors, where we highlighted the benefits of providing 100% affordable homes in an area that had a need for affordable housing.  Engagement provided the project team with useful feedback regarding design and carbon neutrality.

• We contacted the three local ward members to introduce the scheme and offer a briefing to discuss the proposals and answer any questions they may have.

• To keep residents informed, we launched a consultation website which presented the proposals and provided residents with an opportunity to leave feedback.  To inform residents an invitation letter was sent to over 600 local addresses and an advertisement was posted on a local news page.

• We compiled a Statement of Community Involvement outlining the process of engagement, which was submitted with the planning application.

Result

Having secured the planning officer’s recommendation for approval, the scheme was unanimously approved by all 15 members of Runnymede Borough Council Planning Committee.

The post 75 affordable homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought planning permission to build two separate specialist care home facilities just outside Southampton: a nursing home with dementia care provision, and a specialist neurorehabilitation centre.

Challenges

• The land was allocated in the Local Plan for a different use.

• The proposals had been recommended for refusal by officers due to a number of factors, including objections to the proposed design and building height.

• The site proposals were opposed by the local Parish Council and ward councillors – two of whom were also members of the Planning Committee.

Solution

• SP Broadway contacted all key stakeholders, including the county councillor and the Member of Parliament.

• Through our contact with the Cabinet Member for Planning we facilitated a meeting with planning officers and the project team to address the reasons the scheme had been initially recommended for refusal. These included the scheme’s design and the fact that the proposed site was allocated as employment land in the council’s Local Plan.

• Following this meeting, the planning application was granted an extension of time to address some technical issues, which eventually resulted in the proposals receiving a recommendation to approve from planning officers. SP Broadway wrote a briefing letter to members of the Planning Committee to make sure they were aware of these technical challenges and to maintain the profile of the proposals.

• Ahead of the Planning Committee, SP Broadway circulated a second briefing letter to all committee members, highlighting the many benefits it would bring to the borough.  On the eve of committee, we called members of the Planning Committee to ensure they had read the letter and to answer any last-minute questions.

Result

The proposals went before the Planning Committee and were unanimously consented by members, including the two local ward councillors.

The post 141-bed care home appeared first on SP Broadway.

A privately owned property company formed in 1993 with offices in Cambridge and London brought us on board to understand political views and gain support ahead of submitting a planning application for the redevelopment of a former gasworks on the edge of the city of Oxford, into flexible use life sciences, R&D, light or general industrial space in the Ox Cam Arc.

Challenge

Although the site was brownfield, which made it more straightforward than greenfield, we anticipated highways to be a prominent issue with residents and councillors, particularly in light of a residential development to the east of the site. In addition, the site was on the outer edge of the city of Oxford, hard up against the South Oxfordshire District Council Green Belt.

Solution

• SP Broadway facilitated discussions with a range of political stakeholders in order to build support ahead of the formal submission of a planning application.

• Meetings were offered to Blackbird Leys Ward members, Blackbird Leys Parish Council, the chair of Oxford City Council Planning Committee, the Cabinet Member for Planning and the Chief Executive of the Oxfordshire LEP.

• Meetings covered a range of issues including design, economic benefits, employment, traffic and access, ecology, landscaping and how the development could help Oxford’s life sciences sector and address the shortage of buildings suitable for R&D/ life sciences across the wider Ox Cam Arc.

Result

After understanding key political concerns and support, the client submitted the planning application to Oxford City Council. Officers gave a recommendation of support, and the employment led scheme subsequently received unanimous support at planning committee and will be a great edition to the Oxford fringe life sciences space, and the wider OxCam Arc.

The post Life sciences campus appeared first on SP Broadway.

Lidl sought planning permission for a new 20,450 sq. ft food store on a business park site south of Horsham that had already received outline planning permission for business and trade park units. SP Broadway were instructed to organise an online consultation for the Lidl food store ahead of submission of a planning application.

Challenge

The challenge was to communicate to residents and the Parish Council the benefits of the Lidl supermarket and encourage their support as the scheme was being considered by officers and ultimately elected members.

Solution

• We had regularly updated the Parish Council on the build-out progress of the wider business park, and notified parish and ward councillors ahead of our online consultation (due to COVID- 19 restrictions) for the new Lidl food store.
• We launched a consultation website detailing the Lidl proposals and invited feedback from village residents.
• We uploaded a community leaflet onto the consultation website. We received over 337 online feedback forms, 312 responders (93%) supporting the principle of a new Lidl food store as an affordable alternative to other supermarkets that would prevent them having to leave the village to shop and would support a rising population.

Result

SP Broadway gained the support of the Parish Council and the local community with 93% of residents’ comments in favour of a new Lidl food store. With officers content, the planning application was approved by delegated decision.

The post New supermarket appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client had lodged a planning application with SODC for 43 apartments and 221 sqm new office space on the site of light industrial and low-grade existing office space on Newtown Road, Henley on Thames. The site is located on a business park and had been marketed for commercial use for 18 months with no interest and had been vacant for over 10 years.

Challenge

The adopted Henley Neighbourhood Plan designated the site for employment use only, with Henley Town Council objecting to the proposals on this basis. The local ward members, one of which sat on the Planning Committee, were also objecting on this basis.

Solution

SP Broadway were instructed a month before committee to undertake political engagement and to explain the advantages of a mixed-use regeneration of a brownfield site in this location. We drafted and prepared a briefing letter to Planning Committee members, highlighting the existing buildings were outdated and not in demand. This was followed up with telephone conversations to committee members highlighting 6 key advantages of the redevelopment:

• 43 apartments in a sustainable location, 15 minutes’ walk from Henley station

• 221 sqm of brand-new office space, ideal for small businesses and start-ups

• 8 affordable apartments provided on-site on a shared ownership basis

• High-quality, brand new homes instead of an office-to-residential conversion

• Maintaining an employment use on-site instead of a wholly residential proposal

• Bringing a vacant brownfield site back into a productive, mixed use

Result

Despite objections from the Town Council and local ward members, the Planning Committee voted 6-2 in favour of the application, with 1 abstention.

The post New homes & office space appeared first on SP Broadway.

The existing single house at Tree Tops, on the edge of Henley, was badly fire-damaged following an arson attack in March 2019, in an area prone to anti-social behaviour on the edge of the Chiltern AONB. Two planning applications for the site, submitted in 1988 and 2007, were refused. All subsequent appeals were dismissed.

Challenge

Our client lodged a planning application with SODC for the redevelopment of Tree Tops into 3 exceptional architect-designed new homes, believing that gaining political support for an innovative scheme was the best route forward in light of previous refusals.

Solution

SP Broadway were instructed to undertake political engagement to explain the advantages of the three homes. We met with Henley Town Council, SODC ward members, the Mayor and Henley Residents’ Association as part of a strategy to highlight the 5 key advantages of Tree Tops :

• 3 exceptional and outstanding architect-designed contemporary houses in a highly sustainable location;
• Bringing a derelict building on a vacant brownfield site back into productive use;
• Creating three low-density, low-impact houses respecting the character and appearance of the surrounding area and wider AONB;
• Extensive new tree planting, helping contribute towards the wider tree planting target for Henley;
• Environmental / ecological benefits including biodiversity enhancement.

Result

One-to-one meetings with ward councillors and our attendance at a Henley Town Council meeting to answer detailed questions over use of paddock land gained us the political support we needed, which then gave SODC officers the confidence to consent the scheme by delegated decision.

The post 3 architect-designed new homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought assistance regarding the restructuring of tourist facilities at an Upper River Thames golf club and former hotel also located within the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, this included the creation of 33 holiday lodges within the grounds, a spa within the former hotel building, and extending the golf clubhouse.

Challenge

Having withdrawn a previous application to revisit the scale and design of their proposals (which originally included the demolition of the former hotel) due to significant local opposition, it was important to reset a number of stakeholder relationships. In particular, the Chilterns Conservation Board (CCB) and the Parish Council had been especially vociferous in their opposition to the scheme, arguing harm to the AONB. It was essential for us to arrange meetings with these stakeholders and have the opportunity to discuss with them how the proposals had been changed since the initial application.

Solution

• We contacted all the key stakeholders for the site to request meetings, and met with key parish councillors and ward members in the pub. A detailed email exchange explaining the new scheme was also undertaken with another ward member, unable to attend the meeting.

• We facilitated a pivotal phone call between the CCB (who had initially been opposed to discussing the proposals) and the client’s planning consultant, explaining the new scheme and allaying previous concerns regarding the amount of development.

• With stakeholder and parish support, we then also generated letters of support from residents and businesses highlighting the positives of the development including increased tourist footfall for shops in the neighbouring town and highlighting the extensive environmental credentials of the scheme. Twenty-six copies of these letters were sent to the planning officer and listed on the SODC planning portal.

Result

Although we were prepared for the scheme to go to committee, the planning officer felt sufficiently reassured by the political and community support to consent the scheme under delegated powers (the same officer who had opposed to the original scheme). Additionally, the Chilterns Conservation Board commended the “engagement with various stakeholders” in their comments on the application.

The post Holiday lodges & spa appeared first on SP Broadway.

SP Broadway was instructed to assist a consortium of three national housebuilders with political engagement on an application for 4,254 homes on the western edge of Didcot, Oxfordshire.

Challenge

▪ The site was not within the town boundary but in a neighbouring parish. The neighbouring parish council was concerned that this development would lead to the effective coalescence of their village with Didcot.

▪ The site was allocated for 2,550 homes in the new Local Plan up to 2031, but the application sought outline consent for up to 4,254 homes beyond the Plan period to link to densities on schemes recently consented.

Solution

▪ Following a general election, full district and parish council elections and ward boundary changes, we compiled a comprehensive Political & Community Stakeholder Survey identifying the elected members who would impact the planning application.

▪ Using the information gathered in the Survey we began monitoring of the Didcot Herald, Oxford Times and online media to keep the project team aware of what key stakeholders were saying publicly about the application and planning & development issues in the area more widely.

▪ We attended two Development Forum meetings between the client, councillors and council officers, taking notes of councillor comments to understand their views on the proposals and ensure that our correspondence with planning committee members took these views into account.

▪ We drafted and sent two letters to planning committee members, one when the application was submitted in and the second the week before the application was determined. These letters stressed the changes that had been made to the proposals as a result of extensive consultation with the council & other statutory bodies and explained what the homes brought to the community, including new schools, a leisure centre and 35% affordable housing.

▪ After sending the second letter we made calls to planning committee members to find out whether they had any questions about the application or required any further information ahead of the vote.

Result

The application was approved unanimously by Vale of White Horse District Council Planning Committee.

The post 4,254 homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client was seeking to redevelop a tired parade of disused shops next to Addlestone railway station, providing a new flexible retail space and 74 apartments.

Challenge

• Though the site had been allocated in the draft Runnymede Local Plan, there were concerns about the height of the proposed buildings.

• The site was next to a level crossing, which created considerable tailback during peak hours. As a result, the Council sought to minimise the number of parking spaces on site as part of a wider aim to deter car use, which residents did not agree was the right approach.

• The site formed part of the entrance into Addlestone, and was seen by the Council as a potential landmark building which required a high-quality design. This created issues of viability, with members concerned about the reduction in affordable homes.

Solution

•  We supported the client, planning consultant, and architect with a presentation to Runnymede Borough Council Planning Committee.

• SP Broadway organised a two-day public exhibition, and invited approximately 3,500 residents and stakeholders. The exhibition was held in one of the disused shops on the site, maximising the opportunity for local residents, commuters, and weekend visitors to the High Street to attend – this attracted a wider demographic, and the feedback received showed a majority of respondents supported the redevelopment.

• We liaised closely with a local shop that had a strong Facebook following among Addlestone residents, sending them images of the proposals and informing them when the application had been submitted.

Result

 The Committee spoke very positively about the scheme, and its contribution to the regeneration of Addlestone. It was approved by 12 votes to 1, subject to an agreement on the affordable housing provision with officers.

The post 74 new homes and 425sqm retail appeared first on SP Broadway.

A national housebuilder sought planning permission for 94 new homes on the site of a former garden centre in the village of Badshot Lea, Surrey.

Challenge

The site had outline planning permission for 80 homes, but that application did not include a ‘ransom strip’ of land through the centre of the site.  Our client had since acquired the strip and an entirely new application was required for a comprehensive development of the entire site for 94 homes.

Solution

• SP Broadway was appointed to fulfil a resident liaison role during the planning process.  Upon submission of the application we sent a briefing letter to over 300 residential and business addresses surrounding the site, providing information about the new scheme alongside our contact details.

• For over four months we handled all resident queries, liaising with the project team to provide residents with answers to technical questions on specific elements of the scheme.

• We liaised extensively with a resident whose home directly adjoined the site, who was concerned about the retention of trees and hedgerows on the site boundary, and also with a representative of the local tennis club regarding a potential contribution towards improvement of their facilities.

• In the run-up to the Planning Committee date, we oversaw the production of a comprehensive briefing letter and brochure explaining the key elements of the proposals, and sent this to all members of Waverley Borough Council’s Joint Planning Committee.

Result

Waverley Borough Council Joint Planning Committee members voted to approve our client’s planning application.

The post 94 new homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Cemex – a leading global producer of cement, concrete and other building materials – sought consent for the recovery of minerals from a former airfield near Slough.

Challenge

• The land formed a crucial part of the Western Rail Link to Heathrow. It was crucial that consent was awarded quickly, to allow the recovery works to synchronise with the railway scheme.

• Mineral extraction requires a significant number of HGV movements, and the site was close to Iver, a town where this was an existing concern. The County Council had expressed the need for a new road to avoid HGVs travelling through Iver.

Solution

• SP Broadway compiled a detailed Political and Community Stakeholder Survey. This identified the key stakeholders on Buckinghamshire County Council – the decision-making authority – but also those on Slough Borough, South Bucks District, and Iver Parish Councils, who could influence local perception of the scheme.

• We arranged and attended several meetings with local ward councillors and Cabinet members, to brief them on the proposals, explain the benefits of the scheme and understand their concerns.

• SP Broadway organised a public exhibition, allowing Cemex to display the plans and discuss them with residents.

• We assisted Cemex in the production of a leaflet, issued to residents and stakeholders upon application submission. This leaflet emphasised the potential for the scheme to work in harmony with the Western Rail Link to Heathrow – providing construction materials for the railway tunnel from the site itself, thus reducing HGV movements in the future.

Result

Buckinghamshire County Council Development Control Committee unanimously agreed to delegate the decision to the Head of Planning & Environment, who awarded the scheme planning permission.

The post Mineral extraction appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought consent for a mixed-use development, including 1,800 new homes, on a former airfield in the Surrey Borough of Waverley.  An earlier application to redevelop the site had been turned down for housing by the Council and at Appeal on traffic and access grounds in 2009.

Challenge

SP Broadway was instructed to bring new life to communications after the previous scheme had failed at committee and at Appeal, and to consider how to support a second standalone planning application to run alongside discussions on the allocation of the site in the Council’s Local Plan.

Solution

• We suggested holding off instigating a communications campaign until after the general election, to avoid the scheme becoming a political football in a key battleground.

• We began by raising the profile & availability of the site and outlining traffic & access solutions in a briefing letter sent to all Waverley councillors.  This letter intimated that a planning application may be brought forward ‘to help deliver the Government’s and wider communities’ aspirations for new homes in the area’, and focused on explaining the 10 key advantages of new homes on the airfield.

• We organised a public exhibition to introduce the new proposals.  Feedback showed that 69% of attendees were supportive / unopposed to plans for 1,800 new homes on the site.

• Following the public exhibition we sent an update letter to councillors reminding them of the key advantages of consenting new homes on the site, and set up briefings with key Cabinet Members.

• The Council published its Local Plan Draft Spatial Strategy, which suggested that a new settlement on the airfield ‘may offer the best opportunity to meet the Council’s housing needs’.  This was a significant U-turn, and resulted from a sustained and carefully targeted communications campaign.

• We kept up communications with councillors, defending the site’s place in the Local Plan, and the Council approved the Plan with an allocation of 2,600 homes on our client’s site.

Result

We provided crucial pre-committee communications in the run up to the Planning Committee decision.  After addressing traffic and access issues with Surrey County Council, the development gained an officer recommendation for approval, and despite last-minute lobbying by the anti-group and pressure from an articulate group of councillors on the Planning Committee, the scheme was consented by 10 votes to 8.

The Secretary of State subsequently called the application in, and after a lengthy examination granted consent.

The post 1,800 new homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client was seeking to replace a tired shopping precinct in Botley just outside Oxford, providing new retail space, apartments, student rooms, a hotel, new community centre, church and library.

Challenge

A previous application for the site attracted more than 1,000 objections and was unanimously refused at planning committee in 2014.  The group that led the opposition remained active in the community and based much of its campaign on opposition to student accommodation in Botley.  All of Botley’s elected representatives opposed the 2014 scheme.

Solution

• We undertook a comprehensive political and community survey, which concluded that community buy-in was essential to building support for a new application. Our survey showed that political stakeholders would only positively consider the application if a community role in the plan-making process could be demonstrated.

• We designed and implemented a comprehensive programme of community engagement. By emphasising our client’s commitment to meaningful engagement, and showing that the consultation would be transparent, we secured the participation of Botley’s elected representatives and the opposition group.

• Their participation enabled us to deliver a successful consultation programme, which included the setting up of a Community Liaison Group and the holding of series of community workshops. This consultation enabled us to undertake community engagement at each stage of the plan-making process, and to demonstrate how changes to the scheme, including a reduction in student rooms, were the result of consultation feedback.

• The consultation programme concluded with a two-day public exhibition. Feedback from the exhibition showed that a clear majority of respondents welcomed changes to the scheme as a result of the consultation.

• We kept the media updated on the emerging proposals, securing positive coverage of changes to the scheme resulting from the consultation.

• We highlighted the community participation, positive public exhibition feedback and the positive media coverage to the Council leadership.

Result

Vale of White Horse District Council approved the application by 8 votes to 3. At the Planning Committee meeting objectors and Committee members commended the quality of the consultation undertaken.

The post Mixed-use redevelopment appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought to submit a reserved matters application with regard to a 130-home development for land in Chertsey, in the Surrey Borough of Runnymede. The outline application had been consented.

Challenge

The access for the consented outline scheme ran through a residential street. There was a real risk that residents opposed to the scheme because of this access would use the reserved matters application as an opportunity to voice their opposition to councillors on access grounds, potentially derailing the progress of the development.

Solution

• SP Broadway wrote to residents around the site to notify them of the reserved matters application. This letter stressed that the access had been approved and would not be reconsidered. It also highlighted the high quality design of the new homes, and provided SP Broadway’s contact details in case residents had any questions.

• We created and maintained a project website, containing up-to-date information on the reserved matters application. The website address was highlighted in the notification letter to residents, providing them with a source of extra information if they required it.

• We responded to all resident queries in the run-up to the determination of the planning application, ensuring that all issues raised were managed and not directed at councillors.

• We wrote to all Planning Committee members before the determination date, clearly setting out how the reserved matters application conformed to the outline consent given.

Result

The reserved matters application was considered by Runnymede Borough Council Planning Committee. With resident opposition addressed through intensive consultation, and the merits of the scheme established in members’ minds, the Committee approved the application.

The post 130 homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought planning permission in a small Buckinghamshire town for the conversion of an out-of-town retail showroom into six apartments.

Challenge

The showroom was on a busy main road and surrounded by residential properties, with attendant concerns about traffic, parking and overlooking.

Solution

• We organised a meeting for our client with one of the local ward members followed by meetings with the occupants or owners of all the properties neighbouring the showroom, to go over the proposals, take note of any concerns raised and make sure the final plans took these concerns into account.

• Once the meetings were completed we prepared a short Statement of Community Involvement for submission with the application, listing the stakeholders we had met and explaining how the designs had changed as a direct result of those meetings.

• On the day the application was submitted to the council we sent copies of the design plans to each of the neighbours, making clear we were happy to meet again to go over any outstanding issues, or discuss over the phone.

• When the council had completed its own consultation on the application and uploaded residents’ comments onto its website, we contacted each of those residents directly to respond to the issues they had raised and ensure they were comfortable with the final plans.

Result

In a delegated decision, South Bucks District Council officers approved our client’s planning application.

The post 6 apartments appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought inclusion in the Tunbridge Wells Local Plan for a greenfield site on the edge of a small town in Kent.

Challenge

Our client faced competition from two other developers which were promoting alternative greenfield sites in the town for development.

Solution

• We organised meetings for our client with the ward members for the town, the Kent County Council division member and the Headmaster of the local secondary school, and assisted with a presentation to the town council: all designed to understand the views of key local stakeholders.

• We drafted and sent a detailed briefing letter to all members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Local Plan Working Party, explaining why our client’s site was the most appropriate location for new housing and how development there could alleviate flooding problems. This was followed by telephone calls to members to gauge views.

• We assisted the client with their participation in a public exhibition organised by the town council, at which the three rival developers presented their proposals to residents. Using a carefully crafted feedback form we gathered opinions from residents on our client’s proposals and compiled these in a feedback report.

• We then drafted and sent a second briefing letter to all members of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council ahead of the Cabinet’s vote on site allocations, urging support for our client’s site. The Cabinet ultimately voted to support allocations on both our client’s site and one of the competing sites.

Result

• The Tunbridge Wells Local Plan was approved by a Planning Inspector with an allocation for up to 350 houses on our client’s site.

• An application for 375 houses was unanimously approved by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Planning Committee.

The post 350 homes appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought planning permission for 62 new homes on the edge of Headcorn, a village in Maidstone Borough.

Challenge

• The site was located in open countryside, within a Special Landscape Area.

• The Planning Committee included the site ward member, who we understood to be lobbying fellow councillors against the scheme.

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 Maidstone Borough Council Planning Committee that outlined the key features of the proposal and its benefits. These benefits included improved road safety, the creation of new public open space and also footpath enhancements. The letter also presented the scheme as an excellent opportunity to provide high-quality new wildlife habitats – an issue we knew from our research to be of particular importance to key members of the Committee.

• We followed the briefing letter with courtesy calls to members of the Planning Committee to make sure that 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

Having secured the planning officer’s recommendation for approval, the scheme was approved by Maidstone Borough Council Planning Committee. Seven councillors voted for the proposal, citing the benefits of the scheme highlighted in the briefing letter, overcoming the votes of the six councillors swayed by the ward member.

The post 62 houses appeared first on SP Broadway.

A national housebuilder instructed SP Broadway to run the community consultation for the development of 66 new homes in the village of Northiam, East Sussex. The proposals included generous open space provision and would meet the village’s housing requirements for the next 20 years.

Challenge

• The development would substantially increase the overall size of the village, where there were already concerns that further housing could not be accommodated and fears the village may become a town.

• Residents immediately adjacent to the site were strongly opposed and concerned about a loss of views and the impact of the new homes on their everyday lives.

Solution

• SP Broadway conducted an in-depth survey of key political and community stakeholders to ensure that a comprehensive engagement programme could take place.

• We met with the parish council, ward councillors, the county councillor, the local conservation society and the local bowls club to brief them on the proposals and listen to their concerns.

• Immediate site neighbours were invited to a meeting with members of the project team, allowing them to raise their specific concerns in advance of the public consultation.

• We organised a public exhibition in the village, attended by over 300 residents. 136 attendees filled in feedback forms, providing useful comments to help our client finalise the detail of the scheme before submission.

Result

A planning application was submitted and approved by Rother District Council Planning Committee.

The post 66 houses appeared first on SP Broadway.

A luxury housebuilder sought planning consent to redevelop a former university campus north of Chalfont St Peter – including a listed 18th century manor house and landscaped grounds – providing 309 new homes and associated facilities.

Challenge

Though previously-developed land and allocated in the Chiltern Core Strategy, the site was in the Green Belt and an AONB, and accessble only via narrow country lanes. We had to make clear the local benefits of the development and re-assure stakeholders that the new homes would not generate unacceptable levels of traffic.

Solution

• SP Broadway organised meetings with the ward member for the site, the county council division member and the parish council, empasising the proposed use of a courtesy minibus system to mitigate traffic impact as well as new facilities for the Chiltern Open Air Museum and Amersham & Chalfont Hockey Club, both located on-site.

• Given the site’s location close to parish, ward and division boundaries we expanded our briefing programme to include the neighbouring parish council and division member. We also met with Cheryl Gillan MP and a local community group.

• Having worked on another project in Chiltern District we knew it was essential to meet with the Chairman of the Planning Committee to explain the proposals and answer his questions before the committee met.

• In the week before determination we sent a crisp, concise briefing letter to every member of the planning committee, outlining the key features of the proposals and explaining the community benefits. We followed this up with calls to committee members to answer any last-minute questions.

Result

At the committee meeting, members raised concerns about a number of issues, including traffic, sewage and affordable housing. However, the Chairman reassured members on these issues and stressed the point that the site was already allocated for development in the Chiltern Core Strategy. After a lengthy debate, the application was approved by 6 votes to 4.

The post 309 houses & apartments appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought to build 150 homes on a brownfield site on the outskirts of Farnborough, Hampshire.

Challenge

The site crossed the boundary of two planning authorities, Hart District Council and Rushmoor Borough Council. While most of the site and therefore most of the proposed homes were in Hart District, the most sustainable access closest to local facilities was in Rushmoor borough. Most of the ‘gain’ (new homes, council tax receipts) would therefore go to Hart, while most of the ‘pain’ (traffic, pressure on local services) would go to Rushmoor.

Solution

• SP Broadway organised an extensive series of meetings with the relevant ward members on Hart District Council and Rushmoor Borough Council, the relevant division members on Hampshire County Council, and the local town council. None of these stakeholders represented the site as a whole therefore offered hugely differing views on its future.

• Realising that our client had to offer a real benefit to the existing community in Rushmoor borough to unlock support, we organised a series of meetings with the Headmaster and Chair of Governors of the neighbouring primary school. These meetings established that there was a problem with traffic outside the school at drop-off and pick-up times.

• We organised a public exhibition, held at the primary school. A week before this we organised a preview for key stakeholders, inviting all the political stakeholders and headteachers of local schools to see an advance copy of the exhibition boards and ask questions of the project team in a controlled environment.

• Once the application was submitted, we held a series of meetings with the Headteacher of the primary school, to agree the creation of a small car park on our client’s site for school drop-off and pick-up. The Headteacher then wrote to the council to express his view that the application would help with the existing traffic problem. We also met with the Leader of Rushmoor Borough Council and the Rushmoor ward members to update them on these changes.

Result

Hart District Council approved our client’s application. Though recommended for approval by officers, Rushmoor Borough Council refused the application on highways grounds. Our client went to appeal and the refusal was overturned.

The post 150 houses appeared first on SP Broadway.

Our client sought planning consent to demolish & replace two retail buildings in Oxford city centre and renovate a third, creating new prime retail space on the ground and basement floors and 133 student rooms above.

Challenge

The development was in a highly-sensitive location within the Central Conservation Area, in the heart of the historic city and opposite the medieval Carfax Tower. As a consequence the scheme was under intense scrutiny for its impact on the urban fabric, on the medieval street pattern and on city views, particularly from the top of Carfax Tower.

Solution

Appointed in the run-up to the Planning Committee date, SP Broadway devised a comprehensive communications strategy designed to communite the benefits of the development. This included:

• A briefing meeting with the Leader of the Council.

• A presentation to Planning Committee members by the project team.

• A detailed briefing letter to Planning Committee members, explaining the scheme, listing the benefits and addressing specific areas of concern, such as the impact on city views.

• Telephone calls to Planning Committee members in the days before the committee date, to answer any last minute concerns, understand views and gauge the level of likely support.

Result

Oxford City Council West Area Planning Committee voted unanimously to approve the development in principle.

The post Mixed-use city centre scheme appeared first on SP Broadway.

A national housebuilder was seeking to build 47 homes on a 2-acre site in a leafy Buckinghamshire village in the London commuter belt.

Challenge

The scheme proposed 23.5 houses per hectare in an area where average housing density is 11 houses per hectare, with a mixture of houses and apartment buildings. Both of the ward members were members of the planning committee, and one of them was chairman.

Solution

• We worked with the village community association to organise a drop-in exhibition where residents could view the proposals, speak to the project team and have their say via a feedback form.

• We then organised meetings with the appropriate ward members on the district council, to discuss the exhibition results. The members accepted that 47 homes was a reasonable number, and a win for the community given that the site had previously been earmarked for 100 homes.

• Using this feedback, our client decided to revise its design, reducing the height of one of the apartment buildings and hence the number of dwellings from 47 to 45. In the run-up to the planning committee’s decision, we sent members a detailed briefing letter outlining the changes made to the scheme and the reasons why it deserved their support.

Result

Having secured the planning officer’s recommendation for approval, the scheme was consented by 10 votes to 1.

The post 47 houses & apartments appeared first on SP Broadway.

SP Broadway was instructed by a consortium of housebuilders to undertake political and community consultation for proposals to provide 550 homes, land for a new primary school and other amenities in Billingshurst, West Sussex.

Challenge

Convincing politicians, residents and community representatives of the merits of new development that would enable key improvements to be made to a deteriorating town centre.

Solution

• Briefing meetings were held with county, district and parish councillors informing them of the proposals and ensuring they understood the benefits.

• We held a public exhibition over two days. Results showed a broadly positive approach to the development with 50% stating that they supported the principle of planned development in Billingshurst, which would bring with it a package of community benefits.

• SP Broadway organised three Community Liaison Group (CLG) meetings prior to submitting the planning application. The group kept residents up to date on the proposals and provided a forum for community concerns.

Result

SP Broadway was able to ensure residents, stakeholders and political leaders were aware of the proposals and had a clear understanding of the benefits. We acted as a first point of contact for residents, political, community and media stakeholders and built a solid communication base. The local MP remarked that he thought the consortium’s engagement “very comprehensive”.

Although Horsham District Council rejected the application for 550 homes, a revised application for 475 homes – with an extra £1.72m of community investment in lieu of a 5% reduction in affordable housing – was approved.

The post 550 houses appeared first on SP Broadway.

SP Broadway was asked to provide political and community relations support for a small niche housebuilder to gain an allocation in the emerging Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

Challenge

As one of the first Neighbourhood Plans in the UK, SP Broadway was brought on board to work out where power lay within the process and to establish links with those making the political running. We spent important time in research and gained key information on the key local ‘movers and shakers’ from the MP. It was important to liaise with the key driver of the Neighbourhood Plan, Thame Town Council, who were concerned about a single large development site and who preferred a dispersed approach to new housing.

Solution

• SP Broadway identified a Housing Working Group within the town council, which proved to be the key advisory and delivery mechanism throughout the Neighbourhood Plan process; as well as identifying key political stakeholders and advisers to the town council.

• We met with local residents’ associations to understand their concerns regarding development in specific areas and to highlight the many benefits of an allocation on our site.

• We supported a presentation to Thame Town Council on behalf of the client team.

• We undertook briefings and wrote a series of key letters to inform political and community stakeholders.

Result

Our site was allocated 203 homes in the Referendum, with 2,779 residents in Thame voting in favour of adopting the Neighbourhood Plan.

The post 203 houses appeared first on SP Broadway.

SP Broadway was asked by two pension funds to provide political, community and media relations support to secure planning permission to increase the retail footprint of their out-of-town shopping centre in Medway, Kent by 21,500 sq ft in 2010 and again in 2012/13 for a similar amount of A3 space.

Communications Challenge

The communications challenge posed problems from a community perspective: the scheme saw a decrease in on-site parking in a very residential neighbourhood. Political complications were added through the ward councillor also being Council Leader, and his wife chairing the Planning Committee: clearly without their joint support we would struggle.

Solution

• SP Broadway briefed the local residents’ association and key political stakeholders to understand the level of community support and identify key issues of concern.

• A public exhibition was held which attracted 1, 576 members of the public over two days. SP Broadway analysed 118 feedback forms, and established 92% support.

• We used residents’ feedback to refine the scheme and turn constructive criticism into positive support, organising a pre-committee briefing to members in association with council officers.

Result

After successful pre-committee briefings, including a meeting with the Ward Councillor/ Council Leader, the first scheme was consented. After further political briefings, a subsequent planning application for A3 use was consented by 13 votes to 1.

The post Shopping centre extension appeared first on SP Broadway.

An energy company was seeking to gain consent on a 4-turbine wind farm near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. SP Broadway was brought on board to undertake political and community consultation to ensure our client’s application complied with consultation best practice.

Challenge

The proposals were opposed by a dedicated and vocal group of local residents.

Solution

• SP Broadway initially met with Councillors and Parish Council representatives from the six villages that neighbour the site, following these initial briefings SP Broadway drafted and sent out a letter of invitation to a public exhibition to 2961 residents, retail and commercial premises.

• Throughout the project we liaised with supportive local residents.

• We hosted an exhibition with a total of 268 residents recorded in attendance. 138 feedback forms were completed and most of those who did – 55.07% – said they were either supportive or very supportive of renewable energy. 43.47% of people also said that they were either supportive or very supportive of wind power. The exhibition boards were subsequently placed on a special Wind Farm website, set up at SP Broadway’s urging.

Result

Meteorological mast application

Our client submitted an application to erect a temporary meteorological mast to test wind speed prior to the main turbine application. To aid the application SP Broadway drafted and circulated a letter to all Councillors on the Aylesbury Vale District Council Development Control Committee, explaining about the specifics of the met mast and why Councillors ought to support its construction. Despite intense lobbying, councillors voted to support the application.

Wind farm application

The Aylesbury Vale District Council Strategic Development Control Committee met to decide on the application: the first of many wind turbine applications in the Aylesbury Vale area.

The decision split along party lines with the Conservative majority (6) supporting Officers’ recommendations on landscape, residential amenity and access grounds; and Lib Dem councillors (3) seeking to overturn the Officers’ recommendation.

The post Wind farm appeared first on SP Broadway.

SP Broadway was instructed by a food-led commercial development company to undertake a concise programme of political and community consultation to support the redevelopment of a site on the outskirts of Petersfield to house a 40,000 sq ft supermarket, along with a relocation of the existing fencing factory (and jobs) to an out-of-town location.

Challenge

Set within a built-up residential area, and with Waitrose already established in the town centre, concern was raised among residents and politicians over the negative impact the change-of-use might have on residents in neighbouring streets.

Solution

• SP Broadway prepared a Political and Community Stakeholder Survey identifying the political makeup of Petersfield and East Hampshire, which enabled us to devise a political and community engagement strategy to understand the level of community support and key issues of concern.

• Applying a ‘bottom-up’ approach, we held a series of one-to-one meetings with key political and community stakeholders at town, district, county and parliamentary level to understand their views.

• We hosted a two-day public exhibition, with over 300 people attending and 164 filling in feedback forms.

• 76.2% of people supported the principle of the factory moving to secure its future and protect local jobs. This statistic was vital in gaining political and community support.

Result

Across-the-board stakeholder communications – meetings with residents, political briefings, the public exhibition and liaison with newspaper editors – established widespread support for the factory’s move to new purpose-built premises,’opening up’ a retail opportunity in the area.

The post New food store appeared first on SP Broadway.