Case Study: 20 houses, Cotswold District Council

Background

Our client sought planning permission to build 20 new homes on the site of a small rural business park in the Cotswolds.

Communications Challenge

  • The site was in the Green Belt and the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
  • The new homes were of a highly contemporary design, unusual for a rural setting.

Solution

  • Asked to assist in the run-up to the committee date, SP drafted and sent a four-page briefing letter to committee members. This made clear that most of the existing buildings were no longer suitable for business use and the new homes, though contemporary, were specifically designed to minimise their impact on the landscape. It was also possible to argue that the replacement of low-quality buildings and significant new tree planting represented an enhancement of the scenic beauty of the AONB, and improved the openness of the Green Belt.
  • 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 unanimously approved in June 2015.

Case Studies

Politics of Planning

Review: Virtual Politics of Planning Roundtable with Cllr Guy Nicholson
September 27, 2023
The Homes We Need: How to deliver on Labour’s housebuilding ambition
September 22, 2023
The Liberal Democrat approach to solving the housing crisis
September 22, 2023

Politics of Planning is our weekly planning update, bringing you the news and analysis you need to plot a successful planning course though fast-changing political waters.tyu

   

Events

Cllr Dr Tumi Hawkins
Cabinet Member for Planning, South Cambridgeshire Council
Online via Microsoft Teams
7.45am - 10am
October 25, 2023
Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe
Deputy Mayor, Planning, Regeneration, and Skills, London Assembly
Online via Microsoft Teams
7.45am - 10am
November 07, 2023
Cllr Elissa Swinglehurst
Cabinet Member for Environment and Portfolio Holder for Planning, Herefordshire Council
Online via Microsoft Teams
7.45am - 10am
November 21, 2023

Throughout the year we host roundtable discussions between leading politicians and key figures within the development industry.

See All Events